Port Protest Fizzles

Western Canada’s Trucking Newspaper Since 1989 • January 2014 Volume 25, Issue 1

From the north: A recent Nat-gas pioneer: A small Way down south: We visit Talking tires: Tire conference explored B.C. fleet is the first to bring Mexico and find a surprisingly companies have been infrastructure requirements natural gas trucking to sophisticated fleet and an preaching inflation pressure Page 8 Page

for Canada’s North. 18 Page Vancouver Island. 20 Page industry in transition. 24 Page maintenance for 100 years. trucknews.com Port protest Season’s Greetings fizzles Best Wishes To All! Truckers’ group gripes about access, rules at Vancouver port

By Jim Bray DELTA, B.C. – A loosely-knit association of truckers on B.C.’s Lower Mainland is upset with conditions surrounding Port Metro Arrow Transportation has placed what is believed to be one of the biggest orders for the Bose Ride System. Vancouver, and are making their collective voices heard in an attempt to have something done about their concerns. They may be coming late to an ongoing party, however, meaning that while the United Truckers Association is rais- ing its issues, it may also be flogging a bit of a dead horse. “I would say that they’re probably not as Take a seat informed as they could be about all of the Reach us at different activities that are being under- our Western Arrow buys 55 Bose Ride Seats as part of taken to improve operational efficiency Canada news at the port and the marine container ter- bureau driver wellness initiative. Could roll high-tech minal to ready ourselves for the increase in container volume that is being antici- Contact seats out across entire 300-truck fleet. pated,” said Louise Yako, B.C. Trucking Jim Bray at: Association president and CEO. Yako was By James Menzies netic motor system with sensors and a computing responding to the group’s one-day protest jim@transporta- engine to eliminate vibrations in much the same outside the Port Metro Vancouver corpo- tionmedia.ca VANCOUVER, B.C. – As part of a recently- way the company’s noise-cancelling headphones rate office in late October, at which time or call launched health and wellness initiative, Arrow mute ambient noise. UTA members also hand-delivered a letter 403-453-5558 Transportation has ordered 55 Bose Ride System The purchase of 55 Bose Ride System seats to port president and CEO Robin Silvester truck seats, with the intention of installing the seat marks one of the first - and most substantial - in- outlining their concerns. in all 300 of its trucks if an extensive trial proves vestments Arrow has made since implementing The letter, which the 52-member group successful. an employee health and wellness program last also posted on its Facebook page, raised Jackie Charles, director of corporate responsi- year. The company has offered an employee fam- several issues, including the complaint bility with Arrow, told Truck News the first Bose ily assistance program (EFAP) for about 20 years, that that the current system of rate en- seats will be installed in early February. but wanted to take its wellness program further. forcement is slow, piecemeal and “gener- “We ultimately want to make the product avail- Charles said the company’s first thought was to ally ineffective.” The group called on the able to all of our drivers, so we need to adequately launch a group weight loss challenge - along the port to pay container truckers an hourly test the product,” Charles said. “This is a serious lines of The Biggest Loser TV show - but it decided rate calculated in 15-minute increments trial for us.” to first survey employees to determine what they “from the time they enter port property The Bose Ride System seats will be installed in would most like to see in a wellness program. And until the time they leave” and to ensure company trucks across several divisions. Driv- it’s a good job they asked. the necessary resources are in place to ers will provide feedback to Arrow’s Truck Seat About 63% (513 of 815) of employees completed ensure container truck drivers can have Task Force to determine whether a further in- the 11-page survey, and a group weight loss chal- a turnaround time of “no more than one vestment will be made. Bose was recently invit- lenge ranked dead last among the initiatives em- hour from the time they enter the port ed to several of Arrow’s facilities to demonstrate ployees wanted to see offered. property.” the technology to drivers. Charles said everyone “Interestingly enough, a very small percentage The UTA also wants the port to make was impressed with how well they worked in the (of respondents) wanted to take part in an organi- the rates apply to “each move by any con- demonstration, and the company is eager to see zation-wide fitness challenge, so it’s a good thing tainer (empty or full) on a round-trip ba- if they perform equally well on the highway over we didn’t do The Biggest Loser or something like sis” and for owner/operators and company time. The Bose seats incorporate an electromag- Continued on page 7 drivers to be paid for “all container moves according to the ready rate schedule.” UTA members also think trucking com- Careers: 2-3, 10, 11, 12, To view list of advertisers panies that don’t pay the proper rates

