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Professional Driver with Gardewine,who is Celebrating his 50th Year on the Road
When Micheal Chudobiak initially joined the team at Gardewine, he had planned to work there for a couple of weeks to a month while the company worked on recruiting new drivers. 50 years later and Micheal is still proudly driving for Gardewine and serving communities throughout South Central Manitoba.
Throughout his 50-year career, Micheal watched the company grow and industry evolve around him. He recalls how Gardewine naturally expanded into northern Manitoba and beyond through acquisitions; how every pick-up and delivery was done hand-to-hand (forklifts or power jacks hadn’t been invented yet); and that every document was written by hand and processed in Winnipeg.
The trucking industry has so many endless opportunities.
The experiences you will gain are greater than any other industry that I have ever been involved in. I feel very privileged to be a part of an industry that makes the world go round. Operators of trucks have been on the front line throughout the pandemic and continue to provide essential services. We are very proud to say, “Thank a Truck Driver.” – Kerri Lynn, President, Hawk Logistics Ltd.
Describe the current health of the trucking industry in your province.
Dave Earle – It’s challenged on every front. The destruction of infrastructure in November continues to disrupt the movement of goods. Routes are taking 20-30% longer to run through the Highway 5 corridor, and while Highway 1 has re-opened there are significant delays of up to two hours. Our vacancy rate for drivers is over 12%, and we expect that later this year it will hit levels that historically have led to trucks and loads being parked for lack of drivers. This continues to be a critical issue that remains at the top of our list of initiatives for 2022.
