Ocean Trailer is a third-generation family business – so when asked how long he has been in the industry, his reply was, “Well, sort of from birth.” Mack started working on school breaks in the wash bay and picking up yard garbage at 12 years old. “But technically, I’ve worked at Ocean Trailer for eight years. We have been members of the MTA for 22 years.

Ocean Trailer has about 250 team members company-wide. “We take tremendous pride in our people. Everyone who has worked for us for five years earns a gold Ocean ring with one diamond in it and receives another diamond every five years after,” says Mack. He continues to say that many team members have four, five, and even six diamonds to their name, spread across all the branches.

Mack remembers that when he moved to Winnipeg in 2016, Ocean Trailer had been a member of the MTA, but had very little involvement. “I made it a priority to put ourselves at the forefront of the associated trades members. MTA member companies are our customers. It is our obligation to support any organization that supports them. Now, we are members of the Associated Trades Committee and a platinum sponsor.” Mack has since moved back to Vancouver, BC, but the new branch manager, Dallas Senebald, continues the work Mack started.

When asked about his achievements, Mack was very humble in his reply.“I don’t know if I can say I have career ‘achievements.’ I’m fortunate to have been born into a family that owns a business, and I try to do my best every day. Family businesses come with unique challenges, but I think it helps us create a sense of community that our employees enjoy being a part of.”

When talking about the industry, Mack was thankful to be a part of it. “None of us have to worry about becoming obsolete in the transportation industry. That’s not a luxury that a lot of industries have these days. We sometimes take that for granted because we all work so hard.” In the same thought, he also addressed the labour shortage happening to so many industries worldwide. So how can we encourage more people to join the transportation industry? “I think that the most important thing to people now is work-life balance and feeling like they are part of a community that is a positive influence on the world around them. Pay is important, but it is not such a top priority anymore. Truck drivers may not work ‘regular’ hours, but there is the opportunity for them to have a good work-life balance, and I think that needs to be focused on.” He went on to say that as a business, they need to find ways to make people feel they belong to a community within the organization. That’s his opinion on how you keep good people for long periods of time. “I think the labour market will be like this for the long term. It’s simply a function of the older generation starting to retire, and there are fewer young people to fill those positions. So, we’re faced with the choice of filling empty roles with immigrants or constantly struggling with a labour shortage. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing; at Ocean Trailer, new immigrants are valued workers. However, the demographics of people in Canada have changed, and as businesses, we need to adapt.”

From there, it was easy to segue to what advice you would give to someone considering a career in the industry. His answer? “Show up on time, be observant, and offer suggestions respectfully. There is a great living to be made in trucking. It’s also so much more than truck driving. There are so many different roles in this industry up for grabs.”

Outside of work, Mack is a big sports guy. He enjoys golf, playing on a beer league hockey team, and going for runs in his neighbourhood. He also recently became a dad. “My wife and I welcomed our daughter, Florence, into the world. She is six months old now, so that is easily the most time-consuming aspect of my life, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”