This is an exciting time of year at the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada (PMTC). We’re now accepting entries for our annual awards programs and collecting data for our annual Private Fleet Compensation Survey. The awards programs collectively celebrate the achievements of some of Canada’s safest and best-run fleets. And you don’t need to be operating a large, multi-jurisdictional fleet to be considered for one of our awards – lots of smaller fleets and their drivers have enviable records and they get equal consideration from our judges.

Here’s a brief description of the PMTC award programs and a nod to the generous sponsors that help make them possible:

The Hall of Fame for Professional Drivers, sponsored by Cancom Tracking, recognizes up to four individual drivers each year for their outstanding safety records. Nominations are accepted from PMTC member companies and successful nominees are inducted into the Hall of Fame during our annual conference in June. The nomination form is available on the PMTC Web site, and it details the criteria for the awards. You can view the Hall of Fame itself on the PMTC Web site where details of all previous inductees can also be found.

The Private Fleet Safety Awards, sponsored by Zurich North America Canada have gained a lot of momentum in the past few years. Awards are given in three categories based on fleet size, and the competition is open to any Canadian based private truck fleet. These awards recognize companies with excellent safety programs and operating records. Just completing the entry form will give you an indication of the best practices of industry leaders, and will help any fleet identify areas for improvement. We encourage all Canadian based private carriers to participate in this annual award program.

On a decorative note, the Vehicle Graphics Design Awards have been a mainstay of the awards luncheon during the PMTC’s annual meeting for the past 18 years. Throughout that time, 3M Canada has graciously sponsored the event and provided behind-the-scenes assistance with the presentation program. Awards are presented to fleets and fleet graphics designers/installers in a number of categories, and the presentation of entries is always a highlight of the luncheon. Private or for-hire, PMTC member or not, your entries are welcome. You can enter on-line from the PMTC Web site, or download the entry form and send in your photos – it’s your choice.

Photos of the winning entries are often displayed in industry magazines, including The Counsellor, the PMTC’s own international magazine for private carriers and Truck News. Whether you are a fleet operator or a graphics house, there’s nothing like free promotion of your products or services. You’ll note that these awards promote some of the best aspects of trucking. While some are restricted to PMTC members, others are not – and each program has specific benefits to participants.

Visit the PMTC Web site now and get the information you need for each competition It’s also the time of year for the Private Fleet Compensation Survey. This has been conducted annually since 1993, and over time participants have refined the survey to elicit the information that private fleet managers want. The survey is open to any private fleet in Canada, and is the only one of its kind. This survey delivers current information on direct compensation, vacation, and benefit packages for drivers, mechanics and other administrative staff such as those responsible for safety, compliance, training, and dispatch. We’ve also included a section on maintenance costs for tractors and trailers that has proven very useful. Having current, comparative data on the compensation practices of private fleets helps fleet managers ensure that they are providing competitive packages – it’s difficult enough to find and keep good drivers these days so you don’t want to lose them because your pay scale is out of date.

Where else can you obtain current, comparative information on wages, benefits and other fleet operations costs – free of charge? Please note that survey results are only available to participants and confidentiality is guaranteed. Results are tabulated by fleet size and jurisdiction and are published in aggregate.

You can download the survey form at www.pmtc.ca or call the PMTC office (905-827-0587) for a copy. While operating a private truck fleet comes complete with its own headaches, the PMTC’s annual awards program gives us all an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate the things we do well. And the compensation survey is your best source of free advice on the most important of issues – how you pay your people.

Visit our Web site for details on each of the awards and send your entries now. And mark the PMTC Annual Conference on your calendar: June 17 through 18, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., and watch our Web site for conference details.

– The Private Motor Truck Council of Canada is the only national association dedicated to the private trucking community. This column presents opinions on trucking issues from the perspective of private carriers. Comments can be addressed to trucks@pmtc.ca