“Motor” Rosenau Named 2014 Highway Star of The Year
TORONTO — The 2014 Highway Star of the Year is Michael T. “Motor” Rosenau, an owner-operator “willing to give you the shirt of his back.”
Calgary-based Rosenau, 45, will receive his $15,000 in prizes on Saturday, April 12, at Truck World, at the International Centre in Mississauga.
The 25-year-veteran who drives for Rosenau Transport will be the 10th driver to receive the prestigious award.
The announcement was made Friday by Newcom Business Media. Newcom publishes Today’s Trucking and Transport Routier and produces Truck World.
The prizes, which include $10,000 in cash, are provided by Newcom, Freightliner, Meritor, Espar, Cummins, Chevron and the Owner-Operator’s Association of Canada (OBAC).
Judges in the contest report that this year’s entries were, once again, raising the bar and that competition for the award was very stiff.
Drivers are nominated from across the country and judges look at safety records, professional leadership, community involvement and whether the driver would serve as a respectable ambassador for the industry.
This year’s winner scored high in all departments. A glance at Rosenau’s Facebook page tells the story of the many charities he’s involved with. Every year he suits up as Santa for the 18 Wheels of Christmas food drive delivering donated goods to Calgary food banks, a cause he has embraced since 2005. He’s driven in three of the World’s Largest Convoy for Special Olympics. And he plans on driving in the next Alberta Convoy for the Cure to support of the Breast Cancer Foundation.
“Motor is always willing to give you the shirt off his back. He’s one of the best guys you’ll meet and a great one to call a friend,” says his fellow driver and friend Edward Tucker, who works in Canada Post’s transportation division.
An added bonus of Rosenau’s Facebook activity: presenting a positive image of the trucking industry. What started as a way of keeping in touch turned into a way to share what life is like behind the wheel and to promote this industry he loves so much.
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