Local truck operators test skills at annual 'Roadeo'

The annual Transportation Professionals of Waterloo Region ‘Truck Roadeo’ brought together 25 local truck operators to test their driving skills with an obstacle course in Heidelberg on Thursday.

Each operator had to maneuver a tandem axle snow plow through a series of stations to test their spatial awareness and their overall safety knowledge.

"Drivers from all over each municipality in the Region of Waterloo - we have representatives from each one today. So that's great," Nathan Herrington, Supervisor of Roads, Program Planning & Contract Services for the City of Cambridge said. "It's about bringing people in the region together that are in the same field of work, exchanging ideas, talking about what each other are doing and what's worked and what hasn't."

Transportation Professionals of Waterloo Region is a local affiliate of the Association of Ontario Road Supervisors (AORS). At the end of the event, the best driver receives prizes and the chance to compete at the AORS provincial finals in Peterborough.

"My teammates always say the Roadeo show is pretty good. Exciting. Good team building spirit. Fun guys, fun crew, so I thought I'd come give it a shot," Micheal McCrae, a truck operator for the City of Cambridge said.

Micheal McCrae competed in the Roadeo for his first time on Thursday. He said he has over 20 years of truck experience from when he lived in Jamaica.

"I have a few experiences in DZ driving, so it was a little bit in my territory. I was a little bit comfortable," McCrae said.

McCrae got a job with Cambridge three years ago, but has only recently learned how to operate a snow plow. This winter will be his first time clearing snow.

"Mixed emotions. Some of the guys, they are keeping my confidence up, so I think it should be good when the time comes," McCrae said.

Micheal McCrae enters a snow plow at the Transportation Professionals of Waterloo Region Truck Roadeo in Heidelberg on August 22, 2024. (Colton Wiens/CTV News)

Mr. Plow

One competitor with lots of snow clearing experience is Andy Foster. Foster works for the Region of Waterloo and was last years local Roadeo champion.

"There was definitely some bragging rights," Foster said.

Foster won a custom “Homer Simpson Mr. Plow” street sign last year. He said once he won, other operators recognized the achievement.

"It's basically everybody in the region kind of comes out and says, 'Hey, Mr. Plow, how you doing?' Right? So it's nice. It's fun," Foster said.

Foster didn’t win the AORS provincial final Roadeo last year, but said while it’s a fun challenge, it doesn't compare to the real thing.

"It's an eye opener when you're actually out there in the snow," Foster said.

"When it's snowing and you're driving into it, it looks like something out of like Star Trek, the snow coming through the windshield and it's just, the visibility is down. It's an experience. Once you get used to it, you're fine. But the first couple times you do it, you're like, 'Holy smokes, what have I got myself into right?" Foster said.

Foster said the job in the winter requires a lot of awareness and focus on the roads, but he is proud to help keep the community safe.

"There's a lot of people here that are a very dedicated group that really take pride in their work. For the public, you know, we treat it as if your family were driving to work," Foster said.

This year’s winner was Kris Paynter, a truck operator with the Region of Waterloo.

Nathan Herrington, Supervisor of Roads Program Planning and Contract Services for the City of Cambridge, awards Kris Paynter a truck operator with the Region of Waterloo on August 22, 2024. (Courtesy: Nathan Herrington)