PM40069240 20, 22, 25, 31 see pg. 29 Continued on page 8

pg 01, 06,07, 10-11 tw jan v3.indd 1 13-12-12 3:09 PM BECOME PART OF OUR Bison Transport is looking for Company Drivers. We offer steady miles and consistent home time. Join our team today and ﬁnd out why Bison Transport is the only trucking company to be named ADMIRED CULTURE one of ‘Canada’s Top 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures’.

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Bison Transport.indd 2 13-12-11 10:12 AM BECOME PART OF OUR Bison Transport is looking for Company Drivers. We offer steady miles and consistent home time. Join our team today and ﬁnd out why Bison Transport is the only trucking company to be named ADMIRED CULTURE one of ‘Canada’s Top 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures’.

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Bison Transport.indd 3 13-12-11 10:13 AM Page 4 TRUCK WEST January 2014

Historical Comparison – Oct 13 Sales Monthly Class 8 Sales – Oct 13 The 2,618 trucks sold in October provided a pleasant OEM This Last surprise, being above last year’s total as well as the Month Year total for 2011. This flies against the trend we’ve seen Freightliner 554 617 with Class 8 sales for the first three quarters, which International 489 377 have been good, but not as good as the previous year. Kenworth 455 454 It made for the fifth best October going back to 1999. Mack 150 163 International, Kenworth, Peterbilt, Volvo and Western Peterbilt 342 334 Star posted slightly higher figures than the previous Volvo 395 383 year. The sales total for the month is also more than Western Star 233 247 400 above the 5-year average. TOTALS 2618 2575 Historical Comparison – YTD Oct 13 Class 8 Sales (YTD Oct 13) by Province and OEM

OEM BC ALTA SASK MAN ONT QUE NB NS PEI NF CDA Freightliner 494 686 186 317 2,592 991 312 107 21 38 5,744 Kenworth 667 1,509 419 104 700 742 95 0 0 0 4,236 Mack 142 280 165 55 681 327 67 65 0 14 1,796 International 140 578 70 164 1,538 670 108 45 33 31 3,377 Peterbilt 456 1,082 268 208 531 452 146 53 0 0 3,196 Volvo 314 239 114 191 1,222 647 121 50 0 8 2,906 Western Star 304 652 71 68 390 390 47 82 4 19 2,027 TOTALS 2,517 5,026 1,293 1,107 7,654 4,219 896 402 58 110 23,282

YTD Class 8 sales of 23,282 units places 2013 more than 2,500 trucks behind last year’s pace but also more than 4,200 above the five-year average. So far this is the 7th best year in sales going back to 1999 and the slippage we were expecting for the final quarter did not surface in October. Our revised estimate is for Class 8 sales to come in around 28,500 vehicles in 2013. 12-Month Sales Trends Market Share Class 8 – Oct 13 YTD

3,200

2,800

2,400

2,000

1,600

1,200

800

400

0 November December January February March April May June July August September October

Sales 2,411 2,326 1,916 1,808 2,442 2,669 2,721 2,346 2.239 2,252 2,347 2,618 Freightliner, last year’s Canadian market leader, is solidly in control of the market share lead with about a quarter of Canadian Class 8 truck sales. Class 8 sales have come in above 2,000, reminiscent of the industry’s capacity boom years of 2005 Kenworth finished 2012 in the number two spot for market share and there to 2007, for eight straight months now. The three-month trend towards increased sales figures it still sits with an 18% market share. Navistar International finished the year month over month came to an end in July but August showed improvement again as did Septem- with 15% market share and remains in a close race with Peterbilt which ber and now October. The big question was whether sales would hold up over the summer months has a 14% share of the Canadian Class 8 market. Volvo is the only other OE and they have. Next question is how they will hold up for the final quarter of 2013 and October bore with a market share above 10%. positive results. Manufacturers Association Motor Vehicle Source: Canadian

