Dear Editor,

As my term as 1999 Canadian Owner/Operator of the Year comes to an end, I have taken some time to reflect on the past year.

Words alone cannot express the gratitude I feel for having been selected for this award. The surprise of being nominated and the thrill of becoming one of the finalists were, to me, the greatest honor. I certainly never expected to win.

I have to thank my son Allan, who, on behalf of the family, wrote a long letter describing why they thought I deserved this award. Thanks also to my trucking associates for their input. When I received the call telling me I was the winner I was struck speechless and had to hand the phone over to my wife. From that moment till now I don’t think my feet have touched the ground.

The all-expenses-paid trip to Montreal to the truck show for the award presentation, and meeting the wonderful staff at Truck News and the sponsor representatives, truly made me feel like the “King of the Road”. It didn’t end there. During the year I received phone calls from trucking buddies across Canada, from family and friends I hadn’t seen in a while and even from strangers, all offering their congratulations.

I would once again like to say a heartfelt thank-you to the people at Truck News, not only for this great honor, but also for the many gifts I received. Thanks also to the sponsors, Goodyear, Freightliner and Cummins, for their contributions to the award.

I know the winner of the 2000 Canadian Owner/Operator of the Year Award will feel as honored and thrilled to be chosen as I have.

Donald L.J. MacDonald

Steinbach, Man.