ALEXANDRIA, Va. — October 31 isn’t just the evening you spend walking the neighborhood with your costume-clad kids who are about to run up your dental bills in the coming months.

No, it’s also the last day nominations will be accepted for the Truckload Carriers Association’s (TCA) 2011 Best Fleets to Drive For contest and survey.

(And if you work for a good carrier, maybe those dental bills won’t be so taxing, eh?

Organized by TCA and CarriersEdge, Best Fleets is an annual evaluation of the best employers in the trucking industry.

Company drivers and owner-operators may nominate their trucking companies by completing an application form on www.BestFleetsToDriveFor.com.

The contest, says TCA, tells about the positives of trucking, showcasing the best business practices and enhancing the overall image of the industry.

"It gives other trucking companies something to aspire to, which in turn improves the industry as a whole. And it’s a terrific way to let your company know they are doing a good job for their drivers and that their efforts have not gone unnoticed."

The survey asks for carrier success stories in areas such as benefits, professional development, driver and community support, safety record, and company culture.

This information will be compiled and distributed to TCA members and other interested parties so that all may learn from the innovative ideas.

All for-hire trucking companies with 10 trucks or more, whether TCA members or not, are eligible for nomination.

Nominations must originate from one or more company drivers and/or owner-operators affiliated with the carrier. Initial information provided by the nominator will be further corroborated through interviews with the company’s management and an additional random sampling of the company’s drivers.

To view best practices from last year’s survey as well as profiles of the overall winners, visit www.BestFleetsToDriveFor.com.