Since David Duke became CEO of National Express Corp. (NEC) in 2011, the company has undergone significant growth and had notable safety accomplishments.

NEC has added 24 new customers over the past year, eight of which had not previously contracted their transportation needs.

Also, last year, NEC acquired Petermann Ltd., which increased the company’s fleet to more than 20,000 school buses. Petermann joined the company’s other U.S. subsidiary, Durham School Services, and its Canadian subsidiary, Stock Transportation.

All of the company’s safety directors have become certified by the Institute for Safety and Health Management, and NEC was awarded an ANSI/AIHA Z10‐2012 Safety Management System certificate for the provision of student transportation services for one of its sites, with plans to roll out the review across the company.

For his commendable efforts at NEC and in the broader pupil transportation community, SBF named Duke its 2013 Contractor of the Year.

Duke is a contracting veteran: His career spans nearly 30 years. He got his start in the industry at Ryder System.

“David has a stellar reputation across the industry for balancing his thorough understanding of operations with his visionary drive for improved safety and performance through technology and process improvement,” said John Elliott, president emeritus, NEC. “In every role he has held in the student transportation industry, he has achieved success in growing and expanding contractor opportunities. As the CEO of a $1 billion student transportation contractor, David doesn’t forget his operational roots, nor does he underestimate the value of partnering with contractors of all sizes to continue to grow the market.”

In addition to his duties at NEC, Duke is a longtime member of the National School Transportation Association (NSTA), and he has served on the NSTA board of directors for the last five years. He is currently an at-large director.

Elliott accepted the Contractor of the Year award on Duke’s behalf from SBF Publisher Frank Di Giacomo during NSTA's annual ceremony on Tuesday.

An in-depth profile of David Duke will appear in the September issue of SBF.

For the full list of winners honored at Tuesday's ceremony, click here.

Check out past Contractor of the Year winners in this photo gallery.