This industry sure has its share of enemies. There are the railroads, which profess their desire to work in tandem with trucking, all the while continuing to fund Canadians for Responsible and Safe Highways (CRASH) via the Railway Association of Canada.

However, those in this industry know that CRASH and its anti-truck rhetoric aren’t even the real threat — we can see this group’s tired diatribe coming a mile away. The real enemies are the naive and uneducated, those who swallow misinformation whole. This includes mainstream journalists who splash truck-related accidents on their front pages without all the facts, ignorant politicians who introduce ridiculous bills like banning trucks from passing lanes, and four-wheelers who flip a trucker the bird for doing his governed speed of 90 km/h.

That’s not to say the industry has no friends, however. The various provincial trucking associations, under the umbrella of the Canadian Trucking Alliance, must be commended for their attempts to promote a positive industry image. It is largely due to these associations that CRASH’s press releases have become as disposable as toilet paper in the offices of many provincial and federal bureaucrats.

But the associations still need help putting out fires at the grassroots level and on the stage of what is public opinion. Of course, carriers themselves must also take on their share of the load, as do drivers, who really wear the image of the industry on the side of their truck every time they hit the road. There are other allies, though — some of whom can be found in the most unlikely places.

A few months ago I reviewed a website called Highway401.com in our magazine. The site was started a couple of years back by Ben Labadie, an inspired 22 year old, after the horrific pile-up on the stretch of Hwy. 401 between Chatham and Windsor, Ont., now dubbed “Carnage Alley.” What started as a simple discussion board in response to the accident has evolved into a full-fledged web portal that promotes the corridor’s transport community, neighbouring businesses, and general safe travel. Its emphasis on safety, trade, and traffic and weather conditions make it a valuable bookmark for any driver — trucker or four-wheeler — who routinely travels the highway. Although he hopes to make some pocket cash by going wireless in the next few weeks, Labadie didn’t intend to make a penny when he first designed the site. It was simply created for the use of any driver who needed it.

Recently, I was introduced to a young man named Patrick Lebel, the 17-year-old son of a truck driver. He decided he had enough of listening to one of his teachers bash the very profession that puts food on his family’s table. His response was to create a web site (members.home.com/4lebels/truck) to inform and accentuate the positives of trucking as part of a school project.

Lebel started by collecting all the factual and historic information he could find in hopes of creating a site that would help explain the industry to those who don’t see what he does every day. The result isn’t anything flashy; it’s just a teenager’s tribute to his dad and the industry that employs him.

“My teacher kept describing truck drivers in all the ways I knew my father wasn’t,” Lebel said, adding that, although the teacher wouldn’t take back his anti-truck statements, the site has made a positive impact with at least a few of his peers.

These are just two examples of those who don’t need a truck-driving license to contribute to the industry. And I’m sure there are more out there. They are your children and the children in your community. You may not know it, but they watch and learn silently of your everyday efforts.

Lebel says he doesn’t plan on driving truck for a living; he wants to be an economist instead. But he understands and appreciates what it took to get his computer or his running shoes from the manufacturing plant to his front door. He is what I like to call an unlicensed Road Knight. Like I said, there are more. It’s our job to find them. It’s your job to keep producing them.