The Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) celebrated two drivers at its annual conference in Toronto on Nov. 12, recognizing Kriska Transport’s Mohamed Elkelouei as Driver of the Year and Bison Transport’s Darrin Gillmore with the Truck Hero award for his life-saving actions.
Elkelouei was named the 2025 OTA-Volvo Trucks Canada Truck Driver of the Year for being a safe professional driver and a loyal friend, helpful colleague, loving father and husband and dedicated community volunteer.
He came to Canada from Egypt in 2012. He is a trained accountant, but after a couple of years crunching numbers, he wanted to do something that gave him joy.
“I wanted to change, but I need to change for something I love. In my childhood, I had passion for trucking,” he said. “It not something for work, not something for paycheck. It’s something you’re passionate for, because when you love something, you will give more and more.”
In his eight years as a professional driver, he has amassed over 300,000 collision-free miles.
When he isn’t behind the wheel, Elkelouei loves to run, work out and maintain a healthy, balanced lifestyle. He and his wife Afnan give back by taking part in charity runs and help in the community.
“He really does love trucking. He loves it because he sees how it provides for the country; it’s providing for the economy. He stands by what he does, and he takes the job very seriously,” said Guy Broderick, Kriska Transportation’s safety and training supervisor.
Bison’s Gillmore helps boy after crash
Bison Transport driver Gillmore was presented with the 2025 Bridgestone-OTA Truck Hero Award for helping a boy after witnessing a deadly crash in Sintaluta, Sask.
The veteran driver was taking a young trainee on his first western trip into the mountains in May when they saw two wrecked vehicles smoking in the ditch.
He told the trainee to pull over and they went to offer assistance. A man involved in the crash was out of his vehicle and Gillmore helped him lay down until emergency medical services arrived.
He ran to the other car, where he saw a deceased older woman in the driver’s seat and her grandson in the passenger seat.
He held the boy’s hand, turned his head away from his grandmother and calmed him down until help arrived.
The trainee noticed fuel leaking from both vehicles and Gillmore helped him disconnect the blaring horn on one car as well as the battery and put out smoke, to prevent a fire.
Gillmore has received two TCA Highway Angel awards. He estimates he’s seen over 100 collisions in his 20-year career, with many fatalities. He says his sister, who also died in crash 25 years ago, watches over him and guides him while he’s out on the highway.
“She rides with me. She protects me,” he said. “Maybe she puts me into these positions so that I can help somebody else, so another family doesn’t have to go through what we went through. That’s why I help people.”
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