delivering daily news to canada’s trucking industry at www ... · • swarm intelligence: how...
TRANSCRIPT
February 2010 Volume 21, Issue 2
Delivering daily news to Canada’s trucking industry at www.trucknews.com
Reach us at our Western Canada news bureauE-mail Jim Bray at [email protected] or call 403-453-5558
PM40069240
Mark Dalton O/O
Page 20
Inside This Issue...Inside This Issue...Inside This Issue...• An Olympic-sized plan: Trucking companies and drivers who
will be making deliveries in Vancouver during the Games arehoping traffic plans are well-executed. Page 10
• Rate wars: Western Canadian fleets are being undercut byrogue carriers that don’t play by all the rules, the B.C. TruckingAssociation blasts. Page 11
• Swarm intelligence: How humans look to ants to learn aboutroute optimization. Page 17
• A different view: Thoughts from a second career driver whohas found happiness on the road. Page 18
To view list of advertiserssee pg. 27
PAP Registration No. 11065
By Jim BrayLANGLEY, B.C. – The owner ofa Langley-based trucking compa-ny has come up with a creativeway to help people who fallthrough society’s cracks undernormal circumstances.
Rob Reid, president of ShadowLines Transportation Group, con-ceived the Temporary HomelessRelief Shelter project and runs itin conjunction with a local streetministry with a long history ofhelping the homeless. The projectuses an old 40-foot shipping con-tainer to provide up to 16 home-less people with a temporary roofover their heads on any givenwinter night.
“I see a lot of homeless peo-ple,” Reid says, “and I’ve alwayswanted to do something, likemaybe give up Christmas dinnerand cook for the poor, something
See page 29
A tribute to thetroops
along that line. Then I thought,why not just give them a warm,dry secure place to sleep at night?That would probably be some-thing of more value than anythingthey could get other than food.”
The container-based shelterlooks kind of like those “multi-station porta-potties” seen at vari-ous venues and features eight separate rooms with bunk bedsfor up to two people each. It alsofeatures reading lights, a handi-capped-accessible washroom anda furnace to provide heat and hotwater.
“It would have probably beenbetter to have used a new contain-er,” Reid admits, “because itwouldn’t have the wrinkles anddents, the patina on it. But thisway we’re using something that al-ready had a life cycle and it’s still
Shadow Lines converts shippingcontainer into mobile homeless shelter
Continued on page 6
Trucking industry has many connections to Olympic Torch Relay
By Jim BrayVANCOUVER, B.C. – Few people reach the brass ring of Olympicsuccess, but the Olympic Torch Relay is giving thousands of Canadiansa chance to live the dream vicariously. And Canada’s transportation industry is playing a big part, both behind the scenes and publicly.
“From the transportation side it’s absolutely fascinating to look at,from a logistical standpoint, how many vehicles are involved,” saysKatie Hammill, RBC spokesperson, Olympic Torch Relay. She saysthose vehicles, their drivers, and the people and items they transporthave to follow a detailed (nearly to the minute and centimetre) planfor where everything, including the torchbearers, is dropped off
Continued on page 8
Giving backGiving back
pg 01, 06-09 tw feb v2 1/21/10 2:19 PM Page 1
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TRUCK WEST Page 3February 2010
I think every business managershould have to take a course on go-ing out of business with dignity.We’ve seen many examples of com-panies going under through this re-cession. Some have done it the rightway, by notifying customers andemployees and then winding downoperations in an orderly manner.
Others have just disappeared,locked the doors and let disgrun-tled ex-employees, stiffed suppli-ers and neglected customersspread the word for them. I’veheard many horror stories. Onecompany apparently put its entirefacility up for sale while its em-ployees were still laid off indefi-nitely and patiently awaiting theirreturn to work. One such employeetold me he was browsing throughhis local paper and saw that hisworkplace was up for sale, andthat’s how he found out he nolonger had a job to return to.
Of all the closures and bankrupt-cies that this devastating recessionhas left in its wake, the sudden shut-down of Arrow Trucking in theStates takes the cake.
Just three days before Christmas,the 1,400-truck fleet suddenlyceased operations, leaving as manyas 1,000 drivers scattered across thecountry with suspended fuel cardsand instructions only to turn theirtruck in to the nearest dealership.
Some of these drivers were liter-ally living in their trucks and effec-tively left homeless. Others had noway to get themselves or their gear(they were flatdeckers) home, al-though Freightliner and Navistarwere offering $200 travel vouchersand/or Greyhound bus tickets inexchange for their rigs. It was trulya nightmare.
But this story does have a happyending. As word of Arrow’s de-mise spread, the Owner-OperatorIndependent Drivers Association(OOIDA) and staff of its Land
Line magazine set into action, es-tablishing a Facebook site to helpconnect stranded Arrow driverswith others who could offer thema ride.
Big fleets such as Swift andSchneider instructed their driversvia their in-cab communicationsdevices to assist any Arrow driv-ers in need of help and to givethem a lift if they’re headed intheir direction.
The Facebook site went viral, asthe kids say, and overnight hadblossomed to over 1,000 postingsoffering assistance ranging fromrides to warm meals, showers andin some cases even a few bucks.
The Arrow incident demonstrat-ed a few things.One, to repeatmy opening line,every businessmanager shouldbe trained onhow to go out ofbusiness tactfullyand with class.Professors couldeven use Arrowas an example onhow not to do it.
The otherthing the Arrowclosure demon-strated was thatsocial media isan increasinglyimportant medi-um, yes, even forp r o f e s s i o n a ldrivers. Had itnot been for thequick-thinking
OOIDA staff and the wherewithalof many professional drivers andtheir families to visit Facebook, itwould have been nearly impossi-ble to coordinate efforts to helpstranded Arrow drivers and getthem home safely. Social mediasites such as Facebook and Twitterhave surpassed the ability of eventhe time-tested CB radio when itcomes to connecting professionaldrivers on a large scale.
And the third, and perhaps mostimportant, thing we can all learnfrom the Arrow fiasco, is that pro-fessional drivers still look out forone another.
It’s a pity it took a major catas-trophe to serve as a reminder, butthe overwhelming response toOOIDA’s initiative shows thatwhen you’re down and out, you canstill count on a fellow driver to giveyou a hand up. ■■
How not to go out of business
– James Menzies can be reached byphone at (416) 510-6896 or by e-mail at [email protected] can also follow him on Twitterat Twitter.com/JamesMenzies.
Has the recession permanentlychanged the way we do business? Itwas one of many questions posedto a large panel of trucking execu-tives at the latest Ontario TruckingAssociation (OTA) convention butI thought it was perhaps the mostimportant one.
There was a great deal of soulsearching following the question asexecutives recounted the most sig-nificant lessons they’ve learnedduring this most gut-wrenching ofindustry downturns.
Several executives said they real-ized just how little customers un-derstand about what goes on be-hind the scenes to pull off adelivery; a reality that’s not helpedby many motor carriers who notonly neglect to educate their cus-tomers but who are too often will-ing to devalue the service they pro-vide just to land a contract.
Many pointed to excess capacityas the root of the industry’s currenttroubles and called for a workableplan to flex the fleet during down-turns, but to do so not on the backsof owner/operators.
On the positive side, some execu-tives pointed out that having theirback against the wall the past two
years has forced motor carriers towork harder to gain efficienciesand find cost reductions that don’tcompromise safety. As one execu-tive eloquently put it: ‘It has been avery cleansing opportunity to beable to hit a reset button.’
Naturally, the general feelingwas that they’ve learned importantlessons they won’t soon forget. Ihope they’re right but my personalimpression over the past 20 yearscovering the transportation indus-try is that lessons learned duringhard times start to fade as econom-ic fortunes improve, thus sowingthe seeds for future industry setbacks.
Yet it’s encouraging that the in-dustry is having this discussion andinfluential executives are willing toopenly debate the strategies thatproved to have such disastrous ef-fects during the downturn. TheOTA deserves credit for creating
the forum to make such an ex-change possible.
This year will continue to be avolatile time for trucking compa-nies and there are still lessons to belearned. So I think it important tocontinue the discussion on the in-dustry’s future.
Those of you interested in doingso may want to follow me toWinnipeg this February 17-19 to the Future of TruckingSymposium. I’ll be kicking off theevent with a presentation entitled,The North American TruckingIndustry: Where we are and wherewe are going.
The symposium is designed toanalyze how trucking will evolve inresponse to changing freight move-ment patterns, environmental con-cerns, fuel price volatility, andlabour availability over the next 20years. Several prominent industryfigures will be speaking at theevent.
For info, contact KathyChmelnytzki at 204-474-9097 or [email protected].
I hope to see you there. ■■
Viewpoint
Lou SmyrlisEditorial Director
– Lou Smyrlis can be reached byphone at (416) 510-6881 or by e-mailat [email protected] can also follow him on Twitterat Twitter.com/LouSmyrlis.
What’s the future of trucking?
EditorialCommentJamesMenzies
February 2010, Volume 21, Issue 2Canada Post Canadian PublicationsMail Sales Product Agreement No. 40069240“Return Postage Guaranteed”12 Concorde Pl., Suite 800, Toronto, Ont., M3C 4J2Sales: 416-510-6892 / Editorial: 416-510-6896Fax: 416-510-5143
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pg 03 tw feb v2 1/21/10 11:05 AM Page 3
There are many reasons motor carriers are reluctant to purchase new trucks right now.The recession isfinally over but the rebound is expected to be slow and volatile. And, unlike past recessions, trucking isnot expected to show robust growth during the recovery as high inventory to sales ratios will continueto dampen freight volumes and the trucking industry remains in over capacity, which places downwardpressure on rates. General freight rates declined 9.6% YTD in 2009 from the end of last year, accordingto the latest research. Used truck values are also making it difficult for carriers to turn in their old trucksfor new ones. In addition, the growing age of the Canadian truck fleet is misleading because mileage isdown compared to the pre-recession years.
Eleven months into the year and Canadian Class 8 truck sales are at their lowest point YTD of the past decade by a long shot.They continue to trend about 16,000 units off the five-year average, areat just a little better than half the level of last year’s sales and more than 23,000 units off the banner year of 2006. But the final quarter of 2009 is just following the same dismal trend in truck salesshown since the start of the year. The first quarter of the year was so weak that, three months into the year, sales were more than 2,000 off last year’s YTD pace, hardly a banner year in itself, about3,000 off the five-year YTD average and about 5,000 off the banner year of 2006.
International continues to lead in this downward market, controlling slightly more than28% of Class 8 sales in the Canadian market YTD. Freightliner, a former front runner formany years, is a bit better than 19% of total sales. Traditionally strong performersKenworth and Peterbilt have fallen back compared to previous years, although Kenworth’smarket share is rebounding. Both are strong in the west and Western Canada is no longerbooming. Volvo is the only other OEM with close to 10% market share.
Source: Canadian Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association
Monthly Class 8 Sales - Nov 09
Class 8 Sales (YTD Nov 09) by Province and OEM
12 - Month Sales Trends Market Share Class 8 – Nov YTD
Historical Comparison - Nov 09 Sales
Historical Comparison - YTD Nov
OEM BC ALTA SASK MAN ONT QUE NB NS PEI NF CDAFreightliner 122 279 104 139 938 503 219 126 3 5 2,439
Kenworth 231 432 115 104 359 442 66 12 0 0 1,761
Mack 40 82 93 49 456 138 36 22 0 0 916
International 127 486 62 161 1,516 924 143 69 26 72 3,586
Peterbilt 133 238 125 106 215 170 53 27 0 0 1,067
Sterling 101 113 27 11 206 239 17 5 8 38 765
Volvo 171 211 7 23 580 268 9 12 0 16 1,297
Western Star 109 249 36 30 141 125 54 74 0 2 820
TOTALS 1,034 2,090 569 623 4,411 2,809 597 347 37 134 12,651
OEM This Month Last Year
Freightliner 205 336
International 276 228
Kenworth 250 106
Mack 77 382
Peterbilt 165 120
Sterling 22 128
Volvo 74 227
Western Star 62 83
TOTALS 1131 1610
2,000
1,800
1,600
1,400
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
0
Sales
The final quarter of 2009 started off the same as thepast three quarters in this most dismal of salesyears. While the 1,405 Class 8 trucks sold inCanada in October were an improvement overSeptember’s total, they still amounted to the lowestOctober tally of the past decade by a considerableamount. And November showed deterioration withjust 1,131 Class 8 trucks sold, which was about 500units off last year’s modest mark and about 1,400off the five-year average. (It should be noted thatfive-year average includes the industry’s peakyears of 2004 to 2006.) This is the worst recessionto hit the North American market in the post war eraand monthly truck sales have reflected that realityeach month of 2009.
December January February March April May June July August September October November1,891 1,183 1,039 1,456 1,197 1,078 1,038 995 923 1,071 1,405 1,131
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Page 4 TRUCK WEST February 2010
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February 2010
Truck West editor JamesMenzies has launched a new bi-weekly industry newsletter de-signed to provide commentaryand analysis on the the news,equipment, management, main-tenance and community issuesyou care about – all in a quick-hit format.The inaugural editionof Hooked Up was e-mailedDec. 15 to Trucknews.comHeadline News e-alert sub-scribers. Future editions of thenewsletter will be distributedelectronicaly to subscribersevery two weeks. If you’re notalready receiving Hooked Up, e-mail [email protected] receive the newsletter.
Truck West and TransCoreLink Logistics have integratednon-driver job postings betweentheir respective Truck-Ops andTransportplanet.com jobboards.
Truck-Ops was launched inFebruary 2007. The job board,owned and operated by TruckNews, Truck West andMotortruck Fleet Executive, ishosted at Trucknews.com.Transportation companies cannow sign up and submit theirnon-driving job opportunitiesfor free. Transportplanet.comwas introduced earlier this yearby TransCore to meet the needsof recruiters and hiring man-agers looking for a pool of qual-ified transportation profession-als and entry-level job seekers.
To visit Truck-Ops, go towww.truckops.ca.
The fifth annual TruckNews/Chevron charity golf tour-nament is slated to be back atthe Wooden Sticks Golf Clubonce again this year, for a day offun, networking and raisingmoney for a good causeTuesday, June 15.
Trucking for Wishes,an organi-zation founded by NALInsurance and benefitting Makea Wish, will once again be thisyear’s benefactor. A full field of144 golfers is expected.The entryfee includes all competitions,prize draws, lunch, dinner andmore. A silent auction and agrand prize raffle will also be fea-tured. An early bird draw willbe held for two overnight cabinsat Wooden Sticks, so book yourfoursome today, this event sellsout quickly. Please contactKathy Penner at 416-510-6892or Brenda Grant at 416-494-3333 to register.
Truck News/Truck West hasjoined SelecTrucks of Canadaand Pearson Dunn Insurance asthe third sponsor for the Drivingfor Profit seminar series.
This year, Driving for Profitwill be hosting two events atthe Capital Banquet Centre inMississauga, Ont. Apr. 6 andNov. 9. The sessions will re-main a half-day format and afull list of topics and speakersfor the April event will be an-nounced soon. Marketing ta-bles will be made available tocompanies looking to promotetheir business. To register go towww.drivingforprofit.com. ■■
Truck Worldannouncesseminar line-upTORONTO, Ont. – TruckWorld organizers have re-leased program details for theshow, to be held Apr. 15-17 atthe International Centre inToronto. On Apr. 15, a seminarwill be held on ‘Meeting theModern Challenge of theVocational Truck.’ The seminarwill focus on key areas beyondthe basic performance require-ments that need to be ad-dressed while spec’ing, organ-izers say.
On Apr. 16 a fleet forum willbe held on ‘Sleep Issues: theComing Regulatory Regime.’The session will take a look atimpending testing requirementsfor sleep disorders and how theywill impact fleets.
On Apr. 17, a seminar will beoffered for owner/operators onhow to calculate your cost-per-mile. There will also be a semi-nar on ‘The Road Ahead: NotYour Grandfather’s DrivingJob’ on the same day, which willexplore the way the profession-al driving career is evolving.For a complete schedule and toregister for the show, visitwww.truckworld.ca. ■■
In BriefIn Brief
Behind the headlines
TORONTO, Ont. – The CanadianFleet Maintenance Seminar(CFMS) is back again this year ata new venue with a full agenda.
The 47th instalment of the annual conference, geared to-wards Canada’s fleet maintenancemanagers, will take place May 10-12 at the Hilton SuitesToronto/Markham.
Seminar topics on May 11 includenew and improved products for2010,myths about maintenance-freecomponents, the steps behind acci-dent reconstruction, and a discus-sion on maintaining your diesel particulate filter (DPF).
The May 12 line-up includes alook at roadside enforcement, in-cluding hands-free regs, LCVs,speed limiters, and CB radios; un-derstanding the dangers of sleepapnea; a panel on electrical sys-tem maintenance; an open forumto discuss issues with manufactur-ers, suppliers and fleet representa-tives; and an evaluation of theEPA2010-compliant engines.
Seminar highlights include theMay 12 banquet, hosted by TruckNews and Motortruck FleetExecutive, featuring Canadiansports announcer Rod Black, andthe presentation of the annualCanadian Fleet MaintenanceManager of the Year Award.
Registrants who sign up beforethe March 15 early bird deadlinereceive a 10% discount. To regis-ter, visit www.cfmsonline.com orcall 905-957-7265. ■■
CFMS announcesfull agenda for2010 event
pg 05 tw feb v2 1/21/10 11:09 AM Page 5
probably good for another 20, 30years.”
Converting what’s essentially agigantic packing crate into a hab-itable area – especially since it’ssuch a new concept – turned outto be a big job.
“Our number one concern wasthat no danger could come to any-body,” Reid says,“so we went withhot water heat, which required ahot water furnace. We also wentwith 12-volt lighting so we don’t have to run generators orplug it in.”
Reid says the shelter is self-suf-ficient for at least 12 hours, thanksto a bank of batteries and the in-verter system, and he estimates itslife on a charge could even bestretched to 36 hours.
The doors don’t lock, but theshelter is surrounded by a six-foothigh fence Reid says sets up inabout 15 minutes.
There are no in-and-out privi-leges, Reid says, “so it’s not goingto be a case where they’re goingout to get some crack or haveladies of the night selling theirwares, using the compound as aflophouse.”
The shelter is designed to be de-livered every evening, picked upat dawn, pressure washed, disin-fected and recharged, and then returned to the compound againthe next day.
And thanks to the collaboration
of the NightShift Street Min-istries, the shelter and its com-pound are monitored and staffedby competent and caring people.
MaryAnne Connor, Night-Shift’s founder and president, isdelighted with how the projectcame together.
“It happened pretty fast,” shesays. “When Rob phoned and lefta message, I thought it was aprank call. But I Googled ShadowLines and saw that they had somecredibility, so I connected withthem and literally was blownaway by what I was hearing.”
Connor says Reid arranged atour of the shelter, at which point
she said, “We’re in. How can wehelp?”
The volunteer-driven Night-Shift Street Ministries works witharea churches and businesses, aswell as individuals who want tohelp.
“We have a roster of trainedpeople who work with the home-less on a daily basis,” Connor says,“so it made sense for us to provide
support, management and coordi-nation.”
Connor is thrilled by the shel-ter’s unique capacity to givehomeless people their own littlespace, their own privacy.
“What really attracted me tothis was the fact that it providesrespect and dignity to people,” shesays. “It’s very unusual.”
The shelter was set up initiallyon the property of Gateway Bap-tist Church, about a two minutedrive from NightShift’s offices.
“Before we got it operating,”Connor recounts, “I had one ofmy homeless friends come withme to look at it and he was ab-solutely overwhelmed – he lovedit, said it was like a hotel to him,because it’s warm, it has lighting.They thought of everything.”
Entry is on a first come, firstserved basis and Connor says “If
someone leaves in the night andsomeone else comes along andwants a room then they’ll registerwith us and go in once we’re surethey understand the rules.”
As for how it’s decided whetherto accommodate one or two peo-ple in a room, Connor says it de-pends on the circumstances.
“When someone’s tired becausethey’ve been out on the streets
and haven’t slept, and are beingthreatened by our cold tempera-tures, I don’t think people are go-ing to be too fussy,” she says,though she admits it’s definitelyroomier when only one of thebunks is used, because “Then youcan bring your cart in.”
Otherwise the carts stay out-side, in the fenced area, wherethey’re still somewhat secure.
Connor doesn’t expect any con-flicts over shopping carts left out-side the actual shelter, citing akind of ‘code of the streets.’
“There’s a level of respect,” shesays. “This is a subculture wherethey really do honour everyoneand help each other out. It’samazing.”
She says most of the peoplewho’ll use the shelter don’t have ashopping cart, anyway, just aknapsack – and a wall-mountedpeg inside each unit lets themhang their valuables safely, pri-vately and out of the weather.
The reaction from the neigh-bours has been mostly positive sofar, Connor says.
“I would estimate we’ve hadfive to one approval. There’s beenthe odd person who isn’t happywith the container being there,and we expected that, but ourhope is that the community willembrace what we’re doing.”
She says the beauty of the shel-ter is that it’s brought in at nightand can be picked up the nextmorning so it isn’t always sittingin plain view.
