BANFF, Alta. (May 5, 2005) — A humbled Tom Kenny was honoured by his Alberta brethren for his dedication and love for the trucking industry in his home province.

Kenny, chief of Westcan Bulk Transport and Alberta Motor Transport Association past president, was given the Trailmobile Canada Service to the Industry Award at the AMTA’s annual conference in Banff last weekend. In accepting the award, Kenny said of being notified he was the winner: “I was shocked and humbled. After all, there are others in the industry who are much more deserving of this award.”

Kenny first got his feet wet in the industry at the age of 16, driving a grain truck for a local farmer. With a loan from his grandfather, Tom purchased his first truck two years later. Based on the theory that “if one truck was a good thing, two must be even better,” he soon purchased his second vehicle and leased on with Matchett Trucking of Saskatoon.

In 1991, Westcan bought Matchett and Tom stayed on with Westcan in Edmonton as general manager. He went on to be elected president of the AMTA. The final area that consumed Tom’s volunteer hours was one that involves him still-the chairmanship of the Injury Reduction & Training committee. This group has the monumental responsibility of updating and creating various courses to attract, train and retrain drivers and other trucking personnel.

Historical Award:

The AMTA wasn’t done honouring some of its best people. Sara Ann McMillan, who ran McMillan Transport after her husband and business partner Alex passed away in 1964, was given the General Motors Historical Award 2005.

After a lot of soul searching, Ann chose to keep the company, becoming owner and president. Her expertise in the financial end of the business, allowed the company grew into one of the province’s leading carries, eventually hauling full-loads throughout Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan. “For over half a century, Ann was a valued contributor to the trucking industry. Over that time, she has witnessed a myriad of changes, from equipment to government regulations,” the AMTA said in a statement.

Today, Anne’s son Rod is President and General Manager of McMillan Transport. Anne — who retired in 2000 — is also proud that Rod is leading the legacy that was so important to his father, and that of the fact that her grandson Jamie is vice-president and assistant GM.

Driver of the Year:

This year’s best truck driver in Alberta is Jim Bond, a 35-year veteran driver for Edmonton-based Rainbow Transport.

Over the years, Jim has hauled, in his words, “a little bit of everything” — from cars to chemicals to scrap iron. He bought his first truck in 1976 Today, Jim drivers LTL loads into the north for Rainbow. His rides a 1998 Peterbilt that, he says, “suits him.” That’s a good thing, as it helps maintain his record of 35-accident free years as a driver.

“Jim is an excellent driver who performs his driving and related tasks diligently and consistently. He operated his tractor with great care — operating safely in all types of weather and road conditions. He is well experienced in both on- and off-highway applications and we use him for both,” said Rainbow President Wayne Schneider.

Safety Person of the Year:

John Sengl, and employee of Canadian Freightways for 29 years, has been given the Bow Valley Insurance Safety Person of the Year Award.

Sengl began his career as a local P&D driver in the Lethbridge area. He then worked in sales for a year-and-a-half before serving as operations manager in Vancouver. In February 1988, he returned home to the Lethbridge branch, where he remains as Sales Centre Manager.

Sengl is as serious about safety as you’ll witness in a trucker. He’s taken countless courses in all areas of safety — from safety auditing to safety planning to DOT Hazmat training in the U.S. He took a number of courses in forensic accident reconstruction and became a member of the Canadian Association of Technical Accident Investigators and Reconstructionists. Over 20 years of training and coursework culminated last October, when he wrote and passed a week-long series of exams in Las Vegas with the Washington-based National Association of Safety Professionals. This achievement earned him a Master Safety Administrator designation.

“We must do everything possible to reduce workplace injuries,” he said at the award presentation. “As managers, we must understand that those that will be injured will be our employees, who are real people – people that we know. And these real people have real feelings. We can’t put a cost on human pain and suffering.”

He is also very willing to share his safety expertise with the entire industry. For 20 years, he has served as a PDIC instructor for smaller companies that can’t afford a full-time safety manager.

Associate Trades Award:

A devoted industry volunteer, Earl Mitty of Advance Engineered Products, was honoured by the AMTA has devoted most of his 36 years in the trucking industry to helping make it as strong and vibrant as possible. He has been an integral part of the AMTA committees that have created golf tournaments, draw down dinners, conventions and TRUXPOs.

Outstanding Service Award:

In the five-year history of the National Association of Safety Professionals award program, there have been eight Outstanding Service Awards’ within the 42 countries served by the Organization. Only 1 Canadian stands on the World stage of recognition for performance in Workplace Health and Safety.

That would be John Tessier, who was honoured with the prestigious award for a lifetime of dedicated service to the trucking industry; for training both drivers and instructors; and for creating safety programs which have both directly and indirectly saved lives in the industry and workplace.

The United Nations charter grants the NASP Board of Governors the exclusive right to issue International Awards for workplace health and safety, including the Outstanding Service Award — which requires a demonstrated commitment to human safety with quantifiable results, which “distinguishes the recipient as one who has made exceptional effort above and beyond those normally expected of a person in a comparable position.”