TORONTO — Trailcon Leasing CEO Al Boughton was awarded the Shaw Tracking OTA Service to Industry Award last Friday at the Ontario Trucking Association’s 86th Annual convention.

Boughton started out under the wing of the late, George Hendrie, who in addition to being CEO of one of Ontario’s leading trucking companies at the time (and a previous Service to Industry award recipient himself) also owned the trailer leasing business Al worked for. Under Hendrie, Boughton rose to become the youthful president of the company before striking out on his own to start Trailcon Leasing. The company, which specializes in providing trailers, intermodal equipment, and fleet management solutions has grown to become an industry leader with nearly 6,000 pieces of equipment and over 100 employees at its locations in Ontario and Alberta.

“Al’s personal integrity and his work ethic are his calling cards,” says Wilson Truck Lines Chairman Jim Wilson, a close friend who helped Al launch Trailcon. “He clearly has passion in his field and he has passion toward the industry in general. And the level of passion and commitment has certainly gained him respect in the industry and has won him a lot of friends as well.”

Boughton has been an active member of the OTA, “and is invariably among the first to step up to defend or promote the industry,” OTA said. He’s been a member on the Allied Trades Board of Directors since 1981, was the first Allied Trades member to be appointed to the association’s Executive Committee.

As Trailcon grew, so did Boughton’s involvement in the industry, and he eventually joined the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA), becoming the first member of CTA’s Team Canada Elite – a dedicated group of industry suppliers who lend support to the industry’s national lobby effort.

“Al Boughton’s contribution to the trucking associations has been enormous,” says OTA president, David Bradley. “He wears his love of the industry on his sleeve; his commitment and drive is infectious.”

Over the years, Al has also served as chairman of the transportation and airport committees of the Mississauga Board of Trade and continues to be actively involved in the Toronto Transportation Club and the Intermodal Association of North America.

Al is also dedicated to his community and supports many charitable causes including the Trillium Hospital, the Canadian Cancer Society, Victim Services of Peel, and many others. A proud Canadian, Al is also involved with several veterans issues and has made it a point to visit many of the Canadian battlefields from the two world wars.

Al’s admiration for the trucking industry might only be matched by his love of sports cars and auto racing. But more than anything, Al is devoted to his wife of 36 years, Wendy, and their two daughters, Stacy and Sarah.