“It’s just for the extreme weath-er,” Connor says, “and I’m hopingthe community will embrace that.We all have warm beds to sleep in
February 2010Page 6 TRUCK WEST
Cover StoryCover Story
Shadow Lines hopes to build moreshelters for Calgary, EdmontonContinued from page 1
‘What really attracted me to this was the factthat it provides respect and
dignity to people.’MaryAnne Connor, NightShift Street Ministries
READY TO ROLL: The shelter is deliveredto its first location.
pg 01, 06-09 tw feb v2 1/21/10 11:22 AM Page 6
and a furnace to keep us warmand these people don’t. It’s lifeand death for them – people aredying – so I hope and pray that we can all just work together and help people less fortunatethan us.”
Connor has no doubt the Tem-porary Homeless Relief Shelterwill be successful.
“It’s a beautiful looking shel-ter,” she says. “They’ve done avery professional job, and I’mvery impressed.”
Reid says the work of convert-ing the container to a shelter wasdone in the Shadow Lines shop,though because of the specializednature of some tasks they had tobring in outside people to, for ex-ample, put in the alarms and makethe mattresses. “It was really fun,”he says of the project.
If the Temporary Homeless Re-lief Shelter is such a great idea,then why not leave the shelter on-site permanently and service itthere?
“If they want to leave it there,that’s fine,” Reid says. “But thetrouble is if you start to leavesomething you get garbage and(the neighbours) get into an up-roar because it turns into a kind ofshantytown.”
By taking the container awayduring the daylight hours, however,there’s no sign that it was everthere, “so there’s not going to bepeople hanging around, waitingfor their room,” Reid says. “That’swhy I designed it to go in, serve itspurpose and get out.”
What about using such retrofit-ted containers as the basis for per-manent homeless facilities if landcould be found and the “shanty-town issues” resolved?
“It would never, ever happen ina million years,” Reid says.
To him, the actual building ofthe shelters is the easy part; get-ting the politicians to give it theirblessing is harder.
“It’s one of those things,” hesays regretfully.
“I’ve talked with some munici-palities and every individual I’vetalked to in government says theylove the concept, but the minuteyou put them into a situationwhere there’s 20 of them, some-one will shoot it down.”
Reid says homelessness is atouchy issue and, while everybodywants to do something,“Like withbuilding bridges and highways,(municipalities) are always 10years behind. Typically, you endup working with non-profit organ-izations, most of which have reli-gious connotations to them.”
Reid also thinks bureaucratshave an ingrained distrust of entrepreneurs.
“The first thing they’ll say is‘What are you looking for?’,” hesays, “and I’ll tell them I’m look-ing for absolutely nothing. I’vebuilt it, I’ll maintain it, we’ve gotinsurance for it and they have noexposure whatsoever. But thatstill isn’t good enough.”
The project has been a learningexperience, and not a cheap one.
“This initial (shelter) probablycost in the neighbourhood of$100,000,” Reid says. “And ouroperating costs will probably bearound $300 or $400 a day forevery day this unit’s out there,
seven days a week for the wintermonths.”
That cost includes a special,winch-equipped truck Reid com-
missioned to move the shelter.“The nice thing about it,
though,” Reid says, “is that it canhandle up to six of these units.”
The extra capacity would comein handy if Reid’s overall visionfor Temporary Homeless ReliefShelters comes to pass.
“I’d love to build more,” he says.“I’d like three or four more inVancouver and two or three in theprairies.”
He says that if he can get thecurrent pilot project accepted inVancouver, he’ll have the springand summer to try getting itokayed in Calgary and Edmonton,where Shadow Lines also has operations.
“If we can get some politiciansor some group to take it on,” hepromises, “I will have units readyfor next winter.”
Reid would like to see the concept taken below the 49th parallel, too.
“I know it’s a great concept, andI won’t give up on it,” Reid says.“It’s the right thing to do and I’m willing to back all the costs.We just have to get past the politicians.” ■■
TRUCK WEST Page 7February 2010
MAJOR PROJECT: It cost about $100,000 to build the first shelter – a cost thatwas absorbed by Shadow Lines.
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pg 01, 06-09 tw feb v2 1/21/10 11:23 AM Page 7
and picked up for the entire45,000-kilometre route across thecountry.
Several trucks run in the TorchRelay convoy itself, keeping threeto five minutes ahead of thetorchbearers. One is almost like aparade float and contains a bigscreen proclaiming a welcome towhatever town the Relay is goingthrough. It also features a soundsystem and speakers and, accord-ing to Hammill, “It’s quite a sightto see when it comes through.”
Another vehicle, a medium-duty Kenworth hybrid co-brand-ed with Coca-Cola, is more a shut-tle bus-type truck, used to gettorch bearers to and from theiradventure.
Driving in the Olympic TorchRelay is a challenge that was tak-en up with gusto by Jim Miller, ofMiller Motorsports Driver Ser-vices in Brechin, Ont. As it turnsout, he was surfing online, lookingfor an interesting gig, when hecame across the Torch Relay ad.
“I’m trying to get my own trans-port safety compliance companygoing,” Miller said from the Re-lay’s stop in Markham, Ont., “so Iwas looking for people who werelooking for employees.”
He noticed an ad offering travelacross Canada between Novem-ber and February and wondered“What kind of circus is going totravel in the winter time? Ithought it might be one of thosesnow-cross racing teams or some-thing and that it would be kind ofneat, so I put my name in.”
The rest is history. About two
hours later Miller got a call anddiscovered he “got Games.”
Each night, Miller finds outwhere the show is going the nextday and makes his plans accord-ingly.“This morning it was 58 kilo-metres along the 401,” he saidfrom Markham, “so I put on thenews channel to see what the traf-fic was doing and figured it wouldtake about an hour and 15 min-utes to get there, put the equip-ment out and get them on stage.”
He then has to get his charges to lunch, to the afternoon show“and whatever else is required onthe way.”
Miller is taking the gig rightthrough to Vancouver, and sayshe’s responsible not only for thesafety of his charges, but “to getthem there on time and in a fash-ion that they can get their stuff onand off the stage and get goingagain afterward.”
It’s definitely challenging,Miller says, but it’s also invigorat-ing.
“Every day is (made up of) people being so proud to be Canadian that it’s incredible,”Miller says. “It’s magic.”
The job also gives him a newperspective on what constitutes atrue challenge. “I have a new re-spect for Terry Fox,” Miller says.“Having driven most of the jour-ney that he did, I mean, we’re 13,14 hours a day every day andwe’re travelling in vehicles but hedid it on one leg!”
For his efforts, Miller was sur-prised on New Year’s Eve whenhe was presented with the chanceto carry the torch on Day 63 in
Malartic, Que.“I was completely unprepared
for the whole experience rightfrom the beginning when JacquieBraden approached me to tell meright through the whole experi-ence,” Miller told Truck West after
his unexpected stint with the torch.But for Miller, the most memo-
rable thing about his long drive is: “Canada pride. You know,you hear about American prideand you see it at ball games withthe American anthem. But the
February 2010Page 8 TRUCK WEST
Olympic Torch RelayOlympic Torch Relay
Continued from page 1
HEALING EXPERIENCE: For Bison Transport president Don Streuber, a stintwith the torch symbolized his recovery from a serious car crash.
pg 01, 06-09 tw feb v2 1/21/10 11:24 AM Page 8
Canada pride I’ve seen from stopto stop here has been absolutelyawesome. Just amazing stuff.”
Truckers and their families areinvolved in the Torch Relay itself,too. Dave Hartwick, for example,a driver for Kimco Steel out ofKingston, Ont. was bursting with pride when his daughter,Stephanie, carried the torch inDorval, Que.
“I was there as a proud father,”he says. Stephanie, who works forBombardier Transportation inKingston, was picked in a compa-ny-wide pool to carry the torch onDec. 9. “It was so great to watchher,” Hartwick says. “She was thevery last runner out of the groupthere and we were very happy tosee her participate. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”
Hartwick and his wife were on-hand with their five-year-oldgrandson, “And he got to see hismother carry the torch and whenshe was done he gave her a bigkiss. He was proud of his Mom.”
Being chosen as a torch bearercame as a surprise to StephanieHartwick.
“There’s a lot of people acrossCanada that work for Bombardier,”she told her local TV station,CKWS, “so I was really surprisedthat I ended up being one of thepeople (chosen).”
“And the nice thing about it,”her father says, “is Stephaniekeeps her torch forever. It’s hers –the company bought it for her.”
The torches are available forsale to each relay runner forabout $350 each. Hammill say shethinks most are purchasing theirs.
Don Streuber, president andCEO of Bison Transport in Win-nipeg, plans to keep his.
“It’s a sophisticated piece ofelectronics,” he says.
“Bombardier designed it espe-cially for this year’s event to staylit continuously while you’re run-ning and during wind gusts andrain and snow.”
Streuber accepted the opportu-nity to run with “11,999 of his clos-est friends” immediately, and withexcitement. His 300-metre leg
along Portage Avenue on Jan. 5brought his own contingent of fans.
“A number of volunteers saidthey’d show up simply to cheer meon,” Streuber says, “and somewanted to run with me.”
In his case, he didn’t enter theRelay lottery: RBC came to him.“I’m assuming I was asked be-cause of my position with Bison,”he said. “It certainly wasn’t mygood looks!”
For Streuber, being an Olympictorch bearer is an adventure, fan-tasy and honour rolled up in one.“In my case,” he said, “I was in asevere car accident several yearsago so I view this as the culmina-tion of my healing, an emotionalevent from that perspective.”
Besides fond memories and,perhaps, their torch, runners alsoget to keep their official torch-bearer uniform: pants, jacket, hatand the official red mittens of the2010 Games.
It appears the Games are bring-ing out the “Olympic Spirit” inCanadians who aren’t involved
personally in either the athletics orthe Torch Relay as well.
The folks at MSM Transporta-tion, for example, have stepped upto the plate by helping members of Canada’s Olympic women’shockey team through a difficult
situation.As managing partner Mike
McCarron tells it, “These playersdon’t make big bucks like the men;they’re representing Canada pure-ly for the love of the sport and na-tional pride.We wanted to supportthem in any way possible.”
When the Bolton, Ont. companylearned that forward Jennifer Botterill was having trouble af-fording to ship her car to Calgary,where she was scheduled for sevenmonths of intensive training inpreparation for the VancouverGames, MSM rode to her rescueby offering to haul the vehicle atno charge.
McCarron also put in calls tothree of his Ontario partner carri-ers and arranged to move vehiclesfor three of Botterill’s teammates.When all was said and done, J&RHall Transport had taken respon-sibility for handling Brianne Jen-ner’s vehicle, Liberty Linehaulsaw that Jennifer Wakefield’swheels made their way west andDirect Right Cartage cartedBecky Kellar’s.
“Together we made sure the ve-hicles were waiting for the play-ers when they arrived in Cal-gary,” McCarron said, joking that“If it were the Olympic men’steam we all agreed we’d chargethem double.”
Canada’s national women’steam has been extremely success-ful over the past two decades,earning nine world titles and twoOlympic gold medals.
Most of the team membersleave their “real world” jobs totrain full-time, forcing them torely on a monthly stipend fromSport Canada and an allowancefrom Hockey Canada to get by.
MSM Transportation, a long-time proponent of organizedhockey in Canada, also owns theSt. Michael’s Buzzers provincialJr. A hockey club in Toronto andhas raised thousands of dollars forminor hockey programs.
More proof, as if any were need-ed, of the Olympic-scale heartsfound in the Canadian transporta-tion industry. ■■
TRUCK WEST Page 9February 2010
PASSING THE TORCH: Stephanie Hartwick (left) was just one of many torch-bearers with a trucking connection. She works for Bombardier Transportation and her father Dave hauls for Kimco Steel out of Kingston, Ont.
ALL SMILES: Jim Miller drove anRBC-sponsored truck along the torchrelay, and received an unexpectedthanks – the chance to carry the torchin northern Quebec.
Try it online at www.trucknews.com
Across1. A semi-trailer brand
4. Suspension-system item
9. Conical traffic diverter
10. Certain trailers (3,4)
11. Rules and regulations, slangily (3,4)
12. An intersection-accident type (1,4)
13. Truck-insurance contact
15. Heavy-duty 1970s Kenworth
20. Road-sign directional indicator
22. Goods in excess of Bill of Lading
24. Items bumping up new-truck price
25. ’70s Chevrolet cabover
26. Suspension parts, briefly
27. Traffic tie-ups, colloquially
1. They might operate intermittently
2. Mack’s mascot
3. North Pole driver with toys payload
5. Severe-service International model
6. Home of “Famous Potatoes” plates
7. Sealing device in engine
8. Burned fuel pointlessly
14. Home of “The Empire State” plates (3,4)
16. Truckers’ and farmers’ power unit
17. Company making engine-retarders
18. Supersized road-hazard beast
19. This comic-strip kid is a menace
21. International LoneStar’s design
23. Drivetrain-components brand
Down
Answers on page 21
© 2008 M
. Jackson
THIS MONTH’S CROSSWORD PUZZLE
pg 01, 06-09 tw feb v2 1/21/10 11:42 AM Page 9
February 2010Page 10 TRUCK WEST
By Jim BrayVANCOUVER, B.C. – Things maybe winding down so far as prepara-tion for Vancouver’s 2010 OlympicWinter Games is concerned, butthey’re heating up for truckerstasked with keeping the city’s com-merce chugging during the event.
According to B.C. TruckingAssociation policy analyst GregKolesniak, the city and VANOC(the Olympic OrganizingCommittee) have done theirhomework well – and consultedwidely – in trying to ensure thegames come off without a hitchwhile still allowing city life andcommerce to continue as smoothlyas possible.
It wasn’t always that way.Kolesniak says the organizerswere focused on commuters at thebeginning of the consultationprocess, and the BCTA wanted toensure the transportation indus-try’s concerns were taken into ac-count as well. Fortunately, “Theywere really good about drawingeveryone in and provided a lot ofopportunities for interested stake-holders like us to provide com-ments,” Kolesniak says, “and someof our concerns were worked intothe Olympic transportation plan.”
Not surprisingly, the BCTAwanted more emphasis put ontothe physical movement of goods,not only for the duration of theWinter Olympic Games them-selves but also for the ParalympicGames that will follow. Kolesniaksays the BCTA provided eight ornine major recommendations tohelp address their concerns, in-cluding one calling for the estab-lishment of temporary truckroutes.
And so it is being done.Kolesniak says three major truckcorridors have been added to thedowntown core for the duration:Nelson and Smithe Streets (whichare new to trucks), and Hastings,whose truck traffic usually ends atMain street but which for theGames is being extended all theway to Burrard.
Kolesniak says adding the tem-porary truck routes was a compro-mise on the part of the city after it
was pointed out that its specially-designated Olympic travel lanes –which are like HOV lanes but forOlympic-accredited vehicles onlyand in effect 24 hours a day – justhappen to be along major truckroutes. The BCTA argued that,since capacity would be restrictedwhere the efficient movement ofgoods was vital, the industryshould get some accommodationto make up for the loss.
The BCTA, and other stake-holders, also asked that the entireOlympic transportation plan beput into effect well in advance ofthe games, “to give people achance to warm up to it,”Kolesniak says. The organizersagreed; the tweaked truck trafficthoroughfares are due to go intoeffect on Feb. 1 and last untilMarch 21, book-ending both setsof Winter Games.
The city also agreed to relax itsnoise control bylaws so companieswould have the option of operat-ing on a 24-hour basis, Kolesniaksays, “to basically give them theopportunity, perhaps even the in-centive, to move their operationsoff peak hours.”
This means that, for example,trucking companies can make de-liveries into the downtown corebetween midnight and 6 a.m. – iftheir customers cooperate.
On its Vancouver 2010 Web site,
the City of Vancouver says itwould prefer that if such overnightdeliveries aren’t possible, they befinished before noon, leaving therest of the day for the crush of hu-manity to take over the area – as itsurely will.
Another BCTA recommenda-tion was to create a registry forbusinesses willing to acceptovernight deliveries.
“The fundamental problem,”Kolesniak says, “was that, whilethe trucking company might bemore than happy to deliver be-tween 12 and 6 a.m., that doesn’tmean either the receiving end orthe place where they pick up is go-ing to be open.”
The registry is intended to helpsolve that problem by helpingtrucking companies identify cus-tomers who would be willing tooperate off peak hours, and toplan accordingly.
The concept may work well for“garden variety” pick-ups and de-liveries in the downtown area, butlocations at or near the actualGames-related sites are anothermatter entirely. Vancouver 2010has decreed that businesses locat-ed close to official sites – such asthe Main Media Centre, B.C.Place, the Whistler Medals Plaza,Whistler Creekside and theWhistler Media Centre – requirespecial protocols to ensure access,
including specified times and spe-cial permits.
To further facilitate the efficientflow of traffic, the City ofVancouver is also removing on-street parking from some thor-oughfares downtown, including inareas designated currently as load-ing zones.
So far so good but, to steal aphrase, the best laid plans of miceand men often go awry, whichmeans the possibility for Gamesgridlock is still very real. And withan estimated 160,000 visitors perday passing through the area,Kolesniak says, “something has togive. It will be a challenging time,but hopefully it’s something thateveryone can manage.”
A lot of the success or failure ofthe plan depends on how well themessage gets out to those who’llbe affected by it.
“We have been informing ourmembers for quite some time thatthey should be expecting in-creased congestion in the city ofVancouver and especially thedowntown core,” Kolesniak says.“There’s simply no way around it.I think they’ve done a pretty goodjob overall planning it; we justhave to see if the plan actuallyworks.”
Then there’s the issue of allthose construction truckerswho’ve been busy working onOlympic venues for the past fewyears. Now that their work is fin-ished, is there going to be a spikein such truckers being out ofwork?
“That’s tough to say,” Kolesniakadmits.“Things are slow, generallyspeaking, but if the current eco-nomic situation improves thereshould be jobs available.” He citesas encouraging the fact that thehousing market has picked up inVancouver, with prices rising by20% compared to 2008. “There’sdefinitely been an improvement,”he says, “and so you’d think thathousing starts and new construc-tion are also going to take off.”
If so, that should mean morejobs. But given the challenges ofthe marketplace right now, thatcould be a big “if.” ■■
British ColumbiaBritish Columbia
VANCOUVER, B.C. – Van-couver police and the B.C.Ministry of Transport CommercialVehicle Safety EnforcementBranch have conducted a stingoperation resulting in the closureof two repair shops that are ac-cused of issuing fraudulent in-spection records.
Dubbed Project Lick’n’Stick,the investigation involved twoshops that were allegedly provid-ing fraudulent inspection certifi-cates for unroadworthy commer-cial vehicles. Sharma TruckRepair in Vancouver andMersedes Autobody and Repairin Richmond are at the centre ofthe investigation.
The investigation began lastyear after police pulled over acommercial vehicle with an ex-pired inspection certificate,
Vancouver police revealed thismorning. The certificate raisedconcerns about the practices atSharma Truck Repair and aprovincial team then uncoveredmore than 500 inspections thatwere conducted at the shop in thefirst half of the year.
Sharma was soon linked toMersedes Autobody and Repair,since both used the same mechan-ics, according to Vancouver PoliceDepartment supertintendent,Andy Hobbs.
“During this investigation, itwas discovered that commercialvehicles that reportedly had un-dergone inspections at SharmaTruck Repair were failing subse-quent safety inspections at analarming rate as compared to othercommercial vehicles inspected atother facilities,” Hobbs said.
During surveillance betweenNov. 9 and Nov. 30, police ob-served Sharma Truck Repair en-tering 130 commercial vehiclesinto the Vehicle InspectionProgram. However, surveillanceindicated that none of the 130 ve-hicles were inspected as requiredby the Motor Vehicle Act regula-tions. Meanwhile, investigatorswere observing MersedesAutobody Repair, and found ittoo was issuing inspection certifi-cates under the name of SharmaTruck Repair. The two investiga-tions were then merged.
“In August, a joint operationwas launched between the VPDand the province,” Hobbs ex-plained. “A six-month investiga-tion culminated at 10 a.m. thismorning (Jan. 15) with the execu-tion of a search warrant at the
Mersedes Autobody and Repairon Vanguard Road in Richmond.With the assistance of theRichmond RCMP and the LowerMainland Emergency ResponseTeam, the warrant was executedwithout incident.”
Police say four handguns andother items were seized in theraid. As the search warrant wasbeing executed, police andprovincial officials also visitedSharma Truck Repair to conduct afacility audit.
“The investigation is continuingand as long as there are thoseamong us who are willing to putthe rest of us at risk so that theycan make a quick buck, theVancouver Police Departmentand its partners will continue to pursue them relentlessly,”Hobbs said. ■■
Police investigation results in closure of two truck repair shops
Delivering during Winter Games to be an Olympic-sized challenge
LET THE GAMES BEGIN: Will gridlock grip Vancouver during the Olympics orwill deliveries go off without a hitch? We’ll soon find out.
pg 10-11 tw feb v2 1/20/10 4:49 PM Page 10
TRUCK WEST Page 11February 2010
By Jim BrayLANGLEY, B.C. – Times aretough in the trucking industry, withhot competition and a cool econo-my. Making things worse are carri-ers who toss safety concerns asideto snag gigs from shippers whosefocus on the bottom line trumpseverything.
It’s an issue that was raised bythe CBC in a report that shone alight on a B.C.-based trucking com-pany the CBC says had its safetycertificates pulled due to problemssuch as drivers faking logbooks andworking too many hours.According to the report, whilesome of the carrier’s operationswere indeed shut down, other com-panies under its umbrella continuedoperating.
