MARKHAM, Ont. — Les Wakeling, 51, the manager of fleet and maintenance services for Canada Building Materials (CBM) has been named the Volvo Trucks Canadian Fleet Maintenance Manager of the Year.

Wakeling, a father of three daughters and husband of 31 years to Robyn, began as an apprentice with the company when he was 18 and has been there since.

Now, he oversees equipment and plant maintenance at 20 locations and he’s responsible for ensuring that their 391 ready-mix trucks and assorted support gear remain road- and off-road worthy.

Canadian Building Materials is part of the St. Mary’s Cement Group, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Votorantim Cimentos, an international cement manufacturer based in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

In his acceptance speech at the Canadian Fleet Maintenance Seminar which is being held this week in Markham, Ont., Wakeling acknowledged that the contributions of his colleagues at CBM as well as his family were integral to his achievements.

"I have to thank my wife Robyn because I know I sometimes spent perhaps a little more time than I should at the job, but I like the results and I like the challenge."

Also, if you google Wakeling, among the first mentions that comes up is his remarkable career as an elite lacrosse coach; having led several southern Ontario teams to International championships.

In the next issue of Today’s Trucking, watch for a in-depth profile of Wakeling and read why getting the best out of a fleet of trucks is akin to wringing peak performances from a team of athletes.