Winter 2022
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Some choose trucking, but sometimes that lifestyle chooses you. This is the case for Jason Dubois, President and Owner of Len Dubois Trucking, who was born and raised in the trucking industry.

Jason’s father, Len, grew up on a farm north of St. Claude, MB. He started hauling gravel in 1970 around southern Manitoba before transitioning to moving grain across the border in 1979. Jason remembers a childhood of helping his father service and wash trucks on weekends, and of summer holidays spent driving through Saskatchewan and Alberta alongside his father. Those days were only the beginning.

Len acquired his own running rights in 1986 and, shortly after, founded Len Dubois Trucking Inc. In the meantime, Jason started driving right out of school and had a great time seeing the US and Canada as an owner-operator. However, he came off the highway and moved into the office when his dad unexpectedly passed away in 1998.

Those years were a difficult time for Jason. “He (my dad) was just building up the company, and we were operating 15 trucks or so,” he recounts. “We had just purchased a property and had a new overhead to pay, and it was supposed to be a place we would grow into. There were many sleepless nights, but we had great people around us who helped us navigate those challenging
few years.”

Persevering through hardship taught Jason the importance of having a great team. “I realized early on that I needed smarter people than myself to help grow the company,” he says. “I surrounded myself with great people along the way, which has helped us be successful over the years.”

Some of those team members have now been at Len Dubois Trucking for more than 20 years, where the company’s core values are trust, integrity, safety, and teamwork.

Len Dubois Trucking also focuses on being adaptable. “We always say, ‘It’s not if things will go wrong, it’s when things go wrong, how do we react and handle the situation?’” Jason says. “Our drivers and staff are on the same team to ensure the customer is looked after. From our maintenance team, driver services, finance, and operations, we all work well together to support the drivers whenever they need it.”

Adaptability was especially important to the company when COVID-19 hit. “Like most folks, we weren’t exactly sure how to handle it, so we adapted on the fly,” says Jason. “Luckily for us, we were set up from a technology standpoint to be able to work remotely, so some did, and we had rolling shifts working from home.” The company locked down the office from visitors, installed various glass partitions, amped up cleaning and sanitizing, installed testing requirements, and ensured folks stayed home at the first sign of symptoms.

He adds, “As for adapting to the needs of the industry; we are lucky enough to have a diverse customer base and were able to keep some of our drivers, who couldn’t cross the border, busy within Canada.”

Len Dubois Trucking has been a carrier member of the MTA since 1995, and Jason joined the Board in 2006. “My dad always said it was important to give back to the industry that had been so good to our family,” says Jason. “I felt it was a good opportunity to learn from and meet all the great people who make up this industry. Being on the Board and now the Executive Committee allows me to have input and be in the know about all the challenges and opportunities that we face day in and day out. The MTA does a great job advocating for us carriers – but they can’t do it alone.”

Being involved with the MTA has resulted in Jason meeting people and making friends from both large and small carriers, as well as many associate members. Because he was born and raised in the trucking industry, Jason knows his favourite thing about trucking is the people. He has made many lifelong friendships from within the industry while travelling across both Canada and the US, driving or attending conferences and networking events.

“The people you meet are always willing to share experiences and how they overcame challenges,” Jason says. “This industry is full of challenges, but that’s what makes it rewarding. We always seem to overcome the challenge and tackle the next one.”

For those considering a career in trucking, Jason wants to emphasize that there are many great opportunities in this industry not only from a driving perspective but maintenance, finance, operations, safety, IT, HR, sales, and more.

“It amazes me how technical and complex trucking is now,” Jason says. “I don’t think people know how many different jobs there are within a trucking company to move freight from point A to point B. The transportation industry is going to be around for a long time.”

His other advice would be to find a mentor in your field of expertise within the industry and listen – really listen – to what they say. Experience goes a long way.

When not working, Jason and his wife Janet enjoy travelling with their daughters (and are excited to return to doing so post-COVID-19). They love the Winnipeg Jets and attending Jets games. Jason enjoys golf, spending time at the lake with family and friends, and attending NASCAR races.

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