OTTAWA, Ont.– The Canadian Trucking Human Resource Council (CTHRC) has named Kevin Riley chair of the organization’s Board of Directors.

Riley’s appointment follows the departure of Roy Craigen of Transcom Fleet Services, who served in that position for the last seven years.

Riley is the senior director, Distributor Optimization at Maple Leaf Consumer Foods, where he is responsible for optimizing a distribution network in terms of food safety, customer service and cost effectiveness.

He is also chair of the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada.

Riley’s goal is to strengthen promotion of the trucking industry as a career path, even in a struggling economy that has required fleets to impose hiring freezes.

"These are very difficult times right now and capacity is down, but when the economy starts to turn around, trucking will be one of the first industries to experience the upswing. We cannot lose sight the need to recruit qualified employees," says Riley.