Paul Landry, executive directorof the BCTA, won’t comment onspecific companies or decisions, buthe does admit to hearing carriersreport situations similar to whatthe CBC dug up.
“Generally speaking,” he says,“we see some evidence that thereare problems in the industry and, aswith the cockroach theory, if yousee one, there are probably manyothers.”
Roger Clarke, executive directorof vehicle safety and carrier servicesfor Alberta Transportation agrees.“I believe (every jurisdiction) is inthe same boat,” he says, stressingthat Alberta does its best to monitorall truck and bus operators, “espe-cially those who’ve been made con-ditional or put out of business forbeing poor safety risks.” They can’tbe everywhere at once, though.
Clarke says the trick is to matchthe names of applicants with exist-ing records of who has been put outof business or is on the list of riskycarriers.
“When it’s verified that these arethe same principals,” Clarke says,“our staff jump in and flag it. If it’sone who has been made condition-al, we can make that new applicantconditional as well.”
In turn, he says, if the applicanthas been deemed unsatisfactorypreviously, “the option is there tojust deny the application.”
Clarke admits it can be particu-larly challenging when a friend orfamily member of an operator whohas been put out of business ap-plies for a certificate.
“As long as they’ve met the re-quirements of the various jurisdic-tions – safety plans and the routinestuff they need – all they reallyhave to do is show us they under-stand the safety rules and havegood equipment and good driversand they’re in business.”
Government can help keep oper-ators on the straight and narrow inother ways, too, says the BCTA’sLandry.
“It’s always been our view thatthe National Safety Code needs tobe aggressively enforced,” he says,“and a level playing field createdfor those carriers who work hard tohire the right drivers, maintaintheir equipment and put in placesafety programs that ensure thatwhatever they do is done safelyand responsibly.”
Landry says his organization, inconcert with the provincial govern-ment, is also looking at possible im-
provements to the National SafetyCode.
“The threshold for interventioncould be lowered,” he says, “so carriers who are running into problems receive warning lettersearlier, are interviewed earlier,are audited earlier that they are today.”
He also suggests that enforce-ment officers could follow up im-mediately when they spot equip-ment where “clearly there is nointerest in maintaining the vehicleaccording to the standards. If yousee a vehicle like that on the road,maybe you shouldn’t wait for awhole series of points to be devel-oped to go and see that carrier.”
An owner who’s slack when itcomes to equipment may be just ascasual about the people driving it,too. “If you don’t care that your
tires are cut, that there are cracks inthe frame of your vehicle or yourbrakes are out of adjustment,”Landry says, “then why would youcare about what the driver’s recordis or monitoring Hours-of-Serviceor anything else?”
As far as the BCTA is concerned,“We take high road positions onsafety,” Landry stresses. “We sup-port speed limiters, electric on-board recorders for monitoringHours-of-Service, and we have acode of conduct,” he says.“So whileit may be naive, we would hopethat a carrier joining the BCTAknows what we stand for and that, by joining, subscribes to ourstandards.”
Landry thinks most memberspay attention to all aspects of thebusiness, and while the associationdoes have mechanisms in placewhere action can be taken if thereis evidence of carriers who flout thelaw,“It’s not a matter of just throw-ing carriers out,” he says. “Therehas to be some sort of due process.”
Some carriers do apparentlythink it pays to cut corners so theycan offer rates substantially lower
than the competition through low-er operating costs brought aboutby ignoring or minimizing mainte-nance, driver standards, Hours-of-Service, etc.
“I think, ultimately, people whooperate companies like that mayderive some benefit,” Landry ad-mits. “But it’s really at the expenseof the public, other carriers andperhaps their own employees.”
Then there are the people whohire such carriers.
“In some cases, shippers havebeen offered rates that are 20-30%or more below the market rate,”Landry says, “and in a case likethat, a shipper should ask itself howthe carrier is able to do that.”
He mentions a carrier whoseshipper told him recently the com-petition had offered to do the samework for 38% less.
“The carrier thought about it anddecided he might be able to offer asmall reduction,” Landry says, “but38? He parked his truck. It’s point-less. All he can do is scratch hishead and leave the business.”Landry wouldn’t name names, butsays the shipper was a high-profilecompany in Canada.
“I hear these stories all too of-ten,” he says, “and it’s just a grind-ing process. Our industry is verycompetitive and there are somecarriers that operate good, safe, sol-id businesses and have very sharppencils and can offer reasonablerates. But there’s a point which youjust cannot go below and have safeequipment and safe drivers. I thinkthe shippers really need to seriouslylook at that.”
According to Clarke, that’s whathappens in Alberta. “It used to bethat if you had a conditional ratingpeople would say ‘Who cares’?” hesays. “But now, shippers are sayingthey want to see a carrier’s safetyrating. They don’t want to becaught up in some web of suits andwhatever, and insurance compa-nies are telling carriers to show
them their profiles as well.”Technology and data sharing are
also helping keep carriers honest.“I think every jurisdiction has apretty good monitoring system,”Clarke says,“and when carriers getput out of business or made condi-tional in one jurisdiction, thenthink they’re going to hop acrossthe border and start up again,they’re finding that we’re commu-nicating and sending over the pro-file information.”
Voluntary programs such asAlberta’s Partners in Compliancealso help, allowing the governmentto target its limited resources moreeffectively.
“When you think about it, thereare something like 25,000 carriersof various sizes just in Alberta,”Clarke says.
“And if you have 10% of themthat really do a bang-up job man-aging their own safety – very proac-tive in their approach to the pointwhere they can get an excellent rat-ing as we do for PIC carriers – wecan devote our officers’ and admin-istrative staff’s time to monitoringthose that need a little more watch-ing. So PIC pays off for govern-ment in that respect.”
Clarke also points out that eachjurisdiction has a carrier profilethat includes information on anytickets, violations, CVSA problems,collisions, and audits, “and it does-n’t usually take long for a poor op-erator to show up on your system.We have an algorithm to say whensomebody’s had so many eventsthat they should be a concern, andevery jurisdiction has that inplace.”
On the other hand,“If somebodywants to game the system they’llfind a way to get a license,” Clarkeadmits.
The BCTA wants to help ensurethat happens as little as possible.“We’re talking about enactingmembership standards,” Landrysays, “so that if a particular truck-ing company wants to join theBCTA, we would ask some ques-tions regarding the company’s in-terest and activities pertaining tosafe operations.”
All these strategies can undoubt-edly help, but what’s really required is for the slackers and theshippers who hire them to pay attention. ■■
Rogue truckers and shippers continue to make life difficult for credible carriers
‘In some cases, shippers have been offeredrates that are 20-30% or more below
the market rate.’Paul Landry, BCTA
NOT SERIOUS ABOUT SAFETY: Carriers that take a lax attitude towards safety are giving the industry a bad name anddriving down rates, says BCTA president Paul Landry.
pg 10-11 tw feb v2 1/20/10 4:49 PM Page 11
February 2010Page 12 TRUCK WEST
While they make us human, emo-tions by their very nature are irra-tional, or as Mr. Spock used to saythey are illogical, even though theymay be fully justified depending onthe circumstances that give rise tothem. Over the past year or so, theCanadian trucking industry has ex-perienced some of the emotionallows that reflect the difficult timesbrought about by the onset of theGreat Recession.
Fear, desperation and panic werethe emotions that crept into the de-cision-making processes of manycarriers. More recently, despitesigns that things may have hit bot-tom and that the industry has possi-bly gotten through the worst, carri-ers are still not feeling optimistic.
The economic outlook remainsfragile. But it’s more than that.Despite the positive (relativelyspeaking) economic signals, despitethe pick-up in volume in certainlaneways, despite the reductions incapacity that the industry has un-dertaken, and despite the incredi-ble efforts to find even greater effi-ciencies, freight rates which by nowyou would think should be startingto firm, have not yet begun to recover.
Virtually every carrier out therecan tell you how someone else hascome along, cut the rate belowwhat they consider to be compen-satory. The choices: walk away ormeet the market.
Shareholders and bankers are
concerned, tightening the screwseven further. As a result, the moodof the industry is sour and borneout of frustration. The prevailingemotion at times has degeneratedinto one of anger.
As a result, the blame game is infull swing. And, there are lots oftargets; lots of blame to go aroundif you want to get into that.Shippers for being greedy; loadbrokers and 3PLs for taking advan-tage and not having enough skin inthe game; governments and tradeassociations for not doing enough;big carriers for undercutting thesmall carriers; small carriers for un-dercutting the big carriers; suppli-ers for charging too much; lendersfor not lending; lenders for lendingtoo much to the wrong people.
The list goes on. And, the realityis that everyone shares in theblame to some degree or another.
So, we can continue to point fin-gers and continue to blame every-one else, or we can start to takemore responsibility for our ownbusinesses and take our industryback from whoever it is we think iscontrolling or manipulating it. In
the end, we all know that no-oneelse is going to do it for us.
You know what the problemsare. And, I think most carriers alsoknow what has to be done to fix theproblems. I know some will say thatnothing will ever change; that thisis the trucking industry.We have tochange that mindset.
This is not the industry of evenfive years ago. So much haschanged. Weakness breeds contin-ued weakness. It can be a self-ful-filling prophecy. But it doesn’t haveto be that way.
I also believe that most shippersknow that a market correction hasto come, that things have been wayoverdone and current rate struc-tures are not sustainable. Capacityis tightening. Carrier costs are go-ing to be heading up. Most truckingemployees have not seen a raise inyears – some have taken cuts.
An acute driver shortage is a cer-tainty based on current demo-graphics. The fleet needs to be re-equipped and the new generationof smog-free vehicles will be moreexpensive.
New safety and environmentalregulations will require new invest-ment in on-board monitoring tech-nologies, electronic stability con-trol systems, aerodynamics, etc.
Fuel taxes, tolls and othercharges will be under upward pres-sure as governments struggle tomaintain infrastructure in the faceof massive deficits. Border security
costs continue to escalate. Carriersneed to earn a decent return on in-vestment in order to meet theseobligations.
I do not run a trucking company.Some will say I have no right andno credibility to tell people whatthey should be doing.
However, sometimes a sympa-thetic observer can see and saysome things that those in the directline of fire can’t.
I believe that most people whorun trucking companies agree withme when I say that if as an industrywe do not step up, if enough of usdo not show the required level ofleadership, then we will only haveourselves to blame for what themarket – and the bankers – maydeal us.
In my 25 years in the business, Ihave been fortunate enough towork with and learn from so manygreat industry leaders.The industrymay be battered, but it is not downfor the count.
As one of our own recently said,“We are at a point in time, not theend of time.”
As quickly as things went sour,they can turn the other way. I amconvinced that we have the leader-ship to enable us to come throughthis, and those who remain can bestronger than ever and prepared totake full advantage of the opportu-nities that present themselves. ■■
IndustryIndustry
– David Bradley is president of theOntario Trucking Association andchief executive officer of theCanadian Trucking Alliance.
It’s time to stop playing the blame gameIndustry Issues
DavidBradley
A couple of metaphorical Grinchesturned into Santas just before theholiday season and one of themhappened at a propitious time forOntario’s private career collegesthat train new commercial driversfor the trucking industry.
First, the union representingworkers at DriveTest centres in theprovince reached an agreementwith the employer, Serco DES Inc.,which the membership subsequent-ly approved.That approval ended alengthy strike that seriously impact-ed driver training schools and theirstudents. Students who had com-pleted training, some in order to be-gin a career as a driver after losingtheir previous job in the recession,couldn’t move forward on that newcareer for want of a test to acquirethe licence they needed. Schoolssaw a decline in enrollment be-cause, in part, there was a growingbacklog of those seeking tests and no end in sight to the labourdispute.
The second concern was with afunding formula for truck drivertraining that was proposed by theMinistry of Training Colleges andUniversities (MTCU), which if leftintact could have threatened the survival of some private careercolleges.
The Second Career program waslaunched by MTCU in June 2008 toprovide laid-off workers with train-ing and financial support to helpthem find jobs in other, high-de-mand occupations in Ontario. The
initial plan called for a three-yearprogram but after only 16 months ithad exceeded its three-year goal ofhelping 20,000 laid-off workers.Theprogram was then shut down to bere-assessed.
The funding formula that waspart of the revised version of theprogram hit the truck driver train-ing institutes hard. It proposed twolevels of funding for institutes thattrain truck drivers: for training at acommunity college the funding level was $40/hr; whereas if trainingtook place at a private career col-lege the funding was limited to$14/hour.
The $14 per hour was problemat-ic when you consider the cost of op-erating a tractor-trailer, much lesswhen that cost must include an in-structor. Further, even though stu-dents could access up to $28,000through the program, private ca-reer colleges could only charge amaximum of $10,000 for tuition,while the community colleges didn’t seem to have that restrictionimposed.
Left unchecked, that formulawould certainly have driven stu-dents away from private career
colleges to the community colleges.A consortium of truck driver
training schools led by Gus Rahimand Brian Adams, both members ofthe Truck Training SchoolsAssociation of Ontario demon-strated what can happen when agroup of like-minded people take a reasoned approach to solving a problem. The consortium took its concerns to the Ministry and gotresults.
Some good news for the consor-tium came on Dec. 21 in an e-mailthat announced changes to the pro-posed guidelines. The allowablehourly rates for both types of insti-tutes were now to be $40. That wasa good step, but the new formulaleft at least one more question.
What was still unclear at the timeof writing is whether the $10,000cap on the tuition portion if thecourse applies to both private ca-reer colleges and community col-leges. If the tuition caps are differ-ent, the level playing field has onlybeen partially restored.
Congratulations to all those whoparticipated in the consortium andindeed, to those at MTCU whotook steps to at least partially cor-rect an inequitable situation quick-ly.The consortium leaders intend tocontinue discussions with theMinistry to clarify the question ofthe tuition cap and we will watchfor developments on that front.
The second piece of good newscame on a completely unrelatedfront: a PMTC member company,
Chapman’s Ice Cream located inthe small Ontario town ofMarkdale, burned to the groundlast fall as the result of a welder’sspark during renovations.Chapman’s is a major employer inthe area and the potential effect of such a fire could have been disastrous.
Where is the good news in thatstory? As reported in several publi-cations, Chapman’s owners, Pennyand David Chapman immediatelycommitted to rebuilding the business and assured their 350 em-ployees that they would not miss apaycheque.
They acquired space in the areaand Chapman’s was up and runningwith a temporary plant and officeswithin a few weeks. Other compa-nies even helped out by producingChapman’s ice cream to trade-marked recipes, something thatcould only happen in a small townlike Markdale.
It’s a great story of small townbusinesses coming together to putpeople before profits.
Chapman’s expects to be up andrunning in a brand new plant, twicethe size of the old one, in time forthe onslaught of summer’s icecream demands.
The elixir that turned the Grinchinto Santa and a devasting situationinto a good news story, both in timefor Christmas, is one that I wouldlike to bottle. ■■
Everyone likes good news storiesPrivateLinksBruce Richards
– The PMTC is the only national as-sociation dedicated to the privatetrucking community. Your com-ments or questions can be ad-dressed to [email protected].
pg 12 tw feb v2 1/20/10 4:52 PM Page 12
TRUCK WEST Page 13February 2010
As strange as it may sound, con-flicts can be a valuable tool. Whenemployees are comfortable ex-pressing different points of view,they can help to identify key is-sues, solve problems and even in-crease the overall level of engage-ment in the workplace.
The problems emerge whenconflicts spiral out of control, linesare drawn, and someone feels theyhave been wronged. To compoundmatters, the owners or safety man-agers at small companies oftenneed to deal with these situationswithout any formal training in therelated skills.
The main role of a manager-as-mediator is to explore the rootcause of the positions that lead toa conflict in the first place. As thethird party in the room, this in-volves ensuring that everyone hasan equal amount of time to ex-press their opinions withoutfalling into the postures of a “par-ent” or “child.” And it requireseveryone to contribute an “adult”approach that focuses on the factswhile setting emotions aside.
Consider the discussions aroundan Hours-of-Service (HoS) viola-tion as an example of the waythese postures can emerge.A driv-er who falls into the defensive roleof a “child” would immediatelybegin to argue they were forced towork beyond the hours that thelaw allows. A dispatcher who as-sumes the domineering role of the“parent” will counter with com-ments about how customers arepaying everyone’s salary.
The “adult” approach will rec-ognize that most employees havegood intentions and want to makethe right decisions. They maketheir choices based on the infor-mation that they believe to betrue. Exploring the reasons behindeach stance in the above HoS situ-ation, a manager may find a driverwho believes they would be penal-ized for failing to complete thetrip at any cost. (“If I didn’t finishthe load, I’d be left with trips intoNew York City for the rest of themonth.”) The member of the oper-ations team may think the trip hadto continue because of pressurefrom an important customer.(“They were breathing down myneck for that load, and we can’t af-ford to lose their business.”)
Once information like this is outin the open, it becomes possible toclarify any misconceptions with afew facts. Ideally, the discussionaround the HoS issue would in-volve a clear description of thefleet’s commitment to the relatedregulations and the dispatchercould be informed about the bestways to convey these rules to atime-strapped customer. The driv-er, meanwhile, should understandthat they need to do everythingthey can to meet the customer’sneeds but only within the contextof the rules – there would be nopenalty for doing the right thing.
Of course, these need to bemore than empty words. The bestsolutions to any conflict are basedon the realities of the business, act-ing in the best interest of the com-pany and its future.
Any hope of reducing conflicts
like this in the future will also re-quire everyone involved to under-stand what would be considered asuccess, how they can work togeth-er to reach that goal, and a cleardeadline for related steps.
Granted, the underlying issuesbehind a conflict may have noth-ing to do with the workplace. Evena good employee can let their per-formance suffer if they are dis-tracted by a personal issue such asa sick spouse or financial prob-lems. By establishing and main-taining a level of trust with em-ployees, a manager will have the
opportunity to identify these typesof issues and even help to guidepeople to available solutions – likeEmployee Assistance Programs,for example.
Ultimately a little compassionand understanding will always goa long way.
There are several tools that canhelp managers prepare for theirroles. Colleges, for example, all of-fer training for those in any super-visory role, whether it comes inthe form of a certificate programor a one-day seminar. Solutionsand approaches can even emergefrom peers when managers areable to find the time to attend as-sociation meetings and network-ing events.
Every source will contribute anumber of important details, butmanagers who are committed tothe process of addressing conflictswill quickly recognize a common
thread that ties together the entirestrategy.
The best solutions to any con-flict will emerge when the lines ofcommunication are as open asthey can be. ■■
– This month’s experts are DianeHozjan and Dave Roth. Diane isthe manager of human resourcesfor Markel Insurance Company ofCanada and has more than 10years experience. Dave is theOntario regional manager ofSafety and Training Services forMarkel Insurance Company ofCanada and has more than 20years experience in managing safe-ty and operations in the truckingindustry. Send your questions, feed-back and comments about this col-umn to [email protected]. To readabout more industry hot topics,visit www.markel.ca and click onthe Articles & Essays section.
SafetySafety
Open the lines of communication when handling conflictsAsk theExperts
Dave Roth &Diane Hozjan
pg 13 tw feb v2 1/20/10 2:57 PM Page 13
Over the years I have written manyarticles covering topics ranging fromarthritis to kidney stones. Seeing asthis is the first article published in2010, I thought that it would be agood idea to review some of themore important health topics wehave covered in the past.
The first topic I want to talkbriefly about is proper nutrition.Now that the holiday season isover, it is important that we returnto our normal and healthy diets.Remember the key to eating well on the road is moderation andvariety.
Try to focus on eating foods thatare low in fat and sugar content.Foods like hamburgers, french friesand pop should be avoided. Eatingfresh vegetables and whole grainwheat are good choices as our bod-ies can use these nutrients very effi-ciently.When possible, try to eat sev-eral small meals a day rather thanone or two large meals.
This eating schedule allows thebody’s metabolism to run moresmoothly. Finally, try to avoid eatinghighly-processed foods or foods thatcontain many chemical additives.
In addition to eating well, it is im-portant to try and maintain an activelifestyle. I know that it is difficult tostay physically active while you areon the road,but every little bit helps.Even simple things like walkingaround your truck while it is beingunloaded or parking at the back ofthe parking lot will make a majordifference.
Due to the fact our bodies weredesigned to move, it is important forour joints and muscles to be in mo-tion in order to be healthy.
Physical activity is also very im-
portant for our hearts and cardio-vascular systems. Ideally, you shouldtry to get about 20-30 minutes ofphysical activity, three to four daysper week. As we age, our musclesbecome tighter and stiffer. By per-forming a few simple stretches on aregular basis,you will be able to slowdown this process. I am sure that allof you have noticed it gets a little bitharder with each passing year to puton your socks in the morning.
As a result, another importantaspect of physical fitness is main-taining flexibility. The benefits ofgood flexibility include reducingyour chances of injury as well as in-creasing the range of motion ofyour joints. Last but certainly notleast, it is important to get theproper amount of sleep in order tobe at your best during the day. Asyou know, our bodies performmany restorative functions whilewe sleep.
For most of us, six to eight hours ofsleep per night is what our bodies re-quire. Again, I know that it is some-times hard to get the proper amountof sleep while on the road due toscheduling issues such as windowtimes or just-in-time freight, howev-er try to get the proper amount asoften as possible. ■■
February 2010Page 14 TRUCK WEST
Although we’re already getting wellinto 2010, are you still carrying a bitof extra weight from your holidaycelebrations?
