In 1993, when I accepted the appointment to become president of the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada, I had no expectation that the gig would last for any more than the three years for which I had signed on. Well, it has been a little over 21 years since that time…so much for my forecasting abilities.

A lot has happened in those 21 years, but I have always felt that I would know best when the time had come for me to move on and I believe that time is now.

Consequently, I approached the PMTC Executive Committee several months ago with a proposal that would see me step aside from the role of president in a manner that would allow for a smooth transition to new leadership and continuity of operations for the PMTC.

PMTC’s Executive Committee responded to my wishes and took important and necessary steps to help ensure the continuity of operations and the future success of PMTC. 

One thing they asked was that I continue to be a part of that future for a time and I am happy to assist in any way I can, just not as president.

I extend my thanks to that Committee: Dennis Shantz, Kevin Riley, and Mike Millian, for all the effort they put in to make this change as easy for me, and as transparent for the PMTC as possible. I appreciate the time they invested and everything did for me and to protect the interests of the PMTC.

As I pointed out above, I have been in the position of president of the PMTC for a long time – over half of my working life – and I would now like to pursue some of my other hobbies and interests while spending more time doing some of the family things that we simply haven’t had time to do in the past.

Along with a good deal of support from the industry, our membership, and the many who served on PMTC’s various Boards of Directors, I have been fortunate to lead the PMTC to a position of some prominence in the industry. Over the past 20-plus years in this position I have worked with some truly dedicated and supportive individuals.

I have enjoyed access to, and cultivated the trust of, key government officials and I truly value those relationships – they have proven to be very helpful and informative to me and in turn for the PMTC and its members.

I’ve lost track of the number of committees and associations on which I have represented PMTC over the years, but I can say that the PMTC has benefited from that participation. I fully expect that to continue in the future. PMTC is an association of caring and sharing members who are ready and willing to help one another; it is a valuable source of information and networking for its members; it has the respect and the ear of government on the issues of the day; and importantly for its future, is well positioned to carry on its work.

The important thing for all of us involved with the transition was to ensure the future of the PMTC and that plan has been put in place.

I firmly believe that your executive have made a wise choice in the naming of my successor, Mike Millian. I have assured them and Mike of my willingness to assist with the transition in any way possible.

Mike is well versed in the operations of PMTC having served on its Board of Directors and as vice chair, finance. Mike has also represented PMTC on a variety of industry committees, and brings with him an extensive background in private fleet operations.

Let me at this time thank everyone who has provided support for the PMTC and to me personally over my time in office. That support has been a bed rock of the association and has meant a great deal to me.

It has been an honour for me to have served our membership for such a long time.

I am incredibly proud of what has been achieved by the PMTC so far and I wish Mike, your executive, and each of you the very best as we move forward together. À bientôt.

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The Private Motor Truck Council is the only national association dedicated to the private trucking community. Direct comments and questions to trucks@pmtc.ca.