For immediate release:
PMTC ANNOUNCES INDUCTEES TO HALL OF FAME FOR PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS
The Private Motor Truck Council of Canada inducted 4 exceptional drivers into the HALL OF FAME FOR PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS during the 2nd day of its annual conference on June 19th in Niagara Falls, On.
The Hall of Fame is sponsored by CPC Logistics Canada. Drivers from PMTC member companies are recognized for superior over the road performance over an extended period of time. The Hall of Fame provides a permanent recognition of their abilities and can be found on the PMTC website at www.pmtc.ca.
“Professional drivers are the backbone of the industry. The supply chain does not function without the essential service they provide us each & every day. The skills of these 4 professional truck drivers are evident to all who encounter them & are especially valued by the industry & their employers,” said PMTC President Mike Millian. “These professionals compile safe driving records that are beyond amazing, considering all the adverse conditions they face every day. Only a select few can equal the caliber of the drivers in the Hall of Fame. The industry and the PMTC salutes these individuals, & we are honoured to be able to recognize their achievements & amazing careers.”
The 2024 inductees are Dave Lalande, Bob Kestner, Michael Limburg & John Robinson. Together, these 4 individuals have amassed an incredible 158 years and over 15.7 million kilometers of accident-free driving.
The Private Motor Truck Council of Canada and CPC Logistics Canada are pleased to induct these four professionals into the Hall of Fame for Professional Drivers.
Dave Lalande
Giant Tiger Trucking
Dave joined Giant Tiger in Johnstone, Ontario in 1989 as a store delivery driver, shortly after he obtained his AZ license. Prior to coming to Giant Tiger, Dave began his driving career delivering auto parts with a 5 ton for 2 years with a branch out of Ottawa.
Dave is currently a hybrid driver who helps move Giant Tiger Products both by LCV’s as well as continuing to provide support with store delivery routes.
Dave has a top notch commitment to service & safety, as Dave’s 35 years & over 4.9 million km’s of accident and incident free driving clearly demonstrates.
Dave is also committed to community involvement with Giant Tiger, taking the Tiger Train to numerous community events during the year. When not at work, Dave enjoys spending time with his spouse Teresa of 16 years, being out on his boat & camping, & spending time with his Grandson.
Bob Kestner
Home Hardware Stores Ltd.
Bob grew up on a farm in Bruce County, near the small town of Mildmay, with 2 brothers & 3 sisters. Bob learned to drive tractors & operate farm machinery at an early age, with some of his earliest memories getting up pre down to head out with his dad in his milk truck. Just shy of 18, Bob headed to Toronto to attend college, & graduated in General Business & Business Administration. At that time, trucking was not on Bob’s radar.
After college, Bob returned to Bruce County & took a sales route position with Weston Bakeries, which gave him his introduction to driving, as he filled in for delivery drivers on vacation. After 5 years in Walkerton, Bob transferred to the Kitchener facility, taking on the Kitchener/Stratford territory, & serving on the peer elected driver committee. After Weston, Bob joined Key Brand Foods delivering to restaurants. 23 years ago, Bob left Key Brand and began his journey at Home Hardware.
During Bob’s impeccable safe driving career, covering over 38 years and 4 million km’s of accident free driving, covering Ontario, Quebec & the Maritimes, he has encountered his fare share of unsafe driving & stressful situations. One such encounter occurred in Northern, Ontario. During stormy conditions, he was forced to the shoulder to avoid a head on collision with an oncoming Tractor Trailer. The driver continued driving in an unsafe manner & shortly after crashed into another transport truck, leading in the fatality of the other driver. Bob came forward as a witness, & testified at trial, & was able to help ensure the driver who caused the fatality was held accountable & was able to meet the family of the victim. Bob also witnessed a car flip upside down into the ditch during a heavy rainstorm on Highway 400. Bob pulled over, called 911, and was able to wait with the girl, who thankfully was not injured, until help arrived.
Bob is married to his wife Karen of 38 years and is the proud father of a son & daughter, and grandpa to a grandson. In his free time, Bob likes to travel, spend time with family, visiting his trailer in Goderich, riding his motorcycle & taking on home projects.
Michael Limburg
Darling International Canada Inc.
Michael has been a professional driver for Darling for the last 22 years, performing pickups in the Toronto area, and returning to his home base in Hickson, Ontario, a small town in rural Southern Ontario. Michael is also a licensed mechanic, & frequently starts early in the morning, helping other drivers with minor repairs before the garage opens for the day. Michale also frequently trains other drivers at Darling, both new and experienced drivers, whenever needed.
Darling introduced a “Smart Drive” program a little over 2 years ago. Smart Drive utilizes dash cams & monitors following distance, lane management, railroad crossings, wrong way driving, vehicle control, stopping, yielding, speeding, unprofessional driving, situational awareness, seatbelt usage, collisions & near collisions. Michael has never received a violation of any kind since the system has been put into use. Since its inception, over 300 drivers have operated under the Smart Drive Program, & during this time, no driver has come even close to Michael’s accomplishment!
Overall, Michael has 39 years and 2.3 million km’s of accident, incident and violation free driving, a truly incredible feet! Michael resides in Hickson, On with his wife & stepdaughter.
John Robinson
Gray Ridge Egg Farms
John’s driving career began on October 30th of 1978, & his entire 46 years career has been spent with Gray Ridge Eggs. Gray Ridge says they have been fortunate to have John’s talents shared with new drivers when they join the team. John has ridden along to train & assist countless drivers over the years, as well as spending many early mornings on the phone helping drivers out who need assistance on their runs.
When Gray Ridge expanded across Ontario John established the runs up North in Sudbury & Sault Saint Marie, building relationships & working with the store managers. John has built relationships with many store owners as well as the egg farmers he has worked with over the years.
John says he got into the trucking industry to prove his teacher wrong when she told him he would never make a career out of looking out the window. 46 years & over 4 million km’s later of accident-free driving, I would say John has been successful in proving his teacher wrong!
In his personal life, John has been married to his wife Mary for 49 years. The couple has two daughters, one who lives in Australia with her husband & 3 children. Their other daughter lives next to John & Mary with 3 children of her own. John & Mary like to go to Australia as much as possible to see them, & John says the golf is not bad there either!
For more information, contact:
Private Motor Truck Council of Canada Tel: 905-827-0587
225 Main Street East, Unit 5 email: info@pmtc.ca
Milton, Ontario, L9T 1N9 website: www.pmtc.ca
-30-
