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Traveling north
Choose a side
Electricity in the air
New N.W.T. highway impacts local trucking industry.
Former trucker makes argument for trucks in left-hand lane.
Tesla unveils its electric Semi truck in dramatic fashion.
JANUARY 2018 VOLUME 28, ISSUE 12
Reach us at our Western Canada news bureau Contact Derek Clouthier Derek@Newcom.ca or call 403-969-1506
WWW.TRUCKWEST.CA
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Driving road safety Road Safety at Work to highlight safety initiative this March
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By Derek Clouthier
Closing the gap AMTA and Trucking HR Canada partner to bridge gap in industry’s labor market By Derek Clouthier CALGARY, ALBERTA Despite increased efforts in the last few years, the number of women and visible minorities working in the trucking industry remains low. The Alberta Motor Transport Association (AMTA) and Trucking HR Canada are looking to change this with a collaborative effort called Bridging the Gap in Alberta’s Trucking and Logistics Labor Market. Launched in Alberta, AMTA president Lorraine Card said the project aims to address workforce gaps by offering support to employers to better reach out to under-represented groups, including Indigenous Peoples, those with disabilities, visible minorities, and women. The effort also helps educate both individuals and organizations that work with under-represented groups on a number of career options that exist in the trucking industry. As part of the Bridging the Gap initiative, the AMTA will host workshops in Calgary, Edmonton, and Grande Prairie with a target of including 50 employers in each event. “These employer-focused HR workshops will provide trucking and logistics employers with best practices
in recruiting and retaining individuals from diverse backgrounds specific to the industry,” said Card. “Throughout the workshops, there will be a shared insight into Alberta’s reality.” And Alberta’s reality mirrors that of the entire country. Women make up approximately 3% of commercial drivers in the industry and 27% of the overall transport and logistics workforce in Canada, which includes air and rail. Of the number of women employed in the industry, 18% are senior managers, 15% supervisors, and 3% are engineers or technicians. In addition to its collaboration with Trucking HR Canada, the AMTA has also partnered with Women Building Futures to help recruit women into its Class 1 driver training program. This past November, 12 women graduated from the first Women Building Futures Class 1 program, with many gaining employment with Westcan Bulk Transport or Caron Transport, which sponsored program participants. Card said a number of other AMTA member companies have inquired with Women Building Futures about sponsoring its next Class 1 training program. For the Bridging the Gap project, Trucking HR Canada will be developing content material and sharing best practices with the AMTA and provincial carriers. Continued on page 8
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The AMTA and Trucking HR Canada look to offer carriers support in bringing more women and visible minorities into the trucking industry.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA Trucking companies across the country are well aware of their responsibilities when it comes to road safety, but it’s never a bad idea to provide a bit of a refresher every now and then. This coming March, B.C.-based occupational health and safety organization Road Safety at Work will present its fourth annual Road Safety at Work Week in an effort to highlight how transportation companies can reduce work-related motor vehicle collisions, and associated deaths and injuries, on provincial roadways. One of the key roles Road Safety at Work plays is helping to educate employers about all their road safety responsibilities. “Many employers and their employees seem uncertain that their legal obligations to ensure the safety of employees while they are at work includes when they are driving for work purposes,” said Rick Walters, fleet safety program manager for the organization. “Trucking companies that have to