TORONTO, Ont. – The Private Motor Truck Council of Canada presented its Driver of the Year award for 2000 to Mark Godfrey of the TDL Group. The award was presented Sept. 28 during PMTC’s annual general meeting at the Toronto Airport Hilton.

Godfrey joined the TDL Group in 1992 and has averaged more than 100,000 km per year for the company with no driving accidents. In addition to his excellent driving record, Godfrey was also singled-out for demonstrating a high regard for safety in all aspects of his job. He also assists with training new drivers on routes and on the use of onboard computers and is a member of the company driver committee and the employee advisory team.

Godfrey received special recognition for actions he took during a major accident delay on Hwy. 401 near Windsor last year. Facing a severe traffic back-up, Godfrey reversed his set of super B-trains for five kilometres to circumvent the situation. As a result, all freight loaded on the B unit was delivered safely and on time, while delivery delays for the stores in the A unit were minimal.

A resident of Hamilton, Ont., the father of two was on hand to accept his award with wife Charlene.

“I’d like to thank the TDL Group for giving me the chance to grow and develop as a driver – which I have,” Godfrey said.

In addition to his driving achievements, Godfrey has also been recognized by the Governor General and the Hamilton Wenworth Police for unselfishly attempting a rescue during a natural gas explosion. He is also active in local school board and minor sports activities. n