MORRIS, Man. — The first meeting of a newly-formed truck driver association will be held May 24 in Morris, Man.

Truckers are invited to help form the new association’s vision and determine which issues the group should help address.

Emile Dupuis says he hopes to provide a unified voice for drivers (and to a lesser extent, owner/operators) so the association can address important industry issues with the government. It will be a national association, he says, that will draw on the real-life experiences of those in the field.

"I feel we have lost respect from the public and law enforcement officers and that’s something we need to get back," says Dupuis. "We have nobody to represent us and there are issues we need to straighten out."

Dupuis feels issues such as weights and dimensions, hours-of-service, and law enforcement’s attitude towards truckers will be addressed when the association gets off the ground. In the meantime, he’s scheduled the May 24 meeting (at Burke’s Motel in Morris at 12 p.m.) to see how much interest there is in launching this association and to determine some guidelines for the group.

For more information about the meeting or the association itself, call Dupuis at 204-758-3253 or 204-746-7764.