OTA selects 2007-2008 Road Knights Team

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TORONTO, Ont. — 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.

Members of the 2007-2008 OTA Road Knights Team are James Coles, MacKinnon Transport ; Peter Durant, Kriska Transportation ; O/O Mike Hahn, Challenger Motor Freight; O/O Rob Harding, Trimac Transportation Services; Doug Ladds, MacKinnon Transport; Roger Levesque, Thomson Terminals; John Lougheed, Erb Transport; O/O Sandy Milne, Highland Transport; Tom Tuttle, Bison Transport; and 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 OTA president David Bradley. “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 step out of their cabs one or two days each month to 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. The Knights 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.

Team members are selected by a panel of industry, government, police and media representatives every two years. This year’s selection panel included representatives from: Ministry of Transportation Ontario, Ontario Provincial Police, 680 News Radio, Transportation Health and Safety Association of Ontario, OTA staff and a driver from the previous Road Knights Team.

In order to be considered for the team, 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. The candidates then appear before the selection committee to deliver a speech, participate in a personal interview, and prepare a detailed written statement outlining why he or she wants to serve on the team.

Proof of a first-class driving record, in addition to details about awards and commendations, is also required. To participate in the program, drivers must be nominated by member companies in goods standing of the Ontario Trucking Association.

OTA 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 ext. 224 or e-mail Rebecka.torn@ontruck.org to book a free presentation by an OTA Road Knight.

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