Serge Gagnon overheard he was going to be honored by the Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) by pure chance, even before he had been officially informed of the decision.
He was trying call his wife Lucie while she and his son Eric were recording an interview to be broadcast during the award ceremony. Lucie touched her watch connected to the phone and thought she had ended the call.
“I was listening to her doing the interview with Eric,” the president and CEO of XTL Transport said eliciting roars of laughter in the crowd after accepting the 2025 OTA-Solera-Omnitracs Service to Industry Award at OTA’s 99th executive conference in Toronto.
From him humble beginnings in rural Quebec, Gagnon is known as dynamic industry leader, who cares passionately about trucking and the issues important to the viability of the sector and the OTA.
A deep, tactical thinker, Gagnon has spent decades strategizing the long-term success of his company and the health of the industry.
The award pays tribute to an individual who, by their commitment, vision, leadership and unstinting service, has made an outstanding contribution to the development and success of the truck transportation industry.
With the support and guidance of his father, Gagnon acquired XTL over 40 years ago and, with the help of his family, has grown it into one of the largest, most respected trucking fleets and distribution companies in Canada.
“The influence that my grandfather had on my father was tremendous. My grandfather was so disciplined, and my father gravitated to that right away,” Gagnon’s son Eric said in the video.
Culture based on integrity and trust
XTL started out as a regional carrier in Ontario and Quebec, hauling mainly paper products through those provinces and into the U.S. While XTL was lean and efficient, eventually Gagnon took the next step, expanding to Western Canada, turning the company into a national carrier.
Relentlessly hard-working, Serge built a culture based on integrity and trust, principles that continue to drive every strategic decision.
“Serge is incredibly passionate about our industry and wants it to thrive. He doesn’t seek the microphone or the spotlight, but when given the opportunity to voice his opinion, people should choose to listen, because you’re going to get something good,” Craig Germain, XTL’s COO, added in the tribute video.
Lending advice and expertise
An entrepreneur and healthy competitor, Gagnon has always seen the trucking industry as a community and has never shied from lending his advice and expertise to guide others towards success.
“He’s very loyal. He’s trustworthy, but he’s also tenacious. Any obstacle or challenge that comes in front of Serge, he just steps right over it. He attacks it. He’s a planner,” Julie Tanguay, president and CEO of EG Gray Transportation, said in the video.
Gagnon told the audience he was proud of what he has achieved and thanked his family, team, employees and suppliers that helped him along the way.
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