TORONTO, (Nov. 14, 2002) — The Ontario Trucking Association concluded the opening ceremonies of its 76th annual convention this morning with the presentation of several awards and accolades.

Ontario’s 2002 Volvo Trucks Canada Driver of the Year award went to Ed Connors, a Molson Canada professional driver for 10 years and OTA Road Knights member for 2001/2002. Over the years Connors has won several company and industry awards, including Grand Champion and the 1999 Ontario Truck Driving Championships.

Paul Hammond, president of Muskoka Transport, received one of the trucking industry’s highest honours by being named the 2002 Trailmobile Service to Industry Award in recognition of his more than 25 year career in the industry. Each year, the award recognizes an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the development and success of the trucking industry.

For his unconditional act of bravery, Martin Baumber, a driver with Vickerd Bros., was presented with the 2002 Bridgestone/Firestone Canadian Truck Hero award. The award recognizes Baumber’s quick thinking in spotting and rescuing two women from the scene of an accident near Woodstock, Ont. this past July. After pulling over, Baumber ran to one other cars involved which had just burst into flames. After discharging a fire extinguisher with minimal impact, Baumber climbed onto the trunk of the car and pulled two women from the burning vehicle before it was engulfed with flames.

Matt Budd, a dispatcher with J&R Hall Transport, was the first-ever recipient of the 2002 OTA/Cancom Tracking Dispatcher of the Year award. The award recognizes “a segment in the trucking industry that is sometimes overlooked,” said OTA president David Bradley. The award will be handed out every year to a dispatcher who demonstrates a commitment to customer service, safety, team work, problem solving skills, and community service work.