SLH Transport driver named HighwaySTAR of the year

TORONTO, ONT. (APRIL 25, 2004) — Alberta’s Rene Robert has been named the 2004 highwaySTAR of the Year at the Truck World show in Toronto. Through his company Classy Transport Inc., he’s leased to SLH Transport out of Calgary.

The veteran owner-operator was honoured with the inaugural highwaySTAR award — which includes a $10,000 cheque — for his outstanding record of service to the trucking industry. The award was sponsored in part by Freightliner Canada.

A native of Magog, Que., Mr. Robert, 47, bought his first truck in 1979 and moved to Alberta in 1981. Following a serious, not-at-fault accident in the late 1980s, he was unable to drive for nearly two years. Rather than languish around the house, he became his carrier’s safety manager and successfully resolved the company’s severe compliance problems. Robert took all available courses and read every conceivable J.J. Keller manual to gain the knowledge needed to remedy the carrier’s shortcomings, which were threatening its ICC authority at the time.

During his “downtime”, Robert sat on many committees within the Alberta Motor Transport Association, working closely with some of the biggest players in the Alberta trucking community on many issues from 53-ft. trailers to early hours-of-service laws. Known for his honesty, directness, and driver and safety advocacy, he more than earned the respect of his peers.

Over the course of his driving career, he has preformed several roadside rescues and has many safe driving awards to his credit, including nine annual awards from Landstar. He won AMTA driver of the month honors in December 2002 and won the owner-operator class at the AMTA Rodeo several years earlier. At SLH, he routinely scores between 98.6 and 100 per cent in log audits.

“Mr. Robert has gone way beyond the norm in terms of his contributions to the industry at large, to the public, and to his fellow drivers. He has fought for safety and common sense in regulatory matters while wearing a suit, and he’s proven his skill at the steering wheel as well on many occasions,” said Rolf Lockwood, editorial director for highwaySTAR and Today’s Trucking magazines, as he presented Robert with the award.

“What we like most about him is just that, namely that he’s a driver who has shown the chutzpah to mix it with the fleet owners and bureaucrats on their ground, though only after ensuring that he learned what he had to know to launch a sensible argument.”

After receiving the award, Robert described the event as “unbelievable.” He was especially grateful to his fiancée and co-driver Catherine Maxsom, who entered Robert in the contest because she “wanted him to know that all his hard work hadn’t gone unnoticed.”

As for the future? Robert says he’s not ruling out his dream of one day becoming federal Transport Minister. But for now, he says, he’s happy on the road.

“I love driving. You always have an office with a view,” says Robert. “If it was just a job, I would have quit a long time ago.”