A couple of days in June spent in a country-like setting just north of Toronto paid big dividends for attendees at the annual conference of the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada (PMTC).

A full roster of speakers covering important and timely topics, mixed with some very special awards, an exhibitor’s showcase, and a little light entertainment combined to deliver a very successful conference. Comments received from the participants ranged from merely positive to overwhelmingly enthusiastic.

We have said many times that one of the important benefits of PMTC membership is the opportunity to learn and to share information and ideas with other fleet operators. At this conference there were lots of both.

The exhibitors’ showcase was just one example of information sharing in an informal setting. The exhibit space was filled with a wide variety of service providers with whom participants could visit during specially arranged receptions.

In a more formal setting, the conference seminar topics featured well-informed speakers who each delivered timely and informative presentations that kept everyone’s attention. And of course, there was the opportunity to visit with old friends, make some new ones, and to network with the private fleet community – perhaps one of the most valuable parts of any industry conference like this one.

In addition to all of the above these conferences allow us our annual opportunity to honour, and celebrate with their families, some of the real professionals in the world of private trucking.  

One of these opportunities is the induction into the PMTC Hall of Fame for Professional Drivers, sponsored by Huron Services Group. The number of inductees is limited to a maximum of four individuals each year, so given the number of exceptional drivers in PMTC member fleets you can readily understand that to make it to the induction ceremony a driver must be truly exceptional.

This year the committee selected four drivers for the Hall of Fame.

This year’s inductees were: Paul Boshart, Bill Wolfe, Mike Sawicki, and Maurice Belot.

These four professionals represent some of the very best in Canada’s driving force, and are welcome additions to the fleets for which they drive. It is our honour to have them in the PMTC Hall of Fame. You can read more about them on pg. 64.

We also had the opportunity to recognize two private fleets for their commitment to safety. The PMTC Private Fleet Safety awards have been sponsored by Zurich since their inception in 1998.

This year Tona Transport was honoured in the medium fleet category and Maple Leaf Foods took the honours in the large fleet category. You can read about the accomplishments of both of these fleets on pg. 43.

The PMTC’s first statement in its goals and objectives, written in 1977, is to “Promote safety in private trucking,” and both the Hall of Fame and the Private Fleet Safety awards exemplify our commitment to those goals.

We are proud of the efforts of our association and the award sponsors in promoting safety in private trucking.

And we are as proud of the recipients of these awards as they must be themselves. Congratulations to all.