February 2012 Volume 32, Issue 2 Delivering daily news to Canada’s trucking industry at www.trucknews.com
After years of debating hours-of-service,
are we any safer?
night riders: Under the new rules, drivers will have to take two nights off during their reset, meaning more trucks may be competing for overnight parking spots.
The US played it safe with its new HoS rules. Now, no one’s happy. WASHINGTON, D.C. – The much-anticipated revisions to US hours-of-service regulations were released just prior to Christmas, retaining the 11-hour driving day but earning the scorn of the industry just the same. While it seemed lawmakers aimed to appease the trucking industry and special interest groups
alike with the revisions, by taking the perceived safe road and retaining the 11-hour driving day while reducing weekly driving limits, it seems the rules have instead angered everyone. While daily driving time was not changed from 11 hours, the maximum hours a driver can work per week was reduced by 12 to 70,
Trailers: Know when to hold’em See pages 40-42
by limiting drivers to one 34-hour restart per seven-day period. The new rules, laid out by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), also require driv-
ers to take at least two nights’ rest between 1 and 5 a.m. within each reset period. The revisions also require drivContinued on page 8
MacKinnon Transport files NOI
By James Menzies GUELPH, Ont. – MacKinnon Transport, a family-run company with a storied 80-year history, dropped a bombshell on the industry in mid-December, when it notified its drivers and creditors it was filing a Notice of Intent (NOI) under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act. Continued on page 46
Inside This Issue...
• Getting social:
Trucking executives are realizing their key customers are making important decisions through their use of social media. Why you may need to get connected. Page 21
• From O/O to CEO:
Gary Salisbury, CEO of Fikes Truck Line, began his career as an owner/operator. What he learned behind the wheel has influenced his success. Page 34
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• Man and Moose on the Loose: Mark Dalton’s situation goes from bad to worse on a trip to the Rock.
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Page 4 TRUCK NEWS
February 2012
Historical Comparison – Nov 11 Sales
Monthly Class 8 Sales – Nov 11 Canadian Class 8 truck sales had a strong month in November. The 2,663 Class 8 trucks sold far surpassed the monthly totals from last year as well as 2007 to 2009 and from 2000 to 2003. November sales also surpassed the five-year average by more than 600 units. This follows on the heels of a strong October showing for Class 8 sales.
OEM
This Month Last Year
Freightliner
713
488
International
461
466
Kenworth
546
278
Mack
169
148
320
194
193
0
0
Volvo
303
206
Western Star
151
107
2663
1887
Sterling
TOTALS
Historical Comparison – YTD Nov 11
Class 8 Sales (YTD Nov 11) by Province and OEM OEM
BC
ALTA
SASK
MAN
ONT
QUE
NB
NS
PEI
NF
CDA
Freightliner
342
677
150
302
3,152
927
252
109
4
30
5,945
Kenworth
467
1,827
294
187
822
978
121
0
0
0
4,696
Mack
63
220
126
65
721
216
39
28
0
37
1,515
International
293
760
94
286
1,764
1,023
249
130
30
73
4,702
Peterbilt
316
796
219
251
495
379
127
27
0
0
2,610
Volvo
182
156
105
259
1,113
470
116
55
0
6
2,462
Western Star TOTALS
302
511
64
29
242
239
55
67
0
11
1,520
1,965
4,947
1,052
1,379
8,309
4,232
959
416
34
157
23,450
Despite the economic uncertainty, Class 8 truck sales continue to rebound in 2011 buoyed by years of deferred purchases – one fifth of Canada’s Class 8 truck fleet is more than 5 years old. The YTD sales totals are now significantly better than the sales figures posted in 2010, 2009 and 2008 and also better than the YTD results of 2001, 2002 and 2003. They’re not far off the pre-recession sales totals from 2007 and are running above the five-year average. Our forecast for 2011 was for Class 8 sales to come in between a low of 23,100 and a high of 24,300 but a decent December will push sales past the projected high mark.
12 – Month Sales Trend
Market Share Class 8 – Nov 11 YTD
3,200 2,800 2,400 2,000 1,600 1,200 800 400 0 Sales
December January
1,832
1,154
February
1,470
March
April
May
2,002 1,942 2,154
June
July
August
2,677
1,956
2,425
September October November
1,873
2,606
2,663
The 2,663 trucks sold in November made for the sixth month this year with sales above 2,000. With October also being above 2,000, the year’s final quarter will be a strong one. Sales have also come within less than 200 of achieving the 2,000 mark on three more months.
Source: Canadian Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association
With one month left to report to close out 2011, Freightliner continues to hang on to the market share lead in the Canadian Class 8 market, enjoying a commanding 26% market share. International, a former market leader who has adopted different engine emissions technology than the rest of the OEs, is battling it out with Kenworth for second place. That battle is so tight that Navistar leads by just 6 more trucks sold YTD. Petebilt and Volvo are the only other two manufacturers enjoying a 10% or greater share of the Canadian Class 8 market.
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February 2012
TRUCK NEWS Page 5
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February 2012, Volume 32, Issue 2
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Page 6 TRUCK NEWS
When bad decisions are made on an enormous scale You’re going to read about a couple of bad decisions in this month’s Truck News. Or if you are a regular visitor to our Web site, you’ve likely read about them already. We all make bad decisions once in a while. Some of us, more often than others. The US Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) should know better. By pandering to special interest (read, anti-truck groups) and re-opening the hoursof-service rules for commercial drivers at a time when truck safety performance was better than it has ever been, the agency was unable to disguise its true agenda. The rules, released late on the afternoon of Dec. 23, while the agency surely hoped many industry observers would be preoccupied with the looming holidays, make little sense, particularly if you were to believe the changes were truly aimed at improving highway safety. The rules, in short, require drivers to take a 30-minute break after eight hours of consecutive driving. Fine. But they also require drivers using the 34hour reset to take at least two nights off (between 1 and 5 a.m.) during that reset period. That’s just wrong. For one, this will make overnight
Editorial Comment James Menzies
parking spaces – already a luxury in many areas – even harder to come by as drivers time their reset to comply with the requirement. It’ll also put more trucks on the road in the morning rush hour, where they’ll be jockeying for space with morning commuters as they come off their reset. And additionally, the new requirement will present a difficult adjustment for drivers who regularly drive at night and whose sleep patterns have adjusted accordingly. The FMCSA backed off its threat to reduce daily driving time from 11 hours to 10 – the lone silver lining for the trucking industry – but in doing so, it managed to upset not only the industry but also those groups that advocated for the changes in the first place. So in the end, no one’s happy, and the rules will likely be challenged in the courts at an enormous expense to taxpayers and the lobby groups that represent the interests of carriers. And speaking of bad decisions,
Maximize uptime, minimize risk I don’t often use this space to discuss new products, preferring instead to address the many issues that plague the industry. My recent travels, however, brought to my attention a product that addresses an issue that I think will acquire increased attention in the “new normal” of slow economic growth and continuing high costs of operation: the need for all fleets, but smaller fleets in particular, to greatly boost their operating efficiencies by investing in technology. Research from the US shows that the pain of the slow economic recovery is not being felt equally across the industry. US truck freight volumes grew overall in 2011 but large carriers grew their volumes at a significantly faster pace than small carriers were able to do. The same disparity has been re-
Did you know? How higher rates impact modal choices With the economic recovery being both weak and volatile are buyers of transportation services remaining focused on price? Over the past seven years our Transportation Buying Trends Survey, conducted this year in concert with CITA, CITT and Cormark Securities, has been polling Canadian shippers to understand which factors make them willing to change modes. Our latest research shows that the number of shippers reporting that higher rates and surcharges have had an impact on their modal choices has increased to 44%, the highest level since the recession. The re-
pg 06 tn feb v2.indd 6
The view with Lou Lou Smyrlis
corded with US carrier revenues. Whereas large carriers were growing their revenues at about a 9% clip in 2011, small carriers could only muster one third of that. To survive in such a tough climate, small carriers have to be able to squeeze every minute of uptime out of their equipment. Yet in the absence of good information, it’s all too difficult to identify problem areas and all too easy to make wrong decisions. Take for example what happens when a Check Engine light comes on. The seemingly prudent thing for the driver to do would to be abort deliv-
banana conglomerate Chiquita got some really bad advice from environmental group ForestEthics, which advised the company to take a public stance against fuel sourced from Canada’s oil sands. The policy might have slipped beneath the radar, but when the media got wind of it, a firestorm erupted that brought national attention to Chiquita’s hypocrisy. By encouraging its transport providers to avoid buying fuel sourced from the ‘tar sands,’ Chiquita indirectly endorsed oil from the Middle East, where crimes against humanity routinely exceed any perceived crimes against the environment, which may or may not be occurring in Western Canada, depending on your perspective. Also, old news reports about Chiquita paying terrorist organizations to protect its workers suddenly became fresh news once again. Did you know Chiquita funded Colombian terrorists? I didn’t. But I do now. ery and drive the truck to the closest repair shop so a technician can have a look. But did you know that there are a couple of hundred fault codes that could bring that Check Engine light on, and the majority don’t require that the truck be pulled immediately out of service? In the majority of cases the delivery can still be made and the truck serviced at the next opportunity. But how do you know when that’s the case? Should you allow your drivers to guess and risk major damage to the engine? That brings me to a product called Virtual Technician, offered as standard on every EPA2010 Freightliner truck (optional on Western Star trucks) equipped with a Detroit engine. I got an in-depth look at Virtual Technician during a press trip arranged recently by Daimler Trucks North America. The on-board diagnostic system provides real-time engine diagnos-
Historical view of percentage of shippers reporting higher rates and surcharges affected their modal selections 50%
February 2012 Is it a coincidence that Dole bananas are looking a little riper in the supermarket these days? As I said before, we all make bad decisions now and again. These two bad decisions of epic proportions should make us all feel a little better about our own comparatively minor missteps. n – James Menzies can be reached by phone at (416) 510-6896 or by e-mail at jmenzies@trucknews.com. You can also follow him on Twitter at Twitter.com/JamesMenzies.
tics, enabling drivers and fleet managers to evaluate what to do when the engine service light comes on in the truck. The system provides a technical snapshot of the engine’s status to the Detroit Customer Support Centre as soon as the Check Engine light comes on. The Support Centre then determines the exact issue, recommended service, how soon the engine needs to be serviced, and closest authorized Detroit service location and relays the information to the fleet. As company officials pointed out, in many instances the truck can keep running. But the difference is that by leveraging technology the guesswork has been removed so uptime can be maximized with no risk. n – Lou Smyrlis can be reached by phone at (416) 510- 6881 or by e-mail at lou@TransportationMedia.ca. You can also follow him on Twitter at Twitter.com/LouSmyrlis.
Main reasons shippers cited for diverting freight from truck to rail in 2011
50% 44%
40%
39%
44% 40%
12% Trying to service new markets
38%
20% Responding to customer requests
34%
30%
13% Decreasing rail prices 36% Increasing truck prices
20%
2% Change in corporate policy to faster inventory frames 9% Poor truck service or coverage
10%
25% Other
0
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
search focuses particularly on the truck-rail dynamic, where close to 60% of shippers indicated at least some of their freight could be moved from truck to rail and that when they do decide to make the switch, increasing truck pric-
2010
2011
0
5%
10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%
es is the main reason behind the move. Trucking prices were considerably depressed during the recession and remain so but our survey also showed that shippers expect trucking to be the mode with the greatest upward momen-
tum in pricing for 2012. Motor carrier executives also show strong inclination to raise rates when they can. n
12-01-17 2:10 PM
February 2012
contents
?
Question of the month Are you concerned about your company being acquired? page 70 Mark Dalton in...
Man and Moose on the Loose
Part 2
page 68
departments oem/dealer news: Detroit is now offering axles as part of its expanded powertrain portfolio. Pages 51-59
Truck Sales 4 6 Opinions In Brief 7 Border 8-12 East 14-15 16 Quebec 18-22 Ontario West 24-26 Scott Taylor, Tax Talk 28 Voice of the O/O 30-31 33 Ask the Expert Al Goodhall, Over the Road 36 Chris Singh, Health 37 Karen Bowen, Health 37 David Bradley, Industry 38 Bruce Richards, Industry 39 Trailers 40-42 People 44 Mark Lee, Opinion 45 Fleet News 46-48 50 Rob Wilkins, Opinion Mail 60 New Products 62-63 Martin Cowie, Safety 64 Ken Armstrong, Health 65 Legal 66-67 Profitability Dashboard 69
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Page 7 TRUCK NEWS
in brief
Introducing the new Trucker Radio show NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. – Truck News has partnered with Alexis Broadcasting Company to produce and promote a new syndicated radio show called Trucker Radio. While the show was first heard in its current form on Jan. 7, it actually has a history dating back to 2006, when radio veteran Stan Campbell partnered with radio program syndicator Steve Graham to produce the Canadian Trucking Radio show. “Steve had formed a tentative partnership with a fledgling trucking magazine based in Oshawa,” Campbell recalls. “Together, they decided to fill a void for the Canadian trucking industry. Several trucking radio shows existed in the US, but there were none in Canada.” Graham decided to market the program to country music stations and soon had 15 stations on-board, marking the launch of the one-hour program. Shortly thereafter, the show was extended to two hours. But eight months later, the magazine went out of business, leaving the program in a state of flux. In 2008, Campbell and Graham changed the focus of the show to include all drivers and renamed it Driver Radio. Hindsight being 20/20, Campbell now regrets the change. “Trucking news was watered down in an attempt to go after a wider audience,” he admits. “As a result, the show lost much of the trucker audience.” In October 2010, Campbell’s company, Alexis Broadcasting Company, purchased the show for an undisclosed amount and began to target truckers
on the air: Truck News publisher Rob Wilkins (left) and Alexis Broadcasting Company co-owner Stan Campbell agree to partner on a new trucker radio show. Photo by Adam Ledlow
in the second hour of the two-hour program. Still, Campbell felt the show lacked direction and a clearly defined target. That’s when he approached Truck News “with an eye towards a strategic partnership between Truck News and the radio show.” Truck News executive editor James Menzies began providing weekly trucking news updates and the magazine began contributing guests. As the calendar turned to 2012, Campbell had reached an agreement with Truck News publisher Rob Wilkins to launch Trucker Radio, a full two-hour show featuring an entertaining mix of country music and trucking industry banter. Campbell hosts the show along with co-host Tim Denis, another longtime radio professional. Menzies continues to provide weekly news updates and other Truck News personalities
including columnists Mark Lee and Harry Rudolfs frequently call in as guests to discuss the hot topics facing professional truck drivers. Other well-known trucking personalities including Alfy Meyer (a health-conscious professional driver), Ellen Voie (Women in Trucking) and Ray Haight (Transrep) will round out the lineup. The show can now be heard on more than 30 stations across Canada as well as in the northern US. Campbell admits neither he nor Denis are truckers, but says the combination of radio pros and trucking pros is what makes the show work. Two of Campbell’s sons are truck drivers and he is dialed in to trucking issues. For more information on Trucker Radio, to listen online or to check out a complete list of stations carrying the show, visit its Web site at www.TruckerRadio.com. n
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Page 8 TRUCK NEWS
February 2012
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Industry groups say new rules will do nothing to improve safety Continued from page 1
ers to take a half-hour break after driving for eight consecutive hours. “Trucking is a difficult job, and a big rig can be deadly when a driver is tired and overworked,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “This final rule will help prevent fatigue-related truck crashes and save lives. Truck drivers deserve a work environment that allows them to perform their jobs safely.” FMCSA administrator Anne Ferro added “This final rule is the culmination of the most extensive and transparent public outreach effort in our agency’s history. With robust input from all areas of the trucking community, coupled with the latest scientific research, we carefully crafted a rule acknowledging that when truckers are rested, alert and focused on safety, it
makes our roadways safer.” However, the final rule may be anything but final. The American Trucking Associations and Truckload Carriers Association had lawyers at the ready to challenge any revisions to the rules that were not in the industry’s favour. And the safety organizations behind the revisions were also likely to challenge any ruling they felt didn’t go far enough. Stay tuned for reaction. The full rules can be viewed at www.fmcsa.dot.gov. OOIDA fires first shots The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) was the first to respond to the new rules, declaring them a “one-size-fits-all approach” that will do nothing to improve highway safety. “Collectively, the changes in
this rule will have a dramatic effect on the lives and livelihoods of small-business truckers. The changes are unnecessary and unwelcome and will result in no significant safety gains,” said executive OOIDA vice-president Todd Spencer. OOIDA was hoping any changes would involve more flexibility for truckers. “Compliance with any regulation is already a challenge because everyone else in the supply chain is free to waste the driver’s time loading or unloading with no accountability,” said Spencer. “The hours-of-service regulations should instead be more flexible to allow drivers to sleep when tired and to work when rested and not penalize them for doing so. It’s the only way to reach significant gains in highway safety and reduce non-compliance.”
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OOIDA pointed out the new rules will have a negative impact on productivity and the earning potential of truck drivers and owner/operators. The FMCSA noted the cost to industry is estimated to be US$470 million with benefits totaling $630 million. “Despite the fact that trucking has never been safer, federal regulators and big businesses continue to push for mandates that hurt small-business truckers,” said Spencer. “According to the latest data, fatigue is a factor in only 1.4% of all fatal wrecks involving truckers.” ATA also unhappy The American Trucking Associations (ATA) was also, in its words, frustrated and disappointed with the new rules. Like OOIDA, ATA said the new rules will do nothing to improve highway safety. “Today’s announcement of a new rule on the hours-of-service is completely unsurprising. What is surprising and new to us is that for the first time in the agency’s history, FMCSA has chosen to eschew a stream of positive safety data and cave in to a vocal antitruck minority and issue a rule that will have no positive impact on safety,” ATA president and CEO Bill Graves said. “From the beginning of this process in October 20 09, the agency set itself on a course to fix a rule that’s not only not broken, but by all objective accounts is working to improve highway safety. Unfortunately, along the way, FMCSA twisted data and, as part of this final rule, is using unjustified causal estimates to justify unnecessary changes.” The ATA pointed out truckinvolved fatalities have declined 29.9% since the current rules went into effect in 2004, even while miles travelled by trucks has increased dramatically. “By forcing through these changes FMCSA has created a situation that will ultimately please no one, with the likely exception of organized labour,” said Dan England, ATA chair and chair of C.R. England. “Both the trucking industry and consumers will suffer the impact of reduced productivity and higher costs. Also, groups that have historically been critical of the current hours-of-service rules won’t be happy since they will have once again failed to obtain an unjustified reduction in allowable daily driving time. Further, it is entirely possible that these changes may actually increase truck-involved crashes by forcing trucks to have more interaction with passenger vehicles and increasing the risk to all drivers.” The ATA also pointed out the rules will put more trucks on the road in peak traffic times as it requires drivers to rest from 1 to 5 a.m. twice per reset. “By mandating drivers include two periods between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. as part of a ‘restart’ period, FMCSA is assuring that every Continued on page 10
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Page 10 TRUCK NEWS
February 2012
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The Canadian reaction: CTA’s Bradley disappointed in hours-of-service rewrite Wonders why Americans didn’t look to Canada for a more flexible solution that works By James Menzies OTTAWA, Ont. – David Bradley, head of the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA), has weighed in on the new final rule on US hours-of-service, indicating the changes are disappointing and unnecessary and will impact certain Canadian carriers. The revisions, announced just before Christmas, retain the 11hour driving day but impose new restrictions on drivers, including a mandatory 30-minute break after eight hours of consecutive driving and the need to take two nights off when using the 34-hour reset. It also limits drivers to one reset within a seven-day period, ef-
fectively limiting a driver’s work week to 70 hours from the previous 82. While Bradley said there’s been no indication Canada will implement changes to its own HoS rules, the issue remains an “emotional” one, and so the industry must remain vigilant. Bradley lamented that US legislators seem to have lost their focus on more important issues, such as mandating electronic on-board recorders (EOBRs) to ensure compliance with the rules and driver wellness initiatives, because so much time and energy has been spent debating the hours-of-service regulations.