In your truck, you encounterweigh scales every work day. Theymonitor whether your gross vehicleweight is legal. Overloading yourtruck reduces its efficiency and takesa toll on the life of your vehicle.
Weigh scales in your home moni-tor whether your body weight ishealthy. Overloading your bodytakes a toll on the length and quali-ty of your life. Carrying extraweight has serious consequences. Ifyour truck wears out, you can get anew model. But if your body wearsout, you can’t. And it’s not justabout how you look.
Certainly, we don’t look our bestsqueezing into our old jeans withthose extra pounds,but that’s not themain concern. We could always letout the belt and get a bigger pair ofjeans to be more comfortable. Thereal issues are: how and why is thatextra weight affecting our health?
It is reducing our body’s efficiencyand putting an extra load on everybone, organ and system.
That’s why overweight people(with a Body Mass Index of 25 andabove) will be more likely to expe-rience the following conditions:coronary heart disease; Type 2 dia-betes; cancer (particularly endome-trial, breast, and colon); high blood pressure; high cholesterol; stroke;liver and gallbladder disease; and osteoarthritis.
Heart disease happens because afatty material (plaque) builds up on
the inside walls of the arteries whichsupply blood and oxygen to yourheart. This plaque makes the pas-sage narrow, so the blood doesn’tflow as easily. Your chances of hav-ing heart disease and a heart attackget higher as your BMI increases.You may also get congestive heartfailure, a chronic condition whereyour heart can’t pump enough blood to carry enough oxygen tofeed your body.
High blood pressure occurs whenthere is too much force of yourblood pushing against the walls ofyour arteries. When you have morebody cells to feed oxygen to, yourheart must pump harder just to keepit moving. High blood pressure canlead to stroke and aneurisms.
Stroke is also more common in heavy people because they often have fatty deposits in their arteries which can form a blood clot.If that clot lodges in an artery closeto the brain and blocks the bloodflow, it causes a stroke. Again, therisk of having a stroke rises as BMIincreases.
Type 2 diabetes is also more com-mon in overweight people. It occurswhen blood sugar levels are toohigh. In healthy people, the bodymakes insulin to move the bloodsugar into cells to be used.
However, for people with Type 2diabetes, the cells don’t respondwell to the insulin that’s beenmade. This is quite serious becausediabetes is a leading cause of early death, heart disease, stroke,kidney disease, and blindness.Significantly, more than 80% ofpeople with Type 2 diabetes areoverweight.
High cholesterol can also be aproblem. Overweight people fre-quently have abnormal levels ofblood fats, high levels of triglyc-erides and low-density lipoprotein(LDL) cholesterol) and low high-density lipoprotein (HDL)cholesterol, which are tied to heartdisease.
Metabolic Syndrome is used toevaluate an overweight person’s riskfactors for the conditions we’velooked at above.
Although you could get any con-dition by itself they often occur ingroups. Metabolic Syndrome hap-pens when a person has at leastthree of the following heart diseaserisk factors:
1.A pot belly (an apple shape),ex-tra fat in the waist area is a greaterrisk factor for heart disease than ex-tra fat in any other parts of the body;
2. Abnormal blood fat levels,including high triglycerides and lowHDL cholesterol;
3. Higher than normal blood pressure;
4. Higher than normal fastingblood sugar levels;
5. Cancer.Osteoarthritis is also more commonin heavy people because extraweight stresses and wears away theprotective cartilage and fluids sepa-rating the joints. Remember, yourframe was designed to carry a spe-cific amount of weight. Extrapoundage naturally creates extrastress and strains.
Gallstones are another commonailment in heavy people. They arehard pieces of stone-like material(usually formed from excess choles-terol) that form in the gallbladder.They can cause severe abdominal orback pain.
These are the most common con-ditions felt by overweight people.Is your weight taking a toll on your current health and setting youup for some future conditions?Unfortunately,you can’t just call dis-patch and pull over to the side of theroad to unload a few skids or crateslike you could in your rig.
But, you can make some simplechanges that will help you get withinspec’. Next month we’ll explore simple ways to help you lighten your load. ■■
HealthHealth
– Karen Bowen is a professionalhealth and nutrition consultant andshe can be reached by e-mail [email protected].
The start of a new year is a good time to address your health
Karen Bowen
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pg 14 tw feb v2 1/20/10 3:02 PM Page 14
TRUCK WEST Page 15February 2010
OTTAWA, Ont. – A joint US studyhas found that fuel consumption onnew tractor-trailers could be low-ered by as much as 50% by 2017with the introduction of all devicescontained in the Canadian TruckingAlliance’s enviroTruck.
The comprehensive modellingstudy, conducted by major US pub-lic and private sector policy and re-search organizations (NortheastStates Center for a Clean AirFuture, International Council onClean Transportation, SouthwestResearch Institute and TIAX,LLC),also found that in the shorter term,fuel consumption for new tractor-trailers could be lowered by 20% in2012 using all enviroTruck devices,
which include speed limiters, fuel ef-ficient tires, aerodynamic devicesand increased use of long combina-tion vehicles (LCVs). BeyondenviroTruck technologies, the reportalso examined advanced technolo-gies such as hybrid-electric vehicles.
The core of the analysis, per-formed by the Southwest ResearchInstitute, consisted of a series of modified simulations to predictthe fuel saved by incorporating vari-ous technology and operationalmeasure combinations in 2007 trucktechnology.
The modelling simulations foundthat the introduction of all the tech-nologies and strategies examined inthe study would result in an estimat-ed eight billion gallons of diesel fuelsaved annually from the US truck-ing industry beginning in 2030, withlesser reductions being achieved assoon as 2012. The report found that
cumulative fuel savings betweennow and 2030 could reach 90 billiongallons of diesel fuel.The correspon-ding cumulative CO2 benefits of thisfuel savings would be 1.1 billionmetric tonnes by 2030 and an annualreduction of 97 million metrictonnes beginning in 2030.
For the shorter period, the 2012 to2017 time frame, the SouthwestResearch Institute models revealedthat CO2 reductions of 20% couldbe obtained through the widespreaduse of enviroTruck technologiessuch as side skirts, boat-tails and sin-gle wide tires.
The major impediment the reportfound to these devices making theirway onto tractor-trailer configura-tions was that due to “the short payback period demanded by thetrucking industry,most of these tech-nologies will not be adopted into the fleet absent regulation or
Long-haul driversget bump in mealtax deduction limitOTTAWA, Ont. – Despite contin-uing economic turmoil, the fedsstayed true to their promise to in-crease the meal tax deductionlimit for long-haul truck drivers to75%. The tax-deductible portionof meal expenses previously sat at70%. The 5% increase went intoeffect Jan.1 and is part of a broad-er 2007 election promise to in-crease the limit to 80% by 2011.
“Long-haul truck drivers aresome of our country’s hardest-working people,” said FinanceMinister Jim Flaherty.“They playa pivotal role in our economy asthey transport goods across thecountry and across our borders.Our government is pleased tosupport their important work byproviding tax relief to these hard-working individuals.”
The cost increase is also avail-able to employers who pay thecost of their drivers’ meals whilethey’re on the road. However, itonly applies to long-haul truckdrivers, those who are away fromhome for at least 24 consecutivehours and travelling at least 160kms from home. They must alsobe driving a vehicle with aGVWR of more than 11,788 kgs.
Naturally, the trucking indus-try welcomed the move.
Canadian Trucking Alliancechief David Bradley said he is“extremely pleased that despitethe fact that the Minister ofFinance and the Government ofCanada are under increasing fis-cal pressure, they are continuingto honour this commitment.”
The CTA, Owner-Operators’Business Association of Canadaand other trucking organizationslobbied for the change in 2006and 2007 through a coordinatedcampaign dubbed End Canada’sLunch Bag Leg Down. Industrypublications including TruckWest carried postcards that truckdrivers could conveniently andeasily mail to Flaherty.
“As we enter 2010, long-hauldrivers are once again benefitingfrom lower taxes as a result ofthis campaign and the taxchanges that it achieved,”Bradley said. ■■
CanadaCanadaincentives.”
“Time and time again we readstudies that highlight the GHG sav-ings enviroTruck technologies cre-ate. It is clear that a federally-admin-istered rebate program could makethese estimated savings a reality,”said CTA senior vice-president,Stephen Laskowski. “Furthermore,without provincial government in-volvement to allow boat-tails andsingle tires at full weights, the indus-try will not be able to deliver theGHG savings it otherwise could.”
The report, entitled ReducingHeavy-Duty Long haulCombination Truck FuelConsumption and CO2 Emissions,was directed by an expert steeringcommittee composed of representa-tives from major truck and power-train manufacturers, governmentagencies, truck fleets, and fuel economy and heavy-duty expertsfrom non-profit organizations.For a copy of the report, e-mail [email protected]. ■■
enviroTruck concept endorsed by major study
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February 2010Page 16 TRUCK WEST
By James MenziesTORONTO, Ont. – If the manda-tory use of electronic on-boardrecorders (EOBRs) is a con-tentious issue, you wouldn’t knowit following a panel discussion onthe topic at this year’s OntarioTrucking Association (OTA) con-vention.
It seemed regulators, carriers,suppliers and yes, even driversagreed that there are benefits toelectronically tracking driverhours-of-service. In explaining theCanadian Trucking Alliance’s de-sire for an EOBR mandate, OTAv.p. Geoff Wood pointed out thatevery time a driver bends therules, “the true cost of service isnot charged and shippers receivea subsidy that carriers and driverscannot afford.”
The CTA has deemed paperlogs “antiquated and ineffective”and feels they “give a sophisticat-ed industry a tarnished image,”Wood explained. “It’s time tomove on and show who we really are.”
Regardless of where the CTA
stands on the issue, it seems it’sonly a matter of time before theUS moves forward with an EOBRmandate.
A proposed rule that wouldmake them mandatory for carri-ers with frequent HoS violationsis already in the works and DavidKraft, chair of the AmericanTrucking Associations’ Technologyand Maintenance Council EOBRTask Force, speculated that a full-blown EOBR mandate will beushered in as part of a federalhighway reauthorization bill by2012 with enforcement beginningas early as 2015.
“Things are happening in theUS and will happen in a big way,”Kraft predicted.
Here at home, work is also tak-ing place to shape an EOBR regu-lation. Peter Hurst, chairman ofthe Canadian Council of MotorTransport Administrators’ EOBRWorking Group, said a project isunderway that will put forth rec-ommendations to the Council ofDeputy Ministers by fall 2010.Hurst said the project will involve
extensive stakeholder consulta-tions throughout this year and willideally create a North America-wide standard. Canadian regula-tors are also in the process of edu-cating enforcement officers(including police) on how to readand interpret electronic logs.
“We’re hopeful we will see aculture shift to modern types of enforcement that’s more about education and complianceand about industry policing itself rather than us doing it,”Hurst said.
While talk of a mandate nor-mally gets carriers’ backs up, pan-elists insisted there are many ben-efits of EOBRs that will make theup-front costs manageable, andthe CTA is hoping the govern-ment will provide incentives forcarriers that use them voluntarily.One of those benefits is improvedcompliance, which is especiallyimportant in advance of CSA2010, Kraft pointed out.
“If you’re a carrier that’s al-ready doing a pretty good jobwith compliance, it will improve.If you are compliance-challenged,it will be dramatic,” he said. Kraftsaid fleets that use EOBRs totrack hours-of-service realize other benefits as well, and surpris-ingly increased driving time isamong them.
“Most of the time, it’s becausedrivers manage their time somuch better,” he explained. “TheDoT clock is staring at them sothey have constant awareness ofhow much time they have left.”
When making the transition toelectronic logs, Kraft admittedthere will be a learning curve forsome drivers.
“Drivers will continue to makemistakes for the first three to sixmonths, but eventually in a six- to12-month window you’ll be oper-ating smoothly,” he predicted.And by then, he said, initial resistance from drivers will havewaned as they too see the benefitsof e-logs.
“If you don’t have EOBRs,drivers will say ‘If you put thosethings in, I quit’,” he admitted.“But every carrier that puts inEOBRs finds out that after thedrivers get comfortable with them
they will say ‘If you take thosethings away, I quit’.”
That’s precisely the experienceMacKinnon Transport had whenit converted its entire 240-truckfleet to EOBRs in the past year,said company president EvanMacKinnon.
The carriers a-ha moment camewhen it was audited and seven ofeight drivers were charged withHoS falsifications because theirpaper logs didn’t match the com-pany’s GPS records.
MacKinnon said the driversnever exceeded their allowabledriving time, but their ownrecords simply didn’t align withthe GPS data.
“We made the decision at thattime to match the logs to thesatellite system,” MacKinnon re-called.
Initially, there was some driverresistance, but only five of 240drivers (including four owner/op-erators) quit. However, four ofthe five later asked to return,MacKinnon pointed out, addingthose drivers are now “our great-est salesmen for this.”
In addition to completely elimi-nating HoS falsifications,MacKinnon has reaped otherbenefits as well. The companytakes advantages of the EOBR’spayroll and communication capa-bilities and “it brings value to usin more ways than just hours-of-service.”
A sticker on the doors ofMacKinnon Transport trucksproudly states ‘This vehicle isequipped with electronic logs’ andas a result, the company’s trucksare often waved through thescales, improving productivity.
MacKinnon suggested otherfleets get on-board with EOBRssoon or risk being identified aspotential cheaters.
“I believe there are going to bemany carriers in the next 12months that go ahead with thistechnology – it’s cost-saving, itworks well and drivers and staffaccepted it much better than wethought they would,” MacKinnonsaid. “If you’re not running them,there’s only one reason and it’snot a very good reason and you’rereally going to stand out.” ■■
CanadaCanada
All on-board with EOBRs?
OBSOLETE?: The CTA claims paper logs give a high-tech industry a low-techimage and says it’s time to embrace electronic on-board recorders.
pg 16 tw feb v2 1/20/10 3:07 PM Page 16
TRUCK WEST Page 17February 2010
By Ingrid PhaneufTORONTO, Ont. – Who’d havethought that ants could contributeanything to reducing the cost ofcommercial trucking?
Researchers studying swarm in-telligence believe they are able todo just that.
They say ant colonies can solveproblems like finding the shortestpath to the best food source or as-signing workers to different tasks,all thanks to their ability to trans-mit information, via the antenna ofindividual messengers, rapidly andefficiently throughout the entireswarm.
In fact, a computer scientist atthe Universite Libre in Brusselshas already used research onswarm behaviour to create mathe-matical models for solving humanproblems, like routing trucks andscheduling airlines. Sound compli-cated? Not really.When it comes totruck routing vs. swarm efficiency,just think cell phones and laptopsinstead of hairy feelers.
Ants use feelers to tell each oth-er whether the coast is clear, wherefood sources are, etc. Truckers usecommunications technology: dis-patch and maps, of course, as a cen-tral source of direction; CBs, whichare perhaps the most widely usedand the oldest form of communica-tion truckers use amongst them-selves; and now wireless communi-cations, which bring reactivity to awhole new level.
But is there one source that’sbetter than any other? Experts sayno, because, like ants, truckers relyon a critical mass of informationrather than one single source forthe best routing information. Inother words, a whole swarm willnot react to the information re-trieved by a single ant, but rather tothe same information garneredfrom several sources. The samegoes for truckers, dispatchers andcarriers, who are increasingly re-liant on several simultaneoussources of information to createhighly cost-efficient routes.
Back office to shipper
Central to the creation of a route isthe back office, where route effi-ciency is analyzed and calculated.Understanding how much a routeis costing and whether the price be-ing charged for the haul is right isthe essential work of the back of-fice. For this, the back office mustrely on information that’s tried andtrue, if only because that’s whatshippers have come to expect.Hence, more static sources of infor-mation are used, such as maps androuting mileage software.
“We developed our first truckrouting software solution in 1986and now, 23 years later, we’re theindustry standard used by 94% oftop carriers in North America,”says Craig Fiander, vice-presidentof marketing for ALK Tech-nologies, which provides the routing solutions offered by com-panies such as TransCore. ALK’sPC*Miler mileage is used to doeverything from determining driv-er pay to calculating bills for ship-
pers. And updates are availableboth annually and quarterly, toprovide both carriers and shipperswith the latest information on newroute restrictions.
Key features for cost control in-clude fuel-optimized routing andexact truck-specific toll cost calcu-lation.
Routing information is alsoavailable to drivers in-cab,says Fiander, via the PC*MilerNavigator all–in-one GPS deviceand/or software for use on laptopsor smart phones. Key safety fea-tures for drivers include spokentruck-legal directions and restrict-ed route warning screens.
The beauty of PC*Miler back of-fice and in-cab software is that itdoesn’t rely on sporadic wirelesscommunications networks to pro-vide routing and navigation infor-mation, says Fiander. “But ourclients are able to override routinginformation based on their ownpreferences,” he says. Annual andquarterly update software avail-able to clients incorporates new in-formation received from users andgovernment officials.
“We have an automated processthat pulls in information from driv-ers and fleets at their discretionand we verify that information,”says Fiander. “And we can alsooverlay information received fromautomobile drivers to analyzeroutes in terms of traffic trends.”
While wireless communicationsnetworks are admittedly spotty andnot the most reliable source of in-formation as yet, up-to-date trafficinformation is just one area wheretruck-specific live routing informa-tion provided via wireless technol-ogy can come in handy, admitsFiander.
“Connected live services, likereal-time traffic, are a particularstrength and focus of ALKTechnologies. We will incorporatethese into our PC*Miler Navigatorand CoPilot Truck software as thedevices on which we are shippedstart to integrate wireless commu-nications.”
Going wireless
The increased popularity of wire-less communications tools fortruckers is no surprise. Spotty orno, live connectivity is a bonus fortruckers in a world where drivingconditions, be they weather-, traf-fic- or driver-related, can turn on adime. So why use mobile communi-cations when you’re already on theCB? It’s all about knowing that theinformation you’re getting is reli-able and truck-specific.
Wireless communications com-panies like Shaw Tracking andPeopleNet aim to offer carrierssuch reliability via service providerMaptuit, which offers truck-specif-ic, real-time navigation informa-tion to both drivers and dispatch.
The company, based in Toronto,is the first of its kind in NorthAmerica to offer truck-specificrouting information in real-time.
“We got into this 10 years ago,because while GPS was availableto automobile drivers, there was
very little real-time data specific totrucks,” says Luke Wachtel, execu-tive vice-president of sales andmarketing for Maptuit.
Wachtel adds that mistakes whenit comes to reliability of informa-tion are possible, but that “we never make the same mistaketwice. Every one of our clients usesa connected product. If a drivergets information from us that’s in-correct – for example, if he findsthat an overpass is too low – he hasthe ability to provide us with feed-back right away and we react byimmediately verifying and updat-ing the information.”
According to Wachtel, NorthAmerica’s largest five fleets arecurrently using the technology andactively sharing information witheach other.
“There is a sense of communalinformation sharing – fleets evenverify their information beforethey send it to us for further verifi-cation.”
Information can be shared im-mediately within the fleet or, oncevetted by Maptuit staff, shared withthe community at large.
“Mostly the dispatchers will for-ward information, and so a layer ofverification is already provided,”says Wachtel.
“But then we verify as well, forinstance if we receive news that anoverpass on Route 34 is only 13feet high, we will go so far as to callthe local sheriff or highway author-ity to have that information veri-fied.”
Wachtel points out that real-timeinformation on route restrictions,bridge certifications and overpassheights is especially important giv-en stimulus funding projects acrossNorth America which have result-ed in increased infrastructure con-struction and repair.
“Repaving can reduce the heightof an overpass that was previouslyhigh enough. Just one incident
where a trailer top is saved frombeing crushed can make subscrib-ing to a real-time service pay for it-self,” he points out.
So can incidents resulting frommudslides and other unpredictableextreme weather conditions, hesays. “During Hurricane Katrina,our customers were relying heavilyon updates via wireless communi-cations. They had to reroute whenroads were washed out.”
Mobile communications is gain-ing acceptance with the truckingindustry, says Wachtel.
“I can say with some objectivitythat the commercial trucking mar-ket is increasingly moving towardsconnected consumer products,”says Wachtel, adding safety alsoplays an important role in the de-sire for connectivity.
Measuring ROI
“There are so many variables af-fecting return on investment,” saysWachtel. “And out-of-route milesare just one.”
So how much money can yousave by maximizing your use ofrouting technology specific to com-mercial trucking? How much areaccidents and out-of-route milescosting you now?
“There are over a hundred vari-ables that can affect the cost of aroute – from an accident to yourdriver missing a turn because he orshe is new or the route is new,” saysWachtel. Clearly there’s a very realreturn on your investment whenyou’re reducing miles and acci-dents. Just ask the ants. ■■
Route OptimizationRoute Optimization
Routing into the futureLEARNING FROM ANTS: Believe itor not, swarm intelligence demon-strated by ant colonies has helpeddevelop truck routing systems.
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pg 16-17 tw feb v2 1/20/10 2:35 PM Page 17
February 2010Page 18 TRUCK WEST
By Jim BrayCRAPAUD, P.E.I. – A husbandand wife team from PrinceEdward Island who pulled upstakes and adopted the trucker’slife may represent the future forlong-haul trucking.
