Home Hardware Wins Big At Truck Driving Championships!

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St. Jacobs, ON- Sept. 18, 2012-  Shawn Matheson placed first in the Tandem Tandem class and won the Grand Champion Award, while Wayne Burnett placed second in the Single Single class, and Joe Kuntz placed first in the Straight Truck Class. As part of Team Ontario, Shawn, Wayne and Joe were also the recipients of the Best Team Award.

"Every day our big yellow trucks travel almost 50,000 kilometres on Canada’s highways visiting communities from coast to coast, so we put a lot of effort into maintaining safe trucks and driving practices," said Shawn Matheson, Home Driver. "I am extremely proud of my team. Our success at this year’s National Truck Driving Championships demonstrates our continuing leadership and ongoing commitment to safety."

Home Hardware’s fleet of 140 power units and more than 500 trailers travel across Canada delivering product to more than 1,080 Home Hardware Dealers, covering approximately 17 million kilometres a year. The fleet is based in the company’s four distribution centres in St. Jacobs and Elmira, Ontario, Debert, Nova Scotia and Wetaskiwin, Alberta.

"Champions such as these need more than just raw talent, they need encouragement and support to reach this level of professional competition," said Ewen Steele, 1st Vice President and member of the National Committee, The Ontario Truck Driving Championship. "The fact that three of these competitors qualified for the National competition from the same company, Home Hardware, in a market as large and diverse as Ontario's, speaks volumes about the day to day expectations of that fleet, and more importantly, the support their employees receive to meet those expectations."

Home Hardware was one of the first fleets to adopt a Carrier Safety Management System developed in conjunction with CSA. On-board recorders monitor each driver’s safety and efficiency performance. Drivers with high performance records receive bonuses.

"Home Hardware has always been a leader in the trucking industry, including in the development of road safety policies for the hiring, orientation and training of drivers," said Paul Straus, President and CEO, Home Hardware Stores Limited. "On behalf of Dealer-Owners at over 1,080 stores across Canada, I would like to congratulate our drivers on their success at this year’s National Truck Driving Championship."