Mark Seymour, CEO of Kriska Transportation in Prescott, ON has been named chairman of the Canadian Trucking Alliance for a two-year term. The announcement was made today at the alliance’s annual general meeting. Mr. Seymour has served for a number of years on the CTA board of directors and executive committee, most recently as first vice-chairman. He also served as chairman of the Ontario Trucking Association from 2006-08.
“I am a great believer in CTA and the provincial associations and encourage everyone in the industry to get involved and support the work of their associations,” he says. “I can’t begin to tell you the benefits to my business and to me personally through our membership and participation. So many doors have been opened to me. I have been able to rub shoulders with the CEO’s of the best carriers not only from Canada and the United States, but from around the world. You can’t get that kind of experience and advice anywhere else.”
“I have met with provincial and federal ministers as well as senior civil servants. At first, I was a bit nervous about it but now I see how important it is for the industry to have a strong voice and to be able to explain what we do to government. In a highly regulated business like trucking, which shares its workplace with the public, this is extremely important,” he adds.
A proven and experienced leader, Mr. Seymour is a vocal advocate for responsible trucking. He was one of the key architects of OTA’s policy to seek the mandatory activation of speed limiters which became law in that province in 2009. He is also an ardent supporter of CTA’s pursuit of a universal electronic on-board recorder mandate.
He was instrumental in the creation of the CTA Blue Ribbon Task Force on the Driver Shortage and is currently the task force’s chairman – a role he would like to maintain despite the demands of his new role – and is a vocal champion of the BRTF’s action plan including the introduction of mandatory entry level training for truck drivers.
Mr. Seymour also regularly appears on panels dealing with shipper-carrier issues.
“I like to think we lead by example at Kriska and that I back up my words with action,” he says. The company has won numerous customer appreciation awards and garners perennial recognition as one of “Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies.”
Mark started at Kriska, then owned by his late father, Ken, in 1983 as a driver. He later worked as a mechanic, service supervisor, dispatcher, operations manager and VP sales. He became president in 1995.
Mark and Kriska play an active role in the community supporting several good causes. He is also on the board of the Trucks for Change Network, which connects trucking firms with registered charitable organizations requiring transport services.
Mark and his wife, Kathy, reside in Maitland, ON. His daughter, Reagan, works in the company and his son, Clark, is a defenseman with the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Major Junior A hockey loop and a draft choice of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
