NLEX safety awards make roads ‘safe for all users’

MANILA, Philippines - For helping make the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) “safe for all users,” 10 bus and trucking companies were given the 2014 NLEXcellence Safety Awards by the Manila North Tollways Corp. (MNTC), builder and concessionaire of the 84-kilometer expressway.

MNTC executives, led by Rodrigo E. Franco, president and CEO, presented the awards to the 10 companies in ceremonies held recently at Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria in Ortigas Center.

“The NLEXcellence Safety Awards is our way of recognizing NLEX users who share our dedication and commitment to safety,” Franco said. “These are the people who help us make NLEX safe for all users.”

He congratulated the 10 awardees for keeping their vehicles properly maintained at all times, and for ensuring that their drivers follow all the rules and regulations and adhere to the highest standards of safety while driving.

“It is our objective to make the NLEXcellence Safety Awards the seal of excellence in road safety that will make the awardees role models for other companies to emulate when it comes to the best practices in company operations in general, and road safety in particular,” Renie U. Ticzon, MNTC vice president for marketing, explained.

This year’s NLEXcellence Safety Awardees were led by Liquigaz Philippines Corp. which received the Hall of Fame award. The company, a retailer of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), was an awardee last year for the Driver Professionalism category.

“Delivering hazardous substances requires a great deal of safety. Transporting it from our main terminal in Bataan to different locations in the National Capital Region and even to sites as far as Batangas 24/7, our drivers are trained to be disciplined and extra careful whenever they are on the road. We even have a safety committee that conducts in-house training on driving and evaluation of our drivers’ performance,” Christopher Mina, logistics and distribution senior supervisor of Liquigaz, pointed out.

Megacem Inc., a cement retailer which was named awardee in two categories - Company Operational Excellence and Driver Professionalism – also affirmed its support for the NLEXcellence Safety Awards program.

“It’s high time that someone must step up and encourage partnership, discipline, safety consciousness and excellence among their drivers and fleet operations while on the road, said Rodolfo Manuel, Megacem president.

The other top honorees for 2014 were EUG Freight Services Inc., Giga Trucking Services, and Inland Corp., which also received two awards each.

The NLEXcellence Safety Awards program has three categories: Company Operational Excellence, Vehicle Quality, and Driver Professionalism.

Under the first category, companies should have an extensive vehicle care program that includes regular preventive maintenance, mandatory replacement of tires and other wearing parts.

For 2014, the awardees in this category were: C.M. Pancho Construction Inc., EUG Freight Services Inc., Giga Trucking Services, and Megacem Inc.

In the Vehicle Quality category, the nominees are rated based on their vehicles’ roadworthiness, the availability of safety devices and emergency tools, the presence of required documents, as well as the vehicles’ cleanliness and the comfort of the driver and his assistant.