WHISTLER, B.C. – The Volvo B.C. Driver of the Year has been trucking all his life, first jockeying ice cream trucks around a yard when he was 13. And until recently he never had a ticket or an accident.

Ironically, it was after he was told that he won the province’s top trucking honor that he jackknifed his rig, and was ticketed in Alberta for speeding.

“I was beginning to think it was the Little Abner thing, with the cloud over my head,” says Jim Muraro, who drives LTL shipments from Cranbrook to Calgary and Castlegar.

But his employer John Ashdown still refers to him as a “conscientious and stellar driver.” That’s what led to Muraro’s clean abstract from 1967 to 1999, as he worked for such companies as Motorways, Fernie Cartage and Interlink, before joining West Arm Truck Lines 3-1/2 years ago.

“Jim treats every piece of machinery with the utmost care and goes to great lengths to learn and understand the new combinations of equipment,” says West Arm’s Cranbrook terminal manager, John Shaw. “He takes great pride in educating less-experienced drivers and it’s obvious they respect his patience and knowledge as they continue to seek Jim out with questions and for advice.”

The ever-humble Muraro couldn’t believe the award was in his hands as he stood outside Chateau Whistler.

“It’s a real honor,” he says. “I said the other (finalist) was going to get it.”

Muraro has been married to his wife, Linda, since 1968, and they have a son, Jim, Jr. and daughter, Sonya. n