December 2009 Volume 29, Issue 12 Delivering daily news to Canada’s trucking industry at www.trucknews.com
Convoy gains steam
Changing gears Ontario okays auto trannies for sr. driver road tests TORONTO, Ont. – The Ontario Ministry of Transportation has quietly approved the use of automatic transmissions for senior drivers who must annually renew their A/Z licence after the age of 65. Using a truck with an automated transmission will allow them to qualify for a full privilege Class A licence, according to the Private Motor Truck Council (PMTC), which along with the Ontario Trucking Association and Owner-Operators Business Association of Canada, has been lobbying for the change. In a letter to the PMTC, the Ministry of Transportation confirmed “As of Nov. 1 2009, senior commercial drivers conducting annual renewal road tests are allowed to use a vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission to qualify for a full privilege Class A driver’s licence.” New drivers and non-senior drivers will have to use a mechanical transmission when obtaining an A/Z licence, however. “The purpose of this policy change is to address issues that have been brought to the ministry’s attention since the introduction of the Class A Restricted licence,” the letter explained. ■
Four Convoys for a Cure held this year
Should the Ontario government
Butt out? You have your say in our Truck Stop Question
Pg. 46
– Photo by Adam Ledlow
Look, no hands!
SALISBURY, N.B. – The sun was barely over the horizon when final preparations got underway at the Irving Big Stop in Salisbury, N.B. The first New Brunswick Convoy for a Cure had been in the planning stages for almost a year, and when Oct. 17 finally arrived, Roxanne Doran Smith, Jo Anne Phillips, and their crew of volunteers were in full flight. Drivers were on the parking lot readying their trucks for the 40mile trip to Aulac, N.B., and the cooks in the truck stop were preparing to feed nearly 50 drivers and their supporters. Even the weather was on their side; cool and clear, with just a light layer of frost on the windshields. Fifteen female drivers and 31 of their male partners, supporters, and friends, from as far off as Brockville, Ont., and Summerville, Nfld. formed a mile-long truck convoy that Saturday morning, and they contributed more than $42,000 to the quest to find a Continued on page 10
Inside This Issue...
We test several hands-free communication devices • Full speed ahead: Ontario has been setting the stage for construction of a new border access road in Windsor, even Page 7 while all remains quiet on the other side.
See page 20
See our ad page 42
• A multi-modal man: We profile a sailor/trucker who will go the distance by sea or road.
Page 13
• An AMT for ultra-heavy loads:
Automated mechanical transmissions have had their limitations, but Eaton’s new UltraShift Plus served us well under heavy load. Page 27
• Hands on Trucking: Mark puts his plan into action to get revenge on a lazy shipper.
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