TORONTO, Ont. – The Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) is seeking Road Knights to serve as ambassadors for the trucking industry.

The current team of Road Knights will finish its term at the end of 2004 and replacements are required.

Nominations are being accepted until Dec. 15, 2004.

The Road Knights are professional drivers with first class driving records who volunteer to make presentations to community groups about sharing the road with trucks.

They aim to improve road safety by encouraging motorists to be partners in safety.

They also visit children to talk about careers in trucking and the important role the industry plays in Canada’s economy.

“The transport drivers who make up the team are first-class drivers who represent their peers – Ontario transport drivers who are dedicated to safety and professionalism in the industry,” said David Bradley, president of the OTA.

“They are highly qualified to spread the message of road safety because they travel our roadways every day and have faced every type of traffic and weather condition imaginable.”

The time requirement is about one or two days each month. Some of the presentations Road Knights deliver include “Sharing the Road with Trucks,” “Sharing the Road with Cars,” and “Careers in the Trucking Industry.”

The OTA provides media relations and public speaking training and sets up the speaking engagements.

Sample speeches, videos and brochures are also provided by the association.

Nominees must be based in Ontario and currently employed as a full-time truck driver by an OTA member company.

To obtain a nomination form, call the OTA at 416-249-7401 ext. 224/245.