US groups pan new HoS rules Continued from page 8
day as America is commuting to work, thousands of truck drivers will be joining them, creating additional and unnecessary congestion and putting motorists and those professional drivers at greater risk,” Graves said. “The largest percentage of truck-involved crashes occur between 6 a.m. and noon, so this change not only effectively destroys the provision of the current rule most cited by professional drivers as beneficial, but it will put more trucks on the road during the statistically riskiest time of the day.” Graves said the ATA will consider its legal options and noted it will be 18 months before the new rules take effect, giving it plenty of time to mount a challenge. n
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“I believe attention in the US to these important initiatives has been sidetracked at least in part by the ongoing debate and legal wrangling over the US hours-ofservice rules once again,” Bradley told Truck News. Bradley also expressed disappointment that US lawmakers didn’t seem to consider Canada’s own hours-of-service regulations, which provide greater flexibility to carriers without compromising safety. “Whether it’s the hours-ofservice rules or truck weights and dimensions standards, they need only look at Canada, their next door neighbour, to see how a more flexible set of rules can work without compromising safety,” Bradley said. Nonetheless, Bradley conceded Canadian carriers will have to play by the US rules when travelling south of the border and he suggested certain operations will be affected by the changes more than others. “The degree to which they are impacted will depend in large part on the type of operation,” Bradley said. “Just as in the US, the irregular route, long distance truckload hauler is likely to feel the pinch the most. Also, I think many carriers will tell you that the last round of changes that led to the current rules necessitated an increase in purchased local P&D costs as drivers were running out of time to make final
delivery within the fixed working window. Delays, whether due to border crossings, waiting to be unloaded at DC’s or traffic congestion, became much harder to tolerate. The new rules won’t make that any easier.” Bradley expressed frustration that the ‘Made-in-Canada’ reset provision was changed, but conceded it could’ve been worse. “Like ATA, we are disappointed that the reset provision is being changed, particularly since it was an idea that started here in Canada in a report on potential hours-of-service changes commissioned by OTA in the early ’90s,” Bradley said. “I suppose it could have been worse – FMCSA could have gotten rid of the 34-hour reset altogether, but I find the rationale for the changes to the reset provisions hard to justify. Not only will there be a productivity impact but it does create the potential to put trucks on the road later in the morning for drivers coming off resets – potentially increasing truck traffic during rush hour periods. I know many Canadian carriers and drivers would really have liked to see some flexibility in the use of sleeper berths restored. While that was never really in the cards, it’s still disappointing.” Barring a legal challenge, the new US hours-of-service regulations are slated to go into effect in 2013. n
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Billionaire Ambassador Bridge owner jailed DETROIT, Mich. – As Truck News went to press, Ambassador Bridge owner and billionaire Manuel ‘Matty’ Moroun was sitting in a Detroit jail cell, locked up for contempt of court. The 84-year-old executive was put in jail Jan. 12 for failing to complete court-ordered roadwork on the US side of the bridge – which connects Detroit and Windsor – to the court’s satisfaction, according to a report from The Journal of Commerce. Detroit International Bridge president Dan Stamper was also put behind bars, having been jailed a year ago in the same case. Last February, Wayne County Circuit Judge Prentis Edwards ruled the bridge company had not carried out its end of a contract with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to complete the $230 million Ambassador Gateway Project. The bridge company was to build a ramp over city streets that provided direct access to the bridge from I-75 and I-96 on the southwest side of Detroit, according to the JOC report. MDOT sued, arguing that DIBC’s ramp was intended to be the approach for a second Detroit River bridge adjacent to the Ambassador: the $5.3-billion New International Trade Crossing. Over the past two years, Moroun and his family have fought to block construction of the second bridge, having proposed a privately-owned twin span instead. Moroun argued that he should be excused from his Jan. 12 court appearance, stating the bridge was owned by a holding company comprised of family members. He was likely to stay behind bars for a few days until an appeal could be made, according to the report. n
Major renovations slated for two bridges at Canada-US border LEWISTON, N.Y. – Major renovations to the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge and the Peace Bridge have been announced as part of the new cross-border management agreement between Canada and the US. The renovations are part of a new border security plan announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and US President Barack Obama. “Rebuilding the Lewiston plaza is a top priority for the commission as critical improvements are necessary to help alleviate the current challenges with the processing of motor coach, commercial truck and passenger vehicle traffic,” said Patrick Brown, chairman of the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission, which operates the Lewiston-Queenston and two other bridges between Canada and the US. Brown said the Lewiston Plaza, which was built in the early 1960s based on traffic patterns of that time, must be modernized to provide US Customs and Border Protection the facilities to safely and securely process traffic efficiently. “With completion of a modern plaza facility in Canada at Queenston, which is being well received by Canada Border Services Agency and the travelling public, it is critical that similar improvements are made at Lewiston to allow the efficient processing of traffic in both directions,” Brown said. The Lewiston Plaza currently has a total of 10 primary inspection lanes, four for commercial trucks and six for other vehicles. It also has outdated secondary processing and Customs office buildings. Plans are underway for a projected $50 million-plus development that could see the primary inspection lanes increased to 17, including seven for trucks, Brown said. The increase in primary inspection lanes, improved secondary inspection facilities and an expanded administration building would go a long way toward providing Customs and Border Patrol with the necessary facilities to safely and efficiently process traffic. “This project requires coordina-
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tion and approval from various governmental agencies and we are aggressively working on it with a goal of being shovel ready by spring, 2013,” Brown continued. The Lewiston-Queenston Bridge handles about 700,000 commercial trucks each year. n
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Chiquita takes heat over rotten oilsands policy TORONTO, Ont. – Food company Chiquita Brands, famous for its bananas, has taken some major heat in Canada after encouraging its transportation providers to shun oil derived from Canada’s “tar sands.” The company told transporters, including third-party trucking firms, to avoid – where possible – purchasing fuel sourced from Alberta’s oilsands and partnered with ForestEthics to monitor and identify the source of fuel used by its transporters. ForestEthics’ Aaron Sanger lauded the move, declaring: “Canada’s tar sands is all risk and no benefit for leading American brands like Chiquita that are resolved to reduce environmental problems, so they are working hard to get tar sands out of their transportation footprint.” The environmental group then went on the offensive and waged a smear campaign against banana rival Dole for failing to take similar action. However, the announcement was greeted with a healthy dose of reality when news outlets reported it in Canada. The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) was among the groups that sought clarification from the company. Chiquita blamed the press for inaccurate reports and backpedaled on its position. “Press reports have inaccurately stated that we have boycotted or banned Canadian oil. What we have stated is our goal to…reduce our carbon footprint. To achieve
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this, Chiquita is also taking advantage of opportunities to reduce its consumption of petroleum, through increased vehicle efficiency, use of alternative fuels, and reduced vehicle usage,” Chiquita’s Manuel Rodriguez, senior vice-president of government and international affairs and corporate responsibility said in a written response to CTA. “With regard to our fuel usage in particular, we have encouraged our suppliers to source, where possible, various fuel sources that have a lower carbon footprint and commit to a strategy of continuous improvement.” Meanwhile, ForestEthics posted on its Web site a letter written by Chiquita, which said: “We are committed to directing our transportation providers to avoid, where possible, fuels from tar sands refineries and to adopt a strategy of continuous improvement towards the elimination of those fuels. We have recently confirmed this policy with our company’s providers through an RFP process to ensure that this fuel is not being used for ground trucking transportation.” CTA chief David Bradley said Chiquita’s response to the puzzling policy was okay…for now. “We will have further follow-up with Chiquita’s supply chain operations staff, but the company’s response suggests that no embargo on oilsands-based fuel is or will be put in place,” he said. n
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February 2012
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A bridge too far…from the loo P.E.I. trucker calls for action at south side of Confederation Bridge By Jim Bray MONCTON, N.B. – Trucks gathering on the New Brunswick roadside waiting out Confederation Bridge closures are an accident waiting to happen, according to a driver who regularly makes the trip across the bridge. Stirling Provencher, a Prince Edward Island-based trucker who hauls refrigerated produce to the
mainland, says the bridge closures – caused by high winds and usually only affecting the big trucks – are a much bigger issue than some might like to admit. His call for action on the New Brunswick side comes after earlier CBC and Truck News reports focusing on the P.E.I. side of the bridge, where the provincial government has taken steps to provide
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APTA doles out awards MONCTON, N.B. – The Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association has recognized some of the top contributors to Atlantic Canada’s trucking industry at its annual awards banquet in Moncton, N.B. Dec. 8. The APTA and Shaw Tracking Service to the Industry award went to outgoing APTA chair Shane Esson of Midland Transport in Dieppe, N.B. The APTA and Volvo Trucks Canada Driver of the Year award was awarded to Stephen McGibbon of Milltown Trucking in Oak Bay, N.B. Taking home the APTA and TMW Systems Dispatcher of the Year award was Evelyn Decker-Westcott of Hunt’s Transport out of St. John’s, Nfld. The APTA and Markel Insurance Safety to Motor Transportation award was given to Gay White of Atlantica Diversified Transportation Systems in Mount Pearl, Nfld. And finally, the APTA and Marine Atlantic Good Samaritan award
winner was Roger Isaacs of Midland Transport in Dieppe, N.B. Two honourary directors were also recognized for their long and distinguished service to the association and to the industry: Donnie Fillmore Sr. of Atlantic Pacific Transport in Clairville, N.B., and Tommy MacDonald of Tom MacDonald Trucking in Sidney River, N.S. “We are pleased to pay tribute to these men and women for their hard work and dedication to the industry,” said APTA executive director, Jean Marc Picard. “Each year the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association recognizes outstanding individuals who work behind the wheel or behind the desks of trucking companies that make a difference in our industry and that make up our association. We are pleased and proud again this year to present another exceptional group of award recipients.” n
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a place where trucks can at least get off the road safely to wait out the storms. And while Provencher isn’t thrilled with the Island side’s facilities either, he admits they’re a lot better than what the New Brunswick government offers currently, which he says is basically nothing. “There were 550 trucks waiting there the last windstorm and they stretched for 2.5 kilometres,” Provencher told Truck News, adding that he was one of those truckers left twisting in the wind on the New Brunswick side. “You’re on the side of the road, and it’s not a wide highway – just a normal highway with shoulders. You’re just sitting there and if you leave your lights on you have to leave the truck running, which companies frown upon.” On the other hand, he said, shutting off the trucks and their lights creates a whole different problem. “You think that would be a danger?” Making the situation worse is a lack of facilities near the south end of the bridge. “There’s nothing,” he pointed out, “so where do you go to the washroom?” He noted that there’s a bush beside the highway, saying “You could probably go down through the ditch and over to the bush, but that’s all there is for washroom facilities. And there’s moose and bear there and I don’t know how often you’d like to be out with them.” Provencher said he doesn’t mind seeing such wildlife, but “I don’t like going out there.” The trucker claimed the nearest parking area that offers restroom facilities is 70 kilometres away and, since the bridge sometimes only re-opens for an hour (and can be closed for up to 14 hours or so), drivers may not be able to make it across before it’s closed to them again. He admitted there haven’t been any accidents involving parked trucks on the roadside yet, but asks “Is that what it’s going to take, a fatality, to do something? We hope not.” The problem really only affects trucks, he noted, because the high winds rarely cause car traffic to be prevented from crossing. That, however, actually makes the problem worse. “Cars coming and going can be a danger.” Provencher said he’s heard that there have been talks about creating a truck-friendly area on the south side, but “so far there’s nothing substantial. Hopefully the government will do something soon.” Or maybe not. Truck News was unable to learn anything about what, if anything, the New Brunswick government plans to do to address the situation. Inquiries to the Transportation Ministry in December 2011, including a direct query to Minister Claude Williams himself, elicited no response. It doesn’t appear to be a big deal to at least one industry rep, however. According to Jean Marc Picard, executive director of the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association, his organization is aware of the situation but, according to his members, “Most of them say when the bridge is closed they just turn around and go home.” That, of course, isn’t possible if your home is on the Island. Speaking in an earlier interview with Truck News, Picard also said most of the closures don’t catch the industry by surprise anyway. “The company that manages the bridge
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TRUCK NEWS Page 15
sends out weather advisories, and all the companies have either e-mails or instant messages – and we put it on our Web site and send messages to our members, or they can call,” he explained. Picard said that pressing the government to step up to the plate hasn’t been a priority for his organization. “We addressed it at one public consultation,” he told Truck News, “but there are other issues that have been more pressing over the past year. It’s been on the back burner.” That sticks in Provencher’s craw, however. “For people who think there’s no problem,” he says, “if they want to come with me and sit there for 20-some hours and not go to the washroom or, if they do, maybe fall in the ditch and maybe break a leg or something…” It looks as if, so far at least, it may be up to the private sector to ride to the truckers’ rescue and to create a workable solution. n
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Page 16 TRUCK NEWS
February 2012
quebec
No time for training? Camo-route will help make it happen By Carroll McCormick MONTREAL, Que. – This September past, Camo-route, a Montreal research and resource company specializing in the trucking, bus and taxi industries officially launched a program it calls ‘mutuelle de formation.’ One of the main objectives of mutuelle de formation is to come to the aid of transportation companies and help them improve the skills of their employees. As far as the trucking industry goes, the program applies to company drivers and owner/operators alike. Since the program began, four trucking companies have expressed an interest in taking advantage of mutuelle de formation. The term mutuelle de formation does not translate easily into English, but think of it as a way for Camo-route to help companies without the resources or time to organize their own training and then match them up with specialist training companies. Camo-route does this in a multitude of ways; for example, it will assess and organize the training needs of transportation companies, create training
plans, line up training specialists and evaluate the results. It can analyze training needs and then recommend customized training, which specialized training companies will prepare. It can also reduce training costs and make it more accessible by bringing together employees from several companies in a geographical region for training. From the money point of view, mutuelle de formation also offers companies a way to hang onto money they are legally obliged to spend on training every year or lose, until they are ready to use it. Quebec’s Law 90 obliges companies with a gross payroll of $1 million or more to spend 1% of it on training each year. So a company with $1.5 million in gross salaries, for example, is obliged to spend $15,000 on training. If it does not spend it, Employment Quebec takes the $15,000 anyway and puts it into a special fund known as the Fonds de developpement et de reconnaissance des competences de la main-d’œuvre (fund for the development and recognition of workforce skills). That is the last the company will see of that money.
This adds up to big money; ie., in 2008-2009 all transportation companies in Quebec lost $2.7 million to this fund. Camo-route, through the mutuelle de formation, offers a way for companies to hang on to unspent training money. It still has to be spent on training, but now it can be spent according to the company’s timetable. Mutuelle de formation allows companies subject to Law 90 to put their 1%, or whatever unspent part of it remains, into a trust fund until they are ready to spend it on training. This is not a loophole; rather, the money is considered an investment in training under Law 90. There is no expiry date, or due date for using money a company has put in a trust fund. The trust fund option has several advantages: companies do not lose their money; they can spend it more strategically and with better timing. Too, if they allocate more than the minimum 1% in a year, they can be eligible for subsidies of 100% of those amounts over 1% under a 2011-2012 Employment Quebec Fund subsidy program. Companies with a gross payroll of less than $1 million are not obliged to spend 1% on training, but they can still take advantage of mutuelle de formation. In any case, says Mario Sabourin, director-general, Camo-route, “We nonetheless recommend to these businesses that they do an analysis of
their training needs.” The mutuelle de formation mandate of favouring companies in “the regions” – those located away from urban areas – fits nicely with Camoroute’s larger mandate of helping all transportation companies with their training. Take the example of a company with two drivers to train, says Sabourin. “One of our roles (with mutuelle de formation) is to find enough participants in the same region in order to make training available in that region. For example, if an enterprise has a specific training need, the mutuelle can form a group with workers from other companies to form a complete (group with a common need) that will make training more accessible and less expensive.” Mutuelle de formation makes it easier for trucking companies to say ‘yes’ to training. “By taking charge of training logistics,” says Sabourin, “the mutuelle ensures that every dollar invested will be spent to the greatest advantage of the company.” As well, he notes, by providing training, companies can be sure that properly-trained replacements will be available to take over from other employees.” For more information about mutuelle de formation, contact Camo-route at 514-593-5811 or tollfree at 866-927-6883 or by e-mail at info@camo-route.com. n
Border bothers: What Quebec carriers think of border crossings By Carroll McCormick MONTREAL, Que. – Ask Quebec carriers what the biggest hassles are at the Quebec and Ontario border crossings and some will tell you about a lack of booths, a lack of coordination with brokers, too many documents, long lines, too many documents to transmit and the attitude of border officers. Ask them what they are cool with and some will reply that wait times are not too bad, border crossings in Ontario and Quebec are about the same and access to information about how to conform to border requirements is easy. Half of them will not know that Transports Quebec has traffic cams at the border crossings and about
half will not know that they can find out what the border crossing times; ie., delays are. And probably disappointingly for the Forum des intervenants de l’industrie du camionnage, a kind of roundtable of industry and government members that keep the lines of communications open between their respective camps, only 21% of the carriers will know about its Web site, which has a repository of information and documents on conforming to border requirements. If it is any consolation, though, half are unaware of the existence of the border Web sites. These numbers come from a survey done by Montreal-based Jolicoeur & Associes in 2010 for Transports Quebec on what Que-
bec carriers that move goods into the US do, know and think. Tapping the Quebec Transport Commission’s carrier list, that November Jolicoeur & Associes interviewed 469 transporters that ship to the US. The firm submitted its results to Transports Quebec last March. It made the survey public just before Christmas. First, in roughly equal measures, transporters reported large drops, light drops and stable southbound traffic, 34%, 26% and 32% respectively, to the US since the world financial implosion in 2008. Of those reporting a drop in traffic, 21% attribute it to the strong Canadian dollar 58% to the recession and 9% to both.
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Just over half of Quebec transporters use Quebec border crossings, 27% the crossings in Ontario and 19% both in equal measures. An average of 51% return to Canada via Quebec border crossings. The Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle crossing south of Montreal is used by 60% of the heavy vehicles heading to the US, but this number rises to 80% for carriers with more than 20 trucks. Jolicoeur & Associes learned that 47% of respondents use C-TPAT, but 72% of them do not use PIP, its Canadian equivalent. More than 25% of drivers are not FAST/EXPRES-accredited, but most of these are from carriers who do only light business to the US. The bigger fleets and those who do more business have more FAST-accredited drivers. About the same numbers of drivers use passports as FAST cards. On average, respondents reported taking about 35 minutes to get into the US at Quebec crossings but 31% of them reported taking 45 minutes or more. Not surprisingly, the longest waits in Quebec are at Lacolle, the province’s busiest border crossing. When asked about border problems, 43% of respondents identified a lack of booths (ie., lanes, and Customs officers); 34% mentioned a lack of coordination with brokers; 24% cited the wealth of documents necessary; and 22% beefed about the requirement to forward documents to the border an hour in advance. Additionally, 38% of respondents identified waiting lines as a problem, 38% the lack of harmonization of requirements between the two countries; 30% the quantity of documents that must be transmitted; and 21% reported that the attitude of border officers, including excessive zeal, was a problem. Jolicoeur & Associes asked respondents to propose solutions as well, which will hopefully be put to practice. n
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Page 18 TRUCK NEWS
February 2012
ontario
Fairness at last, for senior drivers in Ontario? Transport Minister promises to revisit annual road test requirement TORONTO, Ont. – Both the Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) and Owner-Operators’ Business Association of Canada (OBAC) have been assured by Ontario Transport Minister Bob Chiarelli that the discriminatory annual road test requirement for senior drivers will be revisited. In a letter to the organizations, Chiarelli acknowledged “commercial driver licence renewal can be made less onerous for senior drivers without compromising safety.” He said he was charging his parliamentary assistant Vic Dhillon with exploring ways to amend the annual renewal requirements and to develop a plan to implement the changes. “The minister is sending the
signal that the government is willing to make some changes and given the discussions we have had with the ministry to date, we don’t think we are very far apart in terms of what should and can be done,” said OTA president David Bradley. “We are eager to work with Mr. Dhillon…to help establish the policy. We recognize there will be a regulatory process that has to be followed and that implementation will require system changes and the like, but we hope that by this time next year senior truck drivers in Ontario will be subject to a much fairer and less burdensome licence renewal process.” Meanwhile, the province has already taken steps to make the
process less onerous, including: reducing road test fees for senior drivers to $14 from $75; allowing senior drivers to use an automated transmission for their road tests; and restructuring the air brake portion of the practical test so that senior drivers can use diagrams to describe the process and demonstrate their comprehension of the air brake test. OBAC, however, has called for an immediate moratorium on the road test requirement until new legislation comes into effect. “This would be a step toward righting the blatant double standard of age-based testing, and it can be done quickly, as was done with extending the expiry date for licences that expired during the
2009 labour dispute with SERCO drive test examiners,” OBAC executive director Joanne Ritchie said. “The road test is the most costly and inconvenient element of retesting for senior drivers, and does nothing to test for conditions that could be associated with the effects of aging.” n – For more reaction to this story, see pages 30-31 and 50.
Deadly wheel separation puts trucking in crosshairs TORONTO, Ont. – A tractor-trailer lost a wheel Dec. 22, which then collided with a car, killing the driver. The incident occurred on the QEW west of Toronto and set off a firestorm of media and public outrage. The truck driver did not stop at the scene, but police soon found the driver and vehicle that had lost its wheel. As Truck News went to press, the name of the driver and owner of the truck had not been released and police said that the investigation was continuing. In response to the incident, Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) chief David Bradley issued an advisory. While the investigation is ongoing, Bradley had this to say: “It doesn’t matter to us at this point whether the wheel in question came off of a truck or not. This is a tragedy which should not be inflicted upon any family so we’re asking all truckers, indeed the operators of all commercial vehicles, to review their wheel installation and maintenance practices and policies to try to prevent further occurrences.” The Ontario trucking industry went through a period of frequent wheel separations in the 1990s, prompting legislators to impose an absolute liability fine of up to $50,000 against vehicle operators in wheel separation incidences. Since then, wheel-off incidences have declined from 215 in 1997 to 48 in 2011. “These fatalities should not be occurring,” says Bradley. “That’s the bottom line.” n
Truck thief gets lifetime driving ban, jail time MILTON, Ont. – The trucking industry wanted to see a punishment with some teeth handed down to the cargo thief who stole a load and led police on a televised, long-distance chase Oct. 31. How does a lifetime driving ban sound? Jason Meadus, 40, was given a lifetime driving ban during a court appearance Dec. 14, as well as two years in jail and three years’ probation. n
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TRUCK NEWS Page 21
ontario
Harnessing social media The ‘best practices’ of online interaction By Julia Kuzeljevich TORONTO, Ont. – Between Twitter tweets, Facebook friending, profiling on LinkedIn, or posting the latest viral video on YouTube, social media’s buzzwords will be more or less familiar to all. But can social media bring value to your business? The true value of social media is in the interaction that the various sites enable, and in harnessing the relationships between companies and customers. “It’s word of mouth on steroids,” said Kim McWatt, director and social media expert at Jan Kelley Marketing, and a speaker at the Ontario Trucking Association’s 2011 convention. There are five very practical reasons that people are looking to get in touch through social media, said McWatt: customer expectations, marketing insight, public relations, search engine optimization, and lead generation. “The people you are interacting with through social media are some of the best leads you can get. Fiftynine per cent of B2B buyers today are engaged online, and 75% of B2B
purchasers use social media at least once a week,” she said. Increasingly, as more customers go online to do their research, businesses are seeing a phenomenon called “disintermediation,” with the ‘middleman’ cut right out of the picture. “The challenge will be how to talk to the online customer efficiently,” said McWatt, especially as the next generation of potential customers, Generation Y, which numbers 80 million, is very tech-savvy, skeptical, impatient, and carries high expectations. With over 200 million 140-character tweets going out every day, Twitter makes for a real-time information network that can help you build relationships, respond to comments and queries, “retweet” others’ information, and review your followers to see if any key influencers are in the mix. “You can leverage the real-time nature of twitter by getting feedback, asking questions, floating ideas, and creating polls,” said McWatt. Facebook, with more than 800 million active users, is a social util-
ity that helps people communicate more efficiently with friends, family and co-workers. “From a company standpoint, Facebook pages allow you to leverage your connections and engage people in a customer service fashion – your networks expand as more people like your page. Have a ‘like’ button on your company Web site linking to Facebook, and run Facebook ads. Because of the targeted message, you can reach a lot of people,” said McWatt. Over three billion videos are viewed on YouTube each day. Setting up a ‘brand channel’ with information about how your products and services work could get your
name recognized. “You are trying to provide real value to your followers, with an 80% focus on knowledge transfer and engagement, and 20% focus on shameless self-promotion. If you go the opposite way, though, it’s a surefire way to get people disengaged,” said McWatt. Social media also makes a great recruiting and retention tool. Online professional network LinkedIn posted, as of November 2011, 135 million professionals’ profiles. Over 50% of LinkedIn members are now international, and 75% of Fortune 100 companies use LinkedIn to hire, said Peter Gima, SMB naContinued on page 22
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Page 22 TRUCK NEWS
February 2012
ontario
Trucking executives are taking to Facebook, the Twitterverse Continued from page 21
tional manager, LinkedIn Canada. “You have a chance to put your own personal profile on there, to customize your Web site listings, join groups to network with others, and include apps that highlight your expertise,” said McWatt. Company pages on LinkedIn should include a company overview, list of services, products, and should incorporate any blog and Twitter feeds. Your professional identity is going online, and information is accessible everywhere. How people are using and consuming information is changing as well, said Gima. “The difference between an audience and a community is in which direction the chairs are pointing. LinkedIn’s mission is to connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful. The organizational branding as-
pect is what do you want people to know about your company? Your job is to make sure you are a strong participant in what’s going on. The world owns your brand to a large extent, but just make sure you’re a
possible. Leverage them as assets – as an extension of your brand. Follow yourself and follow your competitors on their company page. You will also find out who is following your organization. You are going
‘When business was awful, and when I saw the stats and did some reading, I found out that our customers were making big decisions using social media,’ Mike McCarron, MSM Transportation participant in it,” said Gima. With Linkedin.com/benchmarkingstudies, you can find out, within your industry, which companies are doing well, who is not, and who is hiring, noted Gima. “We recommend that as many of your employees get on LinkedIn as
to get an awful lot of people commenting on your brand – be active in that,” said Gima. Mike McCarron, managing partner, MSM Transportation, got engaged in social media this year in reaction to feeling “out of sync with people who worked for me,” he said.
“When business was awful, and when I saw the stats and did some reading, I found out that our customers were making big decisions using social media. We were using an old-fashioned relationship model. It scared me a little bit; the power equation has shifted. I don’t control the perception anymore – that’s controlled by the engagement that I have out there,” he said. The result of this move to “people power”? “The world has moved toward total transparency. I think it’s moving the right way. You have to be very aware of that; it’s staggering what that can do. You can’t hoard and release information when and where you want it. There is so much information out there and you have to be very careful about the message. Many times people come in for an interview knowing more about me than I do myself,” added McCarron. Filtering the message?
