Sharp Transportation Systems Inc. Truck Driver
Named to Prestigious OTA Road Knights Team
March 29, 2005
Matt Graveline, a truck driver with Sharp Transportation Systems Inc.
of Cambridge, Ont., has been named a member of the 2005-2006 Ontario Trucking
Association Road Knights team – a select group of professional drivers who
are dedicated to educating the general public about sharing the road. Graveline
competed with truck drivers from all across the province for a coveted spot on
the team.
The 9 members of the group are all full-time truck
drivers, and competed against applicants from across the province for the right
to wear the coveted Road Knights coat of arms. Team members are all employed as
full-time transport drivers and step out of the cab several days each month to
meet with community groups.
During their two-year terms, Road Knights meet with
community groups, business associations, driving schools, seniors organizations
and service clubs to help improve highway safety and increase awareness of the
trucking industry’s contribution to the provincial economy. The free
community outreach service is offered by the Ontario Trucking
Association.
Matt has logged almost 1.3 million
kilometers in his 11 years on the road, and volunteers as a pen pal with public
school students, sending notes and postcards from the different geographic
regions he sees during his travels.
“I hope to be able to promote road safety
as well as careers in the trucking industry in a very positive way,” he
says. “This industry is a leader in local, provincial, national and
international markets.”
“The Road Knights are first-class drivers
who represent their peers – Ontario transport drivers who are dedicated to
safety and professionalism in the industry,” says David Bradley, president
of the Ontario Trucking Association. “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.”
According to the Ontario Ministry of Transportation,
tractor-trailers are involved in less than three per cent of all road
collisions, making professional truck drivers the safest users of the
province’s roads.
About the OTA Road Knights:
The Ontario Trucking Association’s Road Knights
team is selected by a panel of judges including representatives from the Ontario
Provincial Police, Ontario Ministry of Transportation, 680News radio, the
Transportation Health and Safety Association of Ontario, Truck News (an industry
journal), a truck driver from the previous Road Knights team, and OTA
staff.
Members of the 2005-2006 Road Knights Team
include:
- Robert Bedard, St. Thomas (TST Overland Express, London)
- Martin Dej, Orleans (Kriska Holdings Ltd., Prescott)
- Matthew Graveline (Sharp Transportation Systems Inc., Cambridge)
- Alvin Kane, Brampton (Kriska Holdings Ltd., Brampton)
- Angus MacCormac, Scarborough (Bison Transport, Mississauga)
- John McDowell* Welland
(Municipal Tank Lines, a Trimac Company, Thorold) - Bob Morley, Halton Hills (TKO Transportation Inc., Milton)
- Trevor Weir, Ajax (Thomson Terminals Ltd., Etobicoke)
- Ted Wheeler, Essex (TST Overland Express, Windsor)
*Owner-operator
More than 50 drivers applied to participate in the
program, while a short list of candidates prepared a speech and essay for the
panel of judges. Each candidate on the short list was also subjected to a
personal interview.
Prospective Road Knights must possess
first-class driving records. To participate in the program, candidates must also
be nominated by an Ontario Trucking Association member company in good
standing.
In addition to educating community organizations about
road safety, Road Knights take their trucks to local schools to introduce young
people to career opportunities in the trucking industry. Recognized as leaders
within their industry, the Road Knights also meet with students at truck driving
schools to emphasize the importance of safety, professionalism and
courtesy.
This is the sixth team that has been assembled since
the program was formed, and 68 drivers have participated. The program is
celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
The Road Knights program earned a National
Transportation Week Award of Excellence in 1996.
Free presentations by a member of the team include an
oral presentation, a video and pamphlets promoting road safety. Trucks can also
be provided for road safety demonstrations.
For more information about the Road Knights, or to
arrange for a presentation, contact the OTA’s communications department at
416-249-7401, ext. 224 or 237, or email
info@ontruck.org.
-30-
Note to editors: Team photo available on
request.
MEDIA CONTACT: Rebecka Torn rtorn@ontruck.org;
(416) 249-7401 x. 224
The Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) is a business
association representing motor carriers operating into, out of and within
Ontario. The trucking industry is one of Ontario’s largest employers.
Trucks haul 90% of all consumer products and foodstuffs produced and consumed in
the province and 80% of Ontario’s trade with the United States. Founded in
1926, the association’s membership comprises trucking companies of all
sizes, shipping all types of commodities, from all regions of North America. OTA
is a member of the Canadian Trucking Alliance.
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2008, Ontario Trucking Association
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