With a resume that includes 30 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, Lt. Colonel James C. Rose was recently awarded a new Freightliner and $50,000 to start an owner-operator business. The truck and cash were part of Progressive Insurance’s 10th annual Keys to Progress program.
“I knew that logistics was going to be a part of my career after retirement. I thought what better way of doing that than boots on the ground in a truck. I have several family members who are in the trucking industry. I have an uncle who drove for over 40 years, cousins, brothers, all the way down to myself who is now two years into the industry.” Rose reportedly said.
Rose promptly had the rig detailed with the slogan, “In the Air, on Land and Sea,” on the 18-wheeler’s hood. He plans to keep his startup company veteran-focused.
“So, this blessing will not only just bless me, but it’s going to bless so so many other people. It’s going to expedite and propel me forward building my fleet which is going to run under the company name of Pressing Forward Express LLC,” Rose reportedly said. “My plan is to hire Veterans or Veteran dependents to get them into the trucking industry as well as to continue to provide an essential service to our country, to our communities. I am just so thankful to be a part of that.”
OTA Names Canada Truck Driver of the Year, Industry Leader, and Hero Trucker
A 40-year industry veteran was recently named the Ontario Trucking Association-Volvo Trucks Canada Truck Driver of the Year. A self-described “gear head,” Don Dunbar has reportedly logged 3 million crash-free kilometers.
“When I was an operations manager in the drilling business, I used to drive the float once in a while and the whole time I was thinking, ‘my happy place is on the road. The phone doesn’t ring. You turn on your tunes and away you go,’” Dunbar reportedly said. “So, in the back of my mind, I always thought, ‘can I do this? Can I really make it in the trucking world?’ Eventually, I just did it and I couldn’t be happier.”
Freightliner vice-president and general manager for Canada, Brad Thiessen, earned the 2022 OTA-Solera-Omnitracs Service to Industry Award. The honor is given to someone who makes a significant contribution to the freight transport sector. Born in Winnipeg, Thiessen was reportedly drafted by the LA Kings professional hockey team. He relocated to Ontario and later managed the region during the 1990s before becoming VP of Freightliner Trucks Canada.
Ashish Patel, a former Bison Transport trucker, was honored posthumously with the Ontario Trucking Association-Bridgestone Truck Hero Award. He lost his life after rescuing people from a crash on I-81 in West Virginia. Patel’s wife accepted the award in his absence.
“It’s just simply who he was,” Bison general manager Dave Martin reportedly said. “He never second-guessed the need to help others. It was that trait that he carried with him day in and day out, and it’s why he was so loved. But unfortunately, it also resulted in the tragic accident that happened and the loss we have that he’s not here.”
Sources: trucknews.com, 41nbc.com
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