WINNIPEG, Man. — Bill Gagnon of Big Freight Systems has been named the Manitoba Trucking Association/Volvo Trucks Canada Driver of the Year.

Gagnon, a 43-year veteran of the highway, was named the province’s top driver during a recent awards banquet. He began his driving career with the Canadian Armed Forces and continued working as a driver in the military until 1983 before moving into the trucking industry.

He began his stint as a civilian truck driver as a bush driver in northwestern Ontario. Gagnon then moved on to haul Super-Bs for six years before transitioning to reefers for a seven-year stint. Next, the driver took on grain hauling for eight years before finally joining Big Freight.

Adrian Van Rassel, operations/CC planner with Big Freight Systems, says Gagnon is “courteous and on-time, all the time” and that he “goes out of his way to make himself available for any jobs.”

Gagnon is also known to help new drivers with tarping and load securement and has a great relationship with dispatch and other office staff, his employer says.

When he’s not driving, Gagnon is an avid angler, hunter, hiker, camper and gardener. Big Freight staff call him “the consummate outdoorsman.”

Gagnon has a wife, Tisha, and six children. He runs about 110,000 miles per year coast-to-coast in Canada.