Go with Delo and you’ve got a partner all the way. oduct oduct oduct oduct y pr y pr y pr y pr ompan ompan ompan ompan Ac Ac Ac Ac © 2012 Chevron Canada Limited. All rights reserved. trademarks are the property of Intellectual Property LLC.

Chevron Global Lubricants CS6.indd 4 13-12-11 4:38 PM TRUCK WEST january 2014 5

January 2014, Volume 25, Issue 1 Canada Post Canadian Publications ISSN 0700-5016 – Truck West (Print) ISSN 1923-3531 – Truck West (Online) Gazing into the crystal ball Mail Sales Product Agreement No. 40069240 “Return Postage Guaranteed” 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON M3B 2S9 Another trend that picked up steam that it’s wages and working conditions Sales: 416-510-6892 / Editorial: 416-510-6896 in 2013 is the increased viability of natu- that have caused perfectly capable pro- Fax: 416-510-5143 Editorial ral gas as an alternative to diesel fuel. In fessional drivers to sit on the sidelines. Truck West, USPS 017-178 is published monthly by Comment BIG Magazines L.P., a div. of Glacier BIG Holdings the past year, we saw several more car- That may be true, but it’s still a driver Company Ltd., a leading Canadian information James Menzies riers add natural gas to their fleets, and shortage. If there’s a lack of people will- company with interests in daily and community newspapers and B-2-B information services. further product is coming online over ing to do the work that’s required, it’s a US office of publication: 2424 Niagara Falls Blvd, the next year. There are also rumblings shortage, regardless of the causes be- Niagara Falls, NY 14304-5709. Periodicals Postage Paid at Niagara Falls, NY. US postmaster: Send s we flip the calendar to of some fairly substantial fuelling in- hind it. The Canadian trucking indus- address changes to Truck West, PO Box 1118, 2014 and look back at the frastructure projects Niagara Falls, NY 14304. year that was, the main which could be just PUBLISHER – Lou Smyrlis ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER – Kathy Penner themes that emerged months away. EXECUTIVE EDITOR – James Menzies over the past year are As the fuel becomes RESEARCH DIRECTOR – Laura Moffatt CIRCULATION MANAGER – Mary Garufi likely to remain with us more easily accessi- CIRCULATION ASSISTANT – Anita Singh well into 2014. The last ble, and a wider range CREATIVE– Carolyn Brimer, Beverley Richards year started out with so much prom- of natural gas-fuelled V.P. PUBLISHING – Alex Papanou A PRESIDENT – Bruce Creighton ise, which ultimately gave way to dis- product becomes Circulation inquiries: 416-442-5600 ext. 3553 appointment as a strong economic available, there’s little Change of address: Please include subscription number from mailing label. renaissance failed to materialize. In- doubt more fleets will Subscription rates: Canada (Includes GST) – stead, we got what some described as embrace the technol- One year $40.60; U.S. – one year $66.95; foreign – one year $66.95 “the new normal” or “the great ok” – ogy – even if diesel Send subscription orders, address changes (incl. mailing label sluggish growth that was difficult to prices have been rea- from latest issue) to above address. On occasion, our subscription list is made available to organizations whose products or get excited about. sonably stable over the services may be of interest to readers. If you prefer not to receive such information, please write to us. Please allow Slow growth is still growth, but after course of the past year. 8 weeks for changes or corrections. surviving the Great Recession, motor Another trend from We acknowledge the financial support of the carrier executives, trucking company the past year that isn’t Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage. owners, drivers and owner/operators all going anywhere is the hoped for a more prosperous year. regulatory onslaught Looking ahead, most prognostica- both here in Canada tors say there’ll be more of the same and south of the bor- Advertising inquiries next year, some even hinting we’re due der. In July, the US ad- Kathy Penner (416) 510-6892 Fax: (416) 510-5143 for another recession within the next two opted new hours-of- years. You may want to pour a little extra service rules that in practical terms are try is on pace to be 25,000 drivers short of rum into your Egg Nog. adding significant costs to the industry what it will require by 2020, representing Aside from a sluggish economy, it while reducing productivity. about 14% of the driver population. Fac- looks as though the pace of mergers and There’ll be more – not less – regulation tor in lower productivity, which is pos- acquisitions activity will pick up, if the foisted upon the industry in 2014 and be- sible – even likely – and you get a gap of last few weeks is any indication. After yond, which will further strangle pro- 33,000 drivers. This data is available on what some observers characterized as a ductivity and force carriers and shippers the very well designed DriverShortage. slow start to the year, there were several to collaborate more closely than ever to ca Web site. As we head into 2014, the Lou Smyrlis Kathy Penner Publisher Associate Publisher key deals announced in recent weeks, ensure every ounce of waste is driven fact we’ll still be talking about a lack of (416) 510-6881 (416) 510-6892 which you can read about in more detail from the supply chain. drivers at this time next year is the saf- [email protected] [email protected] beginning on this month’s cover. It looks And of course, reduced productiv- est prediction I can make. as though consolidation in the market- ity means the need for more drivers to place will continue to be a trend moving do the same amount of work. The driv- James Menzies can be reached into 2014. Manitoulin and Celadon have er shortage continues to be one of the by phone at (416) 510-6896 or by both established themselves as bona fide most pressing issues facing the truck- e-mail at [email protected]. buyers as they look to expand their Ca- ing industry. I know, I know…many of You can also follow him on Twitter nadian footprints. you believe the driver shortage is a myth, at Twitter.com/JamesMenzies.