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When it comes to controlling any potentially negative feedback from your employees or clients through social media, “My recommendation is to bring in an educator on what you would like them to do and not do,” said Gima. “I’d prefer pushing people towards us than trying to control something you can’t control,” said McCarron. “If you have a plan in place to deal with negative comments, such as engaging (those who’ve made the comments), giving them the information they need, then all of a sudden you have a convert. The more you’re transparent, the more that you’re talking openly, the more likely you’ll have someone saying ‘I want to deal with this company’,” said McWatt. Make sure you are aware of the time and resources involved in any social media activity, said McWatt. For example, when you’re managing a Twitter feed, you’re trying to provide real-time information, you’re doing research. “You have to do what makes sense for your organization with the resources that you have, the right content, and the right messaging. You do also have to make sure that you’re monitoring throughout the day. If you do nothing else, listen to what’s going on out in the market. You can set up something as simple as a Google alert, with a daily search focusing on a particular keyword, or Google reader, gathering the tone of the industry from various feeds,” she said. Do set some guidelines. Do not argue or debate, or discuss legal or financial issues. Express regret authentically, and offer an apology if warranted by fact. Don’t be mediocre across all the social media channels. If you are posting comments and no one is talking back to you, think about the content, said McWatt. “When they do engage, make sure you talk to them. More content is being generated by the user than by the corporations. People make the brand. If you’re not talking with your customers and guiding people you’re missing out on a lot of opportunities,” she said. n
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February 2012
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No more ABS, auto-slacks for B.C. log trucks By James Menzies PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. – B.C.’s Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement (CVSE) agency has exempted log trucks operating primarily on forest and industrial roads from complying with regulations requiring anti-lock braking systems (ABS) and automatic slack adjusters. The agency issued a notice to inspection facilities and authorized inspectors on Dec. 31, 2011 indicating: “By means of this notice, the requirement for inspection criteria of anti-lock brakes as stated in the Vehicle Inspection Manual is amended so that vehicles equipped with (ABS) components that may not meet inspection criteria or that do not function as OEM and that operate primarily on industrial or forest service roads may pass a provincial inspection.” The notice pertains to the B.C. Vehicle Inspection Manual regulation that requires vehicles with a GVWR of greater than 10,000 lbs to be equipped with ABS if manufactured on or after April 1, 2000. Also on Dec. 31, the agency issued an amendment notice indicating “air brake equipped vehicles with manual slack adjusters that operate primarily on industrial or forest service roads may pass a provincial mechanical inspection.” That amendment stems from Bulletin 03-10 issued on Aug. 30, 2010, which outlaws replacing automatic slack adjusters with manual slack adjusters on vehicles manufactured on or after May 31, 1996. The two amendments are being heralded as a major victory for log haulers, who have pointed out concerns with ABS and automatic slack adjuster safety on logging roads. “CVSE as been made aware that some vehicles in B.C. that operate primarily on industrial and/or forest service roads may have issues with the proper operation of (automatic slack adjusters/anti-lock brakes) due to adverse road bed conditions,” the agency said in its notices. The CVSE defines industrial and forest service roads as “A road on Crown or private land used primarily for transportation by motor vehicle of natural resources, whether raw, processed or manufactured, or machinery, materials or personnel, and includes all bridges, wharves, log dumps and works forming a part of the road.” One log hauler told Truck News the amendments were significant, but did not go far enough towards addressing trucks that spend a significant portion of their time on-highway. Nonetheless, the Central Interior Logging Association trumped the announcements as a major victory. In its Jan. 6 FactsFax bulletin, the association said “The CILA worked hard on this file, following up on years of work by CILA member Lloyd Inwood from Quesnel. We want to acknowledge Lloyd’s tireless Continued on page 26
12-01-13 12:11 PM
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Page 26 TRUCK NEWS
February 2012
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efforts to make log hauling more efficient and sustainable and the rules pertaining to log trucks more reasonable and practical.” In a September e-mail to CILA, Inwood outlined some of his concerns with ABS performance in the bush. They included: amber light coming on for no apparent reason; plastic brake valves getting broken by rocks; loss of brakes on steep hills; spongy brakes on gravel roads; and poor performance compared to non-ABS trailers. Inwood also expressed frustration over the durability of the plastic used to secure wires to the air lines and cam tubes being destroyed by rocks and debris on logging roads. “In the mud the fine wires are cut or pulled out of the dust covers, causing sensor gap issues. On the mechanical suspension trailers, the ECU fails from vibrations or breaks the port off the air tank,” Inwood pointed out. As for automatic slack adjusters, MaryAnne Arcand, CILA executive director, told Truck News “My understanding is it had to do with them not functioning properly in mud, snow and ice conditions. Those concerns are now also being directed at the potential move by Transport Canada to (mandate) disc brakes on trucks, which we will try to stop before it happens, rather than fight it for 10 years afterward.” Despite the welcomed news of greater flexibility for log haulers, there’s still some question as to what ‘primarily’ means. For instance, will trucks that spend most of the year as log trucks and then several months doing other work on-highway qualify for the exemption? “We talked about the purpose of the truck – if it’s a logging truck, obviously it’s going in the bush, etc. Since the inspections are semi-annual, the exemption would stand unless it’s not being used off-highway at all for over six months. At least that’s my interpretation,” Arcand told Truck News. She added she’ll be seeking further clarification from the department. n
16/01/12 12:54 PM
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Page 28 TRUCK NEWS
February 2012
tax talk
Four tips for filing your 2011 income tax return In February, the emphasis on personal income tax planning shifts to personal income tax return preparation. Because 2012 is a leap year, you have an extra day to find the income statements, assessment notices, receipts, logbooks, and anything else you need to back up your claims. Lucky you. With the April 30 filing deadline just around the corner, here are four things to consider as you get your return ready: Your RRSP contribution The RRSP deadline this year is Feb. 29, so many Canadians will spend this month scraping together what they can to make a contribution – and wonder whether they’re throwing good money after bad given the volatility of the markets. I always remind people of two things:
Tax Talk Scott Taylor
1. Putting something away is better than doing nothing. If you don’t put it away today, chances are you’ll never have it or keep it yourself. 2. An RRSP is probably the best vehicle you have to reduce your tax obligation because you can deduct the amount you contribute from your earned income. Your tax rate is 25-40% depending on your income. Invest $1,000 in your RRSP and it’s like getting $250 to $400 back in your hands today because part of your return on investment is the up-front tax savings. I’m not a financial advisor, but you
can consider GICs and other low-risk RRSP-eligible investments (I suspect you don’t hear much about these because there’s not much commission in it for the guy selling them to you). You can always park your $1,000 at 0.05% until you’re more comfortable making higher-risk, higher-yield investments. The office in the home Having an office at home is a great way to keep records and other work organized while generating some useful tax deductions. It can also attract the attention of auditors, so it’s important to understand the rules. First and foremost, the workspace must be your principle place of business. You can deduct a percentage of home maintenance costs such as heating, insurance, electricity, and cleaning materials. You can also de-
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duct a portion of your property taxes, mortgage interest, or, if you rent your home, you can deduct part of the rent. To determine the percentage to deduct for business use, calculate the area of the workspace divided by the total area of your home. If you use a room for business and personal use, then calculate how many hours in the day you use the room for business and divide that amount by 24 hours. Multiply this result by the business part of your total home expenses. Be careful about deducting renovations. It may be tempting to save tax dollars today by expensing CCA (Capital Cost Allowance) from home renovations or determining a value on your office, but capital gain and recapture rules will apply when you sell your home or go out of business. Since housing tends to go up in value, you’ll likely have a taxable gain on the sale for any percentage of your home you depreciated as a business asset. The shortterm tax savings that you enjoyed over many years would have to be repaid to the government all at once. One more thing: The amount you can deduct for business use of home expenses cannot be more than your net income from the business. In other words, you can’t use these expenses to increase or create a business loss. Hiring credit for small business The HCSB is a one-time credit of up to $1,000 based on the increase in an employer’s employment insurance (EI) premiums paid for 2011 over those paid for 2010. Here’s how it works: To be eligible for the credit, the total EI premiums paid by the business must have been $10,000 or less in 2010 and increased in 2011. The credit is calculated as the difference between these two amounts up to a maximum of $1,000. The CRA will automatically calculate the credit when an eligible employer’s 2011 T4 information return is filed. This isn’t a personal income tax issue, but it’s still important for owner/operators who paid EI premiums for their employees in 2010 and 2011. File on time Even if you can’t afford to pay the balance, filing the return on time can save you penalties and fees. If your return is late, there’s a minimum 5% penalty of the balance owing, plus 1% per month for a maximum of 12 months. If you have filed late before, the penalties may be higher. If you need help preparing your personal income tax return, see a qualified professional, preferably one who knows the trucking business (and that meals are at 80% this year). Then, on May 1, get back into tax-planning mode. n – Scott Taylor is vice-president of TFS Group, providing accounting, bookkeeping, tax return preparation, and other business services for owner/operators. Learn more at www.tfsgroup.com or call 800-461-5970.
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12-01-11 2:38 PM
Page 30 TRUCK NEWS
February 2012
opinion
Ontario’s senior drivers still deserve better Since OBAC is on “the list,” the those things they do to make sure month of December brings a plethovoters and stakeholders know they ra of greeting cards from politicians care. Right. wishing me health, happiness, and In addition to his Christmas card, aTruckNews_heater_island_2010B2b.qxd:TruckNews_Island prosperous new year. It’s one of I received an interesting 11/2/10 letter 11:36 from AM Page
process “can be made less onerous for senior drivers without compromising safety” and is prepared to re-open discussions on the subject. For folks outside Ontario who might not follow this issue as closely as we aging Ontario drivers, regulation 340/94, as it’s affectionately known, is one of the most blatant ex-
Ontario’s Minister of Transportation, Bob Chiarelli, regarding senior commercial licence renewal in this province. 1 Minister Chiarelli agreed that the
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SHEEHAN’S TRUCK CENTRE INC.
February 2012
amples of age discrimination you’re ever likely to see in driver licensing. The Highway Traffic Act, which sets out the types of examinations to determine a person’s fitness to drive, requires Class A commercial drivers aged 65 and older to complete an annual driving test with a tractor-trailer unit, in addition to the written test and a full medical examination. Age, set arbitrarily at 65, is the only thing that triggers the road test, and Ontario is the sole jurisdiction in North America (and perhaps the world) with this requirement. Let me be clear – the medical isn’t a huge deal; after all, most of us at that age see our doctors on a regular basis anyway, and even the written test (flawed though it be) is something we can live with. But it’s the road test that’s the kicker. Not only is the road test the most costly and inconvenient element of re-testing, there is absolutely nothing in the test that would reveal shortcomings related to age, such as eroding cognitive skills, reaction time, decision-making capability, or physical dexterity. Such a test, in fact, like the fountain of youth, doesn’t exist. So who do they think they’re kidding? To believe they’re weeding out old “unsafe” drivers by administering the current entry level, mark and measure, circle check, drive-around-the-block test is just plain silly. Until there is a road test developed that can measure the failing abilities associated with aging, the ministry needs to put a stop to this utterly useless and often humiliating practice of harassing some of Ontario’s most conscientious and safest drivers. As a result of concerted lobbying by trucking associations, carriers, and more than a few old geezers, the Ministry undertook a comprehensive policy review in 2008 of renewal requirements for senior commercial drivers, and I think the light came on for a few bureaucrats over there. Also, mandatory retirement at age 65 (for everyone) had recently been made illegal in Ontario, and there may have been a nagging feeling that truckers’ claims of discrimination weren’t that far off the mark. In any case, they recommended changes that would end the practice of age-based testing, but for some perplexing reason, a succession of Ministers has refused to act. Obviously, I’m pleased that Minister Chiarelli is prepared talk, but I gotta tell ya, he’ll have to come up with something a lot more meaningful than the “initiatives” he outlined in his letter to get this old girl excited. To consider it worthy of mention that senior drivers pay a reduced road test fee ($14 vs. $75) only tells me that he’s just not listening. Time and again we’ve explained that Class A renewal can cost a driver upwards of $1,000 in truck procurement fees and lost earnings for the road test, so a savings of 60 bucks just isn’t going to do it. As for being able to use a truck with an automatic transmission for the road test, that simply fixes a blunder made back in 2008 when they introduced the “restricted” Class A licence. The restriction was put in place to close the loophole
pg 30-31 tn feb v3.indd 31
Voice of the O/O Joanne Ritchie
that allowed one to get a Class A licence with a pick-up truck hauling a horse trailer, and it’s a good example of how we seniors tend to be invisible a lot of the time when rules are being made. In defining the spec’s and configuration of a vehicle that could be used for the test, “manual transmission” was included as a requirement (not unreasonable for a firsttime test candidate), but someone completely overlooked the fact that there could be a whole whack of old pros, who’ve been steering and gearing trucks for upwards of 40 years, showing up to take the test with their driver-friendly, state-of-theart automated transmissions. And I fail to see how drawing pictures of air brake adjustments and safety checks – the practical air brake test – is measuring the deficiencies related to aging. That’s what the medical exam by a qualified physician is all about. And anyway, a written air brake test is part of the renewal process that all drivers go through on a regular basis to maintain their Class A licence and air brake endorsement. But while I’m a bit crotchety about the whole thing, I’ll give Minister Chiarelli the benefit of the doubt. His letter indicates a willingness to work toward an appropriate longterm solution, and he has tasked his Parliamentary Assistant, Vic Dhillon (MPP, Brampton West), to lead a review. We’ll be at the table, once again, gladly sharing our extensive body of research that points to much more effective and less onerous ways of determining fitness to drive – at any age. Our message is clear. We have no problem supporting testing of class A licence holders on an as-required basis – regardless of age – as long as the trigger is linked to factors such as a driver’s safety record, the demerit point system, or medicalbased criteria that suggests testing is warranted. The number 65 as an arbitrary line between safe and not safe has got to go, and the sooner Minister Chiarelli and the other folks at Queen’s Park recognize this, the sooner we can get to work on initiatives that will make our highways – the workplace of commercial drivers – safer. And before I leave my soapbox, let me remind everyone out there that as the industrialized world ages, having more older Canadians in the workforce is key to this country’s future prosperity. We’re so focused on developing strategies to get younger workers into the industry that we overlook the golden resource of seasoned veterans. Makes me mad. For more information on OBAC’s policy regarding age-based driver testing, as well as other “grey matters,” check out the ‘Age Page’ on our Web site at www.obac.ca. n – Joanne Ritchie is executive director of OBAC. Are you aging or raging? E-mail her at jritchie@obac.ca or call toll free 888-794-9990.
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OO of the Year Award 2012.indd 1
12-01-11 11:51 AM
February 2012
TRUCK NEWS Page 33
safety
Electronic tools offer more insight than ever before Everyone who feels threatened by electronic recordings usually refers to Big Brother. There was no escaping the party leader’s menacing presence in the novel 1984. Posters warned characters that “Big Brother is watching you” and “telescreens” monitored every activity. The fleets and drivers who take the time to understand the electronics on a modern truck are more likely to be thankful for the watchful eyes. Consider what these tools can do. The Electronic Control Modules (ECMs) on engines now monitor a long list of potential faults and control the combustion process. Global Positioning Systems and satellite networks track where loads are at a moment’s notice. And everyone is more connected than ever thanks to cell phones and e-mail. Electronic logbooks offer a perfect example of the difference that electronic data can make. It’s no secret that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) in the US is looking to eventually mandate the use of electronic on-board recorders (EOBRs) on every interstate truck. But a growing number of fleets are already enjoying the power of these devices before they become the law. EOBRs eliminate many of the simple paperwork errors that can be frustrating for drivers and fleets alike. Rather than being measured on how well they mark lines on a grid or fill out blank spaces at the top of a log sheet, drivers simply press a button whenever they change their duty status. Dispatchers know exactly how much time remains in a driver’s workday and when loads will need to be parked. Errors which can lead to fines or marks on safety ratings become a thing of the past. In addition to that, the businesses can reassign workers who are feeding logbook pages into electronic readers. Of course, this is hardly the only electronic tool that can help to manage driver and business activities. Consider the latest generation of Global Positioning Systems that give fleets the chance to introduce geofencing strategies, sounding an alarm whenever a truck strays outside a specific area. That can alert dispatchers about stolen or hijacked equipment as well as drivers who may be lost. By noticing a truck that has not moved at all, a fleet may identify a driver who has been injured and needs medical help. The benefits of these tools even extend to shippers, as the systems send automated messages about freight locations. E-mails can be generated when someone leaves the yard, clears Customs, or comes within an hour of a loading dock. And this is the type of information that can reduce potential delays at a loading dock, as well as the time invested in answering calls which ask about the status of a load. Another technology in the
pg 33 tn feb v3.indd 33
Ask the Expert ross johnson
form of camera-based systems that sound a warning whenever a driver strays from a lane will obviously help to prevent single-vehicle rollovers, but the benefits of these recordings don’t end there. The videos can also be used as a training tool to show drivers specific examples of driving habits that need to be improved. These systems can also record important details in the seconds before or after a collision. One owner/operator who installed video equipment of his own was immediately able to show a State Trooper that he had been cut off by a motorist who claimed to be in
the right. He was allowed to continue his trip without any delay. Of course, valuable electronic data is not limited to those who invest in cutting-edge technology. The same ECMs that control any modern engine can also generate reports about fuel economy, a driver’s shift points, hard braking and coasting habits. Every one of these factors deserves to be tracked. Drivers who are involved in too many hard braking events, for example, are likely too aggressive behind the wheel. That can raise the risk of collisions, causes parts like tires and brakes to wear out prematurely, and lowers fuel economy. Fleets can base benchmarks for the different measurements by tracking their overall experience with trucks on similar trips. Those that travel exclusively in the Greater Toronto Area can
be expected to have more sudden brake applications at lower speeds than a long-haul driver, but it is possible to compare the experience of a driver’s peers. And when managers take the time to compare available data, the opportunities to improve a business are endless. n – This month’s contributing expert Ross Johnson has over 25 years experience in occupational health and safety, fleet safety management and driver training. He started with Markel as a training specialist in 2002 prior to becoming a safety and training services, senior advisor in 2004. Send your questions, feedback and comments about this column to info@markel.ca. Markel is the country’s largest trucking insurer providing more than 50 years of continuous service to the transportation industry.
16/01/12 2:54 PM
Page 34 TRUCK NEWS
February 2012
feature
Gary Salisbury: From owner/operator to CEO Fikes Truck Line CEO sought a career in trucking to escape the farm By James Menzies TORONTO, Ont. – Growing up on a dairy farm, Gary Salisbury, president and CEO of Fikes Truck Line and chair of the Truckload Carriers Association, initially saw the trucking industry as an escape from long workdays. At the time, a trucking career seemed comparatively simple, Salisbury recounted during the most recent Driving for Profit seminar. “All I knew was I didn’t want to be in the dairy business, where you were up at 4 a.m. and not getting back into the house until eight or 10 p.m.,” Salisbury said. “So I chose the trucking industry where I had to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week.” The affable Salisbury became a star-eyed owner/operator in 1981, and quickly learned there was more to the job than cruising down the open highway without a care in the world. “I was not a good owner/operator,” he now admits. “I didn’t treat it like a business and I think that’s the downfall of some of our guys today. I treated it like a lifestyle. I couldn’t tell you what my cost-permile was; if I had money at the end of the month, I was making money and if I had month left over at the end of the money, I wasn’t doing real good.” At that time, the idea of one day running the company he was hauling for was unthinkable. When moderator Lou Smyrlis asked Salisbury how he would respond if someone were to tell him then that he’d one day be CEO, he retorted: “I’d say ‘Put down the crack pipe’.” Yet, Salisbury’s success story is proof that hard work, passion, empathy and a positive attitude can take you a long way in the trucking business. The human element After putting in some time behind the wheel, Salisbury accepted a job as dispatcher with Fikes Truck Line, a Hope, Arkansas-based open deck carrier that now generates about $70 million in avenue revenue. It was in that role that Salisbury learned about the human dynamic of managing a fleet. His experience from behind the wheel gave Salisbury the ability to appreciate how dispatching decisions would impact the O/O on the other end of the phone. “I was able to understand that when an owner/operator calls in, the one thing he has is time. And during that time, all he does is think,” Salisbury explained. “If he goes from Chicago to Dallas, he gets to Dallas and gets unloaded and picks up that phone and if the dispatcher is uncaring and says ‘I’ve got this load out of Dallas going to San Antonio,’ well, that’s not what (the O/O) had in his mind. For the past 10 hours he was thinking about going back to Chicago…A lot of (dispatchers) don’t know what it feels like to hear ‘I don’t have anything, call me back in an hour’.” Salisbury learned dispatchers must “sell the freight” to the own-
pg 34 tn feb v3.indd 34
goes that way, we quit hauling their freight.” O/O-friendly freight
in conversation: The latest Driving for Profit seminar featured editorial director Lou Smyrlis interviewing Fikes Truck Line’s Gary Salisbury (left).
er/operator, especially in a company like Fikes which has a ‘no forced dispatch’ policy. “What helped me in management was learning you have to be a mediator, you have to be a salesman whether you are selling to the customer or to the owner/operator,” Salisbury said. He credits Jim Smith, chairman of Fikes and its owner since 1981, with taking a chance on young owner/operators and bringing them into the ranks of management. “Jim was patient and he mentored all of us who came in,” Salisbury recalled. It was from Jim that Salisbury learned a golden lesson: “Even today, we tell our executives to start training their replacement. You need to have someone in place who can do your job better than you can. They make you look good and if you want to move up in the company, you have a replacement that does your job better than you. That’s a very difficult thing to do.” Salisbury’s climb through the ranks of Fikes Truck Line culminated in 2008 when he was named president and CEO, hot on the heels of a record year and now staring an
trucks to 450 by the end of the first half of 09. “We buckled down, stopped spending money,” Salisbury said. The hardest part though, was letting some long-term employees go. “That was one of the most difficult days,” Salisbury said of the day he had to notify some long-serving staffers their job was being cut. Putting on a brave face the next day was equally challenging. “People say I’m callous, I’m really not. But as a leader, you have to give the people that are still there hope,” he said. “You have to keep a positive attitude. The next day you have to come in like it’s a new world. You still have to have respect for those who are gone, but you have to come in and be very positive.” The turnaround came quickly for Fikes Truck Line. It dealt with a severe shortage of flatdeck freight by diversifying and adding military freight and logistics to its portfolio. “We have learned that successful companies, when they stopped adapting, went out of business,” Salisbury said. By the end of 2009, Fikes had repaid its line of credit and returned to the black.
‘I was not a good owner/operator…I couldn’t tell you what my cost-per-mile was; if I had money at the end of the month, I was making money and if I had month left over at the end of the money, I wasn’t doing real good,’
He also said Fikes – a fleet comprised entirely of lease-operators – only seeks out owner/operatorfriendly freight. “If I’m going to sell a lane, it better be a lane our guys like to haul and it better be easy to haul,” he said. “If it needs 8-ft. drop tarps and takes six hours to load, you may haul one load and that’s it.” Like many trucking companies here in Canada, finding qualified owner/operators is proving difficult for the carrier. Fikes’ short-term answer is to seek out O/Os who may have been unsuccessful in the past due to circumstances, help them secure nontraditional financing to purchase an affordable used truck spec’d to Fikes’ liking and then to provide them with the business training they need to ensure their success. Seeking a career path Long-term, the company is trying to find ways to attract younger workers, and Salisbury feels strongly the answer is to provide them with a career path beyond driving the truck. “The younger generation doesn’t want to go to work for a company for 30 years and then retire,” he said. “When we were raised, you’d go work for a company, stay there and get the gold watch. This new generation wants electronics, they want satellites and they also want to know ‘If I drive this truck for five or 10 years, what do I do next?’ We’ve got to grab that guy or gal early when they’re coming out of school, show them a career path they can be successful in and show them that the trucking industry is not just about driving a truck.” While Salisbury isn’t the first trucking exec to identify the need for a career path, his company may be one of the best at following through. Just as Salisbury transitioned from owner/ operator to company executive, much of Fikes’ management ranks today consists of former drivers. For his part, Salisbury said while he now knows truckers work every bit as hard as farmers, the trucking industry holds one decided advantage. “I don’t have to milk the truck,” he joked. n
Gary Salisbury, Fikes Truck Line ugly recession in the face. At first, Salisbury said he was unfazed by the economic slowdown. The company was running 550 trucks and success was coming easily. “Historically, Fikes had always grown during a recession,” Salisbury recalled. “We had a very loyal customer base and we always did well. I thought ‘Well, it’s going to slow down for others, but not really for us.’ The reality is, it did. By the end of the first quarter (of 2009) we were a little over half a million dollars in the red and we had to lay some people off; we made some tough decisions.” Fikes shrunk the fleet from 550
“It continues to be a challenge today, things have gotten better this year but not where we’d like to see it,” he said. Fikes remains a smaller company than it was at its peak, now operating 300 trucks. Salisbury said the company is very cautious about the types of new business it takes on. “Our number one strategy is to do a credit check on customers,” Salisbury said. “We don’t care if it’s good freight and it pays well; if you don’t get paid, it doesn’t help you much.” He said the company doesn’t allow outstanding invoices to exceed 30 days and is averaging 23. “If it
both sides of the wheel: Gary Salisbury charted a course from O/O to CEO, giving him a unique perspective on the industry.
12/01/12 12:13 PM
Page 36 TRUCK NEWS
February 2012
over the road
Exploring the real reasons behind the driver shortage I had breakfast with a buddy a short while ago and he’s a guy that is usually upbeat and looking at the sunny side of things. So as we were talking about the state of affairs out here on the road, I was a little taken aback when he said that it just wasn’t any fun anymore. I’ve heard similar statements from many drivers over the past couple of years and I usually just put it off to a venting of frustrations when a couple of drivers get together. But as I thought about our conversation afterward, I realized that these types of comments are coming from drivers that I don’t usually associate with a lot of bitching about nothing. They are coming from seasoned drivers with lots of experience. My overall impression is that folks are simply tired out and run down. So naturally I wondered if the driver shortage that gets so much ink in the trucking media these days is showing up in the way of added stress and fatigue on drivers? Lots has been written about attracting new blood to the industry but not so much about what the effects are on the existing pool of drivers that are picking up the slack. Think of our present drivers as a group of elite athletes. Okay, I know this may be a stretch, but bear with me. You’re watching
for a game or two during the regular season. We have also been handicapped in a number of ways. The referees in our industry are calling a tight game. Despite the greater demands on our time, we face harsher penalties if we break the rules. Up until a few years ago our game was open-ended, allowing us the flexibility to stretch out our duties and rest in between. Now we have to complete many of our jobs within a tighter window of time or face a penalty. Our income has not kept up with inflation over the past couple of decades, so the once aboveaverage income we enjoyed has shrunk to an average middle class income at best. No longer does a driver have the luxury to take time whenever he or she wants, to recharge with family and friends. Many of us are working paycheque to paycheque, living on the road, and just going home to visit. In my opinion there is not a driver shortage at all. Drivers now receive an average income for an above-average investment of time in an industry where bureaucracy has run amuck. As a result, the freedom of the open road does not hold the same attraction to potential drivers and is quickly losing its luster within the existing pool of drivers.
Over the Road Al Goodhall
game seven of a Stanley Cup final. More than half of the players on both teams are seasoned veterans, well past the halfway point of their careers. But the chips are down and they all have their game on, playing with an intensity of guys half their age. You know when the game is done that there is no way these players could play every game in a long season with that same level of effort. But when called on, they get the job done. So now back to our present team of drivers. More than half of us are well past the halfway point in our careers and many of us are feeling the effects. Those effects are reflected in the general state of our health. For the past few years we’ve been called on to pick up the slack and put in the extra effort. Most of us have had our game on and risen to the call. But unlike a group of athletes that ‘peak’ for a playoff series, we just keep going with no end in sight. Unlike the hockey players, we don’t have an off-season to recover or someone to substitute for us
Shrinking incomes and longer work hours are not unique to the trucking industry. It’s a story repeated across a broad swath of our society. The message we are getting on the front lines is one of austerity. We are told to do more with less in order for companies to remain competitive and create more jobs. At the same time we receive constant messages to consume more, which fuels economic growth. Earn less but spend more? Maybe I’m getting the wrong message but I don’t think so. The good news is that many of us work for smaller family-owned businesses that don’t operate by the same rules of austerity as the large public corporations. But they don’t have the deep pockets that their large competitors do, so they can’t keep their drivers happy by throwing money at them. They need to find creative ways to keep and attract drivers. As drivers we can help them do that and in doing so help ourselves. I’ll come back to this in future columns. n – Al Goodhall has been a professional long-haul driver since 1998. He shares his experiences via his 'Over the Road' blog at http://truckingacrosscanada.blogspot.com. You can also follow him on Twitter at Twitter.com/Al_Goodhall.
