Editorial Comment: A Silver Anniversary is something to celebrate

by James Menzies

It has been a nostalgic month here at Truck News. To celebrate our Silver Anniversary, we’ve been busy poring through back issues, digging up old photos and chatting with drivers about their reflections on the last 25 years. The result is an eight-page special section you can find in the middle of this issue – I hope you enjoy it.

Putting it together has been an enjoyable experience – and an educational one as well. I spent the better part of a week immersed in back issues from the last 25 years, leafing through the pages of Truck News dated as far back as 1981. My mission was a difficult one – track down the most notable news stories to impact the industry since Truck News began serving as the industry’s most trusted news source.

It was no easy task, but I decided to have a little fun with it, and rank the Top 25 stories to grace the pages of Truck News during its 25-year reign (see pgs. 44-45). Of course, compiling such a list will undoubtedly cause some debate and I welcome your feedback. By the time you are reading this, the list will be published on the trucknews.com blog, where you can review it and add your own two cents. I encourage you to weigh in with your own opinions.

One thing that struck me while scanning through the thousands of pages Truck News has printed, is the incredible resilience of the Canadian trucking industry.

The industry has suffered through many challenges over the past quarter century, and on more than one occasion it appeared that its doom was imminent. Yet, whether it be deregulation, free trade, skyrocketing fuel prices or labour unrest, the industry has always managed to persevere.

This past month also presented the opportunity to reflect back on my own career with Truck News. My five and a half years with the company seems paltry compared to the longevity of the publication itself. I admit, I was a four-year-old tyke when founder Brian Light was out pounding the pavement to promote his new trade publication.

Not long after that, however, I developed an interest in trucks and could often be found climbing over my grandfather’s small fleet of Kenworth cabovers. He owned a small forestry company in Norwood, Ont. called Coughlin Forest Products and his office was decorated with its share of truck glamour shots.

I only wish he lived to see the day I became editor of this magazine.

I’ve been privileged to enjoy some truly spectacular experiences since joining the Truck News family.

Learning how to double-clutch and then acquiring my Class 1 licence; hauling 120,000 lbs along the High Coast of Sweden; delivering a real-life load of wood to a Castlegar, B.C. lumber company; and most importantly, meeting and getting to know many of the men and women who make this industry so special. Trucking truly is a people business.

I can honestly say I look forward to coming in to the office each morning thanks to you, the readers, and I kinda hope I’m still around to celebrate Truck News’ 50th anniversary as well.

– James Menzies can be reached by phone at (416) 510-6896 or by e-mail at jmenzies@trucknews.com.


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