WHITEWOOD TRANSPORT WINS MONTANA MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY AWARD

Montana Motor Carriers Association is pleased to announce that Whitewood Transport from Billings, Montana, has won the prestigious Grand Trophy award sponsored by Great West Casualty Company.

The Grand Trophy Award winner is chosen by an independent panel of judges that selects the winner using various safety criteria, such as activity in the Safety Management and Maintenance Council, Truck Driving Championships, Driver Appreciation Week, the Highway Watch Program, previous Fleet Safety Awards, involvement in America’s Road Team, and the company that displays an overall exemplary safety program with no accidents in the current year.

Whitewood Transport travels over 1.2 million miles in Montana each year and in excess of 3.5 million miles nationwide.  They are an authorized for-hire carrier and are heavily involved with the Montana Motor Carriers Association and the Safety Management and Maintenance Council.  Whitewood was chosen from over twenty Montana carriers who applied for the award. 

Whitewood Transport specializes in heavy hauls for customers throughout the continental United States (including Alaska) and Canada. They are known nationally as a heavy-haul specialist, expertly moving equipment and commodities of large or unusual weight or dimension.

The Montana Motor Carriers Association represents Montana's motor carrier industry and currently has over 600 members.  Its goal is to promote the trucking industry through cooperation and education in Montana and across the country.  MMCA members strive to improve transportation service by providing leadership and assistance to persons and firms engaged in the motor carrier industry.  MMCA’s chief goal is to make Montana's highways a safer place for our families and the traveling public.

More information about the Montana Motor Carriers Association or the Great West Fleet Safety Award can be obtained by contacting MMCA at 406-442-6600 or mmca@mttrucking.org.

<< Back to top

OWNER OPERATOR MERLE CLIZBE OF WHITEWOOD TRANSPORT,
NAMED MONTANA MOTOR CARRIERS’ “DRIVER OF THE YEAR”

Merle Clizbe joined the Whitewood fleet in January 1999, after running for several years under his own authority. His interest in the trucking industry began when he was 10 years old riding with his uncle, and led to a life-long career in the trucking industry. His uncle lived in Washington State and hauled logs in the North Cascades. He would often pass by Merle’s house and stop to pick him up either for the trip into the woods to load logs or to go to the mill to unload. As a 10-year old boy, Merle thought that was very exciting. 

Merle has amassed 52 years in the trucking industry, logging a total of over 5 million miles—678,313 of those miles for Whitewood Transport. While at Whitewood, he has received seven safety awards and had only one minor preventable accident in 2004. He is a knowledgeable, experienced driver and a true ambassador for the trucking industry, always willing to share stories or his expertise with others. Merle is especially interested in the history of trucking safety and how it has evolved over time. In his early career, he set the hand brake on the floor of the cab and then got out of the truck to place wood blocks behind the tires. Now he pushes a yellow button and the air brakes are set. He also considers power steering a great invention! Merle currently owns a 2003 Kenworth W900L and a 2002 Talbert 3 axle lowboy. 

Merle and his wife Pat fish and camp together, and Merle enjoys sport shooting. Pat loves Merle’s positive outlook and his deep dedication to family—he treasures the time he spends with his seven grown sons and their families. They have 23 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren. Merle has one sister who also has 6 children. With a smile on his face, Merle says he loves big families and family gatherings. Because of their shear numbers, they usually need to rent a community hall to accommodate the whole family for special occasions.

The entire Whitewood family is very proud of Merle and applauds his being awarded this very special honor.

<< Back to top