STA looks to improve industry image and attract new workers

REGINA, Sask. – The Saskatchewan Trucking Association (STA) is on a mission to change the general public’s impression of the trucking industry.

Susan Ewart, executive director of the STA, said with the ever-increasing age of truck drivers and what she called the public’s “less-than-stellar positive image of trucking,” it is important to try and dispel some of the myths about the industry, tell positive stories, and get word out of the opportunities available to potential employees.

“We need to keep telling our story and hopefully something will stick or resonate with an individual that might be considering a career change,” said Ewart.

After extensive research into the types of jobs available in trucking that included interviewing people in those positions and insight into education requirements and salaries, the STA launched the We Are Trucking initiative.

The two main goals of the campaign are to change the image of the industry in Saskatchewan into a positive one that will entice more people into trucking. The other goal is to provide STA members with the tools they need to join the We Are Trucking initiative.

As part of the effort, the STA created a series of videos aimed at youth and how to make a career change into trucking. The association will have a paid media buy this coming February that will target specific social media platforms like Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and YouTube. Web pages have been created to provide additional information for those interested in trucking, and a library of images and video for STA members to distribute and help shape the image of the industry.

“We would definitely hope to see job vacancies in trucking decrease and an overall perception by the public that trucking isn’t bad and it is one of the driving forces of the economy in Saskatchewan,” Ewart said of the We Are Trucking campaign.

The effort will target those in looking for a career change, are recently retired, or are unemployed, including new Canadians, youth, and women, all of which the STA say are previously untapped demographics that may not have considered a career in trucking.

“I am very proud of the work done by our team on this campaign,” said Ewart. “We did everything in house using our STA staff. They are a dedicated group of young people working to make a difference in trucking.”

For more information, visit https://sasktrucking.com/about-us/we-are-trucking.

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A university graduate with a degree in English, I have worked in the media and trucking industries as a writer, editor, and now as western bureau chief of Today's Trucking and TruckNews.com. I have several years of management experience in journalism, as well as hospitality, but am first and foremost a writer, both professionally and in my personal life, having completed two fiction novels.
derek@newcom.ca
@DerekClouthier


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  • The sask trucking ass did nothing when almost 5 years ago I told them about one their members cheating truck drivers hauling uranium. When hired a lawyer and ended up on a homeless shelter( after a accident) along another truck driver from the same company. The S T A did everything in their power to make sure that the trial was delayed until I ran out of money.

  • STA, dont forget to mention all of the rest areas for trucks in your province. That’ll help in your campaign for new hires.