Alberta names its first Road Knight team

CALGARY — The Alberta Motor Transport Association (AMTA) has dubbed a team of four elite drivers as “Road Knights” – ambassadors for the industry.

It is the first Road Knight team in Western Canada.

The members, chosen this week by a judging panel in Calgary, are Robert Wells, Dennis Hokanson; Craig Gavel; and Darwin Glenn Clark.

They were selected because of their collision-free driving record, commitment to safety, and enthusiasm for the industry.

Each had to give a short presentation to the panel of judges before being asked a series of questions.

Wells, an owner-operator with Bison Transport in Calgary, talked about the attributes that professional drivers need to have to be successful: a good education, patience, commitment to safety and a free spirit.

“When everyone was concerned about political correctness regarding job titles, I felt it was time to become something different than just a trucker. I figured that if a housewife can be a domestic engineer and a garbage collector could become a sanitation expert, I needed to be something different myself. I didn’t stay in school long enough to become an engineer, so I thought I’d become a commodity relocation specialist.”

Ultimately, though, he said he decided to stick with the title ‘professional driver.’

He told about one incident in which a routine run that should have taken eight hours ended up taking three-and-a-half days when he was stuck on a winter highway with a snow slide ahead of him and a snow slide behind him.

Hokanson, who drives for Trimac Transportation out of Edmonton, spoke of environmental responsibility, and the need to eliminate unnecessary idling.

“Being a professional driving means more than just knowing the rules of the road and getting from one point to another as quickly as possible,” he told the judging committee. “As professional drivers, we must also be aware of how our driving habits affect the environment.”

Gavel, a company driver for Bison in Edmonton, talked about how to improve the public perception of truck drivers, calling on drivers to improve the way they work, their attitude, and their appearance, in order to earn greater respect.

And Clark, who drives for Trimac Transportation in Edmonton, spoke of the value of mentors to young drivers. He said he benefitted greatly from the advice and help of lease operators who were around when he started his career.

The Road Knights – all of whom have flawless driving records – will meet with community groups during their two-year term to share their knowledge about how to safely share the road with trucks.

According to the AMTA, “Their mission is to make our roadways safer by encouraging all road users to be partners in safety. The team also works to increase awareness of trucking’s economic importance and to promote the industry as a viable career choice.”

Don Wilson, executive director of AMTA, said he was inspired to set up a provincial team by the success of the program in Ontario, which has generated a lot of positive feedback from public speaking events at schools and career fairs.

“There’s nothing here to help us get information out to the public. We thought this would be a great way to do that and maybe help with recruitment efforts,” he said. “Maybe there isn’t as much of an effort to do that because you get so caught up in the day-to-day stuff that’s required to move freight. We’re so focused on just doing the job that we don’t get the chance to just go out and blow our own horn. Then, when we put an ad out for drivers, we’re surprised that we don’t get any applications.”

He said many transport companies in Alberta have already raised the flag that they’re maxed out and need more drivers. “We have to start thinking about new ways to attract people to the industry,” he said.

The fact that all four of the drivers to be named Road Knights come from large carriers was also the experience in the first years of Ontario’s program and he expects to see more owner-operators and small-fleet drivers apply next time.

Barry Davy, a senior vice president at Trimac in Calgary, said the company is proud of the achievements of its drivers and was pleased to put their names forward as Road Knights.

Real Durand, terminal manager at Bison’s Calgary facility, described the Road Knights he nominated as elite drivers who deserve the recognition they’ve received.