
While attending McMaster University in 1990, Kelly Sheehan began helping out in the accounting department part-time at her parents’ truck dealership, Sheehan’s Truck Centre.
Kelly enjoyed the business so much that she never left.
In 1992, at 21, she started working full-time. Her first position was in accounts receivable and, later, payroll was added to her responsibilities. In 1995, she became assistant controller.
“I liked the people I worked with, and I liked learning about the business,” says Kelly, President of Sheehan’s Truck Centre. “Trucking is a vital component of our economy, and it’s exciting to work with an exceptional team and to help customers with their transportation needs.”
Founded in 1989 by Pat and Gayle Sheehan, today Sheehan’s Truck Centre employs 140 people in Ontario and Manitoba and serves all of the greater North American area with new and used trucks sales, lease and rental, state-of-the-art service, parts, and finance.
In 1995, Kelly enrolled in the ATD Dealer Academy and graduated in 1996. She became VP and general manager of Sheehan’s Truck Centre in 1998.
In 2000, Kelly and her brother, Dennis [Vice President], took over the family business, and both continue to operate it from their head office in Burlington, Ontario.
“I’ve enjoyed learning all facets of the trucking business,” says Kelly. “Along the way, I’ve received tremendous support from my parents and from many individuals in the trucking industry. The opportunity to learn and grow has been one of the many fulfilling aspects of my career.”
In 2017, the Sheehans purchased Beaver Truck Centre, adding locations in Winnipeg and Brandon, Manitoba. In 2018 and 2022, Sheehan’s Truck Centre was named Volvo Trucks North America’s top Canadian dealer, recognizing achievements in sales targets, business growth, and customer satisfaction.
“It’s been an honour to continue our parents’ legacy of providing outstanding service and quality trucking products to a growing roster of customers,” says Kelly. (Many of the company’s employees are long-term, with the average length of employment being 12 years.)
Whether it’s a Volvo VNR 300 Daycab, a VNL 860 Sleeper or a VNX Triaxle Dump truck, more than 7,800 new trucks purchased from Sheehan’s Truck Centre have driven the roads and highways across North America.
Since 1999, Kelly has sat on the Volvo Dealer Advisory Council. “Back when I first started, I was the only woman in the room at dealer meetings,” says Kelly. “My male colleagues have always been very welcoming and supportive. When I was on maternity leave, there was also no issue whatsoever when I brought my infant children to meetings.”
Although the trucking industry was mostly dominated by males in the early 1990s, gender parity has become more balanced in recent decades. Kelly is encouraged to see more women working in and achieving success in the trucking industry than ever before. The company prides itself on being an equal opportunity employer and promoting from within whenever possible.
Sheehan’s Truck Centre has been a longtime supporter of local charities and community-based initiatives. It proudly supports Joseph Brant Hospital, Burlington Food Bank and Carpenter Hospice, and several non-profit enterprises as well.
Kelly acknowledges the challenges in recruiting and retaining people to the trucking business. “Volvo supports the Modified Apprentice Program at Centennial College in Scarborough,” she says. “We also work closely with local high schools and community colleges and provide co-op work opportunities for aspiring technicians. We’re very much committed to helping to attract, train and retain the next generation of workers for our industry.”
The MVRO has been a strong advocate of promoting education and awareness of careers for women in the retail automotive industry, and promoting the retail car industry in general. “The MVRO [formerly TADA] did a magnificent job when Covid first hit,” says Kelly. “Frank Notte, in particular, was instrumental in working with various levels of government so that our businesses could be deemed an essential service.”
For Kelly, life and business have come full circle. Her own children now work part-time at Sheehan’s Truck Centre, and time will tell if they choose to pursue a career in the family business.
Although Kelly began her career 32 years ago, one of her earliest memories of the trucking industry goes back much further. When she was a child, one summer her family flew to Vancouver for a holiday. Her father drove the family home to Ontario in a brand-new truck from the factory in Burnaby, BC.
“That trip was cool in that my brother and I got to talk on the CB radio, plays cards and jump around in the back of the truck,” says Kelly. “But after four days in a Freightliner, and as exciting as that experience was, I was quite happy to get home.”
When she’s not working, Kelly enjoys spending time with her family, reading, gardening and travelling.
Kelly Sheehan – a leader in the trucking industry
Featured article the in 2024 Special Edition Women Driven Hotline, page 10
Read the full magazine here.
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