Brenda Grant Don Besler National Account National Account Sales Sales Manager (416) 494-3333 (416) 699-6966 [email protected] [email protected] Dealing with Requests for Proposals reight bids are becom- means they are the cheapest or close ing increasingly popu- The view to the cheapest and giving something lar aså a mechanism to with Lou up – Driver training? Safety? Security? negotiate freight rates – to be the cheapest. Doug Copeland Daniela Piteo Lou Smyrlis Regional Account Manager Assistant Editor and service. Initial- All three affirmed the only action (416) 510-6889 (416) 510-6890 [email protected] [email protected] ly seen as a temporary that makes sense in dealing with such initiative by shippers to RFPs: Refusing to participate if they TRUCK WEST is a proud member of the following lower their transportation costs dur- over the next few weeks. seem structured to reduce decision trucking associations: ing the recession, they remain very I also applaud Jacquie Meyers of making down to price. much with us four years into the eco- Meyers Transport, Michelle Arse- Meyers issued a call to action to both ALTA. MOTOR TRANSPORT ASSN. nomic recovery. neau of GX Transport and Bruce Jant- shippers and carriers. Even companies with as little as zi of Erb International, who tackled the To shippers, she urged “Please invite

SASK. TRUCKING ASSN. $50,000 in annual freight spend are thorny issue at our Surface Transpor- us to the table. We want to come to the MAN. TRUCKING ASSN. B.C. TRUCKING ASSN. putting their transport business out tation Summit. party. Let us be a strategic partner.” The publisher does not assume any responsibility for the contents of any advertisement and all representations or warranties made in such for bid. I believe freight bids are here They didn’t mince words. They To carriers, she said “When invited advertising are those of the advertiser and not of the publisher. The publisher is not liable to any advertiser for any misprints in advertising to stay. Rather than wishing for them called it as they saw it. to participate in the tender process, not the fault of the publisher and in such an event the limit of the pub- to go away, I think the best approach is Although RFPs can be effective if start the dialogue. Talk about how you lisher's liability shall not exceed the amount of the publisher's charge for such advertising. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, for motor carriers to learn how to best shippers take the time to properly vet can impact their bottom line without in all or in part, without the written permission of the publisher. deal with them and to encourage ship- the carriers they allow into the bidding being the cheapest. Invest in collab- From time to time, we make our subscription list available to select companies and organizations pers towards a better RPF process. process, investigating the carriers’ op- oration, bring your A-team and find whose product or services may interest you. If you do not wish your contact information to be To that end, we assembled a panel erations and processes and meeting ways to do better.” made available, please contact our privacy officer via of leading shippers and carriers at our with their executives to ask and answer Damn good advice to follow in deal- one of the following methods: Phone: 1-800-668-2374 recent Surface Transportation Summit questions, too often it seems RFPs turn ing with RFPs. Fax: 416-442-2200 E-mail: [email protected] and dug deep into the subject of RFPs. into an impersonal, multiple round at- Mail: Privacy Officer. Business Information Group, I encourage you to read the tran- tempt to simply drive down pricing. Lou Smyrlis can be reached by 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, Ont., M3B 2S9 PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40069240 script in the current issue of sister As Meyers, whose remarks made her phone at (416) 510-6881 or by RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO publication Motortruck Fleet Execu- an instant industry celebrity, pointed e-mail at lou@Transportation CIRCULATION DEPT. – TRUCK NEWS, 80 VALLEYBROOK DRIVE tive and watch for highlights of the dis- out: the carriers who do “win” these Media.ca. You can also follow him on TORONTO, ON M3B 2S9 cussion in a series of TMTV episodes bids are not actually winning. It simply Twitter at Twitter.com/LouSmyrlis.