That’s the opinion of JoeAmelia who, with his wife MaryBeth, has embraced life on theroad wholeheartedly, and is enjoy-ing it immensely. It’s about thequality time together, the sight-seeing and the freedom.
Amelia came to trucking late.Now 55 years of age, he hadworked for a pharmaceutical firmon P.E.I. and his only experiencedriving professionally was in acatering truck years ago. Butwhen the project on which he hadbeen working with the pharma-ceutical company ended, it wastime to move on.
“The company offered to moveme into another part of the firm,”he says, “but I decided to trysomething brand new.” That ca-reer-changing moment, and thefact that the Amelias were plan-ning a year-long sailboat adven-ture, meant he needed to findsomething with flexibility andfreedom. “I can’t afford to retireyet, and I wanted something wecould leave for a year and stillhave work when I came back.Trucking was the obvious choice.”
Amelia’s decision was arrivedat of the blue. “Everybody was re-
ally surprised.We were just sittingaround talking one night and Isaid I want to learn to drive atruck.”
The leap from the three-quar-ter-tonne catering truck was big, but he completed theCTHRC-certified Earning YourWheels course with JVI Pro-vincial Transportation and SafetyAcademy and went hunting for agig that would give him that all-important year off to sail from P.E.I to the Gulf of Mexicoand back.
“Everything I had read saidthere was a shortage of truckers,”Amelia says. “And on P.E.I. theywere bringing truckers in fromEngland and from Germany –they’re really going out of theirway to get them.” Amelia didn’t
talk to any trucking companies togauge their interest.
“I believed I wouldn’t have anytrouble,” he says. Now he andMary Beth spend most of theirtime away from their Crapaudhome, living mostly in the cab ofthe 2009 Freightliner Cascadia he
drives for New Brunswick’sCaldwell Transport.
Caldwell wasn’t his first truck-ing gig, though. “Joe was in pro-duce for a couple of years,” MaryBeth Amelia says. “And he lovedthe company, the truck and every-thing, but hauling produce wasn’this cup of tea: you’re sitting at theport all day and it has to be drivenovernight to Toronto. It was reallygrueling.”
Caldwell hauls freight, though,and “We’ve found them very ac-commodating. You just pick up,you get your eight hours sleepevery night. We go down to theCarolinas, drop it off and thenwait to hear where we’re goingnext.”
Mary Beth Amelia embracedthe life-changing move whole-
heartedly as well, though it took awhile.
“He went out by himself for twoyears,” she says,“and he’d be gonefor 10 days and then home for acouple of days and then back outand he really didn’t like being onthe road alone.”
Making the arrangement evenmore awkward was the fact thatshe was still working full-time at abank.“It just wasn’t working,” shesays. “We’d only see each otherfor something like two days out ofevery two weeks, and the familynever got to see him. Then he saidhe’d hire me if I’d come withhim.”
Not that he pays her a salary toride shotgun. “Not really,” shesays, laughing. “But it got me outof (the bank) so I didn’t have towork anymore.” She says bankinghad gotten stressful anyway, so “Iwas glad to have gotten my timein and get a small pension and an early retirement.”
Now they spend most of theirtime together, in the cab.
“I’m with him every day andI’m able to get up and go make acoffee for him, or whatever, andwe go to Wal-Mart and get ourgroceries – in the States, usually,where it’s cheaper – and we haveour meals when we stop.”
Like many truckers, they keep aportable DVD player and a smallTV in the cab. They also have amicrowave and a fridge and “webring along a George Foremangrill. We can do whatever we wantat night when we stop, then go tobed and start out again in themorning.”
As for the more mundane – butnecessary – aspects of taking careof business on the road, Amelia
ProfileProfile
‘The young guys don’t want to do it…We’llgo out for three months at a crack because
we want to see the country.’Joe Amelia
Second CareerDriver
Second CareerDriver
Views through the windshield of a
CALL OF THE OPEN ROAD: Joe Amelia andhis wife Mary Beth have found happiness in atrucking career, after giving up their office jobs.
pg 18-19 tw feb v2 1/21/10 11:21 AM Page 18
TRUCK WEST Page 19February 2010
fuels up at Flying Js most of thetime and, thanks to their frequentfueler club, they get a showercredit they can use at any Flying Jevery time they buy 50 gallons offuel.
The cab is a little small for apermanent residence, of course, sothe Amelia’s take advantage ofthe rules of the road for a littlerest and relaxation.
“We have to take a day and ahalf off after every 70 hours ofdriving,” Mary Beth points out,“so we try to make it down southbecause it’s a lot nicer in the win-ter than P.E.I.”
She says they stay in a motelthose days, mostly,“and if we real-ly want to go down the street andsee something we just detach thetrailer and use the truck – but usu-ally we just watch TV and enjoystaying in a big bed for a change.”
Spending so much time in such close quarters can put astrain on any relationship, but sofar so good, so far as the Ameliasare concerned.
“There have been times,” MaryBeth admits, “but it really worksout pretty good and we’re able totalk about things – and it’s alwaysnice when you’re seeing differentplaces.”
Joe agrees. “The truck is small,but we get out and go for walkswhen we stop.” He says they usu-ally stop for half an hour everythree or four hours and get outand move around. They each havesome quality time to themselves,too.
“I like to get up and drive earlyin the morning and she likes tosleep in,” Joe says. “And I go tobed fairly early so she’ll go and sitin the truckers’ lounge by herselffor an hour. We each get our ownprivate time.”
Mary Beth enjoys the longhauls as much as Joe does, exceptfor the traffic woes – includingoblivious cell phone users – thataffect most truckers.
“I still can’t get used to on-ramps and off-ramps,” she says.“People barrel onto the highwayand we’re coming up beside themand we have no way to controlwhether they’re going to speed upor slow down. And we can’t slowdown too much and have no placeto go, and if you’ve got a heavyload on you can’t stop.”
Despite their love for their newlifestyle, however, Mary Beth saysshe misses being able to put downroots.
“We’re always anxious to gethome, put our feet up in a loungechair with a glass of wine,” shesays. “That’s the thing – in thetruck you can’t have anything todrink, ever and they’ve taken a lotof the lounges out of truck stopsso there’s no place you can reallygo – you’d have to drive to getthere.”
They make arrangements withtheir family for when they’re com-ing home, including a week atChristmas, so they can have a fam-ily get-together.
“It’s working out pretty good,”says Mary Beth. And of coursethey can keep in touch while onthe road. “We have a Canadiancell phone and a US TracFonepay-as-you-go unit,” she says. Joealso has a netbook computer so
they can get their e-mail. “We’rereally happy with the communica-tion that we have.”
The house in Crapaud waits forthem, minded by their son and hisfiance. “They lived here the wholetime from June 08 to June 09when we were gone for the boattrip,” Joe says,“and when we cameback they moved into an apart-ment. Now we’re going to be gonepretty much all winter again andit’s more economical for them topay utilities than it is to pay rent.”
When asked if he has any re-grets, Joe Amelia says “None atall. It’s an amazing life.” Ameliabelieves that people like him aregoing to be the future of long-haultrucking. “The young guys don’twant to do it,” he says, “and eventhe guys that come over fromEngland and Germany want to behome on weekends becausethey’ve got families, which leavesguys like me. We’ll go out forthree months at a crack becausewe want to see the country.” Hepredicts there’ll be many peoplelike him when the economy picksup and companies are hiringmore.
The shrinking number of long-haul gigs does frustrate Ameliasomewhat, however. He says he’dlove to get on with a company thatruns right out to California andBritish Columbia, but “none ofthem seem to do that any more.They all seem to be regional likeCaldwell. We just go down toSouth Carolina, Alabama,Tennessee and back up throughChicago and then home,” he says.
Becoming an owner/operatorisn’t in the stars, either. “I onlywant to drive hard for anotherfive years and then I want to cutback and drive maybe only eightmonths a year,” he says. “Youcan’t do that with your own truck,but you can driving for someoneelse.”
In the meantime, part of hisarrangement with Caldwell wasthat he have a dedicated truck.“I’ll put on all the miles they canpossibly give it, but we have tohave the same truck,” he says.“Welive in it, everything we own is inthat truck.”
Amelia’s advice for anyone whowants to chuck it all and startroaming like he and Mary Beth is“Just do it, but get training. That’san absolute.”
Amelia says that when he grad-uated from his 12-week course hethought he knew everything therewas to know about driving, butthe reality was much different.
“What the school did was makeme safe to go on the road, so thatthe province was convinced I was-n’t going to kill somebody,” hesays. “But as far as knowing howto drive I didn’t have a clue. Thatcomes with time and experienceand I’ve got a lot more of that toget.” In the meantime, the threeyears he’s spent behind the wheelhas made him better, “But it takesa lot of miles under your belt.”
He doesn’t think that shouldfrighten off potential drivers,though.“You can’t be afraid of it,”he says. “You’ve just got to do it.That’s the biggest part of doingjust about anything. Once youmake up your mind you can doanything.” ■■
Continental Tire has come outwith new ultra-low profile driveand steer tires for car carriers andlarge capacity haulers requiringlow profile tires. The HSL2 EcoPlus (heavy steer long-haul) andHDL2 Eco Plus (heavy drivelong-haul) truck tires are nowavailable in size 295/60R22.5.They’re a full three inches shorterthan the 275/80R22.5 tires previ-ously available but each add 1,215lbs of extra carrying capacity, thecompany claims. For more, visitwww.continental-truck.com.
•RealWheels Corp. has expandedits line of aerodynamic wheel cov-ers, which it says improve fuel ef-ficiency and look good, too. TheAERO series now includes: theAERO-Deluxe, a polished alu-minum wheel cover that combinesshine with aerodynamics; theAERO-Custom, made from tex-tured UV-protected high-impactplastic in black or white; theAERO-Clear, a clear wheel coverthat allows for visual inspectionsat any time without wheel re-moval; and the AERO-Graphix,a way to mix brand promotionand fuel efficiency. To see the fullline, visit www.realwheels.com/aerostyle.html.
•
New ProductsNew Products
Michelin has created an online deal-er locator to help customers findtires on long-haul trips. The newNorth American locator is found atlocator.michelintruck.com. It in-cludes additional information to as-sist with trip planning, such as trafficupdates, road construction alerts,restaurants, hotels and weather.Thenew locator also shows the types ofservices available at each location.
SAF-Holland has launched a new regional Web site for the Canadian market. The new site can be found atwww.safholland.ca. The companysaid the launch is part of an ongo-ing strategy to create a global ne-towrk of regional-specific Websites. Mexico also gets its ownWeb site as part of the strategy.The Canadian site features updat-ed graphics and product imagesand has been designed aroundSAF-Holland’s regional-specificsystems, products and aftermarketcomponents for trailers, trucksand other markets, the companyannounced. The new site also of-fers improved navigation andsearch features to allow visitors toeasily locate products and partsand access in-depth service infor-mation, the company reports.
•The 27th anniversary edition ofthe Shell Rotella SuperRigs calendar is now available for order at www.Rotella.com. The2010 calendar includes many ofthe winners from this year’s eventthat took place at the Oak GrovePetro 70 in Oak Grove, Missouri.The calendar features 12 of thefinest working trucks on the high-way, including Best in Show win-ner Brad Caton’s 2007 Peterbilt379 tractor with a 2008 MacSmoothside trailer.The calendarcosts $10 plus shipping and han-dling.
•Eaton has launched a new Webfeature highlighting the compa-ny’s energy-efficient products andsolutions. The company says thenew site showcases its productsand solutions that help customersefficiently manage their powerneeds. The sustainability site canbe accessed at www.eaton.com.The ‘On the Road’ section high-lights transportation-related solu-tions.
•Fleet management softwareprovider BorgSolutions has intro-duced a Canadian version of itsBorg Fleet program it says will re-duce operating costs for Canadiantransportation companies. BorgFleet’s Canadian Edition is Web-based software-as-a-service. Visitwww.borgsolutions.com. ■■
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pg 18-19 tw feb v2 1/21/10 11:22 AM Page 19
The continuing adventures of Mark Dalton: Owner/Operatorbrought to you by
MICHELIN NORTH AMERICA (CANADA) INC.
Mark Dalton: Owner/Operator
Lost keys, found hope
FICTION Part 2
for this guy to tell him everything henever wanted to know about missingchildren.
“They do some aging of photos toshow how the person might looknow, but you’re right, she probablydoesn’t look much like that thesedays.”
“Then why keep it on your truck?”The man stepped over to where
Mark was sitting and took the seatnext to him.
Great, Mark cringed. Serves meright for asking a question and actinglike I cared.
“It’s not so much for that girl thereas it is for children who have yet togo missing.”
Mark didn’t understand and thelook on his face must have said asmuch.
“Child Find is about reducing theincidences of missing and exploitedchildren. Sure it’s great when theycan assist in locating missing childrenand reuniting them with their families,but it’s more about educating thepublic to prevent children from goingmissing in the future.”
Mark thought about that andwished there was a ‘Key Find’ pro-gram that could have prevented hiskeys from going missing.
He patted his pockets again hop-ing that his keys might have magical-ly reappeared while he’d been sittingon the bench.
They were still not in any of hispockets and he was getting both an-gry about having lost the keys andconfounded over where they mighthave gone. To top it all off, this guyjust kept talking and talking…
“It’s all about getting the messageout there,” the man said.
Mark laughed a little under hisbreath. “On the side of your truck?”
“You’d be surprised. They get callsfrom across Canada and the US,even Mexico. And they just don’t dotrucks, they’ve put the pictures on theenvelopes companies use to send outbills...”
Mark had seen those envelopesbefore, but hadn’t given them a sec-ond thought until now.
“...they’re on TV sometimes too, lo-cal cable channels mostly, and in gasstations on those screens they have atthe pumps.”
“And still children go missing?”Mark said sarcastically, shaking hishead in disbelief. He hated himselffor the way he was acting since thisguy seemed to be a nice enough fellow, but Mark just wanted to bealone in his misery and the man
The story so far:At a truck stop Mark misplaces his
keys. He retraces his steps but noluck, the keys are nowhere to befound. Just when he thinks that losinghis keys is the worst thing that couldhappen to him, he sees a Child Findposter and realizes there are alwaysworse things in life…
•Mark stared at the Child Find posteraffixed to the side of the trailer, readthe large banner that read ‘MISS-ING,’ then looked at the photos ofwhat the girl used to look like andwhat she might look like now.
Her name was Darlene and shewas last seen in Oakville, Ont. in1983, more than 25 years ago. Shewas born in 1966 which would makeher... 46 years old. Mark consideredthat, and his only thought was,‘Wow, these guys don’t give up onmissing children.’ It also made himwonder how long he might look forhis keys before he gave up andcalled in a tow truck or installed anew ignition system.
As Mark continued to stare at theposter, the driver of the rig, a white-haired ball cap-wearing man in hislate 50s or early 60s, stepped downfrom his cab and locked the door be-hind him.
His ball cap was new, but theman’s look – that of a grizzled veter-an driver who’d crossed the countrymore times than any prime minister –probably hadn’t changed in the last15 years. As the man turned towardthe restaurant, he must have noticedMark staring at the picture of the lostchild because he stopped and said,“Missing since Summer, 1983.”
“Yeah,” Mark said, gesturing tothe sign. “That’s what it says there.”He didn’t feel like talking to anyoneright now about anything, let alonemissing children. He’d much ratherbe alone so he could be miserableover his lost keys.
“That sign’s been on the side of myrig for five years now.”
“What, and they haven’t foundher?”
The man shook his head, obviouslynot put off by Mark’s tone. “Not yet...and maybe they never will, but thatpicture’ll be there as long as she’smissing.”
“Probably doesn’t look like thatanymore.” Mark was annoyed. Thelast thing he’d wanted was to get intoa conversation about Child Find, buthe’d made the mistake of sayingthings that sounded like he was inter-ested and that had opened the door
By Edo van Belkom
didn’t know when to quit.“It happens all the time. In a
province like Ontario there are justover 20,000 children reported miss-ing each year.”
That seemed a little high to Mark.“Just 20,000?”
“That’s the number reported miss-ing. A lot of those are runaways thatcome back in a few hours, or chil-dren who run from their foster orgroup homes. If you’re thinking aboutkids who actually go missing it’ssomewhere between 20 and 40every year.”
That seemed about right, Markthought. And for the first time, he wasgenuinely interested in what the manhad to say. So he asked, “How doyou know all this stuff?”
The man sighed. “My daughter di-vorced her husband some 12 yearsago,” he said. “Ten years ago her expicked up my grandson from thebabysitter and we haven’t seen theboy since.”
‘Geez,’ Mark thought. ‘So muchfor a lost set of keys.’
“But we’re hopeful,” he said. “Justlast year a girl was reunited with herparent after spending 15 years withthe other parent.”
“I hope that happens for you,”Mark said, all the anger, annoyanceand frustration he’d been feelinggone now, replaced by a sense ofcompassion for this man and his fam-ily. “Can I get one of those posters formy truck?”
“Sure, anybody can join up, onlyyour trucking company has to pay forthe posters.” He looked at Markclosely. “If you’re really interested,you can visit their Web site for details.”
“Thanks,” Mark nodded. It wouldn’twork for him because he didn’t have
his own trailer to attach a sign to. Still,he’d be more aware of the program inthe future and he’d pay more attentionwhen he was hauling a trailer with aChild Find poster on it.
“You a driver?” the man asked.“Normally,” Mark said. He ges-
tured to Mother Load parked nearby.“That’s my rig, but I seem to have lostmy keys, so unless I find them soon, Iwon’t be driving anything.”
“You check in your truck?”“Uh, I don’t have my keys,” Mark
said flatly. He’d tried to not soundcondescending, but the guy hadasked a stupid question.
“One time I thought I’d lost mykeys, even convinced myself that I’dlocked myself out of my rig, but whenI went to check the door of the truck,it was unlocked and the keys werestill inside.”
Mark smiled politely, got up off thebench and walked over to MotherLoad. He knew it would be locked,but just to placate the guy he reachedup and tried the driver’s side door.
To Mark’s surprise the dooropened. Not only that, but his keyswere still in the ignition.
Mark looked back at the man stillon the bench and laughed awkward-ly. “Huh, huh.”
The man nodded. “Don’t worry. Brain farts happen
to the best of us.” ■■
– Mark Dalton returns next month in theconclusion of Lost keys, found hope.
Did you know that there are two full-lengthnovels featuring Mark Dalton?: Mark Dalton
“SmartDriver” and Mark Dalton “Troubleload.”For your free copy register with ecoENERGY for
Fleets (Fleet Smart) at fleetsmart.gc.ca
pg 44 tn feb v3 1/19/10 9:45 AM Page 1
TRUCK WEST Page 21February 2010
By Ingrid PhaneufTORONTO, Ont. – When it comesto spec’ing trailers you’ve got itdown, right? After all, what’s socomplicated about a box onwheels? Lots. Spec’ing your trailersright is just one more, very impor-tant way to reduce operating costsand incidents and add zeros to yourbottom line.
Weighing in
Weight, of course, is a prime con-sideration, “but nowadays mostmanufacturers are within a couplehundred pounds of each other,”says Mike Hignett, equipment ac-count manager at Glasvan GreatDane. “Basically you can achieveweight savings by using thinnermaterials, but that has its disadvan-tages too, as far as the life span ofyour trailer goes. Most of our cus-tomers want their trailers to last aslong as possible – they don’t wantto have to retire a trailer after fiveto seven years because it’s so muchlighter that it wore out. There’s nopoint buying two trailers over a 20-year span when you can buy one.”
That said, technology is makingboth durability and lightness a pos-sibility.
“We’ve see new composite mate-rial for sidewalls over the last 10years, that are a lot more durablebecause there’s no use of wood,provide more space inside the vanand therefore allow carriers to loadmore material and do less damagewhen it comes to unloading,” saysHignett.
Wear and tear
Corrosion is a major considerationtrailer purchasers must take intoaccount as well.
“Corrosion, especially with thestuff they’re putting on the roads toget rid of ice now, is somethingthat’s on everyone’s minds,” saysHignett.
Special undercoatings can pro-vide some protection for what’s un-der the trailer, but the use of mixedmaterials also poses a risk, Hignettsays.
“It’s not just the stuff they put on the roads that causes corrosion,but the way metals react to eachother,” he explains. “Electrolysis(when different metals touch) is afactor. If you have dissimilar metalscontacting each other and moisturegets in, corrosion can start.”
Metals that react to each other inthis way must be insulated, Hignettsays.
“You combat it by putting an insulator between them so they’renot touching.We use a double thickmylar between dissimilar metals toprevent corrosion.”
Corrosion is also why manyclients are moving away frompainted steel components and opt-ing for galvanized or stainless in-stead, he says. Corrosion of steelcomponents can be further hin-dered by spray-on coatings, headds, pointing out any corrosion ona tractor or trailer is a major redflag for roadside inspectors.
Doors and floors deserve specialattention, Hignett adds.
“Most door manufacturers willnow use a composite panel withaluminum on the outside and alu-minum or steel on the inside in-stead of traditional wood,” he says.“That way no water is absorbed
and rust is avoided.”As for dry van floors, they are
particularly vulnerable to wear andtear whether they’re rolling downthe road or sitting in the yard.While the underside of flooring hasto endure road spray, the top sidesuffers from stress caused byweight and by the doors being leftopen when the trailer is in the yard.
