TORONTO, (Nov. 12, 2004) — They knew what they were getting into when they selected him, and Challenger Motor Freight President Dan Einwechter didn’t disappoint as he was presented the 2004 Trailmobile Service to Industry Award at the Ontario Trucking Association’s 78th annual convention today.

Welcomed to the podium by a standing ovation from hundreds of colleagues, the “surprised” Einwechter accepted the award with his trademark humour. “I guess I should have figured something was up when my wife told me to wear a tie today … Usually I know what’s going on for these things, so when (they) were presenting the award, I started thinking ‘hey I don’t know what’s going on this time.'”

The Trailmobile Service to Industry Award is the highest honour bestowed upon an executive in the Ontario trucking industry. It recogzines an individual who, by their commitment, vision, leadership and unstinting service, has made an outstanding contribution to the development and success of the truck transportation industry.

Einwechter started Challenger Motor Freight as a 20-year old, second year business student at Wilfred Laurier University in 1975. The fact that he had no trucks did not deter him from his vision. Armed with a pager, and renting trucks as needed, he began the pursuit of his dream.

Today, Challenger has more than 4,300 trucks and trailers operating across Canada, the United States and Mexico. In December 2003, Challenger was listed as one Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies for the third year in a row.

Einwechter has been an outspoken and tireless advocate for the trucking industry, serving as past chairman of both the Ontario Trucking Association and the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA). He worked hard to help raise the profile of these associations and the trucking industry across the continent, and presided over CTA’s first ever Parliament Hill Days.

The company also received the Shippers Choice Award in 2002, 2003 and 2004, the CITA Carrier of the Year 2002, and the Purolator “Carrier of the Year” Award two years in a row.

In 2002, Mr. Einwechter was named Al Palladini Transportation Person of the Year during National Transportation Week and was also the recipient of the Ontario Entrepreneur of the Year Award (EOY) in the “Business-to-Business, Products & Services” category.