pg 5 tw jan v3.indd 5 13-12-12 12:06 PM 6 border Are new US HoS rules costing fleets, drivers billions? WASHINGTON, D.C. – Just how much 168 hours had not elapsed since the pre- ers shouldn’t be expected to navigate These changes are having a very real, are the new hours-of-service rules im- vious restart. Drivers are getting less the conflicting worlds of regulations ver- and very negative impact on hundreds plemented in the US last summer hurt- home time or accepting shorter hauls sus reality and still operate safely and of thousands of drivers and motor carri- ing the trucking industry? for less money, the survey found. efficiently.” ers.” Long said the rules are particularly The American Transportation Re- “The problem with time management In a Nov. 21 hearing, a US House of disruptive for team drivers, who “resent search Institute (ATRI) recently released is not new to truckers,” said Spencer. Representatives’ Committee on Small the new restart restrictions and the ef- results from an analysis that found more “And it isn’t new to the agency either be- Business heard these complaints and fect they are having on their ability to than 80% of motor carriers surveyed cause, over and over, drivers expressed others. Among presenters was Duane make a living.” have suffered productivity losses since at many FMCSA listening sessions that Long, chairman of Raleigh, N.C.-based OOIDA was also at the hearing. Se- the rules went into effect. Nearly half of they have little or no control over their Longistics, who told the committee that nior member Tilden Curl of Olympia, them said they will require more driv- time, particularly because of the unpre- the industry is suffering serious nega- Wash. provided his account on how the ers to haul the same amount of freight. dictability of the job and due to shippers tive impacts as a result of the restrictions. rules are affecting operators. He com- Among commercial drivers surveyed, and receivers keeping them waiting to “Simply put, the July 1 hours-of-ser- plained off more restrictive, arbitrary 82.5% said the new HoS have had a nega- load or unload.” vice rule changes were unnecessary; the changes that don’t provide any safety tive impact on their quality of life, with “The rules need to reflect the fact that regulations adopted in 2003 were work- benefit while having a negative impact more than 66% reporting increased lev- drivers have to accommodate numerous ing and the administration offered rhet- on driver wages. els of fatigue. factors they have no control over such oric but little data to explain why they “Less flexibility makes it more diffi- Commercial drivers also said the as weather and traffic, in addition to needed to be changed,” said Long. “Un- cult to stop for rest, avoid traffic, or keep new rules force them to drive during the schedules of shippers and receivers fortunately, the gap between the admin- a schedule after being delayed by a ship- more congested periods. The majority who don’t have to comply with any reg- istration’s rhetoric and the trucking in- per or receiver,” said Curl in his oral tes- of drivers, 67%, also reported a decline in ulations at all,” Spencer added. “Truck- dustry’s operating reality is very wide. timony at the hearing. their earnings since the new rules were implemented. ATRI found the impacts on driver wages for all over-the-road drivers would be $1.6-$3.9 billion in losses.