Prolam, based in Quebec, manu-factures dry van floors that are spe-cially-designed to endure all threekinds of punishment, according toBenoit Risi, the company’s director general.
Zigzag joints for wood laminateflooring are used instead of hookjoints to reduce stress from weighttransfer, Risi says.
“Hook joint floors are weakerand they may need putty,” he ex-plains. “But our double knucklezigzag joints are tighter andstronger.”
Tight, strong joints are a seriousissue when you consider that thewood laminate floor of a singletrailer can have anywhere between880 to 2,000 joints, and is continual-ly being exposed to moisture andshifting weight, Risi points out.
Undercoating further prolongsthe life of trailer floors.
“We have developed a new, hot-melt polyurethane reactive (PUR)coating for the underside of floors,”says Risi, adding the polyurethanecoating lasts longer than water-based coatings. “I sold my firsttrailer with PUR four years agoand it’s still shiny underneath,” Risisays.
Another innovation is the intro-duction of top-of-floor coatings toprotect the floor near the rear ofthe trailer from snow and rain.Trailers are most often left in yardswith their doors wide open, pointsout Risi, “which means you get alot of deterioration of the last eightfeet of the floor surface.That’s whywe impregnate the last eight feetwith melted paraphen wax so thatwhen it all comes back to roomtemperature you have solid para-phen through the first 1/8” thick-ness of the surface.Water just can’tget in.”
Risi’s advice to trailer spec’ersis this: Pay attention to the qualityof the parts you pick. “There are alot of producers out there. Someare okay and some are better,”
says Risi.
Tankers: Inside and out
Of course not all trailer spec’ersare looking to buy dry vans, whichmeans there are even more consid-erations to take into account thanthose already mentioned.
For example, knowing how whatyou’re hauling will impact the in-side of your tanker is essential, saysKevin Brown, account manager forTankmart International.
“A lot of people have a misun-derstanding of what you can dowith stainless steel tanks. I’ve gottwo tanks in my yard right now be-longing to people who were con-vinced that there wasn’t any prob-lem with the product going inthem,” he says.
“For instance, it’s true that youcan haul something with sulfuricacid in stainless, but it depends onthe concentration.”
That’s why it’s important toknow exactly what you’re going tobe hauling not only before you buya tanker but every time you haul,says Brown.
LCVs: Double the trouble
LCVs not only require twice theconsideration that goes into pur-chasing a single trailer, but are alsogoverned by a whole other set ofregulations.
Of course, they’re ideal for carri-ers who want to cube out instead ofweigh out, but that doesn’t meanyou should make your decision toinvest in an LCV configurationlightly, says Dave Mizgala, chief en-gineer for Di-Mond Trailers.
Buyers first have to considerwhether to opt for an A- or B-trainconfiguration, Mizgala says. Re-gulations govern the length andweight of LCVs, so longer (an A-train) isn’t always better. “A-trainshave dollies, while B-trains havefifth wheels, and some carriers justdon’t want another dolly to worryabout,” says Mizgala.
Electrical systems on both A-and B-trains are also a considera-tion given their increased powerconsumption.
“It’s a good idea to spec’ withLEDs over incandescent lamps because it will reduce power con-sumption,” advises Mizgala.
Both trailers should be hookedup to the tractor via a separate har-ness, he adds. “Studies have shownthat if you splice another harnessinto the lead harness you can over-load the circuit at the rear (are youreading this retrofitters?) and shortout the back trailer.The splicing is-n’t illegal but it’s not a recommend-ed practice, Mizgala says.
Cost versus durability is also aconsideration, for example discbrakes may be easier to maintainand last longer, but they also cost awhole lot more up-front.
Of course, most of your buyingdecisions, when it comes to LCVs,will be dictated by the rules andregulations of the places you haul.A decent dealer should be able totell you exactly what these are, saysMizgala.
Indeed, for any trailer purchase,a knowledgeable dealer is essen-tial, industry insiders agree.
“A good OE will ask you whereyou’re going and tell you what thetype of vehicle you can work withdepending on the jurisdictions youhaul through,” says Mizgala. ■■
TrailersTrailers
Spec’ing trailers:The devil’s in the details
WEIGHT IS KEY: In LCV operations, the key is to reduce as much weight as possible without compromising longevity.
METAL KILLER: Corrosion can formwhen two dissimilar metals are incontact.
Try it online at www.trucknews.com
This month’s
CROSSWORDSOLUTION
is brought to you by
pg 21 tw feb 1/21/10 10:06 AM Page 21
February 2010Page 22 TRUCK WEST
Last year may be a distant memoryfor you – and given the state of theeconomy, why not? – but there’sstill a chance to minimize your 2009personal income tax bill. Here aresix opportunities you shouldn’toverlook:
100% CCA for computers
When you buy property or equip-ment for your business,you deduct acalculated portion over a period ofyears as it depreciates or becomesobsolete.This is called Capital CostAllowance (CCA).
Last year, Canada RevenueAgency (CRA) changed the CCArate for computers and system soft-ware (Class 52) to 100%.
This applies to eligible new com-puters and software used in Canadaand acquired after Jan.27,2009,andbefore February 2011.
There is no half-year rule likemost CCA classes so you can ex-pense the purchase in the first year.
Home Renovation Tax Credit
The chance to make this credit partof an overall tax plan is over – theHRTC ends on Feb. 1. But if youhad home renovation expenses be-tween Jan. 27, 2009, and Feb. 1,2010, you may be eligible for a 15%income tax credit.The credit appliesto certain expenditures exceeding$1,000 but not more than $10,000.The result is up to $1,350 [($10,000- $1,000) x 15%] of tax relief.
As with any new tax credit, it’simportant to understand how to re-port and back up your claim. Here
are two things to remember:• Your federal return will have a
new schedule for you to list renova-tion expenses and calculate yourclaim. Don’t submit receipts or doc-uments with your return, but dokeep them in case the CRA asks tosee them.
• An expense isn’t valid withoutdocumentation.Agreements, invoic-es, and receipts must clearly showthe type and quantity of goods pur-chased or services rendered and in-formation about the contractor orvendor, including name, address,and, if applicable, his GST/HSTnumber; the purchase date; a de-scription of the work including theaddress where the work was per-formed; and the amount paid.
I’d hate to be a contractor inApril when every other phone call isa request for paperwork. Get organ-ized now.
First-time Home Buyers Tax Credit
You can claim the HBTC if youbought a home after Jan. 27, 2009(this generally means the closing isafter this date). To calculate thecredit, multiply $5,000 by the lowestpersonal income tax rate for theyear (15% in 2009). For 2009, the
credit will be $750.To qualify, neither you nor your
spouse or common-law partner canhave owned and lived in anotherhome either in 2009 or any of thefour preceding years.The claim canbe split between you and yourspouse or common-law partner, butthe total combined credit cannotexceed $750.
Home Buyers Plan
Effective Jan. 27, 2009, first-timehomebuyers can withdraw up to$25,000 from their RRSP to buy orbuild a home for themselves or a rel-ative with a disability. If you’rebuying the home with your spouseor common-law partner,or with oth-er individuals, each person canwithdraw up to $25,000 from theirRRSP. You have to repay theamount starting no later that the sec-ond year following the year youwithdrew it (ie. if you take out mon-ey in 2010, your first repaymentwould be due in 2012).
CRA will send a statement eachyear showing the total HBP with-drawals, the amount you’ve repaidto date, your HBP balance, and theamount you must repay the follow-ing year. Generally, you pay 1/15 ofthe total withdrawal amount eachyear so it’s completely repaid in 15 years. If you don’t repay the re-quired amount,you must include thedifference as RRSP income on yourreturn.
Working Income Tax Benefit
This refundable tax credit provides
tax relief to working low-income in-dividuals and families.
Two-thousand-and-nine was thefirst time that taxpayers could getquarterly advance payments. If youdid, show this on your tax return.Also consider whether you will qual-ify for 2010 and apply for advancepayments during 2010.
HST transition
On July 1, Ontario and B.C. will re-place their provincial sales tax witha harmonized sales tax. Ontario hasannounced a program to help tax-payers with the transition (we’restill waiting on B.C.): Families withan annual household income below$160,000 will receive three paymentstotaling $1,000.Individuals with an annual incomebelow $80,000 will receive threepayments totaling $300. Thesetransition payments will be deliv-ered to eligible Ontario tax filersaged 18 and over in June 2010,December 2010 and June 2011.
I’ll be following all announce-ments about the HST conversionand will talk about its effects onyour business here in the comingmonths. In the meantime, get your2009 income tax return together. Ifyou’re in Ontario, you must file itin order to qualify for those transi-tion payments. ■■
– Scott Taylor is vice-president of TFS Group, a Waterloo, Ont.company that provides accounting,fuel tax reporting,and other businessservices for truck fleets andowner/operators. For info, visitwww.tfsgroup.com or call 800-461-5970.
Tax TalkTax Talk
It’s 2010, but you can still cut your 09 tax billTaxTalkScottTaylor
OpinionOpinion
By now, most of you have heardabout Comprehensive SafetyAnalysis 2010, aka CSA 2010, thenew safety enforcement and compli-ance measuring system about to rollout south of the border. It’s a sea-change in the way the US DoTtracks enforcement data, and thenuses the information to rate andmeasure carrier and driver perform-ance. The new initiative will putadded pressure on both drivers andcarriers to comply,and it really raisesthe stakes and the cost of non-com-pliance.The bad guys will hate it; thegood guys should be quite happythat there’s finally a fair way to sepa-rate the two.
At this stage, I’m prepared to givethe program a passing grade, be-cause I like the idea of sanctioningunderperforming carriers and driv-ers. In a free market, operators whodo everything right are up againstthose who cut corners, bend andtwist the rules, and use other nastypractices to get the business. If wecan put an end to that behaviour, Ibelieve we’ll be better for it, andstronger in the long run. But howwell the new system really works re-mains to be seen.And,make no mis-take, I do have some reservationsabout CSA 2010.
It’s all about on-road perform-ance,and enforcement officials havespent many months applying a rat-ing system to various types of viola-tions and driver behaviour, all basedon their propensity for causing
heavy truck crashes.The higher a violation or defect is
on a scale of its likelihood to causeor contribute to a wreck, the morepoints it carries.
Since drivers and carriers are rat-ed based on accumulated points(weighted against fleet size andmileage), you won’t want to fail aroadside inspection or be subject toany traffic enforcement activity.
There are seven evaluation cate-gories called BASICs (BehaviouralAnalysis and Safety ImprovementCategories): unsafe driving; fatigueddriving; driver fitness; controlledsubstances and alcohol; vehiclemaintenance; cargo-related; andcrash indicators. The two that con-cern me most are vehicle mainte-nance and cargo-related.The othersdemand some personal accountabil-ity,and I figure you’re all big enoughto take responsibility for your ac-tions there.
Because CSA 2010 tracks driverperformance, and builds a compli-ance record that fleets will have ac-cess to, it will be very easy to weedout bad or non-compliant drivers.But if you work for a fleet with poormaintenance practices, for example,
CSA 2010: Learn the rulesVoice of the O/O
JoanneRitchie
you could be accumulating pointsfor equipment defects that are es-sentially beyond your control – ex-cept a refusal to go, which comeswith its own immediate penalties.
The Safety Measurement System(SMS) Methodology – the violationweighting table – indicates that baldor underinflated tires are worththree points, for example.
Missing or defective suspension orsteering components carry sevenpoints. Brakes out of adjustment areworth four points, and there aremany, many more defects on the list.Shoddy equipment could cost driv-ers big time. Almost all cargo se-curement violations are worth thefull 10 points, which is huge, consid-ering how easy it is to get into trou-ble on this one. There are just toomany differences in the way our so-called North American HarmonizedCargo Securement regulations areinterpreted and enforced.That’s notgood enough, and it worries me.
The principle of an enforcementprogram like CSA 2010 is that alldrivers and carriers in a peer groupare treated equally, so the violationthresholds become meaningful com-parisons. Now, more than ever, it’sessential that our governments stopto-ing and fro-ing and get to workharmonizing more of our commonregulations. Cargo securement andHoS come immediately to mind.
Interestingly, the most commonreason Canadian drivers are putOOS in the US is a violation of theAmerican 14-hour daily workinglimit. That data comes from a sum-mary of NAFTA enforcement statis-
tics archived on the FMCSA Website.The summary shows that 29.1%of Canadian drivers put out-of-serv-ice at roadside are in violation of the14-hour rule, compared to just15.5% of US drivers. I’m only spec-ulating here, but could it be that weoccasionally confuse the US 14-hourrule and our 16-hour rule? That vio-lation, by the way, is worth sevenpoints, so it’s a significant mistake.
On the vehicle inspection front,our new requirements allow the ve-hicle to be operated with certain“minor defects” as noted on the ve-hicle inspection paperwork.
The US currently requires fullcompliance with vehicle conditionregs, so there’s no allowance for mi-nor defects or violations. I haven’thad a chance to compare the lists,but considering the comprehensivenature of the new 64-page SMS vio-lation weighting table, there arebound to be conflicts in there.
CSA 2010 could work well fortrucking’s serious players,and it mayfinally rid us of the bad actors. I real-ly hope, though, that good – but un-informed – drivers aren’t caught upin the net too.
Drivers will need to know therules, and take steps to ensure theyare compliant. Get up to speed onthis quickly, assume nothing when it comes to compliance, and don’t accept ‘no’ for an answer when itcomes to vehicle maintenance. ■■
– Joanne Ritchie is executive director of OBAC. E-mail her [email protected] or call toll free 888-794-9990.
pg 22 tw feb 1/21/10 10:26 AM Page 22
TRUCK WEST Page 23February 2010
The Alberta ConstructionTrucking Association (ACTA) iscurrently conducting meetingsaround the province of Alberta,asking our members and the con-struction industry to complete ourannual survey.
This survey is intended to docu-ment your concerns and gather in-put regarding rates, working con-ditions, equipment you own andoperate, and to prioritize the mostimportant issues you face.
The preliminary results have re-vealed the following, as it relatesto the Alberta construction truck-ing industry specifically:
Rates
The number one issue with re-spondents is the decline in marketrates. There has been a reductionin rates across the province from10-30%, depending on the region.
Alberta is the leader in Canadafor the free market enterprise sys-tem. This means truckers any-where in Canada or the US cancome to work in Alberta with lim-ited restrictions, whether there isa need for them or not.
This creates a unique problemfor Alberta truckers when there isan economic downturn or anoversupply of trucks and lack ofwork, as there has been since2008.
Part of our annual survey asksthem to document what rates theycharge for all the configurationsof trucks and equipment they op-erate. We then tally the resultsacross the province and publishthe results. We then make the re-sults available to truckers, con-tractors and producers so theyhave a good understanding of thetrue market rate per configura-tion across Alberta.The survey in-cludes surcharges and other ap-propriate charges.
We can’t fix the rates – that’s illegal. But we can work togetherto develop strategies to stabilizethe declining rates across theprovince.
When the ACTA holds a meet-ing in your town or city, pleasecome and fill out our annual survey and tell us about your concerns and ideas.
Working conditions
Another major concern in the in-dustry is the erosion of workingconditions. This factor has signifi-cantly increased in the past year,mainly as a result of the oversup-ply of trucks and equipment.
Contracts used to be awardedbased on a company’s level of experience, professionalism andability to get the job done proper-ly. Now, the jobs are awardedbased on how low will you go?
We are meeting around theprovince to get our industry to un-derstand how important it is forus to work together to solve thisproblem. Training and educationand working together will be thestrategies to resolve this problem.
Erosion of rights and freedoms
Over the past few years, we haveseen a steady erosion of our rightsand freedoms. Non-trucking spe-cial interest groups have lobbied
government on issues without un-derstanding the impact of theirrecommendations.Where the tiresmeet the road, they often have anegative effect on safety.
Some examples of this includelegislation on speed limiters,EOBRs, Hours-of-Service, just toname a few. We now have a speedlimiter law in Ontario andQuebec with a strong lobby tohave it legislated North America-wide.
Living in a democracy, youwould think you live in a freecountry where you are not forcedto do things against your will. Notthe case in Ontario or Quebec. Ifyou operate in these provinces,you are forced to have a speedlimiter.
We know speed limiters are notabout controlling speed, butrather controlling the truck ownerand driver and forcing them tocomply regardless of their level ofexperience, competency or safety.
The use of speed limiters causesfrustration, road rage, traffic con-gestion, impedes the flow of traf-fic and just one more reason forDoT officers to hold up the pro-fessional owner and driver.
If you have spec’d your truck tooperate in the fuel sweet zone pri-or to the speed limiter legislationto achieve maximum fuel econo-my, now your truck will operateoutside the fuel sweet zone. How’sthat for the fuel economy and en-vironment footprint?
OOIDA and OBAC say it best:“My speed limiter sits in the dri-ver’s seat!” There is increasingpressure to have speed limiter legislation in western Canada and the US. I am proud to reportthat we in Alberta have aTransportation Minister who un-derstands this situation and does-n’t support speed limiter legisla-tion in this province.
EOBRs
There is also increasing pressureNorth America-wide to have elec-tronic on-board recorders mademandatory. I have yet to find oneperson in our industry that sup-ports the mandatory use of thesedevices. Most professional ownersand drivers don’t feel they shouldbe legislated, especially if theyhave a clean driving CVOR, nologbook violations and a goodsafety record.
In fact, most professional own-ers and drivers resent the fact thatthey feel their trust has been vio-lated if they are forced to haveEOBRs in their trucks.
They feel they are unnecessaryand an intrusion of their rightsand freedoms.
Hours-of-Service
Hours-of-Service legislation is anongoing issue in Canada and theUS. There is no uniformity of the
legislation in Canada and thecourts in the US have had a fieldday with this legislation becauseof the non-trucking lobbyists.
They say these legislativechanges are for our own good andwill make the roads safer. In fact,the contrary is true – they havemade the roads less safe by driv-ing many professional owners anddrivers out of the industry NorthAmerica-wide.
Lack of ethics and standards
Over the past 10 years or so, therehas been a significant lack ofethics and standards in our indus-try.The lack of training, educationand decline in the market ratesand the loss of professional own-ers and drivers in our industry hasbeen the major cause for the lackof ethics and standards in our in-dustry.
ACTA has developed a code ofethics and standards for our mem-bers to follow. We hope to con-vince the majority of our industryto adopt these ethics and stan-dards.
If we are successful, this willraise the market rate, improvesafety, improve working condi-tions, and enhance the trainingand education of our industry.
Fuel prices
We have been fortunate that fuelprices have stabilized over thepast year, but there are signs thatfuel prices are starting to rise. Weknow how volatile fuel prices canbe and you know prices will rise.
There are other factors loomingthat will increase the volatility offuel prices, such as refinery up-grades, hurricanes in the southernUS, carbon cap-and-trade, andsupply and demand, to name a few.
The Alberta construction truck-ing industry does not utilize fuelsurcharges well. We have beenlucky we have not been bit as a re-sult. This is dangerous, to say theleast.
This industry has traditionallyabsorbed increases in fuel pricesthrough annual rate increases, butthis won’t work much longer be-cause it is increasingly difficult toget rate increases and they surelywon’t cover the fuel increases inthe future. Therefore, fuel sur-charges will be a fact of life.
ACTA has developed an ac-ceptable fuel surcharge formulawe are hoping our industry willwork with to ensure there is nocompetitive disadvantage and weare protected from future fuel
price spikes.
Lack of training and education
There has been a serious lack oftraining and education in our in-dustry over the last 10 years or so.Most of the training and educationof our industry was done by indus-try veterans, but over the past 10years, the majority of those profes-sionals have left the industry.
Unfortunately, many drivingschools haven’t a clue as to whatmakes a professional constructionowner or driver and the skills andtraining he needs to do the jobprofessionally.
Some driving schools are nowturning out drivers to drive Super-Bs across the Rocky Mountains ina week or less. ACTA has devel-oped training models to educateand train our new drivers so theycan learn what it takes to be a pro-fessional owner and driver.
Road construction
Our members are concernedabout construction zone speedlimits being left in effect whenthere is no one working in theconstruction zone. They don't feelthe reduced speed limits or laneclosures should apply when thereis no one working in the construc-tion zone.
Restricted truck routes and parking
There is a significant increase inthe lobby of non-trucking inter-ests to restrict truck routes andtruck parking. Carpool lanes andother pending anti-truck legisla-tion is increasing at an alarmingrate. ACTA is actively opposingthis legislation.
These are some of the many issueswe will be working on in 2010.When you see a truck displaying alicence plate with the ACTA logo,you will know that it’s driven by aprofessional owner or driver. Ifyou own or operate a truck, youshould belong to at least one ofthe reputable trucking associa-tions. If you own or operate atruck or trucks and you don’t be-long to any one of the reputableassociations, then you are part ofthe problem – not the solution. ■■
OpinionOpinion
– Ron Singer is owner of RonSinger Truck Lines and presidentof the Alberta ConstructionTrucking Association. He can bereached at 403-244-4487 or by e-mail at [email protected]. ACTA’sWeb site is www.myacta.ca.
