TORONTO, Ont. — Integrity, dedicated, driven, reliable, fair, supportive, compassionate, smart, no-nonsense and hardworking.

In evaluating candidates for this year’s Canadian Fleet Maintenance Manager of the Year award, those were the adjectives frequently used to describe this year’s winner, John Haines, national fleet director for Canada Cartage.

Steve de Sousa of Volvo Trucks Canada, which sponsors the award, said Haines was chosen for his scheduled maintenance program, quality and frequency of training programs, major accomplishments and his contributions to the industry and his community.

Candidates for the prestigious award must manage a fleet of at least 25 Class 8 vehicles, perform at least 80% of their own maintenance and repairs, be involved in spec’ing equipment and be charged with maintaining the fleet.

Haines surpassed those requirements. Based in the Toronto area, he oversees a fleet of about 2,000 Class 8 power units – in addition to straight trucks and trailers – operating out of 11 terminals across Canada.

Haines has been in the trucking industry for more than 35 years and has spent most of that time with Canada Cartage. His cost analysis reports have been described as “prolific.”

De Sousa said Haines operates one of the most diverse fleets in Canada, and focuses on fuel performance, modifying driver behaviour and providing staff with the tools required to maximize the performance of the fleet. He lives in Toronto with his wife Caroline and two sons, Jesse and James.

Haines also was recognized for his advocacy of Centennial College’s apprenticeship program. He’s also actively involved in food drives and the Toys for Tots charity initiative.

We’ll have a full report on Haines and his best practices in an upcoming issue of Truck News and Truck West magazines.

The presentation was made at the 50th annual Canadian Fleet Maintenance Seminar, hosted today by the Toronto, Ottawa and Belleville chapters of the Automotive Transportation Service Superintendents’ Association (ATSSA). The event was very well attended, even after a one-year hiatus.