Calgary trucker drives 3 hours to deliver dropped purse in act of kindness

A Calgary truck driver delivered an act of kindness after he drove three hours to return a purse dropped by a woman, all for no reward.

According to the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA), truck driver Daljit Sohi was driving for Triple Eight Transport out of Abbotsford when he stopped near Golden, B.C. on Nov. 29.

At the same time, High River woman Shailly James, who was driving from Banff to Salmon Arm, stopped off at the same stop to help her 4-year-old.

However, the TCA says James dropped her purse, leaving behind over $1,000, a gold chain, credit cards, and her ID card.

Speaking to the association, Sohi says he saw James drop the purse and decided to follow her to bring it back to her.

“I followed the lady for three hours,” he said.

When James, who noticed a truck following her while on the road, stopped in Sicamous to fill up, the Calgary truck driver approached her and handed the purse over.

She says she offered Sohi a $500 reward, but he refused the gift.

The driver was eventually named a TCA Highway Angel, a 27-year-old program recognizing truckers driving on North American roadways who show “exemplary kindness, courtesy and courage” to others on the road.

Sohi also received a certificate and an award from Triple Eight Transportation, which included a “pat on the back.”

Sohi is also a finalist for the Highway Angel of the Year alongside four other drivers, with the winner to be announced in March.