The analysis was based on survey data Client: Northbridge Insurance from more than 2,300 commercial driv- “We haul petroleum, so claims we know things will be taken care ers and 400 motor carriers as well as a Job No: NB-1001 Name: “Ray – Claims” detailed analysis of logbook data, rep- can be expensive because of of,” says Mr. Archer. “They keep Publication: Truck News/ resenting more than 40,000 commer- “Northbridge understands Truck West 1 cial drivers. Ad Size: ⁄2 Island Spread environmental issues,” says on the body shops to ensure work Trim: 15.75" x 10.75" “We anticipated significant impacts Bleed: 16" x 10.875" on our operations and across the entire Live: 15.75" x 10.25" supply chain from the new rules and our that when a truck is in the Mr. Archer. “Our previous insurer is completed quickly. They even Colour: 4C Process Insertion: Dec 16, 2013 experience since July 1 is bearing that Material Due: Dec 9, 2013 out,” said Kevin Burch, president of Jet didn’t understand our business. We subrogate claims below our Express. “ATRI’s analysis clearly docu- shop following a claim, it’s ments the productivity impacts and real had a truck burn and part of the deductible so we can concentrate financial costs being borne by carriers and drivers. It’s only a matter of time be- highway had to be replaced. They on our business.” fore these impacts ripple throughout the not making money.” nation’s economy.” The full report is available at weren’t too happy. Northbridge Talk to your insurance www.atri-online.org. ATRI’s findings have been supported Ray Archer, Safety Director, Ventures West Transport, Sturgeon County, Alberta doesn’t get worked up when you broker. Learn how Northbridge by an independent survey of more than 4,000 truck drivers in the US, conduct- “Before we even Call Centre is manned make a claim.” Insurance empowers you with ed by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA). made any claims, 24/7 because accidents You can’t investigate accidents tools and resources so you can The organization surveyed its membership and found drivers reported: in- from behind a desk. Our claims focus on what’s important—your creased fatigue and stress; less income Northbridge Insurance don’t always happen and home time; more time driving in general; and more time spent in con- adjusters toured our during business adjusters visit the scene immedi- customers and your profits. gested traffic. The new rules implemented July 1, ac- facilities to better hours. Northbridge ately after it’s cleared, so evidence “When you make a claim, cording to OOIDA, reduce flexibility in a driver’s workweek. understand our busi- Insurance adjusters can be collected as soon as you really find out what your “The agency’s insistence on micro- managing a driver’s time is actually un- ness and equipment,” are transportation possible. Sometimes, the authorities insurance company is made of,” dermining highway safety,” said Todd Spencer, OOIDA executive vice-presi- says Mr. Archer. record insufficient information. says Mr. Archer. “Northbridge dent. “Instead of providing the flexibil- experts, so we can ity to drive when rested and stop when Our adjusters log their own data, are great folks to work with. tired, the new rules have put drivers in Nobody knows react quicker, with the position of driving more hours than ever and in the worst traffic conditions, trucking and logistics, greater expertise and including witness interviews. When They’re very helpful and they’re and spending less time at home. How is that safe?” or appreciates the technical knowledge, the situation warrants we also always there for us.” Of the 4,000 survey respondents, 46% reported feeling more fatigued since the unique challenges than other insurance send a lawyer, who is experienced changes were implemented, and 65% reported earning less income. The re- facing transportation companies. Our goal in transportation, with our adjuster striction to one 34-hour restart per week caused 56% of respondents to lose mile- to gather evidence for potential age and loads hauled per week, OOI- companies, more than is to get you back on DA says. Many respondents wrote they in the transportation sector, quite legal proceedings. experience less time at home and in- we do at Northbridge Insurance®*. the road, with as little financial nbins.com/trucking creased stress under the new rules. In some cases, drivers with long wait With over 60 years of experience simply, we get trucking. Our Claims loss, as quickly as possible. “When we call Northbridge, periods between loads were unable to use the restart because the 34 hours did not cover two periods from 1-5 a.m., or *Policies are underwritten by Northbridge Commercial Insurance Corporation. ®Registered trademark of Northbridge Financial Corporation (“Northbridge”). Used under license from Northbridge.