Constructive Dialogue
Ron Singer
There are many issues for construction truckers to deal with in 2010
MUCH TO BE DONE: Construction truckers have many concerns in 2010.
pg 23 tw feb v2 1/21/10 11:26 AM Page 23
February 2010Page 24 TRUCK WEST
Funding available for hybrid shunt truckMISSISSAUGA, Ont. – GlasvanGreat Dane has announced theCapacity PHETT hybrid shunt trucknow qualifies for funding underOntario’s Green Commercial VehicleProgram.Capacity PHETT purchaserscan now receive a rebate for up to$15,000 towards the purchase of thehybrid terminal tractor, however theymust place their order by March 1,2010 and take delivery by Sept. 1, 2010to qualify. Capacity officials have toldTruck News that the PHETT reducesfuel consumption by 50-60% com-pared to traditional shunt trucks, often resulting in a payback of 3.5 yearseven without government incentives.
Glasvan Great Dane recently showed confidence in the technology,purchasing the very first PHETT in Canada which will be placed in itsown busy trailer shunting operation.
For more info on the Green Commercial Vehicle Program, call 416-585-7278 or you can contact a Glasvan account manager at 888-GLAS-VAN or e-mail [email protected]. Glasvan Great Dane offi-cials also pointed out the Capacity PHETT may qualify for other fundingprograms as well, including Natural Resources Canada’s ecoFREIGHTTechnology Incentives Program and an RST rebate for vehicles poweredby alternative fuels. ■■
TORONTO, Ont. – Arrow TruckSales has named Canadian sales-person Vikas Gupta its top NorthAmerican retail sales associate.
Gupta earned the recognitionby selling more than 200 trucksbetween Dec. 1, 2008 and Nov. 30,2009, the company announced.
He has been named to Arrow’sexclusive President’s Club. Guptahas won the award five out of sixyears since its inception.
“Vikas is a consummate profes-sional,” said Adam Davy, Arrow’sToronto branch manager. “Hiscomplete dedication to our indus-try and customers, as well as hisdesire to improve and learn some-thing new every day is truly in-spiring. He’s definitely raised thebar for our entire sales team.”
Gupta says he has achieved suc-cess by adhering to the three prin-ciples of: preparation, presenta-tion and professionalism.
“I approach each day as if itwere a road map,” said Gupta.
“I carefully plan out my day andimplement strategies that willhelp my customers find trucks andother equipment that meet theirbusiness objectives. I’m not hereto just sell them a truck, I’m hereto help them become more prof-itable – be it working with anowner/operator or fleet.”
The salesman takes pride inknowing nearly 75% of his salesare to repeat customers or cus-tomer referrals. Gupta hasworked for Arrow Truck Sales forsix years.
He has a computer engineeringbackground and is licensed in res-idential and commercial real es-tate. Last year, Gupta travelled tothe Middle East with Arrow TruckSales Canada vice-presidentFrank Oliveira to explore exportopportunities.
“Vikas is also helping us devel-op business in and aroundVancouver,” added Oliveira.“There is a fairly large EastIndian population in theVancouver area and he has beeninstrumental in helping us reachout to this important customerbase.”
Gupta attributes much of hissuccess to time management and acompetitive spirit.
“These are the things that driveme to improve sales strategies andlearn as much as I can about ourproduct,” he said. “In the world ofsales, the learning process neverreally ends – and you must alwaysrespect your customer.” ■■
Navistar offers to buy back spare partsWARRENVILLE, Ill. – Navistar is offering to buy back new, unusedparts from fleets wishing to return them in exchange for cash or credit to-wards future purchases.
Under the Customer Parts Recovery (CPR) program, fleets can returnparts that otherwise may have been disposed of. Unused inventory, over-stocks and obsolete parts qualify for the program, which will be offeredthrough Canadian and US International dealers.
Navistar says customers will initially receive 25% of the value of theproducts they return towards the future purchase of parts.As part of thedeal, customers must agree to purchase a predetermined amount of partsover a specified period of time. Once the quantity specified in the agree-ment is purchased, the customer receives the full credit amount for theirreturn.
“CPR goes beyond a loyalty program and becomes a way that our cus-tomers can secure real working capital from unused outdated parts,” saidMichael Cancelliere, senior vice-president and general manager forNavistar Parts in North America. “If someone turns in $10,000 worth ofparts that have just been gathering dust, we take them and immediatelygive them $2,500 in cash or credit towards their parts purchases.They canget the full value of those parts back by fulfilling program purchase com-mitments.”
“A lot of our customers are looking for ways to improve their bottomline,” added Joe Coconate, outside parts sales representative, ChicagoInternational. “With CPR, parts that haven’t been used for years can beconverted to real money for our customers.” ■■
OEM/Dealer NewsOEM/Dealer News
Canadian sales rep wins North Americanaward from Arrow Truck Sales
SAN RAMON, Cal. – Chevronhas announced its Delo line of en-gine oils, lubricants and coolantsare well-tested and fully-compli-ant with EPA2010 engines.
The company says it has beentesting its products in nearly 24Volvo D12C engines using dieselparticulate filters (DPF) and se-lective catalytic reduction (SCR)
aftertreatment systems since2000, without any problems.
Chevron says its Delo 400 LESAE15W-40 demonstated excel-lent durability, reliability and re-duced production of incom-bustible materials within the DPF.In many cases, engines haveracked up between 130,000 and190,000 miles in testing while us-ing Delo engine oil and with drainintervals of 30,000-40,000 miles,Delo 400 LE 15W-40 still resultedin excellent engine durability andlow levels of wear, Chevron an-nounced.
Chevron also found its CJ-4product resulted in less incom-bustibles in the DPF than its APICI-4 Plus oil of the same grade,which should extend DPF clean-ing intervals and potentially im-prove fuel economy due to a re-duction in backpressure on theexhaust.
“To assure our customers havelubricants they can rely on to runtheir businesses and protect theirinvestments, we conduct extensivefield and laboratory tests,” saidJim McGeehan, global manager,diesel engine oil technology withChevron Global Lubricants. “Inpreparation for 2010, we havetested for nearly a decade. Ourcustomers can rest assured thatour Delo 400 LE 15W-40 will pro-vide the protection needed in2010 and pre-2010 engine tech-nologies.” ■■
Chevron concludes decade of testing
GUPTA
growth of about 30% in both 2010and 2011.
“There are still a number of hur-dles to clear in the coming quarters,including continued excess truck-ing sector capacity, a soft usedtruck market, tight credit, andweak freight rates,” said KennyVieth, partner and senior analystwith ACT Research.“However, thefleet is aging and truckers are in-creasingly making comments aboutthe condition of their fleets. Whenthe freight market regains solidfooting, the recovery in commercialvehicle demand promises to be ver-tical.” ■■
COLUMBUS, Ind. – ACTResearch has forecast that com-mercial vehicle demand will growmodestly in 2010 and then experi-ence “significant growth” in 2011.
The projections were revealed inthe latest ACT North AmericanCommercial Vehicle Outlook. Thereport indicates 2009 commercialvehicle production has reached thelowest level since 1991.
Class 8 vehicle production is ex-pected to grow 22% in 2010, butwill remain below vehicle replace-ment levels. Class 8 production willsurge an additional 69% in 2011,ACT predicts.
Medium-duty production is ex-pected to experience year-to-year
Strong commercial vehicle rebound in 2011?
EDMONTON, Alta. – Canadiansuspension manufacturer RaydanManufacturing reported a $1.5 mil-lion net loss for the second quarter,but management says it has reasonfor optimism.
The company’s Ontario ServiceShop has returned to full operationfollowing a fire in June, it has be-gun shipping trailer suspensions forthe US Marine Tactical VehicleReplacement Trailer Project and itrecently increased capacity for twinsteer work at its Ontario facility.
Still, Raydan says its financialperformance is hindered by thesluggish Canadian economy andtroubled world economic situation.Revenue was down 48% in the sec-ond quarter compared to the sameperiod last year. Raydan says it’ssuffering from low demand formanufactured product, low marginsales for chassis modifications andthe overall decline of the Class 8truck market. Raydan has securednew financing, easing stress on cashflow and enabling it to grow its UStrailer suspension project, the com-pany reported. ■■
Raydan posts$1.5M loss, butremains bullish
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TRUCK WEST Page 25February 2010
COLUMBUS, Ind. – The race is on.In mid-January, the US Departmentof Energy wrote the cheques and is-sued the ambitious challenge toOEMs: Develop a Class 8SuperTruck that will deliver 50%better fuel efficiency. US EnergySecretary Dr. Steven Chu an-nounced the project and doled outthe funding awards at Cummins’Columbus Technical Center Jan. 11.In all, US$187 million was awarded,much of it earmarked for develop-ment of fuel-efficient Class 8 tractor-trailers. More than US$115 millionwas dedicated to developing a Class8 SuperTruck, which will optimizeaerodynamics, idle-reduction tech-nologies, waste heat recovery,hybridization and advanced com-bustion techniques, the DoE an-nounced. Receiving funding for theheavy-duty project were: Cummins,US$38.8 million; Daimler TrucksNorth America (DTNA), US$39.6million; and Navistar, US$37.3 million.
Cummins said it will use its por-tion to develop and demonstrate ahighly efficient and clean diesel en-gine, an advanced waste heat recov-ery system and will work withPeterbilt to develop an aerodynamictractor/trailer combination as well asa fuel cell APU.
“Cummins has long enjoyed a col-laborative partnership with theDOE. These R&D programs havehelped us develop the best productsfor our customers and the environ-
ment,” said Cummins president andchief operating officer TomLinebarger.
DTNA and Detroit Diesel willuse their cash to develop anddemonstrate technologies such as:engine downsizing; electrification ofauxiliary systems such as oil and wa-ter pumps; waste heat recovery; im-proved aerodynamics; and hy-bridization.
“This funding enables us to signif-icantly accelerate our research anddevelopment of advanced technolo-gies. It will strengthen our ability to bring ever more efficient productsto the market,” said ElmarBoeckenhoff, senior vice-president,engineering and technology forDTNA.“This forward-thinking pro-gram is a technology partnershipthat will help us to quickly and fullyexplore the ‘stretch’ technologiesthat can lead to the next level ofproduct innovation.”
Navistar, meanwhile, will use itsfunding to: develop and demon-strate technologies to improve aero-dynamics, combustion efficiency,waste heat recovery, hybridization,idle reduction and reduced rollingresistance.
“Navistar is proud of its fuel effi-ciency leadership and we’re delight-ed to work with the DOE on a proj-ect that will improve truck andtrailer aerodynamics and reduce ournation’s dependence on foreign oil,”said Dee Kapur, president, NavistarTruck Group. ■■
The SuperTruck race is on Cummins enginesreceive EPAcertificationCOLUMBUS, Ind. – Cumminshas been given the EPA nod ofapproval for its heavy-duty andmid-range engines with selectivecatalytic reduction (SCR).
The ISX15, ISB6.7, ISC8.3 andISL9 engines have all been certi-fied by the EPA, Cummins hasannounced.
EPA2010 engines call for thenear elimination of NOx emis-sions.
“Receiving the formal certifi-cates is an important step in theprocess as we enter 2010 withcustomer-ready products,” saidJim Kelly, president, CumminsEngine Business.
“This confirms that customerscan be confident in the technolo-gy choice we’ve made to meetthe new, more stringent emis-sions standards.”
Cummins claims its heavy-duty customers will achieve fuelsavings of at least 5% whenmoving to the EPA2010 engineswith SCR.
Mid-range engines are ex-pected to boast up to 3% betterfuel mileage than today’s offer-ings.
Later this year, Cummins willbe introducing its much-antici-pated new ISX11.9. ■■
Medium-dutyPetes come withnew aero optionsDENTON, Texas – Peterbilt saysnew fuel-efficiency options for itsModel 348 allow it to achieve 12%better fuel mileage than the sametruck without the options.
The Peterbilt Model 348 isaimed at a wide range of specialtyvocations.
New options include propri-etary roof fariings and aerody-namic mirrors which together di-rect airflow up, over and aroundthe cab, the company claims.Packaged together, Peterbilt saysthe options result in a 12% de-crease in fuel consumption.
“Through extensive aerody-namic evaluation, Peterbilt engi-neers have designed proprietaryoptions to increase the fuel effi-ciency for the new Model 348,”says Landon Sproull, Peterbilt’schief engineer.
“Peterbilt’s new aerodynamicoptions will increase fuel efficien-cy and can add up to $5,000 sav-ings to a typical Model 348 cus-tomers’ bottom line.”
The new options are also avail-able for the Model 337, Peterbiltannounced.
Both the Models 348 and 337are also available in hybrid-elec-tric configurations for evengreater fuel savings, according tothe company. ■■
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February 2010Page 26 TRUCK WEST
By James MenziesSARNIA, Ont. – As the firsttrucks equipped with selectivecatalytic reduction (SCR) systemshit the highway, a company with astrong Canadian connection issetting the stage to become a ma-jor supplier of the fluid that willhelp keep these trucks running.
At its sprawling manufacturingfacility near Sarnia, TerraEnvironmental Technologies is al-ready producing vast quantities ofits TerraCair diesel exhaust fluid(DEF) which is now arriving ontruck stop shelves in containers ofvarious sizes.
What makes Terra unique isthat it claims to be the only DEFsupplier that manufactures thefluid and then manages the entiresupply chain, providing a com-plete “well-to-tank chain of cus-tody,” Barry Lonsdale, presidentof Terra Environmental Tech-nologies told Truck West during arecent visit to the plant.
“We warranty our product fromthe gas well to the tank of the ve-hicle,” Lonsdale explained. “Wehave dedicated tankers to handlethis stuff, we have over 5,000 railcars in our rail fleet and that’s go-ing to expand dramatically, andwe’re developing a terminal net-work across North America.”
The company says most otherDEF suppliers source the fluidfrom a urea producer, dilute it andthen label it as their own – butthat raises concerns about the in-tegrity of the product.
When choosing a DEF supplier,Lonsdale said fleets should de-mand to see a Certificate ofAnalysis and ask some questionsof their supplier.
“If their supplier can’t walkthem through where they’re buy-ing it, how they’re certifying it andhow they’re managing it, thenthey probably want to be careful,”Lonsdale warned.
“We don’t want to create a situ-ation where everybody is runningaround panicking and saying thiscan’t be done. It can be done, andit can be done very cost-competi-tively. But the consumer needs torecognize and understand that allthe links in that supply chain arethe fluid that they buy.”
DEF is a tightly-managed ureaspecification.
Simply put, DEF is urea that’sbeen diluted to 32.5% with dem-ineralized water.
However, the API specificationis extremely stringent, not unlikea pharmaceutical grade product,pointed out Terra’s director ofmarketing, John Lounsbury.
“You can’t have any impuritiesthat either clog the filters or laydown on the catalyst,” he ex-plained.
“If you’re not buying that highspec’, you’re likely going to chal-lenge your SCR system.”
OEMs are reportedly anxious
about the harm low-grade DEFcan wreak on their costly af-tertreatment systems.
Inferior DEF can foul injectorsand clog filters within the SCRsystem, rendering it ineffective,taking the vehicle out of compli-ance with EPA2010 tailpipe re-quirements and resulting in down-time.
“The licensing of (OEM) tech-nology is based on them hittingcertain tailpipe numbers and the(DEF) spec’ is an integral part ofthat design,” Lonsdale pointedout. “The failure of the product tomeet that spec’ puts their whole(EPA) licence at risk.”
The API’s ISO 22241 specifica-
tion sets the standard for DEFquality. However, Terra has foundthat even the stringent ISO speci-fication allows for certain impuri-ties such as formaldehyde, whichTerra says can interfere with hy-drolosis and cause thermal de-composition.
“Every OEM we talk to doesn’twant it in there,” Lonsdale said offormaldehyde. “We made a veryclear decision about five years agoto eliminate formaldehyde be-cause we were seeing issues in hy-drolosis in our stationary busi-ness.”
(It’s a little known fact thatmassive stationary SCR systemshave been used to purify smoke-stack emissions at big factories foryears now). Another issue regard-ing DEF concerns the fluid’s han-dling by end-users.
Terra’s Lounsbury said thecompany has seen product hittingstore shelves without a means toget the fluid into the vehicle’sDEF tank without the potentialfor contamination.
It seems as much thought went
into the packaging of TerraCair asin the development of the fluid it-self. All containers come with a
single-use dispenser that’s clever-ly concealed behind the jug’s plas-tic wrapping.
“We don’t want people usingfunnels,” stressed Lounsbury.
“You can’t have a bottle outthere without a means of getting it
from the bottle into the tank,”added Lonsdale.
TerraCair comes in containersthat are vented to allow for easierfill-ups.
Lounsbury said the company’s2.5-gallon jug empties in just 26seconds while an unvented con-tainer of the same size (weighingas much as 25 lbs when full) takes2.5 minutes to pour.
TerraCair is available in a widevariety of sizes ranging from one-and 2.5-gallon jugs at truck stopsup to bulk quantities for fleets.The company has partnered withBrenntag to provide dispensingequipment for retailers and fleets.Lonsdale said the company aimsto offer the right solution for cus-tomers of all sizes.
“This process has to be flexiblebecause every customer is goingto have slightly different needs,”Lonsdale reasoned.
“Our program is designed toprovide customers with the mix ofproducts, mix of equipment andthe financing around all that tomeet their needs as they invest intheir fleets.”
While Lonsdale said he under-stands customers will select aDEF supplier based partly onprice, he urged them to look be-yond the price tag.
“Clearly, a cost component isthere,” he said. “But they need tounderstand the supply chain itself;where is this product coming fromand how is it managed?”
Lounsbury warned that “thereare a lot of people today that areviewing this as an opportunisticbusiness to be in,” and may nothave the quality control measuresin place.
And as for price, Terra remainsconfident it can supply the indus-try today with DEF that costsroughly the same as diesel fuel.Economies of scale will likelybring price down further as moreEPA2010-compliant trucks hit theroad.
As demand for DEF increases,Lonsdale said Terra is confident inits ability to ramp up capacity,noting the company is investing$200-$300 million into its manu-facturing facilities “to ensure wehave the capacity available to sup-ply this product over time.” ■■
New ProductsNew Products
A new year, a new fluid
PERFECT PACKAGING?: TerraCairDEF comes in packaging that includes a plastic nozzle to ensure theproduct is not compromised when it’spoured into the truck’s DEF tank.
Terra Environmental is ramping up production ofdiesel exhaust fluid at its Canadian plant as
trucks with SCR come on-stream
COMPLETE CONTROL: DEF produced at Terra’s plant near Sarnia leavesaboard the company’s own tankers and rail cars to ensure it remains on spec’.
Worried about freezing?One of the biggest concerns voiced by customers in the lead-up toEPA2010 is the propensity of diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) to freeze at -11 C.While OEMs and DEF suppliers say it’s a non-issue (the fluid is freeze-thaw stable, and besides, DEF tanks are heated), it remains a point of con-cern for many operators – especially here in Canada. However, TerraEnvironmental Technologies has quietly been working on a solution thatwill be resistant to freezing at temperatures as low as -30 C.
In September 2008, Terra struck a licensing agreement with KemiraOyj of Finland, obtaining North American licensing rights to Kemira’spatented Denoxium technology which includes ammonium formate.Among its advantages, Denoxium allows DEF to operate better at lowtemperatures and remain in liquid form in temperatures as low as -30 C,according to Terra. The company plans to roll it out in North America asTerraCair Plus, once it has been approved for use by the EPA and the var-ious OEMs. The product is currently undergoing testing with variousOEMs, the company confirmed to Truck News. ■■
‘The consumer needs to recognize and understand that all the links in that supply
chain are the fluid that they buy.’Barry Lonsdale, Terra Environmental Technologies
pg 26-27 tw feb 1/21/10 10:40 AM Page 26
TRUCK WEST Page 27February 2010
By James MenziesTORONTO, Ont. – It seems unthinkable that a commercialdriver with a suspended licencewould get behind the wheel of atractor-trailer and deliver a load.However, the reality is that it’seasier than ever to have your licence revoked and statisticsshow many suspended driverscontinue to drive.
In Ontario, falling behind onchild support payments is enoughto get your driving privileges re-voked and three-day suspensionsare now handed out to driverscaught with a blood alcohol levelof 0.05 to 0.08%.
Of concern to fleets is that atthe same time growing numbersof drivers are having their licencessuspended, trucking companiesare facing ever-increasing vicari-ous liability exposure. Relativelynew laws such as Bill C-45 (nowsection 217.1 of the CanadianCriminal Code) mean a truckingcompany’s managers and ownerscan be held personally liable –even jailed – if they allow an un-qualified driver to operate theirvehicles.
To that end, the Ontario SafetyLeague (OSL) and its provincialcounterparts across Canada, arenow offering a driver’s licenceverification program dubbed Pro-Active Driver Check.
For the first time, a technologycompany has obtained real-timeaccess to every provincial and ter-ritorial driver’s licence databasein the country.
As part of a new service, OSLand its partners can run a real-time check on the current statusand class of any driver’s licenceand within hours provide a fleetwith a “variant report” that showswhich drivers hold a suspended ordowngraded driver’s licence.
In testing the program, which ispowered by technology companyVerX Direct, one 1,700-vehicle(non-trucking) fleet found that 37of its employees were drivingcompany vehicles with suspendedlicences.
“There just isn’t an opportunityanymore to put your head in thesand and say ‘I didn’t know’,”OSL president Brian Pattersonrecently told Truck West. “Therewas a period of time where it wasa no harm, no foul situation. ButBill C-45 is the critical change-over Bill. You can’t simply say toyourself ‘It’s the driver’s obliga-tion to ensure his licence is ingood standing’.”
