While everyone in the trucking community is concentrating on keeping things afloat these days, here’s a vote for taking time to acknowledge excellence.

Trucking associations throughout Canada conduct annual awards ceremonies to recognize those that contribute to the industry and we believe it is important to continue to celebrate the best in class, maybe even more important that we do it when the industry as a whole is suffering. Thus, we’re pleased to announce that the 2010 awards season of the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada is open and applications are already coming in.

The PMTC awards are presented during our annual conference in June each year. This 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 18 at Kingbridge Conference Centre in King City, Ont., just outside Toronto. The PMTC’s annual awards are a feature of the conference, and are recognized as a pivotal event in the trucking community. The awards are some of the most prestigious in the industry, and have been offered by the PMTC for many years. They represent the commitment to excellence of PMTC, its members, and the sponsors that help us maintain the programs.

Some may ask why bother participating in awards programs such as these when the industry is working through what might be the worst recession in decades. The answer is that the current situation, as bad as it is, won’t last forever and there are still many individuals and companies that excel at what they do. Their efforts deserve recognition and the state of the economy does not impact that.

The PMTC awards program provides an opportunity to reflect with pride on the people that make the trucking industry such an important part of the nation’s output.

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.

The safety records of these hall of fame members are extraordinary and everyone in this industry should be proud of them.

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, are open to all private fleets in Canada. Awards are available for fleets in three categories based on fleet size. Past award winners have not only demonstrated excellent on-road safety records, but have in place the programs that deliver those 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.

Simply completing the application (available at www.pmtc.ca) will provide any fleet manager a clear pathway, or a ‘how to’ for implementing such 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 adds the colour and drama to our annual awards luncheon. This marks the 25th year of these awards and the competition attracts entries from across the country. Awards are presented in a number of categories based on vehicle type, and are shared by the fleet and its graphics house.

The graphics competition is open to all truck fleets, private or for-hire, PMTC member or not, as we encourage the entire trucking community to put on its finest and show off just a little. Many of the entries come via the graphics industry and we welcome their role in making this such a great event.

Award winners are featured in the PMTC’s own magazine, The Counsellor, and other industry magazines such as Truck News. 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.

We look forward to an ever increasing participation level and invite everyone to join us at the June conference when the awards are presented.

-The Private Motor Truck Council is the only national association dedicated to the private trucking community. Your comments or questions can be addressed to trucks@pmtc.ca.