National Trucking Week

2 • September 1-7, 2013 2013 National Trucking Week Manitoba Trucking Association 'Serving the industry that drives the nation' 25 Bunting Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R2X 2P5 (204) 632-6600 Fax (204) 694-7134 www.trucking.mb.ca The Manitoba Trucking Association exists to develop and maintain a safe and healthy business environment for our industry members. National Trucking Week recognizes hard work of those in the industry T he Manitoba Trucking Association (MTA) has a number of projects and events on the go for this year's celebration of the trucking industry – 2013 National Trucking Week, Sept. 1-7. The MTA will again be spending time at the scales, handing out refreshments to drivers as a way to thank them for everything that they do for our industry. National Trucking Week is a way for the industry to take a moment from our hectic schedules and consider what it contributes – to the economy, to our communities and to our families. "It's about recognizing and celebrating the men and women that move our nation's freight," said Laura La Palme, marketing and business development representative for the MTA. "Everything you see in the room you're in comes off a truck. We have a saying in the industry that, other than a baby, everything is delivered by a truck. So this is a week-long opportunity to take a look around and recognize all that you use every day – the food you eat, the office chair you sit in – everything depends on trucking." While working in the trucking industry can present some challenges, there are countless people in the field who have been more than able to provide for themselves and their families while working in trucking. Economically, the trucking industry makes a huge impact on the national, provincial, and local levels. Nationally, there are over 260,000 drivers and approximately 400,000 people who work in the trucking industry, Canada's most important mode for freight transportation. The trucking industry is big business in this province and country. "It's important to recognize the fact that it's a job that never stops," La Palme said. "The nation's freight moves 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which means the men and women that are driving that freight don't always see their families for holidays and miss those tournaments and they do it because we need our goods moved." In 2010, Canadian for-hire companies moved 225 billion tonne- kilometres of freight. By the second quarter of 2010, the trucking sector had regained its pre-recession GDP levels and expanded by 8.1per cent for the year as a whole. Provincially, we have one of the busiest border crossings in Canada at Emerson. Six of the largest for-hire trucking companies in Canada are based in Winnipeg, and two of the largest for-hire carriers operating in the U.S. are also based in Winnipeg. Transportation and warehousing contributes six to seven per cent of the provincial GDP and consistently contributes more than agriculture does to our provincial GDP. The trucking industry also makes significant contributions to our local communities. "The MTA has just partnered with an organization called Trucks for Change Network," La Palme said. "If there's a charity or community in need, whether it's sandbagging or shipping beds or supplies to people displaced by flooding, the carriers can log in, see where the need is." Under the program, companies will transport goods for free or at a reduced rate, La Palme said. "The trucking community is very, very giving as far as being good corporate citizens," she said. "It's something many carriers are low key about, but if you go to almost any community event or fundraiser, you'll see a trucking presence." There are approximately 30,000 Manitobans employed, either directly or indirectly, in the trucking industry. These people are not concentrated in one or two small regions in the province. Rather, they live throughout the province, in urban and rural areas, from big cities to small towns. The people in our industry live in the communities in which they work, contributing to the economic and social viability of their communities. Manitoba's trucking industry also gives back to the community through charitable work and donations. The people in this industry do a lot of giving, but they also do well by the trucking industry. People in the trucking industry are more likely to work full-time than people in other industries, so trucking industry employees don't have to juggle time between the demands of two or three part-time jobs. From incentive programs to scholarships to a wide variety of career-advancement opportunities, the trucking industry takes care of its people. "It's a secure industry and, as a driver, it's an opportunity to see the continent and earn a living," La Palme said. We hope that you are able to take some time from your busy schedules to celebrate National Trucking Week. The work that we do in this industry is valuable. We keep the local, provincial, and Canadian economies moving. We truly are the industry that drives the nation. Happy National Trucking Week!

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