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pg 36 tn feb v3.indd 36
TRUCK NEWS CAREERS
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February 2012
TRUCK NEWS Page 37
health
Watch your back Another year has passed. Each New Year’s celebration reminds us that the years are creeping by. Recently, my lower back has been sending its own painful reminder. Your back may be sending you the same message. Unfortunately, degeneration of the spine is a natural occurrence that accompanies aging. Some common reasons we have trouble with our spines are: heredity, obesity, injury, as well as normal wear and tear. The biochemical changes caused by aging can affect the discs that cushion the area between the spinal vertebrae. These changes, along with the usual wear and tear to the spine over the years, can weaken part of the discs, making them less effective shock absorbers. Sometimes bone spurs form on the spine, which can cause additional pain. If your back is causing you pain, usually a day or two of rest will be enough to get over it. Ice packs or heat packs may help, too. However, if you haven’t improved after a few days of rest, you may have a more serious condition. One particular degenerative spinal condition to consider is spondylosis. It affects most people over the age of 50 to some extent. Spondylosis can be found in any area of the spine, but let’s focus on this condition in your lower back: lumosacral spondylosis. Lumosacral spondylosis, outside
Preventive Maintenance Karen Bowen
of age-related degeneration, is usually caused by a repetitive strain injury from an activity in which you move or hold your spine without paying attention to its ergonomic position, such as excessive hours of driving. With lumosacral spondylosis, you’ll feel back pain and stiffness when you first wake up. Usually, this will fade as your muscles loosen up. However, lifting, bending and sitting for long periods of time can cause or increase the pain, since these activities put pressure on the lower part of your spine. If your discs have seriously degenerated, ruptured, or are irritating the nerves from a bone spur, the symptoms will be more severe. Your legs may begin tingling, getting weak, or becoming numb. They may also experience muscle spasms or numbness. In some extreme cases, you may have bowel or bladder problems. Since there may be many causes of these same symptoms, a doctor’s diagnosis is necessary. Your medical examination should include taking your medical history, listening to
your symptoms, and examining your spine for signs of abnormalities, muscle spasm or tenderness. The doctor will test your range of motion to see if you have any trouble bending, rotating or extending your spine. Sometimes an X-ray or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) will be given to see if there are bone spurs or narrowing between the vertebrae from disc degeneration. Interestingly, the water content in your discs can also be seen on an MRI, which lets your doctor judge how effectively they are working as shock absorbers. Fortunately, usually non-surgical treatment can effectively relieve your symptoms. Physical therapy is most commonly prescribed in the early stages to help relieve pain and increase your range-of-motion. During physical therapy treatment you will learn exercises that will strengthen your back (para-vertebral) muscles and stomach (abdominal) muscles. These exercises help build strength, while increasing range-ofmotion and flexibility to better support your spine. Physical therapists may also use heat, ultrasound and electrical stimulation to reduce pain and muscle spasms. Analgesics, anti-inflammatory medications and muscle relaxants may also be recommended for pain. In addition, your physical therapist will coach you on lifestyle changes that will help you improve and maintain your back health. Special shoe inserts, orthotics, de-
Grinding your teeth? Could be bruxism Bruxism is the medical term for a condition in which a person grinds or clenches their teeth. In most cases, people are not even aware they are doing it. Grinding or clenching may occur during the day or at night during sleep. In many instances, bruxism is very mild and does not require any form of treatment. However, in severe cases, chronic teeth clenching or grinding may lead to headaches, teeth damage and jaw disorders. The signs and symptoms of bruxism can vary from person to person. However, the most common include loud teeth grinding or clenching, worn down or flattened teeth, jaw pain and earaches, headaches or damage to the cheeks and tongue. The exact cause of bruxism is not completely understood at this time. It is thought that it is caused by a combination of physical and psychological factors. Chronic anxiety, stress or ten-
Back behind the wheel Dr. Chris Singh
sion are thought to be major components of bruxism. Also, people who have an aggressive or competitive personality type also seem to be more at risk of developing this condition. To add to this, lack of sleep or sleep problems may increase a person’s chances. As you can see, professional truck drivers may have many of the common risk factors. Finally, dental problems such as abnormal alignment of teeth may cause uneven pressure thus leading to grinding. Although bruxism rarely leads to serious complications, it can cause other physical issues that are very uncomfortable. Tension-type headaches are
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caused when the muscles in the jaw, head and neck become strained and fatigued due to the constant contraction. Consequently, this leads to tightness and pain in the muscles. Another possible complication of bruxism is temporomandibular joint disorders. This occurs when the jaw joints located just in front of your ear are injured causing dysfunction and pain. It is important to consult your doctor or dentist if you experience any of the above signs and symptoms, or if others complain that you make a grinding noise while you are asleep. During the examination your health care professional will look for signs of clenching and grinding or changes in your teeth and mouth. If the professional suspects that your bruxism is caused by a psychological issue, they may make a referral to a therapist or councillor. They may also make a referral to a sleep specialist if
signed to keep the foot in the optimal position to support the weight of the body, can also help reduce symptoms. A properly adjusted lumbar support would really help stabilize your spine while you’re on the road. Losing weight extra weight would help, too. Ultimately, if your pain is severe and your job requires lifting heavy objects or bending, your doctor may recommend that you use an orthotic back brace or even move to a job that is less demanding to your spine. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons supports manipulation as an effective holistic treatment, which is typically done by a chiropractor, or a physical therapist. Certain movements may re-adjust the bones in the spine and result in pressure relief. However, I recommend that you consult your doctor to make sure this treatment is appropriate for your particular condition. In the most severe cases of lumosacral spondylosis, surgery may be needed to remove damaged discs or fuse part of the spine. This last resort is usually only considered in situations when a person’s pain is severe or when the spine is compressed. As this year begins, make a resolution to watch your back. Eat well. Stay fit. Lose weight. And see a doctor if necessary. The future is yours. n – Karen Bowen is a professional health and nutrition consultant , and she can be reached at karen_ bowen @ yahoo.com . they feel a sleep related disorder is present. In most cases, formal treatment is not necessary, as most people do not grind or clench their teeth severely enough to require treatment. However, if treatment is necessary, it is usually aimed at addressing the underlying causes. Stress management therapies such as meditation, exercise and relaxations techniques are commonly used. If the cause of the bruxism is a dental issue, therapeutic appliances such as splints and mouthguards may be prescribed. There are a few home remedies that can be used to prevent or treat mild bruxism. First, try to reduce stress in your life. Next, avoid consuming stimulating substances such as coffee, tea or alcohol during the evening. Finally, attend regular dental examinations. n – Dr. Christopher H. Singh runs Trans Canada Chiropractic at the 230 Truck Stop in Woodstock, Ont. He can be reached at 519-421-2024.
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Page 38 TRUCK NEWS
February 2012
industry
Canada-US border agreement: Giving government credit where it’s due The “proof will be in the pudding,” “it’s results that matter,” “show me the money,” “the road is paved with good intentions,” are all expressions that could have been used to describe the trade community’s reaction when Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and US President Barack Obama formally announced last February that their two countries would be pursuing a new border/perimeter security agreement. After a decade where those involved in trying to get goods across the Canada-US border were repeatedly promised a more efficient border in return for investment in greater security, but instead saw the border become an ever-thicker wall, a real barrier to trade, the trade community could be forgiven for its skepticism. What reason did we have to believe that things would be different this time around? What le-
Industry Issues David Bradley
verage would Canada have? Would the Obama administration, which had its own domestic political problems to deal with and an election looming, really get engaged? The border is a big issue in Canada, not so much in the US. Canada too would end up heading to the polls later in the year. Nevertheless, the announcement was welcomed; what choice did we have? And maybe, just maybe, with the leaders’ backing, maybe we could finally see some movement on what has euphemistically become known as the “low-hanging fruit.” As it turns out, despite the odds,
the Canada-US border agreement announced by the Prime Minister and the President just before Christmas was in my opinion a historic achievement that takes meaningful steps to bringing the CanadaUS border into the 21st century. The leaders and the people they appointed to negotiate the agreement are to be commended. What is called the Perimeter and Economic Competitiveness Action Plan effectively balances security and trade imperatives while restoring a meaningful return on investment in the trusted trader programs and creating the opportunity for a more efficient and productive border. CTA consulted extensively with both the Beyond the Border Working Group and the Canada-US Regulatory Cooperation Council, proposing a number of doable measures we felt would improve trade facilita-
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tion and reduce unnecessary regulatory barriers. The agreement delivers in several tangible ways. Of the measures announced, perhaps the greatest bang for our buck is the agreement to harmonize data requirements to restore carriers’ ability to move Canadian domestic shipments in-transit through the US. This is something CTA has been pursuing for almost 10 years. But, that’s not all. CTA applauds the fact there will be mutual recognition of the two main “trusted trader” risk assessment programs: C-TPAT and PIP. Up to now, companies have had to apply to both programs separately, despite the fact that the information required is identical. As well, the two governments agreed to examine ways to allow FAST cards to meet requirements of other security programs, involving CBSA, CBP and other government agencies. We have always questioned why, for example, drivers need both FAST and TWIC cards. A pilot slated for launch at the Port of Montreal will introduce an ‘inspect once, accept twice’ concept, where freight arriving at the North American border will only be inspected by one Customs agency but will be accepted by both countries. And, a pre-clearance pilot will be implemented at a land border (likely the Peace Bridge) by September 2012. We’ll have to make sure this doesn’t mean trucks will be stopped twice (leaving Canada and entering the US) but we look forward to working with governments and local port officials on this initiative to ensure optimum efficiencies are achieved. The governments will undertake an inventory and assessment of the rationale and impact for the multitude of border crossing fees, including such irritants as the APHIS fees, long a bugaboo for truckers and traders alike. CTA is pleased that funding has been identified for RFID, and anticipates that under the review of trusted trader facilities it could lead to expansion of FAST lanes and RFID technology for commercial lanes. Finally, the plan compels the governments to find ways of ensuring inspections of pallets and other packaging materials is done away from the border and does not disrupt border operations. Just as some of these measures require follow-through and additional work, it’s also true that not all of the issues CTA would like to have seen dealt with in the action plan were included, such as modernization of the rules governing the repositioning of foreign empty trailers and a common sense approach to dealing with residuals in trailers. But, even there, we are optimistic these issues will have their day. The commitment to performance measurements and reporting publicly on progress on the action plan is a clear indication that this is the beginning of a process of improvements, not the end. n – David Bradley is president of the Ontario Trucking Association and chief executive officer of the Canadian Trucking Alliance.
16/01/12 10:31 AM
February 2012
TRUCK NEWS Page 39
Looking for something to celebrate? With so many segments of our industry still under economic siege, you need to look pretty deeply to some find good news. But a little celebration can go a long way to restoring optimism and that’s what this column is about. While the public in general lacks appreciation for the importance of trucking, many industry segments do a good job of recognizing those individuals and companies that demonstrate excellence. At the PMTC we are not alone in promoting the upside of such an essential contributor to Canada’s economy as trucking. With that in mind we are pleased to announce that the PMTC’s 2012 awards season is open and applications for each of the award categories are already coming in. The PMTC awards are presented during our annual conference in June each year. The event combines educational forums and networking with people from all sectors of the industry, with the presentation of awards that celebrate some of the people and fleets that contribute so much to trucking in Canada. This year’s conference takes place June 20-21, at Kingbridge Conference Centre in King City, Ont., just outside Toronto. This will be our third year at this venue, which has drawn rave reviews from participants for its facilities and service. One of the highlights of the conference is of course the presentation of these industry awards, which have a long established position in the trucking community. They represent the commitment to excellence of PMTC, its members, and the sponsors that help us maintain the programs. Now, some may dismiss award programs such as these as unimportant, or simply not essential to the day-today functions of running a business. We would respectfully disagree. We believe it is important to take the time to celebrate those people and companies that make this industry so great. Award programs such as these are opportunities to say thank you to individuals and companies whose contributions are such an important part of the Canadian trucking community. Here’s a brief overview of the awards and how to participate: The Hall of Fame for Professional Drivers, sponsored by Huron Services, a CPC Logistics Company, inducts up to four professional drivers each year. The Hall of Fame resides on our Web site at www.pmtc.ca and a visitor can review the outstanding records of the 35 inductees dating back to 1990. These are individual awards of excellence, and the safety records of the recipients are extraordinary. The many years of safe driving that Hall of Fame inductees represent should be the goals of everyone who takes the wheel. Nomination forms are available on the PMTC Web site, along with a description of the criteria for entry. While the award winners are, in the estimation of the judges, the best of the best, it is also a mark of distinction for any driver to be nominated, and we encourage the participation of all our members. The Private Fleet Safety Awards, sponsored by Zurich, is open to all private fleets in Canada. Awards are available for fleets in three categories based on fleet size. These awards rec-
pg 38-39 tn feb v3.indd 39
Private Links Bruce Richards
ognize companies that have integrated detailed safety programs as a key component of operations, and whose programs deliver results. The awards are as much about recognizing the whole package as they are about the on-road performance. It takes a well-managed safety program built on solid principles to achieve long-term results. By completing the application (available at www.pmtc.ca) any fleet manager will be shown a clear pathway, or a ‘how-to’ for implementing a safety program. The awards program criteria are based on the best practic-
es of private fleets and winning in any category is a significant achievement. The Vehicle Graphics Design Awards, sponsored by 3M Canada, add the colour and drama to our annual awards luncheon. This year marks the 27th year of these awards and the competition attracts entries from across the country. There are a number of categories for which awards are presented, each based on vehicle type, and are shared by the fleet and its graphics house. The graphics competition is open to every Canadian truck fleet, private or for-hire, PMTC member or not. Our goal is to encourage all carriers dress up and maybe show off just a little. On the serious side, studies illustrate the value of using trailers as roaming billboards, whether to advertise specific products or the company itself. It is a worthwhile endeavour, a
byproduct of which is a classy looking truck fleet. Many of the entries come via the graphics industry and we welcome their role in making this such a great event. And the recognition continues after the conference with award winners featured in the PMTC’s own international magazine, Corporate Trucking, other industry magazines such as Truck News, and on our Web site. So join in and enjoy some free promotion, whether a fleet or a graphics house, we welcome your entries. Visit www.pmtc.ca and follow the links to submit your entries online. As we do every year we anticipate an everincreasing participation level in all the PMTC’s award programs and invite everyone to join us at the June conference for important seminars and networking. n – The Private Motor Truck Council is the only national association dedicated to the private trucking community. Direct comments and questions to trucks@pmtc.ca.
16/01/12 10:32 AM
Page 40 TRUCK NEWS
February 2012
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By Ingrid Phaneuf TORONTO, Ont. – It’s hard to put a number on the average life of a trailer, say industry experts, because the longevity of your trailer all depends on what you buy and how you maintain it, not to mention safety and environmental regulations and customers who won’t load trailers once they reach a certain age. But there are some hard and fast rules about how to get the best return on your investment. “Right now we’re looking at an average life of 10 to 15 years for most trailers,” says Mike Hignett, used equipment manager for Glasvan Trailers. “But equipment with more components and technology, like reefers, tend to have a shorter life” (around seven to 10 years) he explains. “So it’s not uncommon for a flatbed to outlast every other type of trailer on the road.” When it comes to trailers in general, regular maintenance of suspension and braking components is essential to extending life. “Suspension components, brakes and bushings have to be maintained. If you grease components regularly you’ll get more life out of them,” says Hignett. “Other things, like brakes can be changed regularly. But if you ignore these things for any length of time that’s where it can get expensive. You end up with a trailer that’s only good for scrap or storage.” Structural integrity compromised by wear and tear during loading and unloading is another killer, say experts. “In reefers especially, the floors, if they’re not built or spec’d properly, can crack over time due to big forklifts loading pallets that are too heavy,” says Hignett. Aluminum floors can also suffer from the regular use of harsh cleaning chemicals. “Then, if the fibreglass sub-panel underneath the floor gets broken, and you don’t seal it up, all that water and all those chemicals on the road get sucked up in to the insulation. Then you’ll have to replace the floor, which is very expensive.” Rust constitutes another serious, but preventable threat to trailer longevity. “In a lot of cases, we see corrosion issues in body panels, rails, cross-members and elsewhere due to salts and calcium and other stuff they’re using on the road,” says Conny Weyers, president of Trailers Canada. “The problem with steel is rust,” Continued on page 42
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Page 42 TRUCK NEWS
February 2012
trailers
Market for storage trailers has dried up Continued from page 40
points out Nick Lambevski, v.p. at Transport Trailer Sales. “What people should be doing is sandblasting and painting every five years, which is expensive but you have to do it, otherwise your cross-members will have holes in them and that’s too expensive to fix.” Spec’ing for ROI It’s no secret that spending a little more up front on extras and new technology designed to extend the life of your trailer will get you a better return on your investment. Lambevski says corrosion is the main reason many of his customers are switching to aluminum when it comes to floors and crossbeams. Rust-busting galvanized steel components are another recipe for longer trailer life, points out Tom Ramsden, vice-president of sales for Manac. There are even measures you can take to extend the life of insulation in reefers.
“There are tiny gas bubbles in the insulation they blow into the wall of a reefer,” Hignett says. “Over time, these bubbles work their way towards the interior of the trailer and leak out through the lining. Over time, the insulation stops working as well, and the refrigeration unit has to work harder and use more fuel to maintain the temperature.” Hignett points out special linings are also available to prevent this “outgassing” and extend the life of reefers. Unfortunately, diligent maintenance and spec’ing just aren’t good enough to meet the requirements of some shippers, never mind governments targeting everything from emissions to road wear. “GM has a 120-month rule on trailers,” points out Weyers. Hignett points to Californian regulations requiring add-ons to control reefer emissions. “It’s just too expensive to put on all the aftermarket equipment required.”
And last but not least, local regulations, such as Ontario’s SPIF (Safe, Productive, Infrastructure Friendly) trailer initiative may put otherwise functional older trailers out to pasture. “As of 2015, lift axles on five-axle trailers are going to be obsolete because they’re putting too much stress on the roads,” says Lambevski. “So we’re getting a lot of fiveaxle trade-ins now.” So what do you do with a trailer that isn’t quite scrap but isn’t qualified, for one reason or another, to do what it was originally spec’d to do? Second life or sale? Selling or trading in your old trailer can all depend on whether it can be put to further use. Some fleets find ways to repurpose them. “I’ve seen dry vans and flatbeds repurposed for shorter hauls,” says Trailers Canada’s Weyers. Even reefers that used to do long-haul can get a sec-
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ond life running locally or regionally. Still, carriers whose businesses aren’t diverse enough to repurpose are going to have to look at other options. Trailer manufacturers have mixed opinions on whether it’s worth your while to act as your own vendor or to trade in. For larger carriers with regular equipment renewal programs (once every seven years or so, on average) the value of trade-ins is without question. But used trailers that are still in good condition may fetch an even better price through private sale, if you have the space to accommodate a parked trailer and time for tire kickers. “Some carriers have their own divisions to get rid of used equipment and they’re sure to get the best dollar they can that way. Obviously you make more if you cut out the middle man,” says Manac’s Ramsden. Some dealers may even offer to sell used trailers on consignment. Auctions, although there’s no price guarantee, are also an option. Even so, most buyers would prefer to buy used equipment from a dealer who can guarantee it’s been certified for the road. Of course, there are many used trailer owners who, due to the economic downturn, have opted to continue to run their trailers or even park them rather than try to trade them in and buy new. Trailers that have been parked for a couple of years are probably only fit for scrap, say dealers. “About the worst thing you can do to a trailer is keep it parked in the yard,” says Ramsden. “It may sound contradictory but if it’s running down the road at least you know it’s in working condition.” Owners of trailers no longer fit for the road have three options: repair them prior to trading them in, sell them or trade them in as-is, or sell them for storage. Chances are repairing a trailer that’s unsound will cost more than it’s worth. Trading such a trailer in will get you the going price for scrap metal. As for storage: “Fifteen years ago there was a market for storage – you could sell your trailers off for $1,000 or $2,000 and they’d get parked in a field or on a building lot. But now that market has dried up quite a bit,” says Hignett. “Insurance companies may not cover injuries caused by climbing up into trailers, so people prefer to use old shipping containers that sit right down on the ground. Now those trailers that would have been used for warehousing are mostly being scrapped.” Factor in the cost when it comes to deciding whether to maintain or sell a trailer. Are you getting a good ROI or is it time to cut your losses? If it is time to sell or trade in, keep in mind the price you get will depend on your trailer’s roadworthiness. Last but not least, keep in mind that market fluctuations, dependant on seasonal and economic factors, will also have an impact on whether you get the price you hope for. Dealers say they generally see more demand for reefers and flatbeds in the spring. But increased demand may be impacted by a recent glut of trailers in the market, says Hignett. “I believe we’re going to be seeing an upswing in trade-ins in 2012, because the economy is starting to improve and people who’ve been hanging on to their trailers will start trying to trade them in. Unfortunately they may be in for a surprise when they discover their value isn’t what they think they should be,” he warns. n
13/01/12 11:46 AM
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Page 44 TRUCK NEWS
February 2012
people
N. Yanke Transfer driver named Highway Angel
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SASKATOON, Sask. – Gyslain ‘Juice’ Lemelin, a driver for N. Yanke Transfer, has been named a Highway Angel by the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) after he helped save a couple and their belongings from their burning pick-up truck. Lemelin was driving on the Trans-Canada Highway on Oct. 23, 2011 when he was passed by motorists in a pick-up, who were travelling with their two dogs and pulling a camper. As they passed Lemelin, he recognized the burning, chemical-like odour of a burning transmission. “I had a feeling they weren’t going to get very far,” said Lemelin, who has had training as a mechanic. “I’ve smelled that smell before. I knew it was the transmission – transmission fluid is highly flammable.” Lemelin decided to follow the vehicle and soon after, he saw a puff of white smoke and knew they were in trouble. Lemelin pulled up to the vehicle and by then flames had spread all over the pick-up truck’s hood. The battery was melting and the ground underneath the truck was on fire. Lemelin used his fire extinguisher to put out the blaze while the motorists removed their valuables from the camper. He then remained at the scene and let them use his cell phone to call for help. The motorists later wrote a letter to N. Yanke Transfer, praising Lemelin for his actions. “Please tell (Lemelin) that random acts of kindness don’t go without notice, and we are both grateful that he didn’t just drive on by like everyone else,” they wrote. n
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Bison Transport driver Randy Steingart has reached two million consecutive, accident-free driving miles with the company. Steingart has been with Bison for 18 years as a company driver and is the carrier’s eighth driver to reach the milestone. Currently, Steingart drives between Winnipeg and Grenfell, Sask. “We are proud to have professional, safe drivers like Randy and congratulate him on his accomplishment. Randy is among many of our drivers who continuously work hard and are dedicated to safe driving, thus making it possible to be named for the sixth time, winner of the coveted TCA National Fleet Safety Award Grand Prize for 2011,” said Garth Pitzel, director of safety and driver development for Bison. • Both Volvo and Mack have announced changes to their executive teams. Ron Huibers has been named president of North American sales and marketing for Volvo Trucks, while Kevin Flaherty has been given the same title under the Mack Trucks banner. The appointments will see Huibers and Flaherty responsible for the commercial activities of their respective companies. They will both continue to report to Dennis Slagle, who as part of a recently announced reorganization has been promoted to Volvo Group’s executive vice-president for truck sales and marketing in the Americas. • Maxim Truck and Trailer has added Ed Holloway to the company’s Quebec sales team. Holloway’s career background includes sales, business development, operations, asset and administrative management at a senior and executive level, including nearly 20 years with Maxim in Western Canada. • The B.C. Trucking Association (BCTA) has appointed Trace Acres as its vice-president. In his new role, Acres, the former director of corporate communications and public affairs at the B.C. Automobile Association (BCAA), will be responsible for all communications regarding BCTA policies and advocacy on behalf of the trucking industry, and for identifying ways of further advancing the association’s stated mission, the association announced. n
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February 2012
TRUCK NEWS Page 45
opinion
Why some bonuses are BS
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You say tomato, I say tomahto mark lee
If a company maximizes the potential of its existing workforce, it also becomes more efficient, which translates to more money in the bank, as has been proven with more efficient trucks and operations. So why not share this increased profit a bit? The current length of service increases only encourage mediocrity. Make no waves and keep your head down and little by little your wages go up. But how about a productivity-based bonus structure? Then everybody is a winner; drivers get more money and carriers make more profit – it’s hardly rocket science. There are various ways to incorpo-
will get used regularly, along with a small note of thanks. If you send out something with the company logo it will also have the benefit of being seen by others and therefore has advertising potential too. Now all this may seem a little far-fetched, but trust me, a company that offers these kinds of incentives will not have driverless trucks in the yard when the driver shortage comes around. Add productivity bonuses to the current length of service increases and happy drivers will be encouraged to do their best while they stick around for years and years and the company will benefit from the increased productivity, so everyone’s a winner. n – A fourth generation trucker and trucking journalist, Mark Lee uses his 25 years of transcontinental trucking in Europe, Asia, North Africa and now North America to provide an alternative view of life on the road. You can read his blog at www.brandttruck.com/blog.
