Safety & Compliance Manager

Position Summary:

Safety isn’t a binder on a shelf. It’s how we work.

At Van Kam Freightways, we’ve been keeping freight — and people — moving across Western Canada for decades. Behind every truck on the road, every shipment on the dock and every employee heading home at the end of their shift is a commitment to doing things the right way.

We’re looking for a Safety & Compliance Manager who can help us take that commitment to the next level.

This isn’t a role for someone who wants to sit behind a desk and police policies. We’re looking for someone who wants to be in the operation — talking with drivers, walking the docks, coaching leaders, digging into incidents, spotting trends and turning safety data into meaningful action.

You’ll be part safety leader, part compliance expert, part coach and part problem-solver.

Most importantly, you’ll help us build a safety culture that reflects our values:

CARE about our people.
DEVELOP better ways of working.
ACHIEVE results that make our operation safer and stronger.

THE ROLE

As our Safety & Compliance Manager, you’ll lead safety, transportation compliance, injury management and operational risk across our transportation and warehouse operations.

You’ll partner closely with Operations, HR, terminal leadership and our frontline teams to make sure our programs don’t just look good on paper — they actually work in the real world.

That means balancing regulatory compliance with practical solutions, holding people accountable when needed and helping our leaders understand the why behind what we do.

WHAT YOU’LL OWN

Keep Us Safe & Compliant

You’ll oversee our transportation and workplace safety compliance programs, including:

• National Safety Code (NSC)
• Hours of Service and ELD compliance
• Commercial vehicle safety requirements
• Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG)
• Driver qualifications and compliance
• Occupational Health & Safety requirements
• Warehouse and dock safety
• Regulatory inspections and audits

You’ll keep an eye on changing regulations, identify gaps before they become problems and make sure we're always ready when an auditor comes knocking.

Make Safety Visible

We want safety to be something people see, hear and experience every day.

You’ll spend time in our terminals, on our docks and with our drivers and leaders — conducting inspections, coaching, supporting safety meetings and looking for opportunities to make work safer.

You’ll lead and support initiatives around equipment safety, PPE, emergency preparedness, hazardous materials, safe work procedures, ergonomics and more.

And when something isn't working? You'll help us fix it.

Learn From What Happens

Incidents happen. What matters is what we do next. You’ll lead and support investigations involving:

• Workplace injuries
• Vehicle collisions
• Near misses
• Property damage
• Environmental incidents
• Safety-related cargo claims

We’re looking for someone who goes beyond “Who made the mistake?” and asks “Why did this happen, and how do we prevent it from happening again?”

You’ll identify root causes, recommend practical corrective actions and make sure those actions actually get completed.

Help People Get Back to Work

When an employee gets hurt, we want them supported from day one.

You’ll lead our injury management and return-to-work program, working with employees, leaders, healthcare providers and workers' compensation partners to coordinate safe and meaningful returns to work.

You'll manage claims, monitor recovery, develop modified work plans and use trends to help us prevent future injuries.

It’s compliance — but it’s also CARE in action.

Turn Data Into Action

We don't want reports just for the sake of reports. You'll help us understand what our safety numbers are telling us. You'll track and report on things like:

• Injury frequency and severity
• Lost-time incidents
• Preventable collisions
• Hours of Service compliance
• Workers' compensation costs
• Insurance claims
• Audit results
• Corrective actions
• Training completion
• Driver and terminal safety performance

Then you'll work with our leadership team to answer the important question: What are we going to do about it?

Manage Risk & Insurance

You'll also work closely with our insurance brokers and providers to support our commercial auto, cargo, liability, property and other insurance programs.

You'll help coordinate claims and renewals, respond to underwriting requests, monitor driver eligibility and identify opportunities to reduce both operational risk and the cost of that risk.

YOU MIGHT BE OUR PERSON IF...

You understand transportation safety — really understand it. You've worked around trucks, drivers, terminals, warehouses or logistics operations and know that what makes sense in an office doesn't always make sense at 2:00 a.m. on a freight dock.

Ideally, you bring:

• 5+ years of progressive safety, compliance or risk experience.
  
• Experience in trucking, LTL, transportation, logistics, distribution or warehousing
• Strong knowledge of transportation and occupational safety regulations
• Experience with NSC, Hours of Service, ELDs and driver compliance
• Experience managing workplace injuries and return-to-work programs
• Experience with regulatory audits and inspections
• Strong investigation and root-cause analysis skills
• Confidence working with frontline employees and senior leaders
• The ability to coach, challenge and influence without becoming the “Safety Police”
• Strong judgment and the ability to make decisions and own them

A diploma or degree in Occupational Health & Safety, Transportation, Business, Risk Management or a related field is an asset.

Certifications such as CRSP, CHSC, COR Auditor, TDG Instructor, Forklift Trainer or First Aid are great too — but we also value practical transportation experience and someone who knows how to get things done.

HOW YOU’LL KNOW YOU’RE WINNING

Success in this role isn't measured by how many policies you write.

We'll know you're making an impact when:

People are getting hurt less.
Collisions are going down.
Our compliance results are getting stronger.
Employees are returning to work safely and sooner.
Corrective actions actually get completed.
Leaders understand their role in safety.
Our terminals are audit-ready.
And our people believe safety is something we do together — not something the Safety Department does to them.

HOW WE WORK

Our values aren't just words on the wall.

❤️ CARE - People come first.

You’ll build relationships, listen, show up when people need support and make decisions with the safety and wellbeing of our employees in mind.

🌱 DEVELOP - Good enough isn't where we stop.

You'll coach our leaders, develop our employees, challenge outdated practices and constantly look for smarter and safer ways to operate.

🎯 ACHIEVE - Safety needs results.

You'll set expectations, follow through, use data to drive decisions and hold yourself and others accountable for making meaningful improvements.

READY TO HELP US MOVE SAFETY FORWARD?

If you're a practical safety leader who can walk onto a dock, talk with a driver, coach a manager, investigate an incident, challenge the status quo and still enjoy the occasional trucking joke, we'd like to hear from you.

Bring us your experience, your ideas and your willingness to roll up your sleeves. We'll bring you an operation where your work can make a real difference.

"Van Kam is an Equal Opportunity Employer Committed to Environmental Responsibility."

#INDHP