Another award available to fleets

by Bruce Richards

There is just about enough good economic news around these days to make us think we may be witnessing a significant change in the economy, a change that could build momentum and lead us back to the prosperity of former years.

While caution is still the order of the day, with many segments of our industry still in recovery mode, it certainly can’t hurt to recognize and reward success and excellence when we have the opportunity.

The vast majority of people in this country don’t give a thought to the merits of the trucking industry. To most, we are simply those huge trucks that they have difficulty passing, or that spray their windshield during inclement weather.

But when it is explained just how important trucking is to their daily lives – their personal lives – it’s not that difficult to change views.

But despite the lack of plaudits from the general public, there is every reason to continue to recognize those within our industry that demonstrate excellence. In many ways it’s a responsibility we all share.

Many carriers make the effort to recognize employees who make outstanding contributions and most industry associations do the same for fleets and industry suppliers that demonstrate excellence.

So at the PMTC we know we are not alone in promoting the upside of such an essential contributor to Canada’s economy as trucking. But we are the leaders is doing so for the private trucking community.

So with the opening of the PMTC’s 2013 awards season, we are especially pleased to announce the addition of a new set of awards, Top Fleet Employers, which will be managed by Trucking Human Resources Canada.

The PMTC awards will be presented during our annual conference in June.

The event combines educational forums with expert speakers, networking with people from all sectors of the industry, and the presentation of awards that celebrate some of the people and fleets that contribute so much to trucking in Canada.

This year’s conference takes place June 18-19, at Kingbridge Conference Centre in King City, Ont., just outside Toronto. One of the highlights of the conference is the presentation of the PMTC awards, which have a long established position in the trucking community. They represent the commitment to excellence of PMTC, its members, and the sponsors that help us maintain the programs.

Here’s a brief overview of the awards and how to participate:

The Hall of Fame for Professional Drivers, sponsored by Huron Services, a CPC Logistics Company inducts up to four professional drivers each year. The Hall of Fame resides on our Web site at www.pmtc.ca and a visitor can review the outstanding records of all the inductees dating back to 1990.

These are individual awards of excellence, and the safety records of the recipients are extraordinary. The many years of safe driving that Hall of Fame inductees represent should be the goals of everyone who takes the wheel.

Nomination forms are available on the PMTC Web site, along with a description of the criteria for entry. While the award winners are the best of the best, it is also a mark of distinction for any driver to be nominated, and we encourage the participation of all our members.

The Private Fleet Safety Awards, sponsored by Zurich, are open to all private fleets in Canada. These awards recognize companies that have successfully integrated detailed safety programs as a key component of their operations, and whose programs deliver results.

The awards are as much about recognizing the whole approach to safety as they are about the on-road performance. It takes a well-managed safety program built on solid principals to achieve long-term results.

By completing the application (available at www.pmtc.ca) any fleet manager will be shown a clear pathway, or a ‘how to’ for implementing a safety program. The awards program criteria are based on the best practices of private fleets and winning in any category is a significant achievement.

The Vehicle Graphics Design Awards, sponsored by 3M Canada add the colour and drama to our annual awards luncheon. This marks the 29th year of these awards and the competition attracts entries from across the country. There are a number of categories for which awards are presented, each based on vehicle type, and are shared by the fleet and its graphics house.

The graphics competition is open to every Canadian truck fleet, private or for-hire, PMTC member or not. Studies have confirmed the value of using fleets as roaming billboards, whether to advertise specific products or the company itself, and many companies make full use of the available space for that purpose.

Many of the entries come via the graphics industry and we welcome their role in making this such a great event.

Now for the new award we mentioned earlier: Top Fleet Employers, managed by Trucking Human Resources Canada, is modeled on the hugely successful Best Fleets to Drive For program. The Top Fleet Employer awards will bring a focus to Canadian private carriers.

Full details and criteria for each of these awards are available at www.pmtc.ca, or you can simply call the office at 905-827-0587 if you need more information.


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