February 2010 Volume 30, Issue 2 Delivering daily news to Canada’s trucking industry at www.trucknews.com
Giving back B.C. fleet converts shipping container into homeless shelter By Jim Bray LANGLEY, B.C. – The owner of a Langley-based trucking company has come up with a creative way to help people who fall through society’s cracks under normal circumstances. Rob Reid, president of Shadow Lines Transportation Group, conceived the Temporary Homeless Relief Shelter project and runs it in conjunction with a local street ministry with a long history of helping the homeless.The project uses an old 40-foot shipping container to provide up to 16 homeless people with a temporary roof over their heads on any given winter night. “I see a lot of homeless people,” Reid says, “and I’ve always wanted to do something, like maybe give up Christmas dinner and cook for the poor, something along that line. Then I thought, why not just give them a warm, dry secure place to sleep at night? That would probably be something of more value than anything they could get other than food.” The container-based shelter looks kind of like those “multi-station porta-potties” seen at various venues Continued on page 22
Trucking industry and its suppliers play many roles in longest-ever Olympic Torch Relay By Jim Bray VANCOUVER, B.C. – Few people reach the brass ring of Olympic success, but the Olympic Torch Relay is giving thousands of Canadians a chance to live the dream vicariously. And Canada’s
Recognizing the troops New Bison trailers honour Canada’s Armed Forces
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,”
says Katie Hammill, RBC spokesperson, Olympic Torch Relay. She says those vehicles, their drivers, and the people and items they transport have to follow a detailed (nearly to the minute and Continued on page 10
Inside This Issue... • A new career: Joe Amelia and his wife Mary Beth gave up their day jobs and hit the road. Do they represent a new breed Page 20 of professional driver?
• Learning from ants: How swarm intelligence gleaned from ants helps shape truck routing solutions.
Page 26
• New year, new fluid:
Our mufflers are stronger, last longer and save you $$$!
A company with a strong Canadian connection is quietly building a comprehensive distribution and supply network for its diesel exhaust fluid. Page 31
• Lost keys, found hope: A Child Find poster leads to an informative conversation with another driver.
See page 22
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