Date: June 26, 2003
News - Chaney Enterprises’ Drivers Awarded Among Maryland’s Top
Three of Chaney Enterprises’ drivers, Wayne Scheranko, Dave Albrecht, and Andy Wiseman, won awards in the 2003 Maryland Motor Truck Association (MMTA) Safe Truck Driving State Championships. At this annual championship event, professional drivers from across the state engage in friendly competition, testing their technical knowledge and driving techniques. This year, approximately 150 drivers from across Maryland and Southern Pennsylvania, including six from Chaney Enterprises, gathered in Timonium to compete.
In the Mixer Truck division, Wayne Scheranko took first place and Andy Wiseman took third. Scheranko is based out of Chaney Enterprises’ Hollywood plant and has been driving for Chaney Enterprises for seven years. He was also recognized with the fourth annual Leo Curtis Award, given to the best driver in Maryland’s concrete industry. Wiseman is based out of Chaney Enterprises’ Bestgate plant and has been employed by Chaney for 22 years.
In the Dump Truck division, Dave Albrecht took second place. He is based out of Chaney Enterprises’ Waldorf plant and has been driving for Chaney for 4 ½ years.
Other Chaney Enterprises’ drivers with accident-free records for the past 12 months and who were nominated to participate in the competition include Richard Johnson, William Jones, and Danny George.
All those who participated in the event competed against the best professional drivers from Maryland in their respective categories. Other participating companies included corporations such as Safeway, Giant Foods, LaFarge, Collins Services, Fed-Ex, and Frito-Lay.
Before the competition, each driver spent time cleaning and polishing his or her truck, then drove to the state fairgrounds in Timonium on Friday evening. All day Saturday, each driver participated in several rounds of the competition, including a written test designed to evaluate knowledge of the Department of Transportation’s rules and regulations, a pre-trip and post-trip physical inspection of the truck, and a driving course requiring precise maneuvers. Afterwards, each candidate was interviewed by the judges, evaluated on their attitude and character, and given an assessment of his or her performance.
Within the trucking industry, the MMTA competition is a popular and prestigious event; each state holds similar competitions and the winners from most categories go on to compete at the national level.
The atmosphere of the Driving Championships is always lively; the stands quickly fill with cheering family and friends, while other fans hold cookouts and celebrations. During normal business hours, these drivers and their employers are in competition with one another but at the Truck Rodeo, there is a spirit of friendly competition, camaraderie and pride in the profession.
Chaney Enterprises is proud to employ the top Mixer and Dump Truck drivers in the State, for which all six Chaney drivers are commended. The company places a great emphasis on safety and corporate responsibility and therefore develops and implements programs, such as its Mentor Drivers Program, to continually educate its employees.
Scheranko, Albrecht and Wiseman are all mentor drivers at their respective locations. Chaney Enterprises works with the Maryland Ready Mix Concrete Association in this program to ensure professionalism, expertise, and safety in new drivers and to boost morale. According to John Santivasci, Safety Director, only the best and most qualified drivers are chosen for these leadership positions. Mentor Drivers are selected by management from a pool of applicants according to a variety of criteria, including professionalism and a clean driving record, and then selected by popular vote by peer drivers.
Chaney Enterprises places a high priority on safety, people, and community. It recognizes its corporate responsibility to community and strives to set itself apart by being a good neighbor, especially when sharing the highways.
With approximately 300 employees, Chaney Enterprises is Maryland’s leading construction materials supplier. A family-owned business in operation for 41 years, the company operates seven ready mix concrete plants, four sand and gravel facilities, and a 19,000-square-foot contractor grade construction materials supply store. It proudly serves Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Charles, Prince Georges, Montgomery, and St. Mary’s Counties.
If you would like to learn how to become a driver for Chaney Enterprises, contact the Human Resources Department by calling 301-932-5000.
Other news articles from June 2003