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Memphis, Tennessee – Today, �Ӱɴ�ý’ Safety Management Council announced Curtis Carr of Estes Express Lines as the winner of the 2017 National Safety Director Award. The award was presented during the Awards Banquet at the �Ӱɴ�ý Safety, Security and Human Resources National Conference and Exhibition in Memphis, Tennessee.

“Curtis is a well-respected safety expert throughout our industry and the results of his leadership speak volumes about his approach to safety and interaction with the wider trucking community,” said �Ӱɴ�ý President and CEO Chris Spear. “One only has to look to recent successes at Estes to see evidence of Curtis’s leadership. The company won six �Ӱɴ�ý SMC safety awards just last year and continues to improve safety on our nation’s highways under Curtis’s direction.”

Since 1960, �Ӱɴ�ý’s SMC National Safety Director Award has come to represent the pinnacle of achievement for those responsible for safety in the trucking industry. Candidates for the award are experts in their field, dedicated to educating and training truck drivers and safety professionals to ensure safety is the priority for all sectors of the industry. Nominations for the award are reviewed by past winners, and ultimately selected by representatives of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance and law enforcement officials.

Carr began his career at Estes Express Lines in 1993 as an Area Safety Supervisor. In 1997, Carr became the company’s Director of Safety and in 1998 he rose to Vice President of Safety and Risk Management. His trucking career began in 1989 as Environmental Manager at Carolina Freight and he has continued to work in a trucking safety capacity ever since.

Under Carr’s supervision, Estes Express Lines implemented new individualized situational training programs, opened strong channels of communication throughout the company, and emphasized incentive awards programs and campaigns. At Estes, Carr oversees nearly 8,000 professional truck drivers who travel more than half a billion miles each year.  

Carr’s leadership goes beyond his work at Estes. He has served as Chairman, Vice Chairman, 2nd Vice Chairman and Treasurer of �Ӱɴ�ý’s Safety Management Council. He is active in the Virginia Trucking Association Safety Management Council, the Virginia Governors Board of Transportation Safety as a Board Member, and the EPA Smartway Transportation Advisory Committee.  

As a longtime North Carolinian, Carr graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.