Owner-Operator Groups Form National Alliance

TORONTO [March 27, 2001] – Owner-operators from across the country have decided to bury the hatchet and stand united in the fight for better rates and working conditions. Calling itself The National Truckers Alliance of Canada (NTAC), the founding members of the group pledged to support one and another’s regional concerns while focusing the Alliance’s attention on business, education and quality-of-life issues which affect owner-operators of all stripes all across Canada.

The meeting was convened at the request of Bill Wellman, the out-spoken president of the Oshawa-based National Truckers Association (NTA). Wellman described the meeting as a “make-or-break” attempt to bring as many of the various owner-op associations together, under a single umbrella banner to deal with the all important national issues.

Wellman indicated that the scope and severity of the current fuel crisis, coupled with the economic down turn, has hurt the chances of survival for many of these small business’.

“Many of these guys were caught off guard when the fuel crisis hit,” Wellman said. “The fact that they’re in trouble today doesn’t mean they’re bad business men -although some obviously are- but they’re going to come out of this stronger than before with the NTAC standing at their side.”

Representatives from several owner-operator groups were present at the meeting, including long-time owner- operator advocate, Com-Car Owner Operators Association. The Atlantic region was represented by members of the Eastern Truckers Alliance and the Newfoundland & Labrador Independent Truckers Association.

Jon Summers, president of the NFLD & Lab. TA, called the get together “a significant first step” in bringing the concerns of small-business trucking to the attention of federal and provincial regulators and administrators.

“During the past year, our association has been reasonably successful in creating opportunities to enhance the quality of life for our members, Summers said. ” After this weekend’s meeting, which realized the feasibility of a national alliance, I am pleased to say that we fully support this concept and we’re looking forward to the expanded opportunities that ‘national unity’ will bring.”

Also present were representatives from a fledgling group in Alberta, British Columbia’s National Association of Professional Drivers, based in Kamloops, B.C. and the Oshawa, Ontario-based National Truckers Association.

Leo VanTuyl of the OTA’s Professional Driver and Operator Forum appeared on behalf of his members. Van Tuyl said he was glad to see everyone together in one room and talking. “All owner-operators face many of the same issues,” he observed. “It was encouraging to see the effort going into resolving some of those concerns.”

The OTA Drivers and Professional Drivers Forum currently holds a single seat on the OTA board of directors.

In a press release, NTAC described the proposed structure of the group as managed from the ground up. Each of the existing provincial or regional associations will retain their independence and their membership lists, while funneling a portion of the membership revenue along to the national association. The provincial associations will be represented by a group of Regional Coordinators, who will then advance the concerns to the National Administrator as the need arises. Existing members of the local associations will become members of NTAC as well.

“They (federal and provincial governments) told us to get organized if we wanted to accomplish anything, so we’ve done that,” Wellman said after the meeting.

The associations represented at the meeting, held at the Delta Hotel in east-end Toronto, all suggested they’d have to take the proposal before their own boards of directors for formal approval. That’s expected to be completed sometime within the next few weeks.

Founding members of NTAC include
Blaine Houlind; Joanne Joosse – Com-Car; Darren Liebrecht – NAPD; Rick McCulloch – Eastern Truckers Alliance; Jon Summers – NFLD & LAB. T.A.; Bill Wellman – NTA.