pg 01, 06,07, 10-11 tw jan v3.indd 6 13-12-12 1:07 PM british columbia TRUCK WEST january 2014 7 Arrow making big investment in truck seats Continued from page 1 all Arrow’s divisions, so drivers could re- the Bose seats,” Charles said. a return on investment,” Charles said. that,” Charles said. ceive a snapshot of their personal health. The Bose demonstration units visited “We made the commitment as a com- The survey found employees were “The wonderful thing about the test- Arrow’s branches in Kamloops, Grande pany to support the health needs of most interested in receiving CPR/First ing we arranged is, there is no fasting Prairie and Chilliwack in recent weeks. our people and we are going to follow Aid training, with health screening (in- required,” Charles said. “A finger-prick “The feedback was very positive,” said through on that. We have a tremendous cluding blood pressure, blood sugar medical device is used for most of the Charles. amount of respect for our employees levels, cholesterol and body mass in- testing. This really helps for scheduling While Bose doesn’t divulge specif- and we want to ensure we’re doing ev- dex) coming in second. The open-end- and getting people to participate. It can ic pricing details, it has in the past told erything possible to limit the physical ed question portion of the survey also be done any time, the results are instant Trucknews.com the seats retail for about stress of operating our equipment. The identified many drivers were unhappy and it keeps costs down on our end.” $6,000 including installation for a single investment we’re making in the Bose with their truck seats, and experienced To address driver complaints about unit. Volume discounts can bring the seats is substantial obviously, howev- pain and discomfort they attributed to truck seats, a Truck Seat Task Force was price down to less than $3,800 when er, after seeing how the seats perform, the seats. created. more than 10 units are ordered. What- the potential for improving alertness, Arrow took action to address the big- “The Task Force spent a considerable ever the price tag, it’s a big investment minimizing fatigue and improving our gest concerns among its employees. It amount of time reviewing incident rates on the part of Arrow. drivers’ long-term physical health, it’s offered to reimburse those interested in for back pain and the numerous suppli- Asked how Arrow will measure a re- an investment we’ll make gladly.” taking St. John’s Ambulance training for er options on the market and after lots turn on investment, Charles said that Once the initial seats are installed in CPR or First Aid. Arrow also commis- of research and looking at different op- wasn’t a priority when ordering the seats. February, the trial is expected to last six sioned a third-party health-screening tions, the committee made the recom- “We really didn’t approach our well- months to a year. provider to send a “company nurse” to mendation to do an extensive trial with ness program with a consideration of Charles said drivers who are chosen to pilot the seats will be in frequent contact with the Task Force and their input will determine whether or not the program is expanded. Meanwhile, Arrow’s wellness program will continue to grow to include

