The Professional Truck Driver Institute Inc. presented the tenth annual Lee J. Crittenden Memorial Award to Ray Haight
, executive director of MacKinnon Transport, Inc., of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
The award is given to the person who has done the most to advance the ideals and goals of PTDI, of which Lee Crittenden was a staunch supporter until his death in April 1998.
Haight, who is the outgoing chairman of PTDI, was elected in December 2002. Shortly thereafter, during a transitional period, he became the organization's full-time chairman and leader. He was instrumental in changing PTDI's Board of Directors to a fully functioning Board that took an active role in moving PTDI forward. He was part of a team that created a Standards Review Committee and a Finance Committee that developed a PTDI budget, helping the organization to become solvent and fiscally responsible.
Working closely with the staff and Board, Haight created a new PTDI brand that has been a turning point for the organization. He brought visibility and revitalization back to the organization. With a strong belief in PTDI's voluntary standards in the United States and Canada, Haight gave countless presentations demonstrating the importance of training standards and the certification of courses that meet those standards. Over and over, he spoke to industry leaders and the press about the need for standards and quality, not just in training, but also in professionalism within the transportation industry. He was able to promote PTDI to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, as well as to other government leaders.
Internally, PTDI's promotional materials (brochures, posters, Web site and standards packaging) were recreated under Haight's administration. He implemented a phased-in Annual Fee that increased PTDI's financial stability with a steady stream of income. Under his leadership, the organization updated the certification standards and is currently updating the skill standards.
Haight has also been tremendously active in promoting the image of the driver and in the retention of drivers. He established a retention rate within his own company that is the envy of his peers. Another of his high profile achievements was the establishment of an Apprenticeship program in Canada that could potentially turn into a pilot program for the entire trucking industry.
Although his responsibilities with PTDI will be winding down, Haight is now embarking on a new endeavor: he was just elected for a one-year term as chairman of Truckload Carriers Association.
PTDI currently has certified entry-level training courses at 66 schools in 28 states and Canada.