Congratulations to Warren Whitley for receiving the Ontario Trucking Association’s Pioneer Award this month!

This prestigious award recognizes those (in which who have been nominated) with more than 50 years of continuous service in the transportation industry. Mr. Whitley, along with the other recipients, were recognized with this award during the OTA’s 91st Annual Convention and Executive Conference at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Toronto.

Timeline:
Warren Whitley was born in 1936.
In the fall of 1956 he started hauling trucks for Wilson Concrete Products Ltd (which became Stanley Structures in 1973). Here he worked as a shift supervisor at the block plant by day, and drove trucks at night. Many of the overpasses on the 401 were delivered as over-size loads, and specialized trailers by Warren and his drivers.

Throughout the 60’s and 70’s, Warren formed L & W Personal Service, Whitley Haulage and Warren Whitley rentals.
His Passion for horses and farming formed Whitley Arabians and Whitley Farms in the early 70’s. Warren was President of the Canadian Arabian Horse Association for several years. In 1969, Warren’s fleet was made up of 24 tractors and 50 trailers. By 1980 the fleet has grown to 130 tractors and 250 trailers.

In the early 80’s, Whitley Rentals was acquired by Rentway Truck Leasing and Warren was able to oversee their Eastern Ontario business for 10 years, growing the business with Borg Warner/GE Plastics, Union Carbide/Linde, Strathcona Paper and Trent Valley Paper/Sonoco, Cantruck Transportation and Peterborough Freight Lines/Meyers Transport.

In the early 90’s, Warren worked with Charlie Bates and Paul Dean at Network Transport in Belleville. A few years later, Warren relocated to Prescott to work with Ken and Mark Seymour at Kriska Transportation managing the growing fleet of trucks and trailers.

In the early 2000’s, Warren launches a fleet consulting business and begins work with Gerry and Chris Lavigne Truck Lines and forms a new relationship with Terry Wills and family at Wills Transfer Limited in Smiths Falls.

Presently, Warren is the Fleet Manager for all branches at Wills Transfer, and has been since 2004. He specs and orders vehicles, sells the used equipment and oversees the maintenance of the fleet of 40 power units and 120 trailers and chassis. He has a memory for every truck and trailer number, truck mileages and maintenance files better than most 20 year olds!

Warren has always been a leader with implementation and fleet integration of cost saving policy and procedures for reduced road speed and no idling. He shows leadership in new technology with the purchasing of the first available electronic engines, automated manual transmissions, automated lubrication systems, weight saving 6 x 2 axle configurations, auxiliary power units, all back in a time when it was not fashionable to do so.

Warren still resides in Prescott and is Father of 6, Grandfather of 12, and Great Grandfather of 4 (with another on the way).

Warren (middle) on a job site working with Wilson’s Concrete Products

One of Warren’s COE (cab-over-engine) trucks delivering a precast beam from Stanley Structures

Warren standing with Chris Lavigne at the Wills Transfer Ottawa open house in January, 2017

Warren receiving the Pioneer Award, November 8th, 2017

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