We operate primarily in a 900 mile radius Assigned equipment – Average 25-2800 miles Every drop, pick and clearance paid All waiting time paid after 2 hours Passenger policy
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The times, they are a changing…but are you? You may have a yard full of new equipment, the latest technology and a vocabulary full of buzzwords, but do you still think like you’re in the dark ages? We’re leaking bodies from the industry and like any leak, it’ll only get worse. There’s already a driver shortage. Although this in itself may not be affecting you right now, but it will, even if you’re currently fully staffed. As the shortage worsens, companies will raise their game and drivers that you thought were around for life suddenly fall down with ‘The grass is greener on the other side’ syndrome and hand in their two weeks’ notice. I have a solution to not only recruitment and staff retention, but also to increased productivity. It’s very simple; all you have to do is put a smile on people’s faces. Happy workers are good workers. I base this on my own experiences of being an employer and an employee. I have put it into practice, as an employee by quitting a job if I was unhappy and as an employer by trying to create a happy working environment. Now I said my solution was simple, I never said it would be easy though! As the saying goes, you can please some of the people all of the time, all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time. You may have a solution that you use, but has it moved with the times? Every year or two at most companies, drivers get a cent-per-mile increase. A driver doesn’t have to do anything to earn this reward, apart from not quitting. In my mind this does nothing to increase productivity, it just encourages drivers to stay under the radar. If nothing else changes and they continue to do this for the next 20 years, they’ll be earning another 10 cents per mile and can afford to do 10,000 miles a month instead of 12,000. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all in favour of rewarding loyalty, but will an annual/bi-annual increase be enough to stop people leaping to the greener side of the fence? Is it not time to introduce some kind of winwin situation for carriers and drivers? The present system of rewarding length of service can mean that a 20-year veteran doing 10,000 miles a month will cost a company the same as a driver with less service doing more revenue-earning miles. That’s hardly efficient, it’s nice, but it’s not efficient and efficiency will play a very important role in the success of any carrier as they struggle through a driver shortage. In the 21st century, efficiency is the name of the game. Fuel prices are going up quicker than rates, so carriers are looking at ways to make more of their revenue into profit. Aerodynamic trucks, side skirts on trailers, idle-reduction equipment, autoshift transmissions, speed limiters, turnpike doubles, team driver operations, all of these are investments. They all cost money, yet they all bring a financial return and this is why companies make the investments in the first place. But why stop at equipment?
rate productivity bonuses, methods such as introducing mileage thresholds – an extra cent a mile for all miles over 10,000 for example – or bonuses for fuel economy or keeping under a specific speed. Maybe even an extra $50 per day for running out over a weekend. Any or all of these would be a good place to start. To go even further, the top five drivers could be rewarded with things like satellite radio subscriptions, meal vouchers or a Timmies Card. One other thing that many of you will be aware of is what the driver leaves behind when he heads out on the road. For the driver it’s a delicate balancing act trying to keep family and the boss happy. If you’re going to reward the driver for running out over a weekend or doing a turnaround they’re not the only one making a sacrifice, their families also suffer. Your HR department has a contact address and the name of next of kin, so you could send them a Timmies Card or something branded with the company logo that
Competitive rates and benefits Steady and stable mileage Mainly US Midwest PA, VA, NC, SC, GA, AL, LA, AR, TX, OK Full-time or flexible work schedule Safety First – protect your Csa 2010 file Family oriented, supportive environment On-site maintenance Training programs using driver simulator
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12-01-17 11:01 AM
Page 46 TRUCK NEWS
February 2012
fleet news
MacKinnon Transport to return to flatdeck roots Continued from page 1
The move buys the company time to restructure its finances and come to terms with its creditors. It does not necessarily precede a bankruptcy and many carriers have successfully filed an NOI and later emerged from creditor protection. As f i rst repor ted by Trucknews.com, a message was sent to drivers via satellite on Dec. 13, informing them the company had filed an NOI and was proceeding with a restructuring. “Let me stress that this is not a bankruptcy of MacKinnon Transport,” Alex MacKinnon, senior vice-president of finance and administration wrote in the message. “We have a NOI to make a proposal which offers creditor protection strategy, that will provide the time and stability necessary to complete financial restructuring, which will make MacKinnon Transport a
stronger industry competitor with a renewed financial outlook.” The very next day, MacKinnon sent another message advising drivers that MacKinnon’s van division was being sold to Laidlaw Van LP, ensuring the continued employment of van division drivers and owner/operators. The announcement caught Greg Rumble, president and COO of Laidlaw’s parent company Contrans, by surprise when reached for comment by Truck News. “It’s really very, very premature to make any comment at this point in time. We are going through a due diligence process and once that process is finished, we will be able to determine how we proceed,” Rumble told Truck News on Dec. 14, noting formal discussions concerning an acquisition could not commence until the NOI was filed. When asked if Laidlaw was interested in taking on MacKin-
non’s van division drivers, Rumble said “If everything goes through, it’s definitely true. But there’s a process that’s going on. And it is indicated in the process that they intend to file an NOI. They haven’t filed it yet to my knowledge and if you haven’t filed it, you can’t complete a transaction under the Bankruptcy Act until that’s filed and the trustee in bankruptcy does his job…are we interested? Absolutely, yes we are. We are proceeding with our due diligence. Absolutely I would love to conclude this deal.” He then joked “If an NOI has been filed, let me know.” Finally, on Jan. 16, the deal became official, with Contrans CEO Stan Dunford announcing: “This is a real boost for the growth of our Laidlaw Van division. The combination of MacKinnon’s van business with our existing operations will provide a benefit to drivers and custom-
Ryder is currently looking for quality...
Company Drivers and Owner Operator TEAMS Required (AZ) Company Drivers We offer: • • • • • •
Day Cab and Sleeper Activity Dedicated Runs Weekly Payroll Flex Benefit Plan RRSP Program Stock Purchase Plan
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• 2 years’ valid AZ Driving experience • 2 years’ accident free • Clean CVOR and Driver’s Abstract • Clean Criminal Search • F.A.S.T. Approved or willing to obtain
Owner Operator Team Drivers You provide: • • • • •
Late model Tractor 2 years’ operating experience Clean CVOR and Abstract F.A.S.T. card Culture towards Safety & Customer Service
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Attractive Remuneration package Regional dedicated routes Fuel Surcharge Program No touch Automotive freight Paid plates
Please submit your resumes/abstracts to:
Ryder Logistics and Transportation Solutions Worldwide Attention: Human Resources Fax: 519-681-9040 Email: terri_backman@ryder.com Ryder is an equal opportunity employer.
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ers and will generate overall efficiencies. It has been a pleasure working with the MacKinnon team through their restructuring process and we are pleased to add this division to our group.” The deal covers about 80 drivers and O/Os. Evan MacKinnon, president and CEO of MacKinnon Transport said the deal ensures 95% of the company’s staff would remain employed through the restructuring process. “Our objectives were to ensure the future existence of MacKinnon Transport, while preserving as many jobs of all those who work here as possible,” Evan MacKinnon said in a statement on Dec. 16. “Through our business deal with Laidlaw Van LP, we have jointly achieved preservation of 95% of the jobs of the MacKinnon employees and independent contractors – a huge success in these challenging times of excess unemployment.” He also said the carrier would be returning to its roots as a “premier flatbed carrier.” “I remain confident that our goal of achieving the financial stability of MacKinnon Transport as a strong flatbed player in the North American trucking industry will be preserved,” MacKinnon said. He blamed the company’s problems on a “perfect storm” of events brought on by “market conditions” and an “unsuccessful acquisition.” MacKinnon purchased LE Walker in the summer of 2009 and in December of that year placed it into creditor protection, from which it did not emerge. He stressed MacKinnon Transport will continue to operate and serve its customers as it goes through the restructuring process. MacKinnon’s problems caught many in the industry – including most of its drivers – off-guard. The company has always been considered one of Canada’s most successful flatdeck carriers, operating approximately 270 trucks. It has also won fleet safety awards from Volvo Trucks and the Truckload Carriers Association. MacKinnon has also been named a Best Fleet to Drive For under a program run by CarriersEdge and the Truckload Carriers Association. And MacKinnon has been named one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies on numerous occasions. Contrans’ Rumble hinted at the Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) convention last November that Contrans would be looking for enticing opportunities. “It’s a great time to be looking for acquisitions,” Rumble said at the time. “You get a chance to see what a company was able to do through the toughest economic times in 25 years. If the company has done reasonably well in the 2008-2010 period, I’m willing to pay for that. We’ll pay a fair market value and allow the company to continue doing what it has been doing. We’re prepared to pay for companies that have done well through the recession.” When asked if those remarks would indicate that MacKinnon’s van division has weathered the storm in reasonably good health, Rumble retorted: “I wouldn’t assume that.” n
12-01-17 12:31 PM
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February 2012
fleet news
Optimistic Mullen Group earmarks $25M for new equipment Purchasing plans in 2012 to include 60 trucks, 200 trailers OKOTOK S , A lta . – Mullen Group is allotting about $25 million in capital towards purchases for its truckling/logistics segment, to be used “primarily” to replace trucks and trailers. In its 2012 capital expenditure plan, Mullen said it would be buying about 60 trucks and 200 trailers this year. It will also be adding to its “pipeline on wheels” by adding equipment to its fluid hauling fleet. Mullen Group said in a release it is confident about 2012, so much so it is increasing its overall capital spending to $100 million, not including any acquisitions. “This decision reflects not only our confidence in the long-term prospects for the markets Mullen Group serves but also in our
27 independently operated business units. We want to ensure that our employees continue to have access to the best and most efficient equipment and have best-inclass facilities in which to work, as these are integral components of our quality initiatives,” said Murray K. Mullen, chairman and CEO. The company also plans to invest in facilities, including the development of an industrial park in northeast Edmonton, which will facilitate the multimodal movement of industrial and energy-related products. “Mullen Group believes it is a competitive advantage to own facilities in key strategic areas so when attractive opportunities arise they will be pursued. The commencement of the develop-
Requires O/O and Drivers
ment of a transload and distribution centre in northeast Edmonton is an initiative that we believe will result in further opportunities to serve the Alberta market and thereby expand our presence in this growing market,” said Stephen H. Lockwood, president and co-CEO. Mullen also said it would be looking for acquisitions in the oilfield services as well as the trucking/logistics segment. “There are significant issues and challenges that continue to dominate the headlines, events well beyond our control. Here at the Mullen Group we are taking an optimistic view that 2012 will be another great year for our organization and we intend on taking full advantage of the opportunities,” Mullen said. n
to run the U.S.
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1. Lots of Long Haul Miles 2. Dry Van Freight 3. Competitive Rate Per Mile 4. Fuel Surcharge Program 5. Safety Bonus Program 6. Paid Plates, Insurance, Fuel Tax, Bridge Tolls, Road Tolls, Scales & Faxes 7. In-house Discounted Shop Rate 8. Weekly Direct Deposit 9. Access to Company Fuel Accounts 10. Personal Communication with Dispatch (No Satellite)
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Trucking legend Don Schneider passes away GREEN BAY, Wis. – Donald Schneider, chairman emeritus and former president and CEO of Schneider National, has died. Schneider died Jan. 13 after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was 76. Born in 1935, Schneider started working for the family business while in high school in the early 1950s, first as a mechanic’s helper and then as a truck driver. He continued in this capacity while attending St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wis., in the late 1950s, using the job to fund his college education. Schneider graduated from St. Norbert College with an undergraduate degree in business and married his wife, Patricia, in 1957. After serving a 13-month military tour of duty in Korea, Schneider returned to the US and enrolled in graduate school at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Upon earning his master’s degree from Wharton, he returned to the Green Bay area in 1961 to join his father’s trucking company as a manager. In 1976, Schneider officially became president of the company. Schneider led the family business for more than 25 years, a span that included deregulation in the early 1980s and saw the carrier become the first to adopt satellite-based communications in its trucks. In 1993, Schneider founded Schneider Logistics to help customers to manage the flow of materials, funds and information throughout their supply chains. He also formed Schneider Communications, a regional telecommunications company, in 1982. Schneider retired from the dayto-day responsibilities in 2002, selecting then chief operating officer Chris Lofgren to succeed him as president and CEO. Schneider continued on as chairman of the board for the privately held firm until 2007 when he reached the board’s mandatory retirement age. “Don Schneider was one of the finest individuals I have ever known,” said Lofgren. “He was true to his convictions and committed to his values. I will be forever grateful that I had the opportunity to work for and be mentored by Don. He entrusted our management team to continue his vision of providing exceptional transportation and logistics services at a fair price while enhancing the standard of living worldwide. Our Schneider National family of associates shares our deepest sympathies with his wife, Pat, and the entire Schneider family during this sad time.” Schneider was also an active philanthropist in the Green Bay area. In 1982 Schneider founded the company’s charitable arm, the Schneider National Foundation, which has donated millions of dollars and thousands of volunteer hours to charities in need since its founding, according to officials. Schneider National has created a site to share memories about Don Schneider at www.schneidernational.com. n
12-01-16 9:59 AM
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Schneider.indd 1
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Page 50 TRUCK NEWS
February 2012
opinion
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Senior drivers to get a fair shake? All indications are that senior drivers are finally about to get a Publisher’s break. The current law requires anyone 65 or older to pass an anComment nual road test in order to continue holding a commercial licence. The Ontario Trucking Association and Owner-Operators Business Association of Canada have reported that the Ontario Transport Minister has assured them that he’s looking into making the renewal an easier process, if not eliminating it altogether. For years the process has puzzled me. If experience is the greatest teacher, then shouldn’t rookie drivers be the ones subjected to this annual testing fiasco? If I was a fleet owner or manager, I think I’d feel a lot more comfortable knowing my $100,000 investment is being captained by someone who has spent years driving through snow, freezing rain and whatever else nature throws at them. If the new 65 is the old 55 (or in my case, the new 54 is the old 39, sorry couldn’t resist) then consideration, at the very least, should be given to pushing annual testing back just a tad. If they’re not going to eliminate it altogether, am I out of line to suggest 70 or 75 should be the new threshold? I know there’s going to be those who argue seniors experience declining reaction time, poor or impeded judgment and a host of other problems. Here’s a wake-up call,
you don’t have to be a senior to experience these! They can happen to anybody. My dad just turned 88. He is fully independent, takes Tai Chi twice a week, volunteers at the seniors home (helping feed people 20 years his younger) and manages his own finances and affairs. He still drives. In order for him to keep up his G licence, he takes a written test every two years. He scored 100% on his last test. Don’t go telling him that his driving capabilities are suspect just because of his age. He tells me he’s got two more years on his current car, and then he’s planning on buying a Toyota Rav-4. That should last him another four or five years. Do the math. This man plans on driving into his mid-nineties! I applaud the Minister for finally doing something. I just hope he’s not blowing wind on this one. For sure, it won’t be an easy, quick process. If you’re a senior, hang in there. The industry needs you! n – Rob Wilkins is the publisher of Truck News and can be reached at 416-510-5123.
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TANK/FREIGHT Cornwall, ON
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12-01-17 10:58 AM
February 2012
oem/dealer News
Bendix delivers millionth ABS-6 braking system ELYRIA, Ohio – Bendix has marked a milestone with the delivery of its millionth Bendix ABS-6 braking system. The system is installed on Classes 6, 7, and 8 air-brake tractor-trailers, trucks, motorcoaches, and specialty heavy-duty vehicles. “Reaching this milestone is a testament to the capability of the technology that the Bendix and Knorr-Bremse team developed,” said Kevin Romanchok, product line director for electronics at Bendix. “The ABS-6 family has not only proven itself to be the premier heavy-duty air-brake system, but it also enabled the age of robust active safety with electronic activation of the brakes with Bendix ABS-6 Advanced with ESP (Bendix ESP) full-stability technology.” Introduced in late 2004, the Bendix ABS-6 family includes three types of braking systems: the standard Bendix ABS-6 antilock braking system, the premium system with Bendix Smart ATC (automatic traction control), and Bendix ABS-6 Advanced with ESP Electronic Stability Program (Bendix ESP). n
Roadranger expands list of pre-authorized warranty repairs KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Roadranger has expanded the number of repairs in its Pre-Authorized Warranty Repairs program, which provides dealers with automatic approval for warranty repair work. The program allows all truck dealerships in Canada and the US to use a set of standard authorization codes that guarantee payment for more than 20 common repairs, eliminating the need to call Roadranger’s Real-Time Warranty centre. “Launched in 2008, the Pre-Authorized Warranty Repairs program has been well received by our dealer customers because it allows them to significantly reduce the time and expenses typically associated with warranty claims,” said Jason Dunn, customer support supervisor for Eaton. “By eliminating telephone calls, service personnel can spend more time on the job for improved repair cycle times. So it is easy to see how the savings can add up quickly.” Examples of the most common pre-authorized warranty repairs include clutch housing gasket leaks, internal and external cooler failures and splitter oil ingestion. Dunn noted the program will continue to expand with additional repairs and other warranty programs added throughout the year. To view the full list of repairs, visit www.roadranger.com/preauthorizedrepair. n
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TRUCK NEWS Page 51
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12-01-13 10:10 AM
Page 52 TRUCK NEWS
February 2012
oem/dealer News
Daimler Trucks North America unveils addition of Detroit axles to powertrain portfolio By Lou Smyrlis MIAMI, Fla. – When Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) launched the Detroit brand in October 2011, it envisioned a brand that stood for more than its well-known engine offerings. Jan. 11, at a special briefing for the business press, DTNA unveiled the first steps it has taken to expand the Detroit product to encompass additional powertrain components. DTNA announced Detroit axles are now available to order for Freightliner Trucks, Western Star, Thomas Built Bus and Freightliner Custom Chassis vehicles. It marks the first time that the former Detroit Diesel brand has offered axles. Produced at the same facility as Detroit’s engines, Detroit axles include a wide range of configuration options and compatibility with all braking systems offered by Daimler Trucks. “This will be a core product for
a lighter steer: Detroit’s new steer axles weigh up to 40 lbs less than competitive models, Daimler Trucks North America announced.
Detroit; it will not be a side project,” emphasized David Hames, general manager, marketing and strategy, DTNA. Hames said this is the first step towards what he called a “vehicle integration” strategy. “Powered by Detroit will eventually mean the full powertrain,” Hames promised. The company is
also looking at transmissions and at alternative-fueled engines. Hames also took time to stress the difference between DTNA’s “vehicle integration” strategy and the “vertical integration” strategy many truck OEMs employ (and which some carriers and O/Os may not be particularly fond of, as it reduces choice.)
“Vertical integration is owning your supply chain for the sake of owning your supply chain. Vehicle integration is about coming up with solutions that give your customers a competitive advantage and allow us to differentiate ourselves in the marketplace,” Hames said. “The next big opportunity for Daimler is how to optimize the powertrain by matching the final drive ratios to the efficiency characteristics of the engine. Doing that without a ‘captive’ engine is a challenge.” (DTNA will, however, continue to offer both Meritor and Dana axles for customers who wish to go with those brands on their trucks). Another reason DTNA wants to have control of its own axle supply is to ensure it does not become subject to supplier constraints down the road. As Mark Lampert, DTNA’s senior vice-president, sales and marketing, acknowledged, the supply shortages that have plagued all OEMs have not gone away. Supplier ability to grow their operations remains problematic even though the North American economy is not rebounding as quickly as after past recessions. Here is more information on the new Detroit axles: Steer axles Available with ratings from 6,00020,000 lbs – including a 12,500-lb rating – and featuring a weight-optimized I-beam, Detroit’s steer axles, designed specifically for DTNA vehicles, are up to 40 lbs lighter than competitors (13 lbs lighter on average), resulting in more payload capacity and greater productivity, according to DTNA. Brad Williamson, manager, engine and component marketing, DTNA, said the steer axles include several design advantages. One of these advantages is a needle-bearing design, rather than using bushings, as a way to reduce wear and tighten tolerances. The end result should be better performance and less maintenance, according to Williamson. The use of friction and thrust bearings should also reduce chatter and enhance steerability. The axles’ I-beam design is coupled with an advanced steering layout, resulting in a sharper wheel cut of up to 55 degrees – enhancing maneuverability in the tight turns experienced in more urban applications. Williamson said Detroit is offering 12 ratings, compared to seven for Meritor. “We have the ratings customers need to cover their applications,” he stressed. Single rear axles Available with weight ratings from 13,000-23,000 lbs, Detroit’s proprietary single rear axles have precisionmachined gear sets, which Williamson said will boost efficiency and provide higher torque and quieter operation. They are also designed with fewer parts and a larger differential for greater stability on the road and improved durability. “We have the right solution for every application,” said Williamson. “Detroit axles are engineered tough and built to withstand the harshest of conditions.”
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February 2012
Tandem rear axles Detroit did away with the pinion head bearing on its tandem rear axles in order to create more space for a larger and stronger differential. Combine that with a Topoid offset design that makes for a nearly zero-degree driveline angle between each axle and Williamson says you end up with a design that reduces vibration and increases durability. Additional benefits of Detroit’s tandem axles include an oil deflector which ensures full lubrication of the power divider at very low speeds, eliminating the need for an expensive oil pump; an input seal located inside the bearing cage and separated from the threaded ring for improved sealing, reducing degradation and oil leaks; and a larger power divider for improved stability and reliability. Optional driver-controlled or automatic differential locks further enhance grip and traction. Detroit tandem axles are available from 34,000-46,000 lbs, including an intermediate track 40,000-lb alternative for switching between wide-based single and dual tires. As important as the new product designs may be, how they are supported in the field is just as, or perhaps even more important, Williamson said. A study of more than 600 buyers recently conducted by DTNA found that when it comes to purchasing axles, the top factors driving the purchasing decision had to do with service and warranty. Detroit’s warranty on the axles is five years, 750,000 miles. Williamson emphasized Detroit can support its axles in the field through its more than 600 locations in the US and Canada. T he Detroit C ar r ier Exchange Program enables dealers to exchange or upgrade axles on trucks post-build up to three times with no penalty to ensure fleets get the exact gearing they need. For more information, go to www.DetroitDiesel.com. n
TRUCK NEWS Page 53
DTNA forecasts North American Class 8 sales of 232,000 units By Lou Smyrlis MIAMI, Fla. – Despite the sluggish economic recovery, Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) expects the North American Class 8 market to bounce back in 2012 with retail sales of 232,000 trucks. About 27,500 of those are expected to be sold in Canada, according to a market overview provided by Mark Lampert, DTNA’s senior vice-president, sales and marketing. In comparison, retail sales for the North American Class 8 market came in around 183,000 in 2011, with about 25,000 coming from Canada. “We are back to what we call a ‘normal’ marketplace in terms of production over the past six months,” Lampert said. Still, he said over the next year he does not see North American fleets growing their capacity. “About 95% of sales are based on replacement demand. We are seeing very small growth…We still feel that during the first and second
quarter of 2012 the industry will be running the oldest fleet in memory,” Lampert said. He figured the North American truck fleet is somewhere between 6.7 and 6.9 years old, on average. In Canada, records show that only about one fifth of heavy-duty trucks are less than five years old. He does see the average age starting to come down in 2012, however, as carriers large and small move to get rid of the older trucks in their fleets, which are likely starting to cause them maintenance-related issues. (Research presented at the American Trucking Associations conference last fall, showed that heavy-duty truck maintenance costs averaged about five cents per mile up to the vehicle’s first 550,000 miles. After a vehicle crossed that threshold, however, maintenance costs ballooned to an average of 15 cents per mile). He said that demand is broadbased, with orders coming from
truckload, LTL, most vocational segments as well as large and small fleets. Looking at the North American Class 6-7 market, Lampert forecast sales of about 108,000 vehicles for 2012 with about 8,000 of those coming from Canada. Lampert, however, warned that the supply shortages – both in raw materials and parts – are not over, despite the rather tepid recovery. He said the financial hit many suppliers took during the recession is making it difficult for them to invest the money necessary to meet future growth demand and he is worried about what would happen should the economy recover to the point where GDP was growing at 3-4%. He added that capacity constraints cut into DTNA’s own sales this year, benefiting some of its competitors. But he does not see that continuing in 2012 and expects DTNA to grow its market share this year. n
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12-01-12 10:39 AM
Page 54 TRUCK NEWS
February 2012
AZ O/O’s
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Virtual Technician helping fleets reduce downtime By Lou Smyrlis MIAMI, Fla. – Virtual Technician, Daimler Trucks North America’s new real-time diagnostic system, has already been installed in about 11,000 vehicles, the company says. And about 10% of those have installed the optional Visibility package, which provides extensive data on stops, idle time, speed, location, path, fuel consumption, etc., essentially allowing smaller carriers to have access to the kind of reporting data large fleets use to drive efficiencies in their operations. Virtual Technician is an on-board diagnostic system that provides real-time engine diagnostics, enabling drivers and fleet managers to evaluate what to do when the engine service light comes on in the truck. As company officials explained during a special press briefing, there are about 200 different reasons why the service engine light could come on. And not all those reasons actually require the truck to be stopped immediately and taken to a service centre; for example, it could simply be a problem with a sensor operating out of range. In fact, Tim Tindall, director of component sales for Detroit, estimates that for about 90% of the events generated by Virtual Technician the truck will need to be serviced soon but does not have to be taken out of service right away. With-
out Virtual Technician providing such knowledge, how many drivers would have simply driven their vehicle to the nearest dealer and aborted delivery of their freight? The proprietary technology helps reduce downtime and decrease maintenance costs by providing a technical snapshot of the engine’s status as soon as the Check Engine light comes on. The Detroit Customer Support Center then relays the information to the provided contact to determine the exact issue, recommended service, how soon the engine needs to be serviced, and supply the closest authorized Detroit service location. Trained technicians are then alerted in advance of the customer’s arrival, so they can quickly line up the parts, arrange for service and repair the problem. There are about 150 fault codes that will trigger a “service now” decision, Tindall explained. Helping isolate the specific problem with the engine before the truck actually arrives at the shop also saves a considerable amount of time, removing the need for the technician at the dealer to initiate the diagnostic process. Also, since the experts at the call centre see so many service engine events come in, they are able to identify patterns and be quicker to figure out what exactly is causing the problem, Tindall added.
