WINNIPEG, Man. — Three Manitoba truck drivers have been awarded a special tribute for professional excellence at a recent Manitoba Trucking Association (MTA) celebration.

The three drivers have contributed a total of over 64 years and 9.2 million kilometres of accident-free driving with the Manitoba motor transport industry.

The October Driver of the Month is Barrie Budd, a professional driver for 31 years, according to the MTA. During that time Budd has driven over 3.5 million accident-free kilometres of highway, rural, and city roads, across the Prairie provinces and the US. Budd drives for Somerset Transfer.

The November Driver of the Month is Brett Wideman, a highway driver for 15 years, with over 2.7 million accident-free kilometres across Canada and the US. Wideman drives for Len Dubois Trucking.

The December Driver of the Month is Michael Thiessen, a professional driver for 18 years with three million accident-free kilometres of city and highway driving in Canada and the US. Thiessen drives for Bison Transport.

The Manitoba Driver of the Month award recognizes professional drivers whose careers demonstrate excellent driving skills, exemplary safety records, outstanding customer service and a dedication to the profession.

Custom Truck Sales and Canadian Kenworth have sponsored the awards since 1991. MTA president Earl Coleman of Big Freight Systems hosted the May 16 award event and Jim Clark of Custom Truck Sales presented the awards.