BANFF, Alta. – Ken Arthur says "it takes his breath away" to receive the same award once bestowed on the late John Tessier, the much respected and loved trucking safety advocate and a pillar of the Alberta Motor Transport Association.

Arthur was talking about the AMTA‘s Safety Person of the Year Award, which he was honored with today at the group’s annual management conference in Banff, Alta.

The award, sponsored by Milestone Insurance Services, has been given to a long line of AMTA’s most devout transportation safety and training professionals, including Arthur’s mentor and friend John Tessier, who passed away in 2009.

Arthur got his start in trucking as a driver in 1973. He then became a flatdeck owner-op in ’75 before selling his truck and starting his own transmission shop and hot-rod parts store.

The racing enthusiast always maintained a connection to the highway, though, offering to drive part-time for owner-op friends once in a while.

With the economy hurting in the 1980s, Arthur, a family man by now, wanted more security and went back to driving. This time, hauling fuel to the mines as a company driver for Trimac.

Later on, a friend looking to get a job with Trimac asked Arthur if he would train him. With Trimac’s permission, Arthur showed him the ropes and the friend was hired. (The friend is still with the company today).

Soon after, more friends asked to be trained and were instantly hired. While he had no formal experience in driver training, the results spoke for themselves. And management at Trimac took notice.

He parlayed the driver training experience into a promotion as operations manager and eventually he was named Central Training Instructor for Canada.

Today, Arthur heads the Trimac Learning Centre (TLC – appropriately dubbed – for short), where the carrier brings drivers, mechanics, traffic managers and other staff from across the country where they undergo four days of comprehensive training on safety, policy and procedures — covering everything from transportation of dangerous goods and hours of service to decision driving and fuel efficient practices.

"I’m overwhelmed," Arthur told industry collogues while accepting the award.

He says that safety and professionalism is a "way of life" that shouldn’t end when the workday’s done.

"If you don’t play safe when you go home too, then there’s a chance you won’t get to come to work the next day."