RED DEER, Alta. – The Alberta Motor Transport Association (AMTA) received another facelift Apr. 30 when a new board was finalized.

John Finn officially takes over as president of the AMTA, while Tom Kenny of Westcan Bulk Transport will be his successor after being named president-elect. Jurgen Mantei will continue as past-president over the coming year.

Prior to the vote, held at the association’s annual general meeting, Kenny appealed to the membership for support. He says he has always kept on top of the latest issues and still drives truck to keep in touch with the issues facing the industry’s frontline workers.

“I still have my Class 1 licence – I renewed it just last week and I still drive on occasion,” says Kenny. “I still like to drive truck once or twice a year because it’s easy to lose touch otherwise.”

Kenny draws on 25 years experience in the industry, and helped grow L.E. Matchett Trucking from a 35-truck operation to one that ran 135 trucks. Today he is general manager of Westcan. He says the key to the AMTA’s future successes will hinge on three factors: training, communication and leadership.

“The future of this organization is dependent on our ability to increase our profile in all three areas,” says Kenny.

There were also two director-at-large positions up for grabs at the meeting, and four candidates were nominated for the positions.

Dennis Pettit and Greg Sokil were the winners – two familiar faces in the Alberta trucking industry.

Pettit has a lengthy history in truck safety, and has been an active player in the province’s fatigue management pilot project. He has been with Canadian Freightways for 39 years, where he now serves as advisor of safety and loss prevention. Sokil was a former Alberta Trucking Association president, and has also been an active Canadian Trucking Alliance board member. Several other positions were filled in the days leading up to the meeting.

The regional directors are: Bill Craig, Craig’s Trucking, Edmonton; Eric Astell, Cobra Oilfield Rentals, Northwest; Dean Paisley, Lethbridge Truck Terminals, South; Gene Orlick, Gene Orlick Transport, Calgary; Rocky Downton, Downton Transport, Central; and Jeff Taylor, Gibson Petroleum, Northeast.

Norm Shupe of Mullen Transportation and Roy Craigen of Economy Carriers rounded out the board, as the other two directors-at-large.