TORONTO — The Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) has named 10 professional truck drivers to the 2007-2008 OTA Road Knights Team, a select group of drivers who share their knowledge of how all road users can be partners in safety with transport trucks.

The 2007-2008 OTA Road Knights Team is:

James Coles, MacKinnon Transport; Peter Durant, Kriska Transportation; Mike Hahn (owner-op), Challenger Motor Freight; Rob Harding (owner-op), Trimac Transportation Services; Doug Ladds, MacKinnon Transport; Roger Levesque, Thomson Terminals; John Lougheed, Erb Transport; Sandy Milne (owner-op), Highland Transport; Tom Tuttle, Bison Transport; Frits Vanderhulst, Highland Transport.

“The transport drivers who make up the team are first-class drivers who represent their peers — Ontario transport drivers who are dedicated to safety and professionalism in the industry,” said David Bradley, president of the Ontario Trucking Association. “They are highly qualified to spread the message of road safety because they travel our roadways everyday and have faced every type of traffic and weather condition imaginable.”

The program is a free, province-wide community outreach program in which transport drivers share their knowledge of sharing the road with a truck. Over the next two years team members will participate in media interviews and speaking engagements in order to help improve road safety and increase awareness of the economic and social importance of the trucking industry.

The Road Knights — all employed as full-time transport drivers — step out of the cab one or two days each month. They meet with the media and community groups such as business clubs, driving schools, and community associations to discuss road sharing and the industry in general.

They will visit local schools with their trucks to introduce young people to the trucking industry. Team members also participate in career fairs to promote awareness of the wide array of careers available in the trucking industry.

The Team is selected every two years by a panel of industry, government, police and media representatives, including editors from Today’s Trucking magazine.

In order to be considered for selection, drivers are nominated by their employer (or company they are contracted to in the case of an owner-operator). OTA then scrutinizes the applications and shortlists the candidates. This time 17 candidates appeared before the selection committee where they delivered a speech, participated in a personal interview, and prepared a detailed written statement.

Proof of a first-class driving record, in addition to details about awards and commendations, is also required.

The Road Knights are available to meet with groups to provide insight on sharing the road with a transport truck and how all road users can be partners in safety. Call OTA’s communications department at (416) 249-7401 x 224 or email at Rebecka.torn@ontruck.org to book a free presentation by an OTA Road Knight.