Welcoming Kevin Roberts, Terminal Manager, Surrey

Kevin Roberts joined Van Kam in April as our Surrey Terminal Manager. He brings almost 25 years of LTL experience, most of it spent working his way up through the roles he now oversees. We asked him about his career, what pulled him towards Van Kam, and a few of his interests.

From the Dock Floor Up

Kevin’s start in trucking was not planned. “I did not know what I wanted to be when I grew up,” he says about finishing high school. So he took a job in the LTL industry and stayed. He went from dock worker to dock supervisor, then to dispatcher, dispatch supervisor, and into management.

He also drove a 5-ton truck as a relief driver and spent six years working weekends as a shunt driver, so he’s done almost every role in this business. One highlight was taking on a regional management role covering all of British Columbia while still running a terminal day-to-day.

Talk of the Town

“Van Kam has always been a company that I aspired to work with and for,” Kevin says. Part of that goes back to watching the Surrey terminal (watch Surrey terminal video on YouTube) go up. “Everyone was talking about this massive trucking terminal that was being built in Surrey,” he says. Years later, it is the building he runs, and the size of the facility, fleet, and staff is still larger than anywhere he has worked.

With Surrey as head office and the terminal feeding the network, it was the challenge he wanted. The history sealed it. Being part of a family-owned business that has been running for almost 80 years is “truly an honour and privilege,” he says. The welcome he got since April has matched it. “Everyone was and continues to be so welcoming, supportive, friendly, and happy to have me as part of the team.”

Dock, Dispatch, and Departures

Kevin manages daily operations in Surrey, including dock, dispatch, and linehaul. His main goal is straightforward but challenging: to ensure on-time delivery and linehaul departures. He also establishes and enforces productivity goals for both dock workers and drivers. Having performed this work himself for years, he understands exactly what is required when setting these targets.

Total Recall

Ask about a trailer number from months back, and Kevin will probably have it. “I have a unique ability to recall phone numbers and addresses from years ago,” he says. In this industry, that turns into something useful. He can tell you who delivered or picked up from a specific customer on a given day, which saves a lot of digging when a question comes up on the floor.

Dispatch is where that sharpened. The job runs on holding a lot at once, with calls coming in while you book freight and track where every unit sits, and it left Kevin with a second habit. He can type close to 100 words per minute while carrying on a full conversation. “A talent I acquired from my dispatch days,” he says.

Sole Loyalty

Then there is the VANS collection. Kevin has stayed loyal to one brand for 37 years, and he does not see that changing. It started in 1989 when he got into BMX racing. “Everyone wore VANS, and so did I, as the sole gave great grip on the pedals,” he explains. As of his last count, with five new pairs he just bought, he has 17.

He wore them at the gym before it was trendy, since the flat sole is good for lifting, and he wears them to work every day. His verdict on the shoe, after 37 years: “Great for all occasions.”

Chasing the Perfect Lap

Weekends start early at Kevin’s house because Formula 1 does. He is up for qualifying and the races, and he has one goal in mind. “It is a goal of mine to make it to a Formula 1 race weekend in person,” he says, ideally at his favourite track in Belgium. Until then, there is simulator racing, “the closest thing to experiencing the thrill of a race car without owning one.” Road trips scratch a similar itch. Give him caffeine, snacks, and his music, and he will drive for hours. Northern BC and Alaska are both on the list.

585 and Counting

Kevin is in the gym five or six days a week, lifting heavy with the music as loud as it goes. He is chasing a 700lbs deadlift, currently sitting at 585, and he does not talk about the remaining 115lbs like a maybe. It is the same at the terminal. He wants to keep “streamlining and improving operations at Van Kam,” and grow the business and the people he works with along the way. Welcome to the team, Kevin!

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