Tim Margetts is the Director of Safety & Compliance for New Way Trucking, a Calgary-based company that is committed to being the most dependable carrier in the industry.

Tim’s footprint in the industry stems from his childhood, growing up with some of the best industry players in this business – his dad and uncles. The family tradition of professional drivers started with his grandfather, who was a bootlegger that shared his experiences with his son (Tim’s father), who in turn shared his knowledge and experience with Tim. Tim’s intuitive understanding of the mechanics, operations and feel of trucks is what set him on the path to where he is today: setting up professional drivers and transportation companies for long-term success.

‘My specialty is working with companies that aren’t doing very well and putting them to a level of excellence,” says Tim.

Growing up, Tim spent time on the road ‘running with dad’ – who started as a long hauler between Edmonton and Vancouver. Then in his early teens, Tim helped with the family business and learned all about semi-trailers and trucks. “They used to pay me a whopping $3 to grease their truck,” says Tim. “I was a young guy who could easily slide under the truck to grease it, so that’s probably why they got me to do it.”

Tim’s first career choice was to become a welder, where he earned his journeyman ticket. Then he became a driver, which supported him throughout university, where he earned his Bachelor of Education. “I used to drive on the weekends and when we had holidays,” says Tim. “I would do regional trips between Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, and Medicine Hat.”

After graduating, Tim went back to university and earned his Master’s in Education, then became a high school principal. Then after few years in education, Tim returned to the driver’s seat and did international hauling until his next calling – of becoming an instructor – came to him.

“It was the story of me training two guys, originally from West Virginia, how to drive in the mountains that earned me a steak dinner from the owner of a driving school, who convinced me to become an instructor,” says Tim. “So I became an instructor, then an advanced instructor, and worked for two different schools.”

Tim’s favourite driving school was Donovan’s Driving School, where there were two trucks – one for him and the other for the owner. Tim explains that the experience of working so closely with his boss, who was the other instructor, was one the coolest experiences in his career.

Once the school was sold, Tim applied for the role of Safety Supervisor at Canadian Freightways, where he met his mentor, Don Chapman, who saw potential in him.

“Don was the one who helped me look at safety in a more practical way to actually solve the problem and be more proactive than reactive,” says Tim.

Tim’s experience working at Canadian Freightways was very rewarding for many reasons, but he missed working directly with the drivers. When he eventually left to join the team at New Way Trucking, he started his work there as a supervisor with a ‘boots on the ground’ approach – offering to work with New Way’s terminals in Edmonton, Winnipeg, Calgary, Cornwall and Chicago, IL.

Tim developed a safety program and worked with the company’s drivers, which set them on a path to excellence in the industry. His secret to success is simple: focus on the driver and everything else will fall into place. “Our CEO at New Way put it this way, saying, “If it wasn’t for the drivers, we’d all be out of a job.” So that’s what it is – the policy manual, ELDs, and all the bells and whistles are great but if you start with the driver, the rest will take care of itself,” says Tim.

Tim’s approach to driver training presented him with the opportunity to develop the Alberta Motor Transport Association (AMTA)’s original transportation professional training program, which has since evolved to the Certified Transportation Safety Professional (CTSP) program.

“When you train with curriculum that’s driver-focused, you can actually see how you’re working with the industry and the drivers because training them properly but you’re also breaking things down, course by course, that would go into your Class One,” says Tim.

The other key component, when it comes to successfully training a professional driver, is knowing the ‘feel’ of the truck, the equipment you’re using, and what the rules and regulations are. Tim explains that people’s general perception of driver training is simple and shouldn’t take longer than an hour; the reality is that you never stop learning. “At the beginning, there’s a steep learning curve but you’re actually learning how to drive and work with traffic,” says Tim. “It’s an old school approach and you’re going to learn something new every day; keep an open mind.”

Tim’s stellar career in the field is fueled by passion for safety a pact that he made to himself – to ensure that our roads are safer, every day – after his sister was involved in a car accident that completely changed her life. His sister, who was 19 at the time of the accident, was a passenger in the vehicle that was hit by a drunk driver. The accident resulted in three fatalities, two people in comas, and the remainder walking away from the scene.

Tim explains that his sister was one of victims, who went into a coma for two years, and is now completely dependent on 24-hour care. From that day on, Tim swore that he would try and make a difference which is what led him down the path to becoming an instructor and evolving his career into safety & compliance.

“When I see her, I wonder what I could have done to make a difference,” says Tim. “My hope is for the future, where I’ve made an impact on somebody so that they slow down, take the rules of the road seriously, and don’t drink and drive. I don’t want to see that happen again and I will do everything I can to ensure that our roads are safer, every day.”

Chris Nash, President of the Alberta Motor Transport Association, is proud of Tim and his accomplishments in the industry, stating, “Safety innovation is an essential part of our future and it’s people like Tim - with a passion for commercial transportation, education and safety who are key to moving industry forward.”

Tim is incredibly grateful for the career he’s had and the ‘top people in the industry’ Don, JD, Dale, Kari, his dad and uncles who taught him everything he knows.

To learn about New Way Trucking and their service offerings, visit www.newwaytrucking.ca.