Penner driver tops in Manitoba

WINNIPEG — With his 27 years of driving experience, an exemplary safety record, and community involvement, Dennis Barkman was an easy choice for Manitoba’s 2009 Driver of the Year award.

Barkman, a long-time employee of Penner International, was recently awarded his prize during the Manitoba Trucking Association’s Driver Awards Banquet.

Barkman’s experience in the trucking industry is wide-ranging. He grew up on a farm in rural Manitoba. After he left the family farm as a young man, he drove a cement mixer truck, feed truck, worked as a city driver, and hauled lumber from northern Manitoba over the course of a number of years.

He did return to farming, but trucking was in his blood, and it wasn’t long before he became a long haul highway driver. He hasn’t looked back and has driven for well over 20 years since he returned to the trucking industry.

He has received numerous “Compliments of Driving Skill and Courtesy” nods from DriverCheck. He has also taken defensive driving courses for driving school buses.

According to Jac Doerksen, driver relations and o/o business development manager at Penner International, Barkman “continues to strive for excellence with safe and on-time delivery. He consistently maintains a great attitude. We are lucky to have him as part of our team.”

Barkman also taught his own son to drive truck. He’s also worked as a Sunday school department leader and was involved with a children’s camp for 10 years (four of those years he was the camp director).
 


Have your say


This is a moderated forum. Comments will no longer be published unless they are accompanied by a first and last name and a verifiable email address. (Today's Trucking will not publish or share the email address.) Profane language and content deemed to be libelous, racist, or threatening in nature will not be published under any circumstances.

*