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February 2012
Detroit’s Virtual Technician comes standard on every EPA2010 Freightliner truck (optional on Western Star trucks) equipped with a Detroit engine. The optional Detroit Visibility package provides access to GPS data for reporting of various vehicle operations. It allows fleet managers to set parameters for items such as acceptable idle time and then receive a report on which trucks in the fleet were outside those parameters during a specific time period. Only about 5-10% of truck buyers using Virtual Technician have so far chosen the Detroit Visibility option. But the option has not been aggressively sold yet, according to David Hames, general manager, marketing and strategy, DTNA, adding he is looking to boost its penetration in coming months. Even in situations where there is no way to get around the need to take the truck out of service for repairs, Tindall said Virtual Technician can prove beneficial. He referred to one leasing company with a customer who damaged the oil pan while driving the leased vehicle and then repeatedly attempted to start and drive the vehicle. By having captured those events through Virtual Technician, the leasing company had a record of what actually transpired to take up with the customer. The Virtual Technician software was designed through a strategic agreement with Zonar, a provider of vehicle inspection, tracking and fleet telematics systems. Zonar provides the hardware and a cloud based computing platform for the Virtual Technician. Development plans for the future include building in the ability to actually change engine parameters rather than just getting reports on them. n
Roll-Tite rolls into new home BRANTFORD, Ont. – Retractable tarp system manufacturer Roll-Tite has announced it is pulling up stakes at its Norwich, Ont. headquarters and moving into a new “technologically advanced” facility in Brantford. The new facility, at 490 Elgin Street, Unit 1 in Brantford, is just minutes from Hwy. 401, the company announced. The relocation is part of its previously announced restructuring, aimed at supporting company growth, manufacturing and operating improvements and closer proximity to distribution channels, the company said. “We are excited to move our manufacturing facilities and corporate headquarters to Brantford, Ont.,” said company president, Roman Pankiw. “This move provides improved access to quality resources and strengthens our foundation to more efficiently advance product development, product quality and customer satisfaction.” Pankiw also said the company has adopted lean thinking to support its continuous improvement program, while increasing its attention on removing waste. n
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TRUCK NEWS Page 55
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18/01/12 2:53 PM
Page 56 TRUCK NEWS
February 2012
oem/dealer news
First waste heat recovery-powered APU set to hit the road for field-testing By James Menzies BOLTON, Ont. – A Canadian-designed auxiliary power unit (APU) powered solely by waste heat generated by the truck’s diesel engine is now entering Phase 1 of its on-road validation process. Jack MacDonnell, president and CEO of Enermotion, the company that developed the APU, told Truck News “Phase 1 is progressing well. The first road-going Hyper system will be providing test data this month, with delivery of another Hyper system to one of the original partners shortly thereafter. We have been contacted by several potential joint venture partners and are proceeding with early discussions.” Truck News first reported on the APU in October. The system mounts to the back of a truck cab and converts excess heat produced by the inherently inefficient diesel engine into power
tops in north america: Kenworth Maska was recently named the topselling dealer in the Allison Dealer Advantage Program, Allison Transmission announced. The award was presented at Kenworth Maska’s dealership in SaintHyacinthe, Quebec on Dec. 8, recognizing the “highest number of conquest sales during the year 2011,” the company said in a release. Picture (L-R): Luc Paquette, Kenworth Maska; Patrick-Olivier Tremblay, Kenworth Maska; JeanFrancois Aussillou, Allison Transmission; Ronald Oskiera, Allison Transmission; Isabelle Gendron, Canadian Kenworth; Louis Levesque, Kenworth Maska; Patrick Raymond, Kenworth Maska; Louis-Georges Charest, Kenworth Maska; and Robert Claude, Allison Transmission. Two salesmen from Kenworth Maska TW2012_TrkNews_half_Jan_12_Layout 1 1/10/12 12:56and PM Martin Page 1 Nadeau. n were missing from the picture: Marcel Morin
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that can be used to provide up to 10 hours of heating, cooling and hotelload power. The Hyper APU also has the potential to save more fuel than a conventional APU, since it provides heating and cooling when the truck is in motion, eliminating the need for a mechanical A/C compressor. The APU, which could be the first commercial transport application of waste heat recovery, has caught the attention of some significant, environmentally-conscious fleets, including JD Smith and Sons, which purchased a stake in the company. Other original carrier partners include Challenger Motor Freight, Loblaw and Kriska Transportation. Those fleets will be given the first opportunities to field test the system, MacDonnell said in an October interview. Since a story about the APU was published in Truck News, more Canadian carriers have shown an interest in field-testing the units. “We have now accepted four new demonstration partners for Phase 2 of our road trial program,” MacDonnell said in mid-January. The latest fleet partners include; Normandin Transport; Praxair; Dueck Bros. Trucking; and Linamar Transportation. MacDonnell said the goal is to test the system over as many different duty cycles as possible under a wide range of conditions. Phase 2 is set to launch in May or June, he added. “We’re still a couple of months away from having consistent operational road test data from the Hyper units in Phase 1 – we are extremely pleased with our progress and the additional support we’ve been receiving,” MacDonnell said. n
QUISPAMSIS, N.B. – Great Dane is expanding its Eastern Canada presence with the opening of a second Universal Truck and Trailer (UT&T) full-service location in New Brunswick. Universal will offer sales, parts and service of Great Dane trailers at its newest facility located in Quispamsis, N.B., northeast of Saint John, at 60 Enterprise Drive in the Hammond River Industrial Park. Most truck makes and models, recreation vehicles, and buses will also be serviced at the new location, officials said. The new site also boasts a driver’s lounge, wireless Internet and shower facilities. “Universal Truck and Trailer has the hardest working team in New Brunswick, so we are thrilled with their growth,” said Chris Hammond, vice-president of dealer sales at Great Dane. “The full-service locations in Dieppe and Quispamsis, mean our customers are never far from the superior products and expertise offered by UT&T and Great Dane Trailers.” n
12-01-12 11:16 AM
February 2012
TRUCK NEWS Page 57
Bayview Kenworth wins business award SAINT JOHN, N.B. – Bayview Kenworth has been honoured with the Business Excellence Award at the Saint John Board of Trade’s 27th annual Outstanding Business Achievement (OBA)
awards. The award recognizes established companies that have significant achievements in management quality, sales growth, community relations, marketing
and leadership. “We’re very honoured for Bayview Kenworth to receive the prestigious Business Excellence Award from the Saint John Board of Trade,” said Michael Nagle, president of Bayview Kenworth, which is based in St. John and
also operates dealerships in Fredericton, Moncton, St. Stephen and Sussex. “The award is especially a tribute to the hard work and dedication of our employees who provide excellent customer support on a daily basis.” n
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Page 58 TRUCK NEWS
February 2012
oem/dealer news
Ontario’s shunt truck shake-up Glasvan drops Capacity, Altruck International takes its place
let’s make a deal: Capacity has landed a new Ontario dealer, Altruck International. Former dealer Glasvan, meanwhile, is introducing the Autocar yard tractor to the Ontario market.
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president of sales and marketing, downplayed any significant shift in the shunt truck landscape. “As far as we’re concerned, the shunt truck landscape has not changed in Canada,” he told Truck News. “Glasvan remains the largest lessor of shunt tractors with north of 150 units in our lease and rental fleet. We also have what I believe to be the largest dedicated shunt tractor shop in the country located here in Mississauga, with mechanics spending more than 95% of their time working only on shunt tractors. Whether it be a Kalmar (Ottawa), Tico, Capacity or Autocar, we have the ability to support them and in my opinion, we do this better than anyone.” Altruck’s Kirby indicated in an interview that success in the shunt truck market will be earned by whichever supplier is able to offer the most options and provide the best support.
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By James Menzies M ISSISSAUGA, Ont. – The shunt truck market in Ontario is shaping up to look very different in 2012, after Glasvan Great Dane abandoned its longtime role as a Capacity dealer in favour of Autocar. Shortly thereafter, Altruck International inked a deal with Capacity of Texas to be its Ontario distributor via its eight locations. Eventually operating as a new division of Altruck International, Capacity of Ontario is being spearheaded by dealer principal Jeff Kirby, with Michael Kirby appointed vice-president of sales and operations. Altruck is still in the early stages of taking on the brand as its Ontario dealer, and for the immediate future the new division will share facilities and infrastructure with parent company Altruck International, Jeff Kirby said in an interview with Truck News. The recent changes have set the stage for an ultra-competitive shunt truck market in Ontario. Capacity of Texas already enjoys a healthy presence in the province, which many have credited to the strong sales and support provided by Glasvan. Glasvan now will no doubt be aiming to chip
Altruck is no stranger to shunt trucks, previously serving as a lessor of both Capacity and Ottawa brands and bringing to the table more than 35 years of truck sales and leasing. “We can offer virtually every (financing/leasing) option the customers might want and still look after all his needs,” Kirby said. “It’s all about servicing the customers and enhancing their experience.” For Altruck, this means providing full service right at the customer’s own location. “We have fully equipped mobile maintenance units that can go right into a customer’s yard, extract oil right at the vehicle into a container on the truck and put new oil in, as well as coolant, lubes and that sort of thing,” he explained. “We intend to service the customers as much as we can on-site at their convenience.” Kirby said Altruck’s familiarity with both Cummins and International MaxxForce engines has given its technicians a running start, and a trip to Capacity’s Texas plant is already planned. The company is anticipating taking delivery of stock near the end of January or early February and will ramp up its operations through 2012. The potential winners in all of this seem to be the customers. In Autocar, Glasvan brings to the market a relatively unknown player, one Cobham says offers “a new list of features and options that will greatly benefit our customers from standpoints of safety and comfort with improved reliability/ durability with what appears to be a greatly superior pipeline for aftermarket parts support.” Yet Capacity purists will still have machines available to them through a highly motivated new dealer network that acknowledges its success hinges on its breadth of service offerings and ability to support its customers. Meanwhile, Ottawa remains a force in the market and Tico is beginning to get noticed and earning a following of its own. Altruck’s Kirby said the company will soon be launching a new Web site dedicated to its yard tractor business and will be ramping up the business in the coming months. n
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February 2012
TRUCK NEWS Page 59
Custom Truck Sales up for prestigious ATD Dealer of the Year award REGINA, Sask. – Custom Truck Sales president Brent Leach has been nominated for the Truck Dealer of the Year award from the American Truck Dealers (ATD). The winner will be announced at the 49th annual ATD Convention and Expo in Las Vegas Feb. 4. Leach started in truck retailing after high school, working in the parts department of the business begun by his father and grandfather in 1965. He continued to work in the parts department during summer breaks from college. And after receiving a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Saskatchewan, he returned to install and operate its first dealer business system. Soon Leach was appointed the company’s controller. In 1986, when the dealership opened its third location in Winnipeg, Leach joined his
two brothers and a branch manager to become a partner in that dealership. He retained his responsibilities as corporate controller for the Saskatchewan operation and also became corporate controller for the new dealership. In 2001, the two companies merged and Leach became president and CFO. “Our longevity is due to the outstanding people we have in our organization. We have maintained our major fleet accounts for over 25 years while keeping our smaller accounts for as long as 40 years,” says Leach. “We have increased our market penetration into all sectors of the industry, selling trucks to customers in diverse fields including oil field, construction, agricultural, forestry, mining and over-the-road.” Custom Truck Sales has received a number of awards for outstanding performance from Kenworth.
The dealership was named North American Dealer of the Year in both 1997 and 2007, and received Gold Awards in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 for its rankings as a Top 5 dealer in overall performance for Kenworth for North America. An active member of his community, Leach served as a board member of the Victorian Order of Nurses from 1990-1992 and as a volunteer coach for the Hockey Regina organization from 2001-2009. The dealership also has donated funds to support after-school activities at a local school, including many sports. Leach says his most meaningful contribution has been made through coaching hockey. “As a volunteer coach you become responsible for the development of children’s skills and attitudes in teamwork and competition; when you see them succeed it is very
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rewarding,” he says. Nominees for the award are evaluated on several categories, including dealership performance, civic contributions and industry leadership. The winner and runner-up will be chosen by a panel of professors from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. n
Trailer Wizards to sell Vanguard trailers; adds to sales, HR teams MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – Trailer Wizards has inked a deal to sell Vanguard trailers across Canada, and has acquired its dealerships in Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Montreal and Moncton, the company announced. The new locations add to Trailer Wizards’ existing trailer rental and leasing facilities across Canada, the company announced, and was part of the company’s coast-tocoast trailer strategy implemented by president Doug Vanderspek in 2008. “We’re proudly Canadian and our goal was to build a trailer network nationwide so that a trucking company in Vancouver can go to the same people for trailer service and parts as far away as Halifax,” said Vanderspek. “With the establishment of trailer dealerships, our customers can now purchase brand new trailers from the same folks they’re used to leasing them from.” Mark Diamantopoulos, vice-president of sales, said Trailer Wizards was drawn to Vanguard because “They’re a great North Americanmade trailer with many standard premium features. I’ve been in this industry for over 15 years and Vanguard trailers are terrific value for fleets that need a solid, durable trailer with low lifecycle maintenance costs and hassles.” The company says it will offer finance leases, warranties, maintenance and repair services, authorized parts and a competitive trade-in program for Vanguard trailers, including dry vans, reefers and heated trailers. The company
says it will stock certain trailers and take custom orders for others. Meanwhile, the company has also added to its staff. Anne McKee was hired as director, human resources. She was formerly director of HR with Quik X Transportation, where she built HR functions including a comprehensive occupational health and safety program, the company announced. “We work in an industry that is often disrupted by personnel challenges and turnover. I want our employees to know they will be taken care of. Anne shares our vision of creating a collaborative, respectful, safe, work family,” Vanderspek announced. McKee will be based out of Trailer Wizards’ Mississauga facility and is available at 905-670-7077. Daran Ultican has joined Trailer Wizards’ Moncton sales team. Ultican previously held positions with Utility Trailer and Access Trailers. “This is a man who lives and breathes trailers,” said Dave Skaarup, Atlantic v.p. of Trailer Wizards. “We wanted to add a top gun to our sales division and we knew Daran was the guy.” Ultican can be reached at 506-870-1027 or through Trailer Wizards’ Moncton branch at 125 MacNaughton Ave. Also, Grant Elsley has been hired for dealership sales at the company’s Mississauga location. His number is 416-910-1486. “Grant brings solid industry experience in buying and selling trailers and will be a definite asset to the dealership sales team,” the company said. n
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17/01/12 2:17 PM
Page 60 TRUCK NEWS
February 2012
Tire neglect due to pay structure Dear Editor:
Re: Giving tires some TLC, January Truck News Most drivers don’t check tire pressure because they don’t get paid to do it, the employer won’t buy each driver a tire gauge and air hose and if the employer were to put a hose and tire gauge outside where every driver could use it, guaranteed it would all be missing in the first week if not the first hour. I’ve seen this go on before for other things. If you take an extra 15 minutes to check tire pressure, that’s 15 minutes less driving time you have – if you are being honest with your log book. If your start time is 3, or even 6 a.m. on some bitterly cold winter morning, most drivers out there are happy that the correct number of tires are on the correct number of axles. If the driver is hourly paid, then somebody in the office is going to beef about the extra time spent checking tires. The employers are trying to squeeze every cent they can from the drivers for the most part. n Bryan Corner Via e-mail
Remembering a fallen trucker Dear Editor: This is probably the hardest letter I have ever written to your publication. It is with heavy heart that I say the trucking family has lost one of its true “good old boys” with the passing of Doug Beach (aka Flapjack) on Sept. 28. Doug started driving long distance in 1957, at the tender age of 19, and spent his entire working career behind the wheel. He was still driving up until two months before his death. He was one of the original, true “knights of the road” and would never hesitate to stop if someone was broke down, in trouble, or in need of assistance. He never drove by another truck on the side of the road without making sure they didn’t need help or had help coming. Over the years he saw many changes in the trucking industry, some not always so good, and was
never shy about voicing his opinion on deregulation, HoS, and the like. He had little use for government bureaucrats and often said that some of those regulating us should actually take a ride inside a truck. Wouldn’t that be a refreshing change? He was always quick with a comeback and could be very entertaining in a group. Doug was one of those old school people that gave his word as his bond and if he gave his word, you knew it was as good as something notarized by a lawyer. I spent almost half of my life living with this man and I’ve never missed anyone so much in my life. He was a funny, charismatic, honest individual and always put forth the best image to represent our industry. We have truly lost one of the best. n Shirley Beach Brockville, Ont.
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A recent occurrence has made me wonder what has happened to all the professional drivers that used to be out here on the road? A few weeks ago, an accident occurred on the Hwy. 1 in B.C. I was following two other semitrucks when I came around a corner and saw a young woman waving frantically and pointing over the edge of the ravine. You could see the tail end of a trailer. Neither truck in front of me attempted to stop. I slowed down and acknowledged to the woman to let her know I saw her distress and would return after safely parking my truck. I located a spot approximately a quarter-mile away from the accident scene. I parked and grabbed my reflective safety vest, then ran down the highway back to the scene. Upon arrival, I determined that the driver of the rig was still in the unit, and assumed the worst. I requested two bystanders to proceed down the highway in either direction to slow oncoming traffic. I then went down over the edge to help the individual up to the highway. Once I had him on the road, he informed me that he had been asleep in the bunk and his partner, the driver, was still in the truck I then helped the second driver escape from the truck. Once I determined their vital signs were stable, I turned my attention to ensuring that traffic flowed
through the area. Of the next 10 semi-trucks that drove past the scene, only one driver rolled down his window and asked if I needed assistance, or needed any blankets and if the driver was out of the truck? What was most disturbing to me, was even though the drivers were being requested to slow down by the two bystanders located on each side of the accident scene, many of the drivers refused to acknowledge the request, they came barreling around the corner at full speed. As a professional driver I find it very disheartening that so many drivers show a total lack of respect, not only for their fellow drivers, but for the industry. John Q Public looks on the drivers as an evil necessity. Is it any wonder? We are our own worst enemy, and until we as a whole in the trucking industry are willing to say that enough is enough, we will not get the respect that we do deserve. We were once the white knights of the road, ready to help someone in need, and now we are looked on as the scourge of the highway. It will not only take the drivers to change, it will also take the companies to change our mindset. If we are to encourage the next generation to take up the career of the professional semi driver, we must give them something to be proud of and someone to respect. n Keith Weeks Via e-mail
As a new A/Z driver, how do you get the one year experience all the companies are asking for? There is so much talk, but little being done. This is a big problem and the government needs to step in and make some changes. Something needs to be done about it soon before we lose more drivers who just give up. n Ian Smith Via e-mail
13/01/12 11:49 AM
February 2012
TRUCK NEWS Page 61
advertisers’ product/service index AIR CONDITIONING Manwin Enterprises...............30 Niagara Service & Supply........30 Reefer Sales & Service............20 Wilson Instruments...............30 XTCC Climate Control.. .......... 63 ANNOUNCEMENTS Trucker Radio........................ 22
HEATERS Deon Supply.. .......................28 Espar..................................18 Manwin Enterprises...............30 Niagara Service & Supply........30 Reefer Sales & Service............20 Wilson Instruments...............30 XTCC Climate Control.. .......... 63
TIRES & TIRE SERVICE Bandag.. .............................. 25 TOWING Streamline 24/7.................... 14 TRAILER LEASING & RENTAL Action Trailer Sales................. 9 Glasvan Great Dane........ 5,26,67 West Van Rental....................58
INSURANCE Burrowes Insurance Brokers.. ... 7 AUXILIARY POWER UNIT TRAILER PARTS & SERVICE Reefer Sales & Service............20 Hargraft Schofield LP............. 15 Action Trailer Sales................. 9 XTCC Climate Control.. .......... 63 Innovative Insurance.............16 Glasvan Great Dane........ 5,26,67 NAL Insurance.. .................... 10 Kingpin Specialists................ 59 National Truck League.. ..........26 Reefer Sales & Service............20 BUILDINGS A-Z Technical Bldg. Systems.. ...28 TRIP Transportation Risk & West Van Rental....................58 Insurance Protection.......... 37 TRAILER SALES (NEW) BUSINESS CONSULTANTS ABS Trailers......................... 12 C.U.T.C. ..............................58 LIGHTING Peterson Manufacturing.. ......... 8 Action Trailer Sales................. 9 Stateside Transportation Glasvan Great Dane........ 5,26,67 Consultants.. ..................... 63 Great Dane Trailers.. .............. 71 LOAD SECURITY Trans-Corp Safety.. ................ 37 Ancra Canada....................... 33 Utility Trailers...................... 23 Transport Financial Services.... 61 West Van Inc........................58 TRIP Transportation Risk & LUBRICANTS Insurance Protection.......... 37 Centerline Truck Lube.. .......... 24 TRAILER SALES (USED) Action Trailer Sales................. 9 Chevron Global Lubricants....... 4 Glasvan Great Dane........ 5,26,67 CAREER OPPORTUNITIES Flo Components.. .................. 69 West Van Rental....................58 Truck News/Careers....... 38,39,40, Husky Oil Marketing.............. 27 .............. 41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48, Shell Canada Products Ltd....... 19 TRUCK LEASING Sheehan’s Truck Centre.......... 31 .................. 49,50,51,52,53,54,55 Truck News/Driver Link............ 36 MEDICAL SERVICES Ontario Drivers Medical.. ........66 TRUCK PARTS & ACCESSORIES Dawson Truck Parts.. .............28 CHILD FIND/MISSING KIDS......... 62 OWNER OPERATOR AWARD........ 32 Manwin Enterprises...............30 Morgan’s Diesel Truck Parts.. ... 15 CLASSIFIED........................... 28 Niagara Service & Supply........30 PAINT & BODY Sheehan’s Truck Centre.......... 31 Streamline Auto Body.. ........... 14 Wilson Instruments...............30 CLIMATE CONTROL XL Radiators.. ....................... 69 Manwin Enterprises...............30 RADIATORS Niagara Service & Supply........30 Atlantis Radiator Truck Auto TRUCK SALES (NEW) Reefer Sales & Service............20 Service.. ........................... 14 Freightliner Trucks............... 2,3 Wilson Instruments...............30 International Trucks.............. 11 XTCC Climate Control.. .......... 63 King Radiator.......................58 XL Radiators.. ....................... 69 Mack Canada........................ 72 Sheehan’s Truck Centre.......... 31 CROSSWORD Volvo Canada.. ...................... 17 REAL ESTATE Feb 12 Crossword Puzzle.. ......... 14 Royal LePage ProAlliance TRUCK SALES (SHUNTS, YARD Feb 12 Crossword Solution........ 61 Realty.............................. 14 TRACTORS) Sutton Group Preferred Realty... 62 Glasvan Great Dane............ 5,67 DIESEL EXHAUST FLUID West Van Inc........................58 H2Blue/Wakefield Canada....... 35 SAFETY AND COMPLIANCE TRUCK SALES (USED) Stateside Transportation DISPATCH Morgan’s Diesel Truck Parts.. ... 15 Consultants.. ..................... 63 TransCore.. .......................... 21 Sheehan’s Truck Centre.......... 31 Trans-Corp Safety Consultants... 37 ENGINES TRUCK SERVICE & REPAIR Cummins Inc... .....................29 SATELLITE TRACKING Centerline Truck Lube.. .......... 24 TransCore.. .......................... 21 Sheehan’s Truck Centre.......... 31 EXHAUST XL Radiators.. ....................... 69 Texis Truck Exhaust..............60 SUBSCRIPTION TO TRUCK NEWS.. .. 66 TRUCK SHOWS The Truck Exhaust Place.. ....... 13 TANKER SALES (NEW & USED) Truck World.........................56 Dependable Tank.................. 57 FINANCING Hutchinson Industries............ 70 TRUCK STOPS Riviera Finance.....................66 Tankmart International.. ......... 65 Flying M.............................. 21
AlphaBETICAL LIST OF ADVERTISERS A-Z Technical.. .......................... 28
Manwin Enterprises.................... 30
ABS Trailers..............................12
Morgan’s Diesel Truck Parts.. .........15
Action Trailer Sales.. ..................... 9
NAL Insurance...........................10
Ancra Canada........................... 33
National Truck League.. ............... 26
Arnold Bros. Transport.. ............... 38 Atlantis Radiator Truck Auto Service...14 Bandag................................... 25 Bison Transport......................... 39 Burrowes Insurance Brokers........... 7 C.A.T...................................... 45
Navistar...................................11 Niagara Service & Supply............. 30 Ontario Drivers Medical............... 66 Owner Operator of the Year Award....32 Peterson Manufacturing.. ............... 8
Caravan Logistics.. ..................... 54
Precision Specialized . ................ 44
Career Opportunities.. ...... 38,39,40,
Reefer Sales & Service................ 20
............... 41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,
Riviera Finance.. ........................ 66
.................... 49,50,51,52,53,54,55
Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty.. ....14
Celadon.................................. 43
Ryder Logistics & Transportation.... 46
Centerline Truck Lube................. 24
Scotlynn Commodities.. ............... 47
Challenger Motor Freight...............41
Schneider National..................... 49
Chevron Global Lubricants.............. 4
Sheehan’s Truck Centres.. ............ 31
Child Find/Missing Kids.. ........... 62 Classified............................... 28 Crossword Puzzle & Solution.. ...14,61 Cummins Inc... .......................... 29 C.U.T.C.................................... 58
Shell Canada Products Ltd.............19 Stateside Transportation Consultants.. ......................... 63 Streamline 24/7.........................14
Dawson Truck Parts.. .................. 28
Sutton Group Preferred Realty....... 62
Dependable Tank....................... 57
System 55............................... 50
Deon Supply............................. 28
Tankmart International................ 65
Doyle Transportation.. ................. 48
Texis Truck Exhaust.................... 60
Espar......................................18
The Truck Exhaust Place...............13
Flo Components........................ 69
Trafalgar Supply........................ 50
Flying M.................................. 21
Trans-Corp Safety Consultants...... 37
Freightliner.. .............................2,3
TransCore................................ 21
FTI.. ....................................... 51 Glasvan Great Dane.............. 5,26,67 Great Dane Trailers.. ................... 71 GTI Roll Transportation................ 52 H2Blu/Wakefield Canada.. ............ 35
Transport Financial Services......... 61 Trans-Send Freight.. ................... 50 Trans X Group of Companies......... 53 Trip Insurance Brokers.. ............... 37
Hargraft Scholfield LP..................15
Trucker Radio........................... 22
Holmes Freight Lines.................. 54
Truck News/DriverLink.. ............ 36
Husky Oil Marketing.. .................. 27
Truck News – Subscription.. ....... 66
Hutchinson Industries.. ................ 70
Truck World.. ............................ 56
Innovative Insurance....................16
Villeneuve Tank Lines.................. 50
International Trucks.....................11
Utility Trailers.. .......................... 23
International Truckload Services.. ... 40
Volvo Canada.............................17
Jeff Bryan Transport................... 45
West Van Trailers....................... 58
Keypoint Carriers...................... 48 King Radiator............................ 58 Kingpin Specialists..................... 59 Kriska Transportation.................. 54 Laidlaw Carriers (Bulk/Dumps)...... 55
White Oak Transport................... 50 Wilson Instruments.. ................... 30 Wilson’s Truck Lines................... 55 Woodcock Brothers.................... 42
Laidlaw Carriers (Tank).. .............. 51
XL Radiators.. ........................... 69
Laidlaw Carriers (Vans).. .............. 40
XTCC.. .................................... 63
Lightning Express Delivery.. .......... 53
Young Transportation –
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American Division................... 44
Mack Canada.. .......................... 72
Young Transportation System........ 54
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www.trucknews.com 17/01/12 3:34 PM
Page 62 TRUCK NEWS
February 2012
new products ket seal that keeps water and debris from getting behind the lamp, while also serving as a shock-absorbing mechanism. For more info, visit www.grote.com.
