Bridgestone/Firestone Canada searches for trucking heroes

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. (June 12, 2001) — Tire maker Bridgestone/Firestone Canada has started its 45th annual search for Canada’s most heroic truck drivers.

The Bridgestone/Firestone Canadian Truck Hero Award is presented to a Canadian commercial truck driver who exhibits courage, quick thinking and integrity in the face of an emergency.

The winner will receive the award, a $3000 prize, and a trip for two to Toronto to receive the award at the Ontario Trucking Association annual convention in November.

Nominations must be received by Oct. 1. Nominees must be Canadian residents and full-time commercial tractor-trailer drivers working for a Canadian trucking company. The incident being recognized must have taken place in North America between Oct. 1, 2001, and Sept. 30, 2002. A police statement or affidavit corroborating driver actions is required with the nomination.

Judges give consideration to the degree of personal danger or risk encountered; the emergency procedures followed; the assistance rendered to victims involved in the incident; and the proper use of safety equipment.

Nomination forms are being circulated with the help of the Canadian Association of Police Chiefs and provincial trucking associations, by calling 1-866/827-8098, or on the web at www.truckhero.ca.

The award is supported by the Canada Safety Council, the Ontario Trucking Association, and the Canadian Trucking Alliance.