NCFI Polyurethanes One of Safest Private Fleets in the Nation. Company Drivers Log 1.5 Million Accident-Free Miles.

MOUNT AIRY, NC— NCFI Polyurethanes owned their first truck when they opened the doors back in 1964, and while the fleet size has varied over the years, one thing never has: their exceptional safety record.

NCFI recently announced their safety award winners for 2012. The awards are based on miles driven without accident. As of December 15, 2012, NCFI had six full-time drivers with a total of 133 years of accident-free driving. NCFI drivers logged approximately 1.5 million accident-free miles over the past three years. According to the National Private Trucking Council’s 2012 Benchmarking Study, the national average for private fleets is .725 crashes per million miles, and DOT figures show an average of two preventable crashes per million miles driven.

Which makes NCFI’s fleet one of the safest in the nation.

“We’re proud of our long history of employing highly-skilled drivers who take pride in their employment and ultimately make it their career,” says Steve Riddle, president of NCFI. “Our management team has a strong commitment to the implementation of a formal fleet safety program that interacts with most aspects of fleet operations and challenges the skills and knowledge of our supervisors and drivers. The main reason we started our private fleet in the 1960s remains the same reason we operate it today. We believe when we do it ourselves the product will get where it needs to be on time, and it won’t be damaged. Our own truck fleet allows us better control of flow in and out of our 14 distribution warehouses and three manufacturing plants from Salt Lake City, UT to here in Mount Airy, NC. Our customers know our drivers and trust them. We’re known in the industries we serve as best in class provider of product, support, and service, and our private fleet is integral to that. If we can’t deliver on time and without damage to the product, the rest of the process is irrelevant.”

Tim Martin, Vice President of Production, says, “Our drivers are older than the national average with more driving experience, and that gives us a real advantage. Our safety program focuses on compliance with government regulations, continuous truck maintenance, and our best practices company policies and training we’ve created over the past 45 years. Our driver’s safety records are a huge asset in keeping costs down from medical leave, lost product, and late deliveries. ”

Speaking of experience, according to Martin NCFI’s drivers have exceptionally long tenures. “NCFI is still one of those American companies where you can make a career for life. You don’t see that much anymore, but its something we believe in around here. Our drivers have been with us for an average of 27 years. Danny Pyles has been part of NCFI for 35 years; Grady White was here 40 years and he just retired. These drivers are safe, and they are full of institutional and customer knowledge.”

2012 Safe Driving Award Recipients
Morris Haynes
Mount Airy, NC
Company tenure: 11 years
8 years of accident-free driving

Hersey Flippin
Lowgap, NC
Company tenure: 18 years
17 years of accident-free driving

Kenneth Brown
Dobson, NC
Company tenure: 26 years
22 years of accident-free driving

Billy Wright
Dobson, NC
Company tenure: 28 years
24 years of accident-free driving

Gray Browder
Mount Airy, NC
Gray is a newly positioned driver replacing Grady White upon his retirement.
Gray has driven for NCFI in the past and returned in other capacities before he
was chosen to fill the open position.

Danny Pyles
Mount Airy, NC
Company tenure: 35 years
31 years of accident-free driving

Interesting Statistics
According to US Census Bureau’s most recent data, there were 10.8 million motor vehicle accidents in the US in 2009.

The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates truck freight will increase 30 percent in the next 10 years.

In 2010, large trucks accounted for four percent of registered vehicles and 14 percent of miles traveled. Estimates of 41,000 to 45,000 traffic deaths occur every year within the U.S. Walkers and bikers account for 15 percent of the total traffic deaths each year. Fewer than nine percent of those deaths involve commercial vehicles. More than 80 percent of those accidents are the fault of the non-commercial driver. Trucks are three times less likely to be in an accident than a regular motor vehicle. Large trucks have a much lower rate per mile traveled of crashes resulting in nonfatal injuries or property damage only compared with passenger cars and light trucks. (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) average crash rate for audited carriers for the last three years is 0.725 crashes per million miles. The Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics says the average age of a truck driver in the United States is over 48 years, and since 2000 the number of service and truck drivers 55 or older has surged 19 percent.

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For more information or to arrange an interview on this subject contact Dale McGlothlin, (202) 341-8615

ABOUT NCFI
NCFI, headquartered in Mt. Airy, NC since 1964, manufactures polyurethane foam chemical systems for spray foam-in-place insulation (SPF), roofing, marine flotation, geotechnical, packaging, specialty molding, and many other uses. The company also offers a complete line of flexible foams for furniture seating, transportation seating, bedding, carpet underlay, and packaging. NCFI also has manufacturing plants in Hickory, N.C., Dalton, GA., and Salt Lake City, UT. To learn more about NCFI please visit www.NCFI.com.