Members of the trucking industry who are celebrating their Silver and Golden anniversaries working in trucking were inducted into the Ontario Trucking Association's Pioneer and Half-Century clubs yesterday.

The eight new members were welcomed during the opening breakfast at OTA's 87th annual convention at the Ritz Carleton in Toronto. Members of the Pioneer Club are individuals who have 25 or more years of service in the industry, while Half-Century Club members have at least 50 or more years under their belts.

"The trucking industry is driven by its people," says OTA President David Bradley. "Many of these inductees started at the bottom of the industry in various capacities, but all of them moved up and became leaders and innovators with a lot of hard work and passion for the job. We thank them for all their contributions over the last 25 to 50 years."

The inductees are:

Half Century Members

·Ross Mackie, owner-board member of Mackie Moving Systems. Ross started in this industry as a driver in 1952

·Don Anderson, president Don Anderson Haulage. Don started driving in 156 for his dad while in high school.

 Pioneer Members

·Robert Halfyard, VP of operations, Fleetway Transport Inc. Robert entered the industry as a mechanic in 1977.

·Brad Bowering, Sr. District Manager, Peterbilt of Canada. Brad got his start selling trucks in 1984.

·George Warn, director of risk management, Polaris Transport Carriers. George got his start in 1973 as a driver for Canada Dry.

·Mike McCarron, Mergers & Acquisitions, Wheels MSM. It was 1984 when Mike broke into the industry as a young sales rep with Ryder.

·Peter Currie, Ontario District Sales Manager, Volvo Trucks Canada, the company he started with in1988.

·Kathleen Moore, compliance administrator, Windchaser Carrier Logistics. Kathleen began her career in 1981 as a dispatcher for a towing service.