TruckingNational Truck Week has come and gone and the MTA always looks forward to this one week every year. We do our best to celebrate and thank drivers across Canada, not just on National Trucking Week, but all year round. Truck drivers are one of the most critical and important careers we have on the planet.
In honor of National Truck Week, please see the below for some of the reasons you should thank our Canadian Truck Drivers.
1) Tradition That Spans Generations:
In todays world, kids are occupied and focused on electronics in the back seat during a road trip vs counting cows or playing eye spy. What is the one thing that consistently gets kids to pay attention to the world around them on the highway? Looking for and asking truck drivers to blow the big horn! Todays truck drivers still watch for the familiar air horn arm pumping action and will often indulge whenever it is safe and possible to do so.
Thank a truck driver for continuing this tradition and putting smiles on the faces of your kids on a long road trip!
2) Truck Drivers draw from experiences learned driving to flourish outside the industry:
Driving a truck across our Country, Provinces or North America are bound to lead to unique views of the world and create life experiences. Many truck drivers have utilize these experiences as tools to achieve professional goals outside of the industry of trucking. Can you guess which of the below actors were truck drivers, prior to hitting the silver screen?
- Charles Bronson
- James Cameron
- Chevy Chase
- Sean Connery
- Rock Hudson
- Richard Pryor
- Viggo Mortensen
- Liam Neeson
- Elvis Presley
I hope you guessed all of them?! This shows that there are many different personalities and the diversity available on the road. For many truck drivers it is what they do for a living, but doesn’t define who they are as people. Many drivers have become incredibly successful in business, politics and the arts.
Thank a truck driver for their persistence to follow their dreams!
3) Truck Drivers are incredibly generous with their time and wallets:
The trucking community sticks together and never more so than in times of need. This type of camaraderie is vital since conventional charities are often unable to meet the unique needs of truck drivers on the road. There are many charities truck drivers donate hard earned money and or their time. During National Trucking Week, our drivers help raise over $100,000 for charities right here in our own back yard. Whether it is participating in the Provincial Truck Driving Championships, Truck Pull or the world’s largest Convoy our drivers are present and happy to help others.
Thank a truck driver for being generous in the times of need!
4) Truck Drivers see us through some of our toughest storms.
From hurricanes and snow storms to floods and forest fires, all of these types of potential disasters need supplies for a relief effort. Without truck drivers delivering the majority of these supplies, these type of scenarios would be devastating. Truck drivers are willing to sacrifice themselves to ensure others are safe and well.
Thank a truck driver for helping us through the toughest storms!
5) Truck Drivers put in longer days than most.
Those of us with office jobs generally work between 8-12 hours a day on average. When you’re home and playing with the kids or making dinner, a truck driver is still on the road away from their families, while ensuring that our goods are being delivered. Everything you touch has been in a truck at one time or another.
Thank a truck driver for the long hours and the time away from home!
6) Truck Drivers invest in safety day in and day out.
According to MPI statistics, there were a total of 120,355 commercial vehicles registered in Manitoba in 2016 and over 54,000 are heavy trucks. This is an increase of 12% over 2015 and a 53% increase from 2006. Despite the trucking industry’s continued growth, the number of commercial vehicles involved in collisions in 2016, decreased overall by 14% compared to the previous five year (2011 to 2015) annual average. In accordance to these statistics, Heavy trucks are the safest vehicles on the roads, especially when you take in to account a trucks exposure or risk to accident over miles driven! These statics are substantiating that drivers are trending in the right direction, towards a goal of zero incidents or accidents.
Thank a truck driver for being a professional and focusing on safety!
7) Truck Drivers move our freight and contribute to the bottom line.
Canadian truck drivers move over 225 billion tonnes-kilometres of freight annually, and over 80% of all freight intra provincially. What are they moving around? Our freight! which would include anything from a toothbrush to building supplies and it is all reliant on truck drivers. Imagine going to the store and not being able to pick up your milk or bread… or you receive a phone call telling you that your holiday to Disney World is cancelled because the fuel didn’t get delivered to the aircraft!? Truck drivers play a vital role in our day to day life and a world without truck drivers would be a scary place.
Thank a truck driver for delivering everything you need and for keeping our country moving!
Although kids fantasize about being Spiderman, Wonder woman or Superman, in my mind Truck Drivers are the real heroes of today! We shouldn’t only recognise Truck Drivers efforts during National Trucking Week, we should be thanking them everyday!
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