OTTAWA, Ont. – Applications are officially opened for Trucking HR Canada’s third annual Top Fleet Employers program, which recognizes fleets with outstanding workplaces within Canada’s trucking industry.

Submissions are being accepted though the organization’s Web site, www.truckinghr.com, until 4 p.m. on February 29, 2016.

The program rates workplaces on employee recognition, compensation, lifestyle, employee engagement, wellness, professional development, recruitment and retention. The process o of choosing Top Fleet Employers involves formal documentation, employee surveys and interviews. Selection criteria reflect human resources issues, trends and working environments seen in the Canadian trucking industry, and have been validated by a panel of industry experts and a Certified Human Resources Professional.

“Top Fleet Employers recognizes trucking workplaces that embrace best practices in human resources. In addition to supporting their own recruitment, retention and marketing efforts, participating fleets are helping to raise the profile of the trucking industry as a great place to work,” said Angela Splinter, CEO of Trucking HR Canada.  “This is becoming increasingly important for an industry looking to attract the skilled labour it needs.”

Last year, 22 fleets were recognized. Trucking HR Canada says the criteria applied to for-hire fleets is firmly rooted in the core values of Canadian Trucking Alliance’s recent Blue Ribbon Task Force on the Driver Shortage, while private fleets are scored using a system that reflects their unique working environments and requirements.