“I am still celebrating my new certification and being named the Top Graduate … Thanks to the PFMI faculty for sharing their knowledge.”

THE NATIONAL PRIVATE Truck Council and the Certified Transportation Professional program’s official sponsor, J.J. Keller & Associates, are pleased to congratulate Danielle Siecienski, CTP, safety manager at New South Express on winning the CTP Class of 2024 Top Graduate award, sponsored by Fleet Owner. This prestigious award was presented at the CTP graduation ceremony held at the NPTC Annual Conference held in Orlando on April 21, 2024.

“Danielle achieving this year’s highest CTP exam score is especially note-worthy,” said Mike Schwersenska, CTP, chair of NPTC Institute Board of Governors and general manager of Brakebush Transportation. “This is one of the best and largest CTP classes in the 31-year history of the program.”

With 104 CTP graduates, NPTC has 898 active CTPs out of nearly 1,800 who have achieved certification since 1993.

“This year’s exam was one of the most thorough and comprehensive we have ever administered,” Kristen Todd, NPTC director of education and certification, said. “The reason is a record 143 CTP volunteer graders. This high number of graders gave us a total of more than 2,000 individual grades recorded for both the case study and short answer essays. This means each candidate’s exam was read separately by 15 CTP graders, infusing the grading process itself with a high degree of fairness, corroboration, and integrity.”

Siecienski did not plan a career in transportation. Raised in Connecticut, she participated in her high school’s JROTC program and intended to join the U.S. Army. After graduation, she considered becoming a police officer but ended up accepting a job managing the fleet of her uncle’s construction company. In 2017, Siecienski joined New South Express, working in the payroll department, later transferring to driver recruiting and safety, then exclusively to safety.

New South Express was founded in 1988 as the private fleet of New South Companies, a collection of family-owned sawmills in North and South Carolina. In 2006, Canfor Southern Pine acquired New South Companies and New South Express.

“Since our inception, we’ve grown from two sawmill locations to 13 across the Southeast, achieved through acquisitions and natural expansion,” Siecienski said. “While the main focus of our private fleet is transporting finished dimensional lumber, we also handle wood chips, wood shavings, wood bark, and cut logs.”

Starting with just a few drivers, the fleet now has 232 drivers, 200 power units (a mix of Class 8 day cabs and sleepers), and more than 400 trailers. Equipment also includes open-top bulk vans, flatbeds, and log trailers.

Carl Hamilton, president of New South Express and senior logistics director for Canfor Southern Pine, introduced Siecienski to NPTC. “My boss, Carl, inspired and encouraged me to attend council events and get certified. I participated in several NPTC/J.J. Keller webcasts and attended my first conference in Cincinnati and last year in Orlando,” she said. “It opened my eyes and blew my mind. I felt I needed to learn everything. This was my think tank.

“The Private Fleet Management Institute was incredibly impressive,” she continued. “It’s hard work, fantastic in every way, and so much fun. The faculty members were very good, like Kate Mirise, CTP, of the Royal Group, who reached out and acted like a mentor. As the first person ‘pioneer’ from New South Express to go through the CTP program, I feel incredibly inspired to encourage my teammates to get active with NPTC and become certified. More from our company will be coming to PFMI and the CTP program in future years.”

“I am still celebrating my new certification and being named the Top Graduate for this year’s class. I am beyond excited! I worked so hard and am still amazed it came to fruition. Thanks to the PFMI faculty for sharing their knowledge. Thank you to fellow participants who made me step out of my comfort zone. Finally, a special thanks to my teammates for being truly amazing and helping me bring home the gold at the end.”

Danielle Siecienski, CTP, Safety Manager, New South Express, Inc.