DESIREE OLDWOMAN Missing Since: August 27, 2011
•
Date of Birth: December 5, 1990 Missing From:
Siksika First Nation, Alberta, Canada
Build: Medium - 5’4”, 165lbs Eye Colour: Brown Hair Colour: Dark Brown Characteristics:
Last seen wearing: brown sweater and black pants with a red stripe
IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THIS MISSING PERSON,
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OR CALL US TOLL-FREE
missingkids.ca
1-866-KID-TIPS (1-866-543-8477)
OR CONTACT GLEICHEN RCMP (403) 734-3056 OR YOUR LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENT. ALL CALLS CONFIDENTIAL missingkids.ca is a program of and trade-mark of
Child Find (Ontario) Inc. is an affiliate of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection Inc. Together, they provide missing children services in the Province of Ontario.
Grote has expanded its line of SuperNova NexGen LED lamps, adding new integrated flange fourinch stop/tail/turn and dual-system back-up lamps. The company says the new lamps offer a one-piece integrated flange design that mounts directly to the surface of a vehicle, eliminating the need for accessory mounting brackets or grommets. They come with a cushioning gas-
A Groundbreaking Study on Canadian Private Fleets
Truck-Lite has come out with a new, lensed Sky-Lite product, which allows external sunlight into a trailer to assist with interior lighting without requiring power or wiring. The polycarbonate material is designed to mount on the upper sidewall of a trailer or body. It fits a four-inch diameter hole cut into the sidewall or body and snaps into place using a peel-and-stick adhesive gasket. The Sky-Lite is available for installation on aluminum or composite panels. For more info, visit www.truck-lite.com.
Kustom Products is now offering drivetrain packages for glider kits, claiming to be the first and only company offering complete drivetrain and interface parts packages specifically for glider kit assemblies. The company says it offers more than 200 glider chassis builds as well as all the components that are not included with a purchase from the factory. The company notes only Peterbilt and Daimler Trucks North America currently offer glider kits and the list of parts needed to complete the assembly varies by chassis. Packages can include factory remanufactured engines from Cat, Cummins and Detroit Diesel and a range of transmission offerings which can be packaged together and then dropped into the chassis for a simple “plug and play” installation. For more info, visit www.kustom-products.com or call 888-564-8890.
•
Ridewell has come out with a new disc brake version of its axle, available with Wabco PAN 22 air disc brakes. It features: a five-inch diameter axle, parallel spindle, hub-piloted 11.25” diameter bolt circle, long stud for aluminum wheels and an axle beam rating of 23,000-25,000
This hot off the press report seeks to provide a Canada wide, detailed portrait of private carriers. The results are based on a comprehensive questionnaire completed by approximately 200 fleet managers across the country – from Newfoundland to British Columbia. We’ve taken the results and broken them down into a variety of categories including fleet size, scope of operation and location of headquarters. Consequently, regardless of the size of your fleet, whether you’re an intra-city or international carrier, you’ll be able to make comparisons with similar operations.
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Order your copy today by going to www.trucknews.com 2011 Canadian Private Fleet Practices Benchmark Study is published by Motortruck Fleet Executive.
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13/01/12 11:51 AM
February 2012
TRUCK NEWS Page 63
•
Jost International has come out with two new lightweight landing gear products aimed at lowering trailer weight without compromising strength. The AlumuLightX is Jost’s AX100 aluminum hybrid landing gear series, rated at a 50,000-lb lift capacity and 27,000-lb side load capacity. Weight has been removed by designing the upper leg from extruded aluminum while the lower leg is made from polyester-coated HSLA steel. The Jost UL500 landing gear has a rated lift capacity of 55,000 lbs and a side load capacity of 29,000 lbs, weighing at least 27 lbs less than similarly rated landing gear, the company says. Weight savings were achieved by re-engineering the lift nut and using HSLA material. For more info, visit www.jostinternational.com.
Double Coin has added 19.5-inch sizes to its RLB1 drive tire. The company said the move was in response to demand for mud- and snow-rated, open-shoulder traction tires for urban environments. The tire is available in sizes 225/70R19.5/12 and 245/70R19.5/16 from more than 1,000 independent tire dealers in North America, the company announced.
Carrier Transicold now offers a trailer refrigeration unit (TRU) Dual-View Temperature Display,
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Blue Tree Systems has added dry trailer tracking to its list of fleet management solutions. The company says its new R:COM Dot is a next generation low-cost, heavily-ruggedized dry trailer tracking solution. The unit has no external antenna and is designed for covert mounting underneath the trailer, including flatbeds and tankers. Blue Tree Systems says its latest offering is the only system that provides low-cost live position reports every 10 minutes when tethered and scheduled reports when untethered from any location including in Canada. For full details, visit www.bluetreesystems.com.
•
PeopleNet has added a new, exclusive alert and daily summary enhancement to its Speed Monitoring feature. Through a partnership with SpeedGauge, PeopleNet says it can provide near real-time e-mails when a driver is speeding, so management knows exactly when and where the event occurred. A daily summary is also provided. PeopleNet said the reports are highly configurable, so fleet managers can determine which alerts they wish to receive in real-time.
Vigillo has introduced a new bundle package, which combines all of its CSA solutions at a “steep discount” for carriers with fewer than 100 drivers. Available for US$99 per month, the CSA bundle includes: CSA Scorecard Subscription; Inspection Management System; PSP Converter; Carrier Select; and Roadside Resume. “We look at this bundling as a way for smaller fleets, those with the least available resources to dedicate to the tasks of managing CSA, to have the best-in-class tools that enable them to easily handle all aspects of CSA from pre-hire screenings, to managing violations to brokering due diligence,” said Steven Bryan, CEO of Vigillo. For more info, visit www.vigillo.com.
•
Vigillo has also announced its IQLab division is now offering a Top Violations by State Excel Workbook that identifies for carriers where disparate enforcement occurs between states. The information was derived from multiple, publicly-available DoT sources and contains all roadside inspection data for 2011, the company says. Fleets can use the information to pinpoint the types of enforcement activities that are occurring in areas where the company operates and avoid fines. For more, go to www.vigillo.com. n
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lbs. The company says standard 71.5- and 77.5-inch track disc brake axles will be stocked and available for immediate delivery. For more info, visit www.ridewellcorp.com.
an external temperature and status display that provides a reverse image in the rearview mirror so it can be easily read from the driver’s seat. The new option mounts on the front corner of a refrigerated trailer, behind the driver. Large amber LED numbers display the temperatures in up to three zones. It can be switched from reverse to normal view when parked in the yard. For more info see a Carrier dealer or visit www.performanceparts.carrier.com.
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13/01/12 11:52 AM
Page 64 TRUCK NEWS
February 2012
safety
Regularly stopping to inspect your load and equipment is, believe it or not, a law Even if the trailer doors are sealed, stopping for periodic inspections is a good idea There’s a law that drivers should be aware of, even though it seems there may be very little enforcement; another example of a ‘Gummy Law’: laws with no teeth. I am referring to the National Safety Code Standard 10 Cargo Securement (Division 1, Sections 2 and 3) as well as the FMCSR (392.9). Although the National Safety Code is, more or less, a suggestion that the feds would like the provinces to undertake, the Regulation 363 turns this National Safety Code Standard 10 into law. The National Safety Code Standard 10, as with the FMCSR 392.9, states “all drivers shall stop
Guest Column martin cowie
and check their load within the first 80 kms and then again every three hours or 240 kms (150 miles), whichever comes first.” Personally, I know of no drivers who have ever been fined for not following the NSC Standard 10 or the 392.9 of the FMCSR, for driving for more than three hours straight. It could be because in the regulations it states that a driver is
not required to stop if the doors are sealed or it is impossible to check the load. I would like to point out that I have physically sat with many MTO and DoT auditors while auditing a company’s compliance. Not once had the auditor – MTO or DoT – looked at, or questioned a driver’s compliance when driving for more than three hours straight, as long as the driver’s logs were compliant as well as all documentation, fuel stops, border crossings, tolls, faxes, etc. in order. On the safety side of things; while working at a large transport company as a safety and compliance officer, this company had a policy that stated the “driver shall stop every two hours to do a load check, tire check, circle check, regardless if the trailer was sealed or not, and check to see if the
what’s on trucknews.com? Blogs • Palmer Marketing’s Lee Palmer dishes on rates, the driver shortage and lessons learned from the recession in his latest blog. • On-road editor Harry Rudolfs discusses the many issues faced by new drivers – often newcomers, to boot – trying to break into the industry.
A Grou Study
• Want to run nice trucks? Treat your people right and the nice trucks will follow, says contributing editor James Menzies. • ATBS’s CEO Ray Haight offers his thoughts on the continuing financial headaches in the US and what the implications will be for those trying to run freight in the Great White North.
Web TV: Transportation Matters • COST CONUNDRUM:
Carrier executives from all modes have been forecasting tightening capacity and, as a result, upward pressure on rates. Are they right?
• SHIFTING ALLIANCES:
Outsourcing is a growing trend. What do 3PLs add to the shipper-carrier relationship and how do carriers feel about dealing with a new partner?
• FOCUSED ON FUEL:
Freightliner’s Mark Lampert discusses the economy, parts shortages and how ECM data doesn’t always tell the full story on fuel consumption.
• TRUCKS FOR CHANGE:
President and founder of the Trucks For Change Network Pete Dalmazzi dishes how the trucking industry and various charities are working together to make a difference in their communities.
You Said It . . . “What a backwards, old, slow, fuddy-duddy highway system this is in Ontario, Canada, as compared to many parts of the world (both developed and developing). Go and visit some other countries in the world and you’ll find out just how backwards transportation is overall in Canada. Did I say Pakistan is faster than Ontario? It’s really quite embarrassing to see first hand. We don’t have high-speed highways or super highways or much else resembling highways in Ontario. Just how long do you want to take to get to your destination using the highways? A lifetime? A person may as well file and paint their nails while driving at these slow speed limits in Ontario because there’s nothing else to keep their attention.”
– Onterrible responding to Harry Rudolfs’ blog:
pg 64 tn feb v3.indd 64
Comparing apples to speed limiters.
brakes or axles were or were not heating up.” This would have proved to be beneficial for the company and the driver, had a certain driver done just that. However, the driver did not stop after the recommended two hours and due to the spike brake being on, ever so slightly, the brakes heated up and caused a fire. The driver had enough time to pull the tractor away from the trailer, saving the tractor. However, the trailer and load were lost. This could have been avoided had the driver stopped inside those two hours to stretch his/her legs and do a quick walk around the trailer and tractor, as our policy stated, and as the law states (every three hours, as stated by the law). Personally, I am not a big believer in a truck driver being paid by the mile. This forces the driver into a ‘piecework’ kind of deal, which I believe was the case with the driver who had the fire. This kind of compensation forces a driver to constantly think about his/her pay, in regards to miles, and not being able to make it to the next drop-off or pick-up, thus creating stress on the driver and causing the driver to concentrate on his/her mileage rather than the road. This pay schedule also forces the driver to break or bend a law or regulation every now and then to try to make a couple of extra bucks. However, in the long run, the driver will lose. The driver may think of driving according to their miles rather than their hours. This can get a driver in trouble once the documentation is looked at and examined. The driver may not stop every three hours, according to company policy, or press the ThisStandard hot off10 the report FMCSR. The driver may not do seeks to provide a Canada wid a professional pre-trip inspection before starting their trip, The results are since based on a co they feel they are not being paid for such. There are many examby approximately 200 fleet m ples of these so-called ‘Gummy to British Colu Laws’ thatNewfoundland lack teeth. It makes me wonder about the time and energy wasted by the politicians who rallied for the change, the stakeholders and people We’ve takenwho the results an opposed it or agreed with it, the into a variety of categ commissions who looked it over, the organizations that held meetsize, scope of opera ings to try to stop it or help it headquarters. Consequen along, the lawyers who had a hand in trying to close size eachof and every your fleet, whethe loophole…the list goes on. n
We now TWEET! Follow us on Twitter Twitter.com/AdamLedlow Twitter.com/JamesMenzies Twitter.com/LouSmyrlis
or international carrier, yo – Martin Cowie has over three decomparisons wit
cades of over-the-road experience. He has over three years as a manager and instructor of a truck driving school, training safety and comis your opportunity t pliance theoryThis to students through a private career college. He has from also performed safety and compliance of a very large fleet and has across for more than been a consultant two years, assisting small, medium and large companies with compliance in regards to MTO and the your copy today by go DoT. He isOrder currently a consultant and educator for the transportation industry. He can be reached at 2011 Canadi martin@transcorpsafety.com.
110 operatio 13 business c
Benchmark ad.indd 1
12/01/12 12:14 PM
February 2012
TRUCK NEWS Page 65
health
CPAP machines: Are they tough enough for the truck? A new military-grade machine offers hope for a more rigorous option Like many professional drivers, I have been diagnosed with obstrucGuest tive sleep apnea (OSA), a sleep disorder that causes the airway Column to partially collapse during sleep, preventing the sufferer from attaining any restorative rest. I started using a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) breathing machine to treat my sleep apnea in 2007. That was over four years ago. It has made a world of difference for not only me, but for my family and also Swift Transportation of Arizona, my employer since 2002. I’m kept busy running all 48 US states, with frequent trips into Canada. I like my trips to Canada very much. It gives me the chance to lay a lip over a fabulous Tim Horton’s coffee or two! Incredibly good stuff. To say the journey to treat my sleep apnea is a life-changing experience would be a definite understatement. In fact, I can proudly say I’m a sleep apnea success story. Yes, I am now a better, safer driver, but it goes farther than that. I am also a more alert, focused and productive driver, too. However, this whole journey isn’t about me. For anyone who suffers from sleep apnea, it’s about
kenneth armstrong
working with your employer and making a personal commitment to start the process moving. Help them help you. As the first Swift driver to be treated in our company’s sleep apnea pilot program, there was plenty of opportunity for learning – what worked, what didn’t, what needed to be finetuned – and constructively applying lessons learned to help pave the way for those Swift drivers who’d be following in my footsteps on their own paths to a better, healthier way of life. Part of this ongoing learning process meant working with Precision Pulmonary Diagnostics (PPD) of Houston, Texas, which manages Swift’s sleep apnea program and, over a period of months, field-testing CPAP breathing machines on trucks. I have tested four units. All did the job as they were designed to do, provided, of course, attention was paid to regular inspection and cleaning of the machine. Most of them required use
of a 300-watt power inverter that was provided and installed by Swift. This is yet another maintenance item. It’s important to understand these CPAP units were originally configured for home-use only; that is, operated in a clean, constant temperature environment, and with little or no movement. The only deviation to this light routine might be the occasional away-from-home trip to go visit your Uncle Buck, something lasting no more than a few days. In short, a pretty tame environment. In-truck use of CPAP breathing machines and a driver’s life on the road is anything but tame. Many of us know just how strenuous it can be. Round-the-clock truck movement, often in a 24/7 operating environment in variable weather conditions offers some challenges: exposure to vibration, jolts, dust, oppressive humidity, extreme dryness, numbing cold, and searing heat are some of the conditions CPAP breathing units face on a truck. Neglect of regular inspection and cleaning by an inattentive driver is also, quite often, the handmaiden of premature machine failure. Fortunately, some CPAP unit manufacturers have listened to the driver feedback and have taken it very seriously. Recently, ResMed rolled out a more robust
“military grade” breathing unit that incorporates several significant improvements. Its new unit is not only better, but is completely quiet. Best news of all, however, is it comes with new interchangeable power modes. I use the 12-volt power converter for use in the truck. At home, the regular 110volt power supply works fine. Engineers listened and came out with a CPAP breathing unit that can better handle the day-in, day-out variable conditions that are found on any truck. My only remaining wish is for the major truck manufacturers to step forward by designing a removable multi-purpose shelf or rack to house and protect your CPAP breathing machine. This is something that, in my opinion, is sorely needed. And sooner, rather than later. In the meantime, driver life on the road with a CPAP breathing machine is not only possible, but is easily done. All it takes is you, with a personal commitment, to start your own journey on the path to a better, healthier way of life. I wish you all nothing but the very best. n – Ken Armstrong is a nine-year senior driver-mentor with Swift Transportation based in Memphis, Tenn. He runs all 48 US States and Canada. He and his family reside in Clarkston, Mich.
canada’s largest tank trailer dealer SALES - SERVICE - PARTS for REMTEC, TREMCAR, J&L TANK inc. OAKVILLE BRANCH
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Unit 8932 – 1989 AdvAnce B-trAin 62,000L, MC-360 7-compt’s, spring ride (Non-R.T.A.C.).
Unit 7088 – AdvAnce 41,000L alum. insulated hot product tri, has steam coils, pump off line, air ride, new safety. Also 2 identical Westanks. call
Unit 8886 – 2003 AlmAc 18500L, 4 compt's, DOT-406, aluminum, provision for bottom loading and vapor recovery, dual LC meters, very clean unit.
Unit 8038 – 1978 Heil 9000 G 4 comp’t, MC-306 petroleum tridem, just out of the shop, new B-620 & safety, excellent ice road tank.
Unit 8950 – 1995 tremcAr 5200 I.G., 1-compt, MC-307, stainless steel, rear discharge, 72’’x72’’ Air ride tridem, new safety.
Unit 5750 – 2000 tremcAr 6500 gal. DOT-407 insulated s/s quad axle tank, 2 baffles, manhole at rear, 3 internal sprayballs, Hend. A/R, alum. wheels, excellent condition. call
Unit 9023 – 1999 internAtionAl 4900 tank truck, DT-466 E engine, Alison auto, c/w 1998 Trinity 3400 USG MC-331 propane tank, very good overall cond., new safety & tests. Hurry!!
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Unit 8982 – 2003 remtec 57,000L 6 compt., TC-406 petro quad, all options, A/R, alum. wheels, new B-620 & safety, just in time for winter. call
Unit 8953 – 1995 Heil 2600 cu. ft. tri axle pneumatic, has air ride, alum. wheels, 2 rear fill lines, excellent plastic /flour tank. call
Unit 7973 – AdvAnce 54,000L, 5 comp’t, TC-406 petro quad, has B/L, vapour recovery, A/R, manifold, new safety/B620, ready for winter. call
Unit 321 – 2002 freigHtliner fl-70 tAnk trUck 3126 Cat, Allison auto, 7000L, 2 comp’t TC-406 tank, 2 reels, one meter, bottom loading, new B-620 & safety. Scarce!
Unit k358 – 1998 J&l 2600 cu.ft. Vac/Pneumatic, always in plastics service, two rear fill lines, ready to work.
Unit 8341 – 2007 remtec 48,000L insulated alum. hot prod super B train, very good overall condition, will be ready in a few days. Hurry!!