otherClient: priorities Northbridge identified by employees through theInsurance survey. “We haul petroleum, so claims we know things will be taken care Job No: NB-1001 Name: “Ray – Claims” can be expensive because of of,” says Mr. Archer. “They keep Publication: Truck News/ “Northbridge understands Truck West 1 Ad Size: ⁄2 Island Spread environmental issues,” says on the body shops to ensure work Trim: 15.75" x 10.75" AppsBleed: 16" x 10.875"first fleet Live: 15.75" x 10.25" that when a truck is in the Mr. Archer. “Our previous insurer is completed quickly. They even Colour: 4C Process Insertion: Dec 16, 2013 toMaterial leaseDue: Dec 9, 2013 space in shop following a claim, it’s didn’t understand our business. We subrogate claims below our had a truck burn and part of the deductible so we can concentrate industrial park DELTA, B.C. – Apps Express is the first highway had to be replaced. They on our business.” not making money.” tenant to commit to moving into a new Boundary Bay Industrial Park near Del- weren’t too happy. Northbridge Talk to your insurance taport, Canada’s largest container terminal. The area is being transformed Ray Archer, Safety Director, Ventures West Transport, Sturgeon County, Alberta doesn’t get worked up when you broker. Learn how Northbridge with the construction of the billion- dollar South Fraser Perimeter Road, “Before we even Call Centre is manned make a claim.” Insurance empowers you with scheduled to open up soon. With rising port volumes and the expansion of the nearby airport, some made any claims, 24/7 because accidents You can’t investigate accidents tools and resources so you can are referring to the area as the next from behind a desk. Our claims focus on what’s important—your big distribution hub for Canada and Northbridge Insurance don’t always happen the US. The Boundary Bay Industri- al Park is the area’s largest new in- adjusters toured our during business adjusters visit the scene immedi- customers and your profits. dustrial project. Construction began there in the summer and Apps facilities to better hours. Northbridge ately after it’s cleared, so evidence “When you make a claim, Express recently agreed to lease 100,000 sq.-ft. of space. understand our busi- Insurance adjusters can be collected as soon as you really find out what your “We needed proximity to the port,” says Apps Express president, Rob Mc- ness and equipment,” are transportation possible. Sometimes, the authorities insurance company is made of,” Donald. “It was difficult for our trucks to get out of Richmond (the previous facility) or back in, but the new high- says Mr. Archer. record insufficient information. says Mr. Archer. “Northbridge experts, so we can way gives us more than one way to get into and out of Vancouver.” Our adjusters log their own data, are great folks to work with. Nobody knows react quicker, with McDonald said the new Boundary Bay Industrial Park will create an at- trucking and logistics, greater expertise and including witness interviews. When They’re very helpful and they’re tractive option for retailers who have traditionally located distribution cen- or appreciates the technical knowledge, the situation warrants we also always there for us.” tres in Alberta, where there was greater access to large industrial spaces. unique challenges than other insurance send a lawyer, who is experienced The Boundary Bay site is scheduled to open in May 2014. It is being constructed by The Dayhu Group. facing transportation companies. Our goal in transportation, with our adjuster “Tier one industrial distribution space in the Vancouver market is very to gather evidence for potential companies, more than is to get you back on difficult to find,” says Paul Tilbury, CO of The Dayhu Group. “We’re effective- in the transportation sector, quite legal proceedings. we do at Northbridge Insurance®*. the road, with as little financial nbins.com/trucking ly the only option under construction that can offer contiguous space of this With over 60 years of experience simply, we get trucking. Our Claims loss, as quickly as possible. “When we call Northbridge, magnitude.” The facility will cover 47 acres and offer about 900,000 sq.-ft. of warehouse space. *Policies are underwritten by Northbridge Commercial Insurance Corporation. ®Registered trademark of Northbridge Financial Corporation (“Northbridge”). Used under license from Northbridge.

pg 01, 06,07, 10-11 tw jan v3.indd 7 13-12-12 1:08 PM 8 the north Northern conference hopes to help drive future transportation policy

By Jim Bray is follow up on work already done in da has experienced since then. “Policy’s harsh climate, and sparse