(Little Rock, AR) -  Dennis Hilton, Safety Director at CalArk International, has been named Arkansas 2011 Safety Professional of the Year by The Arkansas Trucking Association.
 
Hilton began working for CalArk International after serving 30 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, retiring with the rank of Colonel. Besides the Marines, working for CalArk International is only his second job since graduating from college back in 1967. He started with CalArk International April 1999 as an on-the-road recruiter. The experience he gained in that position enabled him to have daily contact with potential drivers who were seeking driving positions and the opportunity to promote the Company as an exceptional place to work.
 
In June 2001, Hilton was assigned the primary duties of both Safety and Personnel
Director for CalArk International. He immediately conducted an evaluation of the
Company's safety program and implemented policy and guidelines to management.

The Company's safety rating was conditional when Hilton was assigned to his position, with a driver-out-of-service rating exceeding 16%. He reinstituted a training program where he personally conducted weekly safety training for drivers on a myriad of safety topics that reinforced safe driving practices and compliance to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and Department of Transportation regulations.
 
Weekly driver training sessions are supplemented with the computer-based training program provided by Instructional Technologies Inc or ProTread. In 2004, Hilton initiated a log scanning system, TDSM, that allows drivers to scan their logs and the system audits the log for hours of service compliance. By implementing this system, the compliance hours for drivers has increased dramatically. Hilton also implemented a program that rewards drivers with a $50 bonus for DOT inspections with no violations.

Drivers have become more detailed on pre-trip and post-trip inspections to keep from receiving violations. Since Hilton became CalArk International's Safety Director, the driver-out-of-service rate has been reduced by over 100%.
 
In addition to playing an active and important role in CalArk International, Hilton is
involved in industry associations as well. He is an active member of the Arkansas
Trucking Association Safety Management Council, where he has held officer positions, including serving as Chairman in 2010. He was also named Arkansas Trucking Association Safety Director of the Year in 2006 and is involved with the Truck Driving Championship. He holds memberships with the American Trucking Association and Truckload Carriers Association.
 
"We were honored to recommend Dennis Hilton for the Arkansas Trucking Association Safety Professional of the Year for 2011," said Rochelle Bartholomew, president of CalArk International, Inc. "The traits that I admire the most about Dennis are his willingness to accept any challenge and the cooperative manner in which he works with others. He always has a positive attitude and wants to strive to be better tomorrow than we are today."
 
CalArk Trucking has established a strong reputation for on-time, reliable delivery,
serving the 48 contiguous states, Mexico and Ontario, Canada since it was founded in 1975.
Headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, CalArk Trucking serves customers as a full truckload irregular route general commodities carrier with 800 tractors and 2,200 dry vans. It maintains terminals in Little Rock, AR; Mabelvale, AR; Malvern, AR; Taylor, MI; Hurricane Mills, TN; Garland, TX; Laredo, TX ; Monterrey, MX; Queretaro, MX.
 
For more information, please contact CalArk at 888-4-CalArk or visit
www.calark.com.