SURREY, B.C. – Joining recognizable powerhouse brands like Google Canada, Disney Online and Mercedes-Benz, Coastal Pacific Xpress (CPx) has been named one of the Best Workplaces in Canada for 2011.

Great Place to Work Institute Canada’s selection of CPX – the only long-haul trucking carrier — reflects the company’s focus on greater health and wellness among its employees, say co-owners Jim Mickey and Scott McIntosh.

This is CPX’s third appearance on the list, having already made it in 2007 and 2008.

The Best Workplaces in Canada list is published in The Globe and Mail.

“While this is not the first time that CPx has been recognized as a Best Workplace in Canada, given the many challenges faced by our industry in recent years, being singled out this year is particularly significant for the company and its employees,” said Mickey stated in a press release.

CPX was recognized, in part, because of its “FLEX Benefits” program, which offers — along with extensive health, dental, life and other benefits — an annual allotment of money at the start of each fiscal year for use as a “flexible benefits” account.

Employees can choose how to use these funds based on their own needs and circumstances. Options include putting the funds towards health-oriented items such as gym memberships, health spending and wellness days along with Registered Retirement Savings Plan and Tax-Free Savings Account contributions.

“We felt it was important to focus on the health of our employees in an industry in which research indicates the average life span of a driver is 61 years of age,” added McIntosh. “The stressful times this industry has gone through in recent years make health and wellness an even more significant priority for us.”

CPx says its the first Canadian trucking firm and first Canadian company to invest in kiosks that track its drivers’ vital statistics to help them identify and deal with health problems in order to improve their overall health.

As Today’s Trucking has noted in past articles, CPX is also one of the new for-hire carriers in Canada to offer owner-operators a unique profit sharing program.

1-800-GOT-JUNK?, a company that hauls away residential and commercial trash through franchises across the country, also made the Best Workplaces list.