Canada Honors Trucker During Transportation Week Observance

Among the activities during the 30th annual Ontario National Transportation Week was the presentation of awards to several Canadians, including a posthumous honor given to a trucker who died while trying to save others.

The week-long observance was held to raise awareness of the importance of transportation and the people involved in it, according to the Ontario Trucking Association, which helped organize the event from June 7 to 13.

An award was presented to the father of Mandeep Dhillon, a truck driver from Brampton who lost his life attempting to help a person trapped in a car.

Dhillon and a co-driver were traveling near Vega, Texas, last July when they saw a car swerve cross the median and into oncoming traffic on Interstate 40 around 3:45 a.m. They went to help the driver trapped inside the wrecked vehicle but were unable to smash a window to extricate him. As his co-worker ran to call for help, Dhillon stayed to try to free the motorist. A third vehicle slammed into the pileup and burst into flames. Dhillon died in the impact.

In his memory, the Ontario National Transportation Week Committee created the Mandeep Dhillon Humanitarian Award to honor someone in the transportation field for helping those in need.

The committee also presented lifetime achievement awards to Ross Mackie, owner of Mackie Moving Systems in Oshawa, and John G. Cyopeck, president of Canpar Transport in Mississauga. The honor is presented to Canadian business leaders who have dedicated their careers to transportation and have made significant contributions.

John DesRoche, a truck driver from Mississauga, was named Freight Driver of the Year. In his 43-year career, DesRoche has driven more than 7 million miles without an accident. He has been a driver for SHP Transit Transport for the past 17 years.