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16/01/12 10:42 AM
Page 66 TRUCK NEWS
February 2012
legal
Sending a message LCV spotter fined in death of co-worker
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PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS 2) 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 _ —_No._of_Truck-Tractors_ ______ No._of_Off-Road_Vehicles 3) Does this location operate, control or administer one or more vehicles in any of the following Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) categories? Please check YES or NO: _ 14,969_kg._&_over_(33,001_lbs._&_over)..._ ❏__YES_ ❏__NO _ 11,794-14,968_kg._(26.001-33,000_lbs.)._ ❏__YES_ ❏__NO _ 8,846-11,793_kg._(19,501-26,000_lbs.)..._ ❏__YES_ ❏__NO _ 4,536-8,845_kg._(10,000-19,500_lbs.)....._ ❏__YES_ ❏__NO _ Under_4,536_kg._(10,000_lbs.)................_ ❏__YES_ ❏__NO 4) This location operates, controls or administers: _ Diesel_powered_vehicles.........................._ ❏__YES_ ❏__NO _ Refrigerated_vehicles..............................._ ❏__YES_ ❏__NO _ Pickups_or_Utility_Vans............................._ ❏__YES_ ❏__NO_ _ Propane_powered_vehicles......................_ ❏__YES_ ❏__NO 5) Do you operate maintenance facilities _ at this location?_...................................._ ❏__YES_ ❏__NO _ IF_YES,_do_you_employ_mechanics?........_ ❏__YES_ ❏__NO
6) Indicate your PRIMARY type of business by checking ONLY ONE of the following: a)_ ❏_ For_Hire/Contract_Trucking_(hauling_for_others) _ b)_ ❏_ Lease/Rental _ c)_ ❏_ Food_Production_/_Distribution_/_Beverages _ d)_ ❏_ Farming _ e)_ ❏_ Government_(Fed.,_Prov.,_Local) _ f)_ ❏_ Public_Utility_(electric,_gas,_telephone) _ g)_ ❏_ Construction_/_Mining_/_Sand_&_Gravel _ h)_ ❏_ Petroleum_/_Dry_Bulk_/_Chemicals_/_Tank _ i)_ ❏_ Manufacturing_/_Processing _ j_i)_ ❏_ Retail _ jii)_ ❏_ Wholesale _ k)_ ❏_ Logging_/_Lumber _ b)_ ❏_ Bus_Transportation _ m)_ ❏_ Other_(Please_specify)__ 7) Are you involved in the purchase of equipment or replacement parts?_._._._._._._._._._._._.___ ❏__YES_ ❏__NO 8) Are you responsible either directly or indirectly for equipment maintenance?_._._._.___ ❏__YES_ ❏__NO
ordered to pay $144,000 to the Job Safety Skills Society, $109,000 of which would be allocated for the JobSafe Program, while $35,000 was earmarked to establish a scholarship program in honour of the deceased worker. Another $131,000 was earmarked for the Alberta Motor Transport Association (AMTA) so it can develop a course in the safe operation of specialized LCVs. Hargrave also was slapped with a $1,500 “victim surcharge” after pleading guilty to failing to protect his own safety and that of other workers. According to the Statement of Facts agreed to between the Crown and the company, victim Rintoul was working as a dolly operator, helping move a tractor, double gooseneck frame and an independently-steered dolly into the Volker Stevin wash bay. He was steering the dolly while walking alongside. Hargrave served as a spotter and was initially on the driver’s side in front of the truck, watching for obstructions. When the driver turned the transport to align it with the bay, Hargrave moved over to the passenger side and lost sight of, and communication with, the victim, who became trapped when his foot got caught under the dolly’s rear wheels. Denel Trucking admitted it had failed “to identify the hazards associated with the manual steering of a moving dolly; failing to provide Mr. Rintoul with the alternatives to avoid manually steering the moving dolly while walking alongside it, instead permitting him to be in the range of the moving dolly and its wheels; and failing to ensure the workers used the available two-way communication devices (radios) to assist in maintaining communication while steering the dolly.” As for Hargrave, the Statement says he failed to “take reasonable care to protect the health and safety of Mr. Rintoul when he left his spotting position” as well as failing
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By Jim Bray CALGARY, Alta. – The province of Alberta is hoping fines assessed to a trucking company and employee after a tragic accident can provide learning experiences that help ensure such incidents don’t happen again. The accident in question happened at Volker Stevin Contracting’s Calgary yard in August of 2008, and saw 20-year-old James Rintoul crushed under the wheels of a long combination vehicle (LCV) trailer he was helping a driver back up. The company involved, Denel Trucking, and employee Keith Hargrave were fined $286,500 and $10,000, respectively, after both pleaded guilty under the provincial Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). Denel was
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to “maintain any sight of, or contact with, Mr. Rintoul.” “Essentially,” says Barrie Harrison, spokesman for the Occupational Health and Safety section of Alberta Human Services, “what they’re saying is they failed to identify hazards associated with the manual steering of a moving dolly that forced (the victim) to walk alongside it while it was moving, instead of having some better mechanisms in place.” Harrison says the civil charges, laid under the OHS Act, also carried the potential for a prison term though the courts have yet to impose such a penalty. One thing that made this particular case stand out, Harrison says, was that “It is rare, though not unheard of, to have an individual charged as well. In this case, there was obviously reason enough to believe that an individual had significant responsibility and that’s why (he) was convicted as well.” OHS brought the charges after conducting its own investigation, Harrison says. “We then share our findings with the Crown prosecutors, who review the file and determine whether they believe there’s a reasonable likelihood of conviction and that it’s in the best interests of Albertans to lay the charges,” he explains. Cases such as this one, Harrison says, are typically argued in front of a judge alone, and “In this case the company entered a guilty plea,” which made the prosecution more straightforward. “Sometimes the companies just recognize that they are indeed at fault,” Harrison says. In this particular case, discussions
TRUCK NEWS Page 67
about “creative sentencing” led to the decision to send a portion of the penalty to the Job Safety Skills Society and the AMTA instead of merely to the government’s general revenues. “What we’re seeing more and more of is that Section 41.1 (of the OHS Act) allows that some of the penalty can go…to groups that somehow have a link to education or training that can help prevent these sorts of incidents from happening again,” Harrison says. Hargraves’ $10,000 fine does go straight to the government, however, while the $1,500 victim surcharge – which Harrison says is a standard
es where companies have declared bankruptcy and therefore couldn’t follow through with the assessed penalty assessed, “But that is few and far between. The Crown prosecutors do the due diligence to hopefully avoid that from happening.” The idea, he says, is that “You want it to sting, but it serves no purpose to have a fine hefty enough that they can’t pay it and other people lose their jobs.” As for the AMTA’s portion, executive director Don Wilson welcomes the money, though he says they don’t yet know exactly to what use it’ll be earmarked.
‘It is rare, though not unheard of, to have an individual charged as well,’ Barrie Harrison, Alberta Human Services percentage – “Goes to a fund set up for victims to access when they require it.” A major fine such as the one under discussion here may seem like a heckuva chunk of change for a trucking company struggling to compete and remain profitable in an uncertain and highly competitive market environment, but Harrison says such things are taken into consideration when fines are assessed. “What you don’t want is a penalty so severe that the company cannot pay it and declares bankruptcy or has to go under,” he notes. “That’s not in the best interest of anybody, including the people who still work for the company.” He admits there’ve been cas-
“We put in a proposal,” he says, “but other than the announcement from OHS that the funding would be coming, we haven’t had any more contact with them, nor has the money made it to the AMTA. I really thought we would’ve heard some direction from them, but it hasn’t happened yet.” Wilson says the organization will probably use the funds to expand its existing LCV program and “design it around specialized equipment like steerable dollies on trailers and the like.” The incident also gives the AMTA a chance to help get some messages out to the industry. “When they actually went after that individual for $10,000 personally,” Wilson says, “that should say a lot, and I think we need to get the
message out that you need to take the role of spotter extremely seriously, that you’d better be on the ball and doing what’s expected of you because there are liabilities. I think some people take that pretty lightly.” If you’re a spotter, he says, “You’d better assume all the responsibilities that go along with it. I don’t think that’s communicated a lot and we’re going to work on that to bring that out to folks.” This particular case doesn’t mark the first time the province has approached the AMTA in such a situation. “They did one of these a few years ago, where we got $65,000 to develop a loading course,” Wilson says, noting the new course would undoubtedly be offered to employers through the AMTA’s facility. He doesn’t know if the government will make such a course mandatory, but says “They could very well say if you’re operating that kind of equipment you have to have a card or certificate on it.” It could also lead to a situation in which the AMTA trains the trainers: “The company brings in their safety guys and then they take it to their employees.” However it shakes out, Wilson says, the AMTA already has a handle on it. “We’re not starting from scratch,” he says. “We’ll build on the long combination vehicle course we have, and work in the specialized stuff. We’ll obviously bring in industry folks to help us with the development because they’re the guys who’ll be using it.” Wilson says that, as with other AMTA offerings, the course would be offered to any Alberta trucking company whether it’s a member of the Association or not. n
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16/01/12 12:38 PM
FICTION FICTION
Part 2
Part 2
Mark Dalton: Dalton:Owner/Operator Owner/Operator Mark
Licence Man andrenewed Moose on the Loose
Illustration by Glenn McEvoy
By Edo van Belkom
The story so far… Mark is looking for a load. Bud has a sweet one to California that won’t be ready for a few days. In the meantime, By Edo vanMark Belkom Bud asks to help an older driver, CharlieTHE Knowles, hisFAR: licence reSTORYget SO newed. Charlie’s a real character and Mark is on the Rock, behind schedule Mark agrees to help out. with a load of fresh fish headed for
Montreal. He’s got•to go to the bathroom something awful, but doesn’t reMark hadto agreed to only helpis prepare ally want stop. Not he late, Charlie Knowles for all the tests he there’s a maniac on the loose and he needed to complete in order to get his doesn’t want to risk a chance encouncommercial driver’s licence renewed, ter. But eventually he just has to go but what that meant, Mark didn’t have and looks for some newspaper to do a clue. Other than a physical every his business, only to hit a moose lumfew years, Mark hadn’t been tested on bering onto ability the highway… his driving since he’d first received his licence•and that had been Mother to acould halt.he presome 15Load yearsskidded ago. How Mark had the steering wheel in a pare someone for something he didn’t white-knuckle breathing hard and know anythinggrip, about? keeping eyes closed tight. Four, and five So hehis logged onto the Internet more deep then aMinistry final long, checked outbreaths the Ontario of long sigh. Transportation’s Web site, but was unThetoengine was still running, rattling able find anything about driver liout a constant at idle speed as cence renewalsrhythm for commercial drivers and over. Although Mark wasn’t a if65 it were stopped at a light in Calgary computer genius, he’d used the Internet or Montreal. before and could what he He sniffed at theusually air andfind knew right was looking for, so his results were away that he’d soiled himself, but knew puzzling. a section drivhe’d beenThere luckywas if that was theforworst ers renewing their licences over 80, that had happened to him. But there and all kinds of help with renewing exwas another smell in the cab. Moose, pired licences and booking appointboth the musky smell of its outsides and ments for new tests, butofnothing about the copper-blood taint its insides. what Mark wanted to know. At last Mark opened his eyesMark and wondered if he’d missed something on lifted his head. The windshield was the site, but to the best of his abilities spattered with blood and a three-point he couldn’t find anything about the section of antler rested on top of the MTO’s licensing policy regarding oldengine cowl. er commercial drivers. “It must havehoped been a bigthe one,” Mark Mark had that Web site whispered under his breath. He sat up would help him understand the reasonstraight in his seat and saw the other ing behind the policy, but the fact that section of antler – the part still using conhe couldn’t find anything – even nected to the – rising up the site’s ownmoose’s search head engine – made from the front of perhaps the truck like massive him think that the aprogram hood ornament. big.” wasn’t was too new, or“Really the ministry very proud of it, or• it was just another Mark walked aroundlike theDrive front tax-grab kind slowly of program of his truck assessing the some carnage Clean. There had to be realfrom reasons drivers every angle. were required to jump through all sorts of “Oh, Mother,” hehoops said. just because their most recent birthday was their The head and antlers of the moose 65th? Mark wanted to know what they had punched a hole through the front were, so he decided to call them up of his rig just to the right of the radiaand ask. tor, between the grille and the left-front It took a whilemissing before the he rad got and confender, hopefully nected to a human being who could any of the hoses that connected it to answer his Further questions, butthe when the engine. along, bulkthe of right woman finally came on the the body had impacted the grille, line hitshe was both pleasant and professionting it square enough to spread the imal. pact out across the entire front of the “How can I help you?” truck. But the moose must have reared Mark decided to start slowly. “Yeah, up on its hind legs, or made an attempt my dad is a truck driver and he’s 64
right now, but his birthday’s coming up in a month, and he’s scared to death of losing his licence. That isn’t going to happen is it?” “Not if he renews his licence.” “Thisaway year?”because one of its front to dart “And yearinafter 65.”the bumlegs wasevery lodged behind “That doesn’t seem fair. Hetruck. hasn’t per, securing the animal to the had a problem in years…in fact he’s And there was blood. never had an accident in his life.” It was everywhere, on the road, on sir, but the“That’s truck, admirable even on some of research the surhas shown that older drivers are more rounding trees. And what Mark first likely to develop medical conditions thought was coolant leaking from his that affect their ability to drive. After rad turned out to be still more blood 65, drivers are one-and-a-half times draining from the moose’s lifeless body. more likely to have an accident than “This is going to be messy,” Mark drivers between 45 and 64.” said. She knew her stuff, that was for sure. With bothcould hands, he grabbed And Mark concede the facthold that of the antlers and pulled his as drivers got older theywith hadall more might. The moose barely moved. health issues. So an eye test and a Mark took step backaand considphysical werea probably good idea, ered hisdidn’t options. He could but that explain the restprobably of it. “So drive the they truck have a short but he why do todistance, be road-tested risked too?” the animal coming loose as he drove the body havoc Sheand paused, as if wreaking thinking. “The liwith hisrenewal engine,process wheelshas andbeen trailer, not cence develto mention everyone elseconsultation on the road. oped with the help and of the in back the industry enhance Hepeople climbed into the to truck, starttruck includes re-assessed thesafety. engine That – thankfully it still worked ment of a person’s driving ability.” fine – and backed up a few feet. He’d Markthe sighed, he probably hoped mooseknowing would pull free but wasn’t going to get anywhere with this all he did was drag it down the road. woman. “You know, a lot of drivers Mark sighed. He’d have to cut the have loose. to rent trucks and trailers to take thing their tests, costing them money and He shut off the engine, climbed outa day off work just to keep their licence.” of the truck and took the axe he used “That’s unfortunate.” to do tire checks from one of the truck’s “And if a driver has been on the outside compartments. road 40 years without a problem, why “Sorry, but I’ve got to do this,” he should he have to prove he can still told the dead moose, then proceeddrive? That seems like age discriminaed to cut it away from Mother Load. tion to me.” It“The wasn’t the first time Mark had the hit ministry regularly reviews arenewal wild animal on the road. He once requirements. If you have congrazed Ontario,do just– hitting cerns – aasdeer you in obviously then I the animalwriting hard enough to break its suggest to the Ontario neck. When he stopped to assess Transport Minister, or your member of the damage he found no mark on provincial parliament.” Mother and no evidence any“WriteLoad a letter?” thing was wrong with the deer other “Yes, sir.” than its shoulder dropped its Mark hung up had the phone. ‘Soand be it,’ head lolled around on its neckthen as ifit thought Mark. If there’s a test, hisonjob make itwas were thetoend of a sure dampCharlie sock. passed it. He was pulling the deer off the road
when a hunter who’d • been up north all weekend and hadn’t shot a thing Mark metand Charlie in if theheparking lot of stopped asked could have a truck yard out by the airport. Charlie the deer. Mark couldn’t see why not, was sitting in histhe pick-up at the end so they loaded deer into thefarback of the yard and when Mark pulled in, of the man’s van and he drove off… he wasted no time getting out of his like the whole thing had never even truck and hopping into Mother Load. happened. He scaled the cab so easily and But this was no deer. This was a slipped in the open passenger side moose, four times the size and entandoor so effortlessly, Mark would have gled in the front of Mark’s truck like it never have guessed the man was a
senior citizen. “You Mark Dalton?” Charlie asked were in a trap. Once in a lifein his caught thick Scottish accent. time for don’t Mark,remember but a daily occurrence “You me?” at him strangely. outCharlie here on looked the Rock. “Should I?” articles about NewfoundHe’d read Mark smiled anditrelated thethat storythe of land’s moose and seemed the early days of his truck driving caproblem was only getting worse. reer when he’dMoose been recently divorced First of all, were now outand he’d let his personal appearance numbering people four to one and get kicker out of was hand. looked wasn’t like a the thatHe’d the animal bum, but Charlie had called him a loseven indigenous to Newfoundland, er. “Do you remember that?” but had been brought over from LabCharlie’s eyes narrowed as he rador a hundred years ago as a source looked Mark over. “Aye, I remember. of food. Great idea, but how much You were a loser then. You still could moose can you eat when there’s an be. I don’t know that much about you.” estimated 110,000 of the animals on Mark had considered thanking the the island and they’re the ones eating man for shaking him up enough to get all the turning his lifevegetation, back on track, but itentire didn’tforests seem into grassland. the right time for it now. “Thousand-pound on stilts,” is “How much yourabbits gonna charge how me?”they were referred to by no less an authority thanMark Canadian “What?” said.Geographic He hadn’t magazine. That, and they killed peothought to charge anything. As far as ple on theheroad Maybe this he knew was too. doing Bud a not favour. time, but tell there some seri“Did Bud youwere you’d have800 to pay?” ous“He accidents involving moose reportdidn’t, but I’ve called around to ed year. the each schools and some of them charge $3,000... and that’s just refresher ’Well,’ thought Mark asfor heaswung his course.” axe one last time, ‘at least I’ve done my “That’s a lot money.” part to help cullofthe herd.’ “You bet it’s a lot money, especialThe moose’s bodyofcame away from ly when I’ve been driving truck the leg and landed on the roadtwice with longThen as the boyleg who’ll aasthud. hesnot-nosed pulled on the and be teaching has been thecame planafter several me hard tugs, theon limb et.” leaving a giant hole in the grille free aware of the insult, but he justMark over was the bumper. couldn’t help butthe smile. was Mark tossed leg Charlie aside and such a character. Who else could insult checked out Mother Load. She was someone who was doing something covered in blood and would stink pretnice for them? “Bud asked me to do ty bad once he got going, but nothing this. I wasn’t going to charge you anymajor looked to be broken and the thing.” truck was still drivable. Heck,appeared he might What passed for a smile
on Charlie’s face. “Then the price is right,” he said, continuing to stare at even able to narrowed get back toeyes. Ontario so Markbe through “And his regular mechanics could work it. what about using your truck foronthe test? You’ll be for faces that, I Imagine thecharging looks onme their suppose?” when I pull in to the shop, he thought. Again, hadn’t He wipedMark his hands onthought his pantsabout and what truck Charlie realized he was covered would in blood.use. Obviously thetoman hadtoo. no truck of his He’d have fix that own and would have to rent later one to do But for now, he was even than the test. Renting a truck was a costly he was before and he had to get back endeavour, on the roadespecially in a hurry.when And itatwould least be for just a few hours. “I now he didn’t have to goguess to theI could bathlet youany usemore. my truck.” room “For free?” Mark took off his jacket, turned it Mark didn’t like the word free. He inside out and laid it over the driver’s was doing a favour for Bud and that seat. He started up the engine again implied that Bud would return the and was relieved to hear it was still favour some day. But as far as Charlie running fine. Then intowould gear was concerned, thehe useput of ittruck and let out the clutch, back on his indeed be free. “Yes,” he said atway. last. The radio was on and the station “Free.” was doing another update on the Charlie nodded. “Good. But you bethunt fora the “hunting killer” ter get trailer. I can’tparty exactly dropasa he was being called. fourth trailer onnow the day of the test if “A there isn’t hunter has now died in now, hospital one attached to the truck can and I?” police have stepped theirhad huntbeen for Speaking of tests, up Mark the killer they believe is now interacting with Charlie for allmaking of five his way and south…” minutes he felt like he was the one who was being “Too testedbad – most of allthat his Mark sighed, it wasn’t patience. “I’ll make sure,” he sighed at guy I hit.” n last. ■ in “RightDalton then! Let’s get started.” – Mark returns next month
the conclusion of Man and Moose on – Mark the Loose. Dalton returns next
month in Part 3 of Licence Renewed.
Did you know that there are two full-length novels featuring Mark Dalton?: Mark Dalton Did you know that there are two full-length “SmartDriver” and Mark Dalton “Troubleload.” novels featuring Mark Dalton?: Mark Dalton For your free copy register with ecoENERGY for “SmartDriver” and Mark Dalton “Troubleload.” Fleets (Fleet Smart) at fleetsmart.gc.ca. Both For your free copy register with ecoENERGY for are also available in audio book format. Fleets (Fleet Smart) at fleetsmart.gc.ca
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February 2012
TRUCK NEWS Page 69
profitability dashboard
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
% % Change Change Y-O-Y m-o-m
Jan
173
214
140
171
222
30%
-2%
Feb
174
217
117
182
248
36%
12%
Mar
228
264
131
249
337
35%
36%
Apr
212
296
142
261
300
15%
-11%
May
280
316
164
283
307
8%
2%
Jun
288
307
185
294
315
7%
3%
Jul
219
264
156
238
245
3%
-22%
Aug
235
219
160
240
270
12%
10%
Sep
206
203
180
234
263
12%
-3%
Oct
238
186
168
211
251
19%
-5%
Nov
227
143
157
215
252
17%
0%
Dec
214
139
168
225
TransCore Canadian Spot Market Freight Index 2007-2011
TransCore’s Canadian Freight Index steady in November TORON TO, Ont. – TransCore’s Canadian Freight Index remained steady in November with no change from October levels, the company announced. However, year-over-year load volumes increased a “healthy” 17%, according to TransCore officials. Historically, November experiences a decrease in spot freight, but November 2011 was the second best November on record, with levels just
behind those reached in November 2005. TransCore began recording data in 2001 when TransCore acquired Link Logistics. Equipment postings in November were up 5% from October, however, the lowest levels for any November since 2005. Capacity was 8% below recorded levels for November 2010. There was no change in the equipment-to-loads ratio from volumes reached in October. n
Weaker US economy won’t affect Class 8 demand this year: ACT COLUMBUS, Ind. – ACT Research says it expects the pace of US economic activity to operate at around a 2% rate as 2012 unfolds, according to the January issue of the ACT North American Commercial Vehicle Outlook. “A wide range of US economic data reported in the last few weeks have been stronger than consensus expectations. However, they are incidental to underlying trends, as the fundamental factors affecting economic growth remain largely unchanged,” said Sam Kahan, ACT’s chief economist. “We do believe that the heavy-duty truck market will continue to benefit from healthy trucker profits and rising used truck values.” No adjustments were made to ACT’s commercial vehicle forecasts as a result of the latest economic data. n
US truck tonnage edges higher in November ARLINGTON, Va. – US truck tonnage rose 0.3% in November after rising a revised 0.4% in October, according to the most recent figures from the American Trucking Associations. October’s increase was slightly less than the 0.5% gain ATA previously reported. Compared with November 2010, seasonally-adjusted tonnage was up 6.0%, the largest year-over-year gain since a 6.5% increase in June. In October, the tonnage index was 5.7% above a year earlier. Year-to-date, compared with the same period last year, tonnage is up 5.4%. “As I said last month, tonnage levels continue to point to an economy that is growing, not sliding into a recession,” said ATA chief economist Bob Costello. “Over the last three months, tonnage is up 2.3% and stands at the highest level since January of this year. Two primary factors have helped truck tonnage in recent months. First, manufacturing output, which generates a significant amount of truck freight, has generally been increasing. Second, retail inventories are very lean, which is helping freight as well since retailers don’t have much excess stock and need to replenish when sales go up.” n
Freight rates stay steady in October TORONTO, Ont. – Results published by the Canadian General Freight Index (CGFI) indicate that the cost of ground transportation for Canadian shippers in October increased slightly, by 0.11% from the previous month and 0.67% compared with October 2010. However, the Base Rate Index, which excludes the impact of accessorial charges assessed by carriers, decreased by 0.40% from September to October and was down 5.05% versus the prior year. Offsetting the decrease in base rates were slight increases in the
Driver turnover rises for fourth straight quarter ARLINGTON, Va. – The turnover rate for truckload drivers at large fleets rose to 89% in the third quarter, the fourth straight quarterly increase, according to the American Trucking Associations. The large fleet truckload turnover rate is an indication of increased demand and competition for drivers. “Clearly, due to the economic recovery, as well as regulatory factors like CSA, we are seeing the market for good, quality drivers tighten,” said ATA chief economist Bob Costello. “As our tonnage index has shown recently, demand for freight continues
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average fuel surcharge assessed by carriers and other accessorial charges. During this period, the fuel surcharges assessed by carriers equated to 20.78% of base rates, up from 20.16% in September and 13.77 back in October 2010. The CGFI is sponsored by Nulogx, a Transportation Management Solutions provider, and is used by shippers and carriers to benchmark performance, develop business plans, and secure competitive agreements. It was developed with the assistance of Dr. Alan Saipe. The most recent results are available at the CGFI Web site: www.cgfi.ca. n
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Page 70 TRUCK NEWS
February 2012
TSQ MILTON, Ont. – It’s a sign of the post-recession era that many trucking companies have fallen on hard times financially, prompting a significant number of restructurings, mergers and acquisitions and even bankruptcies. Major players like TransForce and Contrans have been snatching up carriers left, right and centre, while prominent companies like MacKinnon Transport have been forced to refocus their business through financial restructuring (see cover story for more details). But where does this trend towards consolidation leave drivers? New ownership can lead to a plethora of changes, including changes to rates, routes and benefits, and, in some cases, drivers can find themselves kicked to the curb. Is industry uncertainty weighing heavily on their minds? We spoke with drivers at the Fifth Wheel Truck Stop in Milton, Ont. to find out what their biggest concerns would be if their employer
?
Truck Stop Question
What would be your biggest concern if your employer was bought out?
adam ledlow
were bought out. •
Isaak Bergen
Isaak Bergen, a driver with Rex Trucking out of St. Thomas, Ont., says he fears all the recent mergers will mean “a bunch of giants” (will
be) running the country. “The more that merge, the less competition there is and you have no right to do anything, just do as they tell you,” he says. Bergen says he’d be concerned whether he would continue to have good runs and make decent money in the event of a buy-out, but the combination of mergers and cutbacks these days have truckers merely “surviving.” • Tom Craig, a company driver with Bruce R. Smith, a carrier that filed for creditor protection back in 2009, but emerged a year later, says the company’s situation hasn’t changed despite its past financial troubles.
Tom Craig
But does the threat of a buy-out weight on his mind? “For now, no,” he says. “I know other companies have merged like TransForce…(but here) John (Smith) is still running the business.” •
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Gregory DeVaughn, a driver with Steven’s Transport out of Dallas, Texas, says he’d be worried about his job security in the event of a buy-out. “I’m not sure I’d have a job, because once they get bought out, there’s a tendency for a lot of change, a lot of shake-up,” he told Truck News. “I’ve been with Steven’s a few years now and they have a good reputation; they seem to be pretty stable and pretty steady. I think if anyone were to do the buying out, Steven’s would do the buying.” •
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Roy Hamilton
Roy Hamilton, a driver with Transport America out of Minneapolis, Minn., says his biggest concern would be what company is doing the buying. “Who took over the company? What type of company would it be? That would be my biggest concern. How stable was the company taking it over?” However, Hamilton says in the trucking business, most companies operate more or less the same way, so he assumes changes would be few. “You pick up freight you deliver freight, it’s all the same. It’s just a different name that owns the truck.” n – Do you have a topic idea for the Truck Stop Question? Contact Adam Ledlow on Twitter at Twitter.com /adamledlow or by e-mail at adam@transportationmedia.ca and we may feature your question in an upcoming issue of Truck News.
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Mid-America Trucking Show March 22-24, 2012 • Louisville, Kentucky
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