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FedEx Archives: 1999 Press Releases

( BW)(CA-VIKING-FREIGHT)(FDX) Viking Freight Honored with the Highest Safety Award in the Motor Carrier Industry

    Business Editors

    SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 14, 1999--Viking Freight Inc., the leading LTL (less-than-truckload) carrier providing western regional transportation service and a subsidiary of FDX Corp. (NYSE: FDX), has been named the 1999 winner of the highest safety award in the trucking industry, the American Trucking Associations' (ATA) President's Trophy.
    At an awards banquet yesterday in Houston during the ATA Safety Management Council's National Meeting, Viking was presented with the prestigious trophy in recognition of its outstanding safety record, program and activities.
    The award is only presented to two motor carriers annually, based on driving over or under 20 million miles per year. Viking was the winner in the 20 million or more miles category.
    The ATA President's Trophy represents the second major safety award in less than a year for the San Jose-headquartered company. In May the California Trucking Association awarded Viking first place in its 1999 Fleet Safety Contest.
    "While all the accolades Viking has recently received for service and quality are very important to us, none is as special to me as the President's Trophy for safety," said Viking's President and CEO Douglas G. Duncan upon receiving the award. "To excel in safety shows solid operating processes and dedicated focused employees which insure top performance in all aspects of our business." Duncan was also a featured speaker at the ATA meeting, addressing the topic of top management's role in safety.
    "Good safety practices protect the motoring public and our valued employees as well as the freight entrusted to us by our customers," said Duncan. "In transportation, safety is synonymous with quality and has a huge impact on our business."
    "Safety is the highest priority of our motor carriers and our professional truck drivers," said Walter B. McCormick, Jr., ATA president and CEO. "If we all try to match Viking's standards, we'll go a long way toward making our highways safer for all motorists."
    As a winner in the ATA's National Truck Safety Contest earlier this year, Viking was eligible to submit an entry for the President's Trophy. In addition to their safety records, the entrants were judged in a variety of safety-related areas such as: compliance with regulations (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, hazardous materials, OSHA, and environmental regulations); safety training and supervision of drivers; inspection and maintenance of equipment; accident handling, reporting, and investigation; and leadership in industry safety activities.
    As part of FDX Corp. and its family of companies, Viking Freight Inc., headquartered in San Jose, Calif., specializes in award-winning next-day and second-day regional freight service. Viking provides services in eleven western states, including intermodal service to Alaska and Hawaii. Synonymous with an EZTDBW(R) (Easy-To-Do-Business-With) operating philosophy, Viking has a tradition of posting an on-time service record that is consistently among the best in the industry. In addition to a full range of electronic information services, Viking also offers its customers value-added services, such as assembly and distribution. More information about Viking can be found at the company's web site at www.vikingfreight.com.
    FDX Corp., a $17 billion holding company, provides comprehensive transportation, logistics, e-commerce and supply chain management solutions. Its principal operating subsidiaries are Federal Express Corp., the world's largest express transportation company; RPS Inc., North America's second largest business-to-business ground small-package carrier; Viking Freight Inc., a less-than-truckload carrier operating principally in the western U.S.; Roberts Express Inc., a critical-shipment carrier; and FDX Logistics Inc., a contract logistics provider.

    Note to Editors: FDX press releases are available on the World Wide Web at www.fdxcorp.com. EZTDBW(R) is a registered trademark of Viking Freight Inc.

     --30--gdr/sf*

     CONTACT: Viking Freight Inc.
              Kathy Keller, 408/323-4238
              Keller-Kathy@vikingfreight.com
                    or
              Just Marketing
              Jean E. McClymonds, 831/438-4800 ext. 2
              justmktng@aol.com

     KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA TEXAS
     INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TRANSPORTATION AUTOMOTIVE