OTTAWA, Ont. — Eassons Transport president Paul Easson has been elected chairman of the Canadian Trucking Alliance.

He’ll serve a two-year term, replacing Bruno Muller of Caron Transport who just concluded a two-year term of his own.

Easson has worked for the family trucking company for more than 25 years. The fleet operates more than 150 reefer trailers, 60 dry vans and 160 tractors serving all points Canada and the US. It also runs an LTL service from Toronto and Montreal to Atlantic Canada.

Easson said he’s well-aware he’s taking over the helm at the CTA during a challenging time.

“The major immediate challenge as I see it is over-capacity,” he said. “That is really depressing the marketplace virtually everywhere in North America.”

Longer term, Easson said priorities will include attracting and retaining quality people, environmental sustainability and shifting trade patterns away from the US.

“Of course, being a family business, I see succession planning to be a major challenge for many family-owned trucking companies,” he said.

Easson said CTA will create a forum for carriers across the country to share best practices that will benefit the industry as a whole.

“I am also a great believer not only in terms of what CTA can do for the industry, but what the individual members of the Board of Directors and the provincial associations can do for CTA,” he said. “It is imperative that all board members understand that by serving on the CTA board that they have a responsibility to CTA, not just their provincial association. I am looking forward to working with the board and the staff to encourage that engagement.”