“Dedication and passion for safety is our culture and trademark.” Boldly stated in the corporate profile of EUG Freight Services Inc., this commitment to the highest standards of road safety was a major contributor to EUG: Steady growth over the last 20 years.
It was also a key reason why this Antipolo City-based trucking company was inducted into the NLEXcellence Safety Awards Hall of Fame recently.
An annual awards program that was launched in 2013, the NLEXcellence Safety Awards was created by the Manila North Tollways Corporation, builder and concessionaire of the North Luzon Expressway, to encourage trucking and bus companies using the tollway to practice the highest standards of road safety.
For this year, MNTC honored 16 companies, led by EUG for their exemplary performance in ensuring road safety in awards rites held at the Manila Hotel.
The idea for this yearly event began in 2007 when MNTC first held an Appreciation Night for bus and truck companies which are heavy users of the NLEX. “Although it started as a simple activity for developing and sustaining meaningful ties with key customers, it was decided to turn it into an annual awards program in 2013 as a way of recognizing NLEX users who share MNTC’s dedication and commitment to safety,” said Rodrigo E. Franco, president and CEO of MNTC.
The NLEXcellence Safety Awards program is open to every bus and trucking company that meets the following qualifications: it must own a fleet of at least 20 vehicles; at least 50 percent of its trips must go to and/or come from North Luzon, and 30 percent of these trips must be taken on NLEX.
This recognition for their dedication and commitment to safety, according to Elpidio U. Gaerlan, owner and founder of EUG Freight Services, has made him and his people, particularly his drivers, very happy.
The company was already awarded as “NLEX Top Account” in 2012, but Gaerlan said it was their being chosen as NLEXcellence Safety Awardee for three consecutive years – in 2013, 20014 and 2015 – that have made them extremely proud. This achievement also elevated them to the Hall of Fame.
“It has made all the hard work worthwhile,” he explained. “Our drivers were especially happy to learn that after all the seminars I asked them to attend, the training they had to undergo, even the rebuke they received whenever they made a mistake, there was a reward waiting for them.”
In fact, when the company first won in 2013, his drivers already felt they were “the best in the world,” Gaerlan said. “But I told them that we shouldn’t rest on our laurels, and that we should continue to improve until we get the highest award of all, induction to the Hall of Fame. I’m very happy that we got it!”
Since the launch start of the NLEXcellence Safety Awards, there has been an increased interest among truck and bus operators in achieving excellence in road safety.
“From the start, it was 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.
The NLEX, he said, is a world-class tollway that is full of safety features to protect all travellers. “But we need to partner with those who regularly traverse it to help us to continually keep this tollway safe,” he added.
He noted that being an NLEXcellence Awardee enables bus and trucking companies to show to their customers and the general public that they have the best practices in road safety.
EUG Freight Services is a prime example of how winning an NLEXcellence Award helps a company. “First of all, when we offer our trucking services to a client, we show them documents that prove we’ve won safety awards,” Gaerlan said. “This assures them that we are a company they can depend on because we have good, disciplined drivers who are always safety-conscious.”
Some customers, he said, even see their company’s name posted on the expressway’s toll plazas. “This has certainly helped boost our business!”
And, in turn, it has assured all their passengers the utmost in safety.