MILTON, Ont. —  The Private Motor Truck Council of Canada and CPC Logistics Canada have added a new award to to be presented at its 2018 conference.

This new award is designed to help recognize the exceptional and often under-appreciated efforts of dispatchers who have made an outstanding contribution to their company in the past year or over their career.

“CPC Logistics Canada is honored and proud to sponsor a new award for the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada,” John Harrison, director of Canadian operations stated.
“The Rick Austin Memorial Dispatcher of the Year Award has been established to honor the memory of one of CPC’s fleet dispatchers, Rick Austin, who passed away suddenly on March 15, 2017.”

Rick began his career in the transportation industry right out of high school. He started with a dry wall company loading, tarping and strapping trucks and decided not long after that he would rather be behind the wheel. He eventually became a broker and at one time ran team loads to California with his cousin, Dave Armstrong. Rick joined the John Deere Canadian fleet on November 25, 1991 and quickly developed a reputation as a dependable driver with a great work ethic. Rick earned his Million Mile Award and started to train to provide relief dispatch and then moved into the full-time dispatch role in 2000.

For a time, Rick dispatched all units in both Grimsby, Ont. and Regina. Because of his years on the road, Rick fully understood the demands and strains on a long-haul driver, and he was not only a dispatcher, but a good friend and wise council to drivers over the years. He understood that the job needed to be done, but also wanted the drivers running safe and legal at all times. Whether he had the time or not, he always took the time to communicate with the drivers and tried to make sure that they kept life in balance.

It’s a testament to Rick’s dedication, along with the rest of the supervisory team, that the John Deere private fleet has won the PMTC National Fleet Safety Award in 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017.

PMTC president Mike Millian said: “The PMTC and its members are truly honored to be able to help recognize the efforts of those dispatchers who go above and beyond the call of duty to help ensure the drivers and fleets that employ them are the safest operators that they can be, and the fact that we can help honor the memory of a truly great individual to recognize these efforts makes it that much more special.”

The award will be opened for entries in January of 2018, and will be presented for the first time at the PMTC’s 2018 conference being held at the Crowne Plaza in Niagara Falls, Ont. June 14-15.

For more information on the criteria to nominate a dispatcher for this award, please visit www.pmtc.ca.