TORONTO, Ont. — Get ready to celebrate National Trucking Week 2003, September 6 – 12, 2003.

National Trucking Week is held annually to spotlight the important contributions made by the 400,000 Canadian men and women who keep the country’s freight moving. The week also serves as a platform for the trucking industry to deliver road-sharing information to other road users.

“The Ontario Trucking Association in conjunction with the Canadian Trucking Alliance, is encouraging each carrier, supplier and industry partner to undertake activities to celebrate the event,” says Rebecka Torn, OTA’s Manager of Communications.

“Each year members of the trucking industry and industry suppliers come up with a wide variety of ways to recognize truck drivers and other employees,” says Torn. “Trucking company executives have washed and fueled trucks for their drivers. Employees have enjoyed complimentary breakfasts and barbecues courtesy of their employers and all sorts of tokens of appreciation have been presented to employees. Truck stops have poured complimentary cups of coffee or offered slices of fresh pie to truckers.”

OTA will be producing its annual National Trucking Week newspaper supplement that will focus on road sharing tips and spotlighting people of the industry. The supplement will be distributed with the Toronto Sun, Kitchener-Waterloo Record, Ottawa Sun and London Free Press. During National Trucking Week, OTA will also be holding road sharing demonstrations and launching a public education campaign on road sharing.

This month, all OTA members will receive a free National Trucking Week poster. Limited quantities (while supplies last) of the poster are available to non-members and industry partners who are participating in the week by contacting OTA’s Communication’s Department at (416) 249-7401 Ext. 224 or Ext 245.

Looking for Celebration Ideas? Visit the Canadian Trucking Alliance Web site for a list of ideas for marking National Trucking Week. The CTA site is www.cantruck.com – go to the site’s “What’s New” section and click on the official event logo to locate the list plus other event information.