TORONTO — The Allied Trades Division of the Ontario Trucking Association has thrown its full support behind the OTA’s Road Knights Team.

The OTA Allied Trades Division board of directors recently approved a recommendation from its chairman, Gord Box, to become an annual sponsor of the OTA Road Knights Team. Box, in his capacity as division chairman, also sits on the OTA executive committee, where he learned that the association would be seeking sponsorships for the 15-year old public image program.

"The role of the allied trades is to support the work of the association," said Box. "The OTA Road Knights are the best possible ambassadors for our industry so it makes sense that we help ensure the program remains strong."

Details on the amount of the sponsorship were not publicly disclosed but OTA president, David Bradley, says, "the generous support of the allied trades division will go towards media and public speaking training and uniforms for the team members as well as administration of the program. This will really help make sure the program remains strong."

The OTA Road Knights Team is composed of a group of up to a dozen Ontario professional truck drivers who travel the province speaking to community groups, safety organizations, schools, car clubs, etc., in order to enhance public understanding of how to safely share the road with a truck, the professionalism of our truck drivers, the critical role played by the industry and the careers that the industry offers.

Members of the Road Knights Team, who are nominated by their carriers, go through a rigorous selection process followed by media and public speaking training before donning the now familiar black and grey uniform.

Road Knights sign-on for a two-year term, although the desire by many former Road Knights to play an ongoing role — if only as fill-ins for current team members — is causing OTA to re-examine this issue.

"They are an amazing group of people," says Bradley. "They speak with more credibility on what it’s like on the road and what it takes to be a professional truck driver than I or most others could ever hope to."