Last week Manitoba joined with other provinces to mark National Trucking Week. Local events were held which showed appreciation for the many professional drivers that we have in our region and for the firms that employ them.

It is often easy to take for granted the many things that we have that are easily accessible without considering the effort it took to provide them. Most of the things that we purchase or consume are available within a few minutes of our home. That convenience is made possible by the network of transportation systems we have. And the backbone of that system is the trucking industry.

Within Manitoba that means that more than 13,000 people, almost the population of the City of Steinbach, are employed directly in the truck transportation sector. Those jobs provide employment to the Manitobans involved and they boost the Manitoba economy overall. In fact, the transportation and warehousing industry makes up between 6%-7% of the provincial GDP according to industry reports.

Manitoba, because of its location in the centre of Canada, has always had a strategic advantage within the national trucking industry and in North America. Our province and our region have been home to some of the most successful and longstanding trucking firms in Canada. Two of Canada’s ten largest trucking companies are located in our province and 75% of the merchandise trade with the United States is shipped by truck.

That is one of the reasons that so much time is consumed talking about the operation of our borders. While the security of our borders continues to be and will remain a priority, they have to function in a way that allows the tremendous amount of trade that we do with the United States to happen effectively and much of that trade happens through trucking. More than 350,000 commercial trucks cross the shared Manitoba-United States Border every year and work must continue to ensure that trade happens efficiently.

National Trucking Week highlights not only the impact that the trucking industry has to our economy but it also reminds us of the difficult work that those involved in the trucking industry perform. For many it means extended time away from family and friends and the challenges that brings. A life as a professional driver also has the challenges of the dangers that hours on the road can bring.

While National Trucking Week is a time to highlight the positive impacts of the industry it is worth remembering everyday the impact that our professional drivers have and the challenges that exist in that job as well. Thank you to all of those involved in our trucking industry.