WINNIPEG, Man. –The Manitoba Trucking Association and Custom Truck Sales named the first four winners of the newly-formed Industry Excellence Award.

Bruce Wright of Northern Deck, Robert St. Vincent of Bison Transport, Doug Ducharme of Arnold Bros. and Fred Barnett of Len Dubois Trucking were the first to receive the honour.

The award goes to drivers that demonstrate excellence in four categories: commitment to the industry; commitment to safety; commitment to customer service; and acts that go beyond what is normally expected of drivers in day-to-day operations.

Recipients will then be considered for the MTA-Volvo Trucks Canada Manitoba Driver of the Year award, according to the association.

Northern Deck driver Wright, earned the award based on rave reviews from his employer, a division of Gardewine North, where he has spent the last 14 years of his career.

He’s been described as a “consummate professional” and goes “above and beyond even our highest level,” according to company officials.

He’s been trucking since 1987 and before that worked in the shop as a mechanic and general labourer.

Len Dubois Trucking’s Barnett won the award based largely on his customer service abilities, according to the MTA.

He has been an owner/operator with Len Dubois for six years and has often been acknowledged by customers for his professionalism. Barnett excels at multi-drop and job-site deliveries and on-time service according to his employer.

Arnold Bros. driver Ducharme boats a clean abstract thanks to his commitment to safety, which helped earn him the award.

He has already won a variety of safety awards and bonuses and Arnold Bros. officials say he also takes great care of his equipment.

Bison’s St. Vincent won the award for his life-saving heroics when he had to maneuver his truck in icy conditions on a northern Ontario highway to avoid hitting two other motorists. The motorists later thanked him for saving their lives.

In a letter, the motorists acknowledged St. Vincent’s heroics: ‘Thank you with all my heart, Mr. Transport Driver, you saved my life. I would love to meet you in person and hug you. None of this was your fault, you did a great job at steering your rig as best you could under the circumstances. Thank you so much! You are my angel. Although I don’t know your name, you will always have a place in my heart.’

The MTA continues to seek nominations for future awards.

Full details can be found online at the MTA’s Web site: www.trucking.mb.ca.