R.O. Harrell celebrates four top trucking industry honors

R. O. Harrell, Inc. yesterday celebrated first place awards from four prominent trucking industry organizations for its work over the past year. Community and business leaders were invited to a luncheon with the employees as a part of the celebration and then received a tour. In 2007, R. O. Harrell, Inc. drivers traveled 7.3 million miles - going the entire year with no injuries to office, maintenance or driver personnel.
"While the latest technological safety equipment is important, the company's safety emphasis is on its people Ñ 90 employees - the mechanics who maintain the vehicles properly, the office supervisory staff and especially the drivers. Through constant communication and feedback, the dispatchers and Safety Director attempt to create a climate of safety first," said Rick Harrell, owner and president of the company.
"Everyone at the company is encouraged to report dangerous road conditions and safety hazards, and warnings or changes are implemented as a result.
"No time pressure is ever put on any driver. Through safety meetings and everyday discussions, employees are reminded that the performance of this company is a team effort," Harrell said.
R. O. Harrell, established in 1942 and now in its third generation of ownership and management, was recently awarded the John A. Arnold Award of Honor, the highest industry award presented for overall safety achievement. Harrell is the only company in the country to have received this award three times within the past seven years.
The American Trucking Association, the national organization for all types of trucking companies, recognized R. O. Harrell with its First Place Safe Fleet Award, awarded under the category of Tank Trucks, Unlimited Employees.
The national organization for trucking companies using tankers, the National Tank Truck Carriers, also selected R. O. Harrell for its Grand Award (first place) for personnel safety in the 5-8 million mile class. Lastly, the statewide Virginia Trucking Association recognized the company as having the best overall safety record and the best personnel safety record in the category of Tank Truck over three million miles.
The company's newest vehicles have the following safety and fuel conservation equipment:
n electronic stability control braking systems, which contain sophisticated computer-controlled use of steering wheel angle, lateral acceleration and wheel speed sensors to apply braking to different wheels to provide continuous vehicle control for the driver in varying road surfaces and situations.
n electronic controls which automatically upshift and downshift gears so the driver can keep his hands on the steering wheel and his eyes on the road.
n collision warning systems with smart cruise which takes into account the load and speed to determine how close a tractor trailer is to the vehicle in front or to the right. Visual and audible warnings are given to the driver and in cruise control the system maintains a space cushion in front by reducing engine speed, downshifting the transmission and applying the engine brake.
n also windshield mounted cameras, warning the driver if his vehicle is beginning to leave his lane. When that happens, the device issues a "rumble" sound.
Either a small diesel generator or an extra bank of batteries is in each truck, so the driver can sleep in cold or hot climates without having to run his truck engine.
Mayors of both South Boston and Halifax, Carroll Thackston and Leon Plaster, along with William Fitzgerald, Chairman of the Halifax County Board of Supervisors, were on hand for the celebration, with all three officials saying they learned a great deal about the trucking industry and what the company means to the community.