With so many segments of our industry still under economic siege, you need to look pretty deeply to some find good news. But a little celebration can go a long way to restoring optimism and that’s what this column is about.

While the public in general lacks appreciation for the importance of trucking, many industry segments do a good job of recognizing those individuals and companies that demonstrate excellence. At the PMTC we are not alone in promoting the upside of such an essential contributor to Canada’s economy as trucking.

With that in mind we are pleased to announce that the PMTC’s 2012 awards season is open and applications for each of the award categories are already coming in.

The PMTC awards are presented during our annual conference in June each year. The event combines educational forums and networking with people from all sectors of the industry, with the presentation of awards that celebrate some of the people and fleets that contribute so much to trucking in Canada. This year’s conference takes place June 20-21, at Kingbridge Conference Centre in King City, Ont., just outside Toronto. This will be our third year at this venue, which has drawn rave reviews from participants for its facilities and service.

One of the highlights of the conference is of course the presentation of these industry awards, which have a long established position in the trucking community. They represent the commitment to excellence of PMTC, its members, and the sponsors that help us maintain the programs.

Now, some may dismiss award programs such as these as unimportant, or simply not essential to the day-to-day functions of running a business. We would respectfully disagree. We believe it is important to take the time to celebrate those people and companies that make this industry so great.

Award programs such as these are opportunities to say thank you to individuals and companies whose contributions are such an important part of the Canadian trucking community.

Here’s a brief overview of the awards and how to participate:

The Hall of Fame for Professional Drivers, sponsored by Huron Services, a CPC Logistics Company, inducts up to four professional drivers each year. The Hall of Fame resides on our Web site at www.pmtc.ca and a visitor can review the outstanding records of the 35 inductees dating back to 1990.

These are individual awards of excellence, and the safety records of the recipients are extraordinary. The many years of safe driving that Hall of Fame inductees represent should be the goals of everyone who takes the wheel.

Nomination forms are available on the PMTC Web site, along with a description of the criteria for entry. While the award winners are, in the estimation of the judges, the best of the best, it is also a mark of distinction for any driver to be nominated, and we encourage the participation of all our members.

The Private Fleet Safety Awards, sponsored by Zurich, is open to all private fleets in Canada. Awards are available for fleets in three categories based on fleet size. These awards recognize companies that have integrated detailed safety programs as a key component of operations, and whose programs deliver results.

The awards are as much about recognizing the whole package as they are about the on-road performance. It takes a well-managed safety program built on solid principles to achieve long-term results.

By completing the application (available at www.pmtc.ca) any fleet manager will be shown a clear pathway, or a ‘how-to’ for implementing a safety program. The awards program criteria are based on the best practices of private fleets and winning in any category is a significant achievement.

The Vehicle Graphics Design Awards, sponsored by 3M Canada, add the colour and drama to our annual awards luncheon. This year marks the 27th year of these awards and the competition attracts entries from across the country. There are a number of categories for which awards are presented, each based on vehicle type, and are shared by the fleet and its graphics house.

The graphics competition is open to every Canadian truck fleet, private or for-hire, PMTC member or not. Our goal is to encourage all carriers dress up and maybe show off just a little. On the serious side, studies illustrate the value of using trailers as roaming billboards, whether to advertise specific products or the company itself. It is a worthwhile endeavour, a byproduct of which is a classy looking truck fleet. Many of the entries come via the graphics industry and we welcome their role in making this such a great event. And the recognition continues after the conference with award winners featured in the PMTC’s own international magazine, Corporate Trucking, other industry magazines such as Truck News, and on our Web site. So join in and enjoy some free promotion, whether a fleet or a graphics house, we welcome your entries.

Visit www.pmtc.ca and follow the links to submit your entries online. As we do every year we anticipate an ever-increasing participation level in all the PMTC’s award programs and invite everyone to join us at the June conference for important seminars and networking.