Dana Allard
Food grade tanker driver
Contrans
Burford, Ont.

This is one in a series of interviews with frontline workers as Today’s Trucking celebrates National Trucking Week, Sept. 5-11.

What can you tell us about your job and the work it includes?

I work for Contrans out of its KHT yard in Burford, Ont., hauling for the tanker division transporting food grade products. Aside from driving, I maintain the proper temperature while in transit and pump the product from the trailer for customers hooking up hoses, hydraulic lines and pipes running the internal pump and making sure I work and maintain the highest safety measures possible.

How did you come to work in the trucking industry?

Working in the trucking industry was something I’ve always wanted to do, but having kids young made it tough for me to follow through with my dream. When my kids were older, I was able to go for it!

I was invited by the Women’s Trucking Federation of Canada to apply for a scholarship for my education. I entered and won, something I am very proud of and thankful for. They Gave me this gift and helped me make my dream come true; I am a professional truck driver and I love it! I also want to be a part of the rising number of women in the trucking industry, not only as a truck driver myself but to encourage other women to join this amazing industry.

What do you like the most about your job?

Delivering goods to customers so they can produce products for our community, our country and the world makes me proud! Without truckers and the trucking industry we would have nothing. When I look around, everything I see at some point in time was in a trailer hauled by a driver in their truck. We should be thankful and celebrate all truckers.

What is the biggest challenge the trucking industry faces today?

We face a lot of challenges, the biggest being, we put lives on hold leaving our families for days – sometimes weeks – at a time to make sure everyone gets what they ordered, what they need and what they want.

We work under strict time constraints and laws, must have our proper documents organized and filled out in order at all times. And then there’s traffic – so many people in their four-wheelers don’t realize why we drive at the speeds we do, leaving the distance we leave between us and them, and that it’s not just for our safety, but theirs too.

Why do you think the trucking industry should be celebrated?

It is an essential job. I am thankful for my career, I love what I do, and look forward to going into work every day.