Bob Dameron, executive vice-president of VerX Direct, saysnow that it’s easy and affordablefor companies to regularly moni-tor the validity of their employ-ees’ drivers’ licences, it’s encum-bent on fleets to take advantageof the service.
“Up until OSL showed up withthis service, they could easily ar-gue there was no way to check this
quickly and easily – the only waywas to order a full abstract andthat can cost a fortune; it just was-n’t feasible,” he said. “That argu-ment and defence goes out thewindow now because this servicedoes exist.”
The Pro-Active Driver Checkprogram is being billed as a com-plement to, not replacement of,periodic driver abstract checks. Ininitial discussions with fleets,Patterson said some companiesare showing interest in runningmonthly checks while others arelooking at running reports quar-terly.
A carrier simply provides OSL (or its equivalent outsideOntario) with a spreadsheet con-taining the following informationfor all drivers it wishes to check:driver’s licence number; employeeID (this can be assigned by OSL);and date of birth (for identifica-tion purposes).
Within a day or so, a fleet willreceive the variation report indi-cating which licences, if any, havebeen suspended or downgraded.The company can then take actionin accordance with its own humanresources policies and procedures.
Patterson said Canada’s PrivacyCommissioner has approved theservice, but drivers must first signa waiver allowing their employerto run the reports. (A pre-existingblanket consent form giving theemployer permission to run peri-odic abstract checks qualifies).
The Ontario Safety League andVerX say the new service bringsvalue to fleets by reducing thetime and expense involved in fre-quently ordering driver abstracts.Pricing is still being ironed out,but it’s expected to cost about $21 per driver for four reportsover the course of the year,with volume discounts available.Dameron points out a year’sworth of quarterly reports worksout to the cost of roughly one ab-stract and the process is moretimely and less cumbersome, toboot.
Still, the greatest challenge ingetting fleets to buy in may beconvincing them that it’s a prob-lem in the first place. VerX pointsout that at any given time, 10% ofall drivers on the road have a sus-pended licence, 75% of suspendeddrivers continue to drive and thata suspended driver is five timesmore likely to be involved in a fa-tal crash.
They acknowledge the percent-ages are likely lower in the long-haul trucking industry, with driv-ers routinely having their licenceverified at border crossings andinspection stations.
Still, the potential is there for anemployee to drive with a suspend-ed licence, especially within re-gional and municipal fleets.
“You can lose your licence (forthree days) on a Saturday night byblowing 0.05% and be taking a
run out on Monday morning,”Dameron pointed out, beforesharing an anecdote about a ce-ment company that found out oneof its employees with a suspendedlicence was getting a ride to workand then taking a company truckout for the day.
“You self-justify,” Patterson ex-
plained. “You say ‘I need to workthis week to pay my bills, so I’mgoing to take the risk.’ The prob-lem is, you never had that discus-sion with your employer, who’sreally taking the risk.”
For more info, call the OntarioSafety League at 905-625-0556 orvisit www.osl.org. ■■
Real-time driver’s licence verification now availableVerification program available forthe first time in all Canadianprovinces and territories
GOOD TO GO: Before leaving the interview, the author agreed to let VerX run acheck on his own driver’s licence. Fortunately, it was in good standing and hewas allowed to drive home.
Arnold Bros. Transport ...................................... 19Avaal Technologies ................................................. 17Career Opportunities .....................14,16,19,29Castrol/Wakefield Canada ................................ 13Chevron Global Lubricants ......................................... 4Child Find ................................................... 28Crossword ............................................... 9,21Fastrax Transportation ............................................. 14Great Dane Trailers ................................................. 32Great Dane Trailers/Prolam ....................................... 2HWT ..................................................................... 16Michelin................................................................. 20Owner/Operator of the Year Award ...............31Peterson Manufacturing ............................................. 7Truck-Ops ................................................... 15Truck West – Subscription ............................ 30Truck West – The Driver’s Seat ...................... 25Volvo Trucks ............................................................. 5 Westcan Bulk Transport............................................ 39
LIST OF ADVERTISERS
pg 26-27 tw feb 1/21/10 1:13 PM Page 27
February 2010Page 28 TRUCK WEST
I’m sure I’m not the only one whofelt they were overdosed withmedia coverage of the Olympictorch run.
(Yes, I’m aware this month’s is-sue includes a feature story onthe relay, but I’m talking aboutthe 24/7 news channels that arecovering the relay around theclock).
One such news station evendedicated non-stop live coverage.I pity the poor cameraman (per-son) who spent weeks literally “onthe road” with this procession.
I would think by the time it ar-rived in Vancouver, watchingpaint dry or water boil wouldhave been more exciting.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a hugeOlympic fan.
In fact, I fell just a tad short onathletic ability in my younger daysto experience the thrill of partici-pating.
My definition of “tad” probablyis a bit different than yours. Thereality was, I had no choice sinceAir Guitar wasn’t an officialevent.
I’ve had mixed emotions aboutthis year’s edition.
You see, I discovered this thingcalled e-Bay and while surfing thezillions of deals it offers, I cameacross no less then 15 original re-lay torches for sale.
Since most of these were listedas auctions, I’m not sure exactlyhow much they will ultimately sellfor.
Most offers were in the $1,100-
$2,000 range. One labeled “Buy itnow” was going for $4,995. Ouch.
I would never criticize anyonefor selling these.
These are hard times and we dowhat we have to in order to makeends meet.
On the other hand, if you’re acollector making a quick buck –shame on you.
You were lucky to be chosen tobe part of this event and I hopethat your greed turns around andsomehow bites you in the butt.
Twenty years from now I hopethey are worth 100 times what yougot today.
Not everyone went through the“ordinary Joe” selection process.In our world of corporate spon-sorship the Olympics has its fairshare.
Meaning many corporate cus-tomers, media personalities, polit-ical leaders or anyone else of
celebrity status were moved to thefront of the line.
For the life of me I can’t under-stand why the publisher of TruckWest wasn’t chosen.
They obviously don’t realizewho I think I am.
Anyway, it’s just as well I didn’tgrip the mighty torch.
It would have been embarrass-ing calling for oxygen halfwaythrough the run (okay, walk).
Not unlike our industry, I’ve gota good feeling about the 2010Olympics.
The team we’ve assembled willset a record for medals and ourbusinesses will rebound.
Too bad I can’t say as much forthe mighty Leafs, but that’s anoth-er story. ■■
OpinionOpinion
All lit up over news coverage of Olympic Torch Relay
– Rob Wilkins is the publisher ofTruck West and he can be reached at416-510-5123.
Publisher’sCommentRobWilkins
Harper Truck Centres has ap-pointed Michael Donnelly to theposition of director of sales. Inthis role, Donnelly will assumefull sales and brand responsibili-ties for the dealership, overseeingthe new and used truck sales op-erations for the Freightliner,Western Star, FUSO, Condor andSterling brands in the GreaterToronto Area.
Donnelly previously led a na-tional sales force for a trailermanufacturer and managed aPenske business unit before join-ing the Harper organization in2006. Donnelly most recently as-sumed expanded responsibilitiesas the general manager of HarperBus Sales for the Thomas BuiltBuses product line.
•The Saskatchewan TruckingAssociation (STA) has an-nounced that Glen Morrison willserve as training manager of the
association’s Commercial TruckServices division. Morrison will bein charge of CTS training pro-grams as well as the division’sheavy equipment operator train-ing program, the STA announced.
Morrison has been working forthe STA since 2006, handling vari-ous assignments including: Class1A and 3A driver instruction;hours-of-service training; load se-curement; air brakes; transporta-tion of dangerous goods; and longcombination vehicle training,among other projects.
•Cummins has announced JimKelly will be stepping down fromhis role as president of the enginebusiness to pursue other projects.Rich Freeland, currently presi-dent of Cummins componentsbusiness, will take his place, thecompany has announced.
Anant Talaulicar, managing di-rector of Cummins India will take
PeoplePeople
over the components business.Both Freeland and Talaulicar willassume their new roles in March,2010, according to Cummins.
•Ancra International has appoint-ed William Booth as westernCanadian regional sales managerfor its Cargo Systems DivisionProducts. Ancra is a designer,manufacturer and distributor of
cargo restraint and material han-dling systems for the transporta-tion industry. Booth has 25 yearsof sales and service experience inthe automotive and heavy-dutytransportation industry at the af-termarket and OEM level.
Booth is based in Calgary, Alta.and can be reached by phone at 403-921-6539, by fax at 403-460-1739 orby e-mail at [email protected]. ■■
GENEROUS DONATION: An artist’s rendering of the new training facility madepossible by a donation from the trucking industry.
HAMILTON, Ont. – The familyof the late Gerald Marshall,founder of Marshall Truck andTrailer, have donated more than$1.7 million towards the develop-ment of a new training facility atMohawk College.
The $4-million Gerald MarshallCentre for Transportation willopen its doors this year, providingtraining to over 400 truck andcoach apprentices each year. The15,350 sq.-ft. training facility willbe spacious enough to house up tothree tractor-trailers at a timewith classrooms overlooking theshop floor.
Mohawk College will use the facility to train students in itsTruck and Coach Apprentice,Truck and Trailer Apprentice andPre-Apprentice Truck and Coachprograms.
The Marshall family’s donationis among the largest private dona-tions in Mohawk’s 42-year history,the college announced. Other lo-cal businesses and individuals alsocontributed, including LeClairTruck Repair which chipped in$50,000.
“Mohawk College is the primejob creating engine in our region,”announced president RobMacIsaac.
“Thanks to the support of theMarshall family, Marshall Truckand Trailer Repair and our gener-ous college partners, the newGerald Marshall Centre forTransportation will allow us totrain even more apprentices andkeep pace with demand in thetransportation industry for highlyskilled and future-ready gradu-ates.” ■■
Marshall Truck and Trailer owners donate $1.7million towards new apprentice training facilityTAMRA KEEPNESS
3136-U
MISSING
D.O.B.: Sept. 01, 1998 Missing since: July 5, 2004Missing from: Regina, SaskatchewanHeight: 3' 5" Weight: 40 lbs.Eye Colour: BrownHair Colour: Brown (bobbed cut)
www.ontario.childfind.ca
CHILD FIND 1-800-387-7962Anyone with information please contact: All Calls Confidential – No Name Required
Characteristics: Tamra was last seen at her Regina downtown home around 11 pm Monday, July 5, 2004. When last seen she was wearing a light blue striped halter top with pink accents, light blue jeans and may be wearing rubber boots or have been barefoot. Tamra has two birthmarks – roughly round circles (one pale and one darker in colour) on her sternum. She also has an inch scar below one of her knees.
pg 28-29 tw feb 1/21/10 10:47 AM Page 28
TRUCK WEST Page 29February 2010
By James MenziesWINNIPEG, Man. – BisonTransport has converted two of its trailers into rolling billboardsthat show appreciation for theCanadian Armed Forces.
The trailers, designed by DirectFocus with vinyl graphics appliedby Turbo Images, were put intoservice in Bison’s domestic lanesin November, Rob Penner, vice-president of operations tellsTruck West.
He said the idea stemmed froma growing interest among thecompany’s workforce to give backto the men and women serving inCanada’s military.
“I and other members of our ex-ecutive team were approached al-most daily by someone – bothdriving and non driving staff –asking how we could becomemore involved and provide recog-nition, thanks and support for ourCanadian Forces at home andabroad?” Penner explains. “Wehave over 1,600 employees andmany of us have family, friendsand/or neighbours in the militaryand many of our employees arealso military veterans…We decid-ed that since we are in front of thepublic every day, pulling 53-ft.mobile billboards, trailer wrapswould really stand out and oursupport would provide remindersto thousands of people along theway.”
So far, the eye-catching trailershave been a hit. Running prima-rily in Bison’s prairie LCV opera-
tions, the trailers have resulted inmany calls from the public andperhaps more importantly, frommembers of Canada’s ArmedForces.
“The response from the gener-al public has been extremely pos-itive, but the feedback we take themost satisfaction from has comedirectly from members of theArmed Forces,” Penner says.“From the top leadership throughthe rank and file, you would beamazed how many positive com-ments and words of thanks andappreciation that have come from
the very people we are trying tohonour. It means the project itselfwas a great success and we will domore of this moving forward.”
Mostly it’s the drivers who re-ceive feedback while on the road,which has instilled a lot of prideand has resulted in many requestsfrom drivers wanting to pull thetrailers on deliveries to theirhometowns. Penner said the com-pany is attempting to accommo-date those requests.
“As you can imagine, this willtake a lot of coordination but weare working hard to figure out a
way to accommodate these re-quests,” Penner says. “To knowthat this initiative inspires a greatdeal of driver pride on top of hon-ouring our military is an addedbonus.”
Bison plans to continue runningthe trailers in its day-to-day oper-ations and will also display themat trade shows and communityevents.The trailers were displayedto members of the Armed Forces during Remembrance Dayceremonies in Edmonton andWinnipeg last November, but thecompany has done little to publi-cize the initiative for fear the proj-ect could be misinterpreted asself-promotion. In fact, Bison po-litely declined an offer from themilitary to invite members of themedia to the Remembrance Dayviewings.
“Remembrance Day cere-monies are very somber eventsand the last thing we want to do isoffend anyone who could misin-terpret our genuine thanks ascommercial advertising,” saysPenner. ■■
Fleet NewsFleet News
Bison puts rolling tributes to Canadian military into service
FOR THE TROOPS: Two specially-decorated Bison trailers serve as rolling tributes to the Canadian Armed Forces.
Can-Truck windsdown operationsOSHAWA, Ont. – Truck Westhas learned Oshawa-basedtrucking company Can-Truck iswinding down its operations.
A Can-Truck official con-firmed the closing Dec. 22. Heattributed it largely to theslumping auto industry, whichcomprised a big portion of thecarrier’s business.
At the time of its closing, Can-Truck employed about 60 own-er/operators. Can-Truck’s headoffice was in Oshawa and it operated satellite terminals inSt. Catharines, Ont., Belleville,Ont. and Livonia, Mich. ■■
GREENSBORO, N.C. – VolvoTrucks North America is onceagain looking for the safest fleetsin North America with the 2010Volvo Trucks Safety Awards. Twofleets with the safest drivingrecords and top safety programswill each receive $25,000 prizes tobe used on their safety activities.
This year, the second that VolvoTrucks will highlight the safety ef-forts of individual fleets, Michelinhas linked up with Volvo as asponsor of the award.
“Year in and year out, safety re-mains a top issue for Volvo andthe entire industry,” said ScottKress, senior vice-president ofsales and marketing. “The VolvoTrucks Safety Award is a way toshow that safety pays, even during
the difficult times trucking hasbeen through recently.”
“Volvo Trucks and Michelinknow how important it is to en-courage all fleets to examine theirsafety programs to see where theycan make improvements and tocelebrate those companies whichset a standard others can aspireto,” Kress said. “We want to pro-mote the need for safe truck oper-ations by all fleets.”
The Volvo Trucks Safety Awardis open to all US and Canadianfleets operating at least five Class8 units. Fleets must have at leastone Volvo tractor in operation tobe eligible for the award. Entrantswill be ranked by their accidentfrequency rates. Participatingfleets will also be judged on their
accident prevention activities.The deadline for entry is May
30. The winners of the award willbe announced this fall. The twogrand prizes will be awarded tothe fleets with the best records intwo divisions based on annual ve-hicle miles travelled: less than 20million miles and more than 20million miles. Complete rules andentry forms are at www.volvotruckssafetyaward.com.
The winners of the inauguralsafety award in 2009 were BisonTransport of Winnipeg, Man. andFood City, of Abingdon, Va. ■■
Volvo seeking safest fleets for $25,000 prize
UP FOR GRABS: Bison Transport won the first Volvo Trucks Safety Award, andthe OEM is now accepting nominations for the second go-round.
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pg 28-29 tw feb 1/21/10 10:47 AM Page 29
February 2010Page 30 TRUCK WEST
BOWMANVILLE, Ont. – There’snothing quite like the new year –and the resolutions that so oftencome with it – to incite people toget their acts together.
In the past few weeks, no doubtWeight Watchers meetings havebeen a little fuller, motorists havebeen a little more polite, and alco-hol and cigarette sales have been alittle less rampant, all under theguise of self-improvement.
But as we enter into this newdecade, we, as individuals, are notthe only ones who are able to bet-ter ourselves. The trucking indus-try at large, for all its ups anddowns over the past few years, hasan opportunity for a fresh starttoo. We asked truckers at the FifthWheel Truck Stop in Bowmanville,Ont. what they would choose as anew year’s resolution for thetrucking industry – and maybe onefor themselves as well.
•Dave Roth, a driver with Floradale
Feed Mill in Floradale, Ont., does-n’t have a resolution for himself,but notes that the industry couldwork to make regulations a little
easier for drivers in 2010.However, Roth says that “out ofeverything else, they treat us pret-ty well.”
•Calgary-based trucker JohnWeber, on the other hand, doesn’tshare Roth’s opinion. “I’m goingto get out of trucking. I’m sittingtoo much,” says Weber, who’sbeen driving for about a year. Asfor a resolution for the industry,Weber says an industry-wide in-crease in pay is in order.
•Jim Ellis, a driver with Michigan-
based Warner, says he’d like to re-solve to become a night driver andavoid traffic, but doubts he’d beable to keep that resolution. “I’dlike to try to see if I can figure outhow to sleep during the day anddrive at night. I, for the life of me,can’t do it – not enough TimHorton’s coffee to keep me awake.”
As for the industry at large, Elliswould like to see more mutual re-spect between truckers in 2010.“Let’s try to watch out for eachother. The 401 is a fantastic ex-pressway – I think it’s the best inNorth America, but it is very well-travelled, so let’s watch out foreach other and give each othersome more space.”
•
Sylvain Drasse, a driver withMarcan Transport out ofMontreal, Que., says he avoidsmaking resolutions he can’t keep,but for the industry, he’d like tosee an increase in driver compen-sation. “I’m actually hoping thatelectronic on-board recorderscome online – that way we’ll beable to get paid for what we reallydo,” said the driver of 21 years.
•Dave Lacey, a driver with WorkAuthority in Cambridge, Ont.,says he’s resolved to get himself aBluetooth in 2010 and, industry-wide, he’d like to see the roadskept safe with good operators andgood, well-checked equipment.
•
Francois Lacaille, a driver forKriska Transport out of Prescott,Ont., would like to see the industry“using their head” and avoid mak-ing “too many rules for no reason.”
“They just try to catch people.They don’t try to help us – theyjust try to catch us on some otherthings and make the bills a littlebit higher.” ■■
Truck StopQuestion
Adam LedlowManaging Editor
What should be thetrucking industry’snew year’s resolution?
Dave Roth
Jim Ellis
TSQTSQ
SylvainDrasse
– Adam Ledlow is now on Twitter!Join today and follow his tweets attwitter.com/adamledlow.
FrancoisLacaille
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1) How many vehicles are based at or controlled from this location? Please indicate quantities by type:
— No. of Straight Trucks _____ No. of Trailers_____ No. of Buses
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5) Indicate your PRIMARY type of business by checkingONLY ONE of the following:a) ■■ For Hire/Contract Trucking (hauling for others)b) ■■ Lease/Rentalc) ■■ Food Production / Distribution / Beveragesd) ■■ Farminge) ■■ Government (Fed., Prov., Local)f) ■■ Public Utility (electric, gas, telephone)g) ■■ Construction / Mining / Sand & Gravelh) ■■ Petroleum / Dry Bulk / Chemicals / Tanki) ■■ Manufacturing / Processingji) ■■ Retailjii) ■■ Wholesalek) ■■ Logging / Lumberb) ■■ Bus Transportationm) ■■ Other (Please specify) _______________________
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If you know an Owner/Operator who exemplifi es professionalism while also demonstrating a clean driving record, a commitment to safety and a track record of
community involvement, nominate them for this prestigious award by completing the application form below or by going online to www.trucknews.com.
We know Owner/Operators are at the heart of the trucking industry, investing both personally and fi nancially in their businesses. We’re proud to take this opportunity to recognize the best among them.
SEARCH FOR Excellence HAS BEGUN.
O U R 1 7 t h A N N U A L
Co-founding sponsors of this award...
In addition to a ring fit for a champion, 2010’s honouree will also receive $3,000 CASH
and a VACATION FOR TWO up to $2,500!
Name:
Address:
Town/City:
Home phone:
Email:
Number of years in trucking/commodity hauled:
Primary truck and engine:
Number of vehicles:
Contracted to (if applicable):
How do you maximize fuel efficiency?:
My choice is based on:
Prov:
Bus. phone:
Postal code:
Safe driving record ❍ Industry/community involvement ❍ Heroism ❍ Going "Green" Initiatives ❍
Explain:
Nominated by: Phone:
Mail completed forms to “AWARD” Truck News/Truck West, Attn: Kathy Penner12 Concorde Place, Suite 800, Toronto, Ontario M3C 4J2
Nominations must be received by June 1 , 20
(Include additional information on separate paper if insufficient space)
The Owner/Operator of the Year should be…
FORM MUST BE FILLED IN COMPLETELY AND NOMINEE MUST HAVE CLEAN DRIVER'S ABSTRACT
1 10
OO award 2010.indd 1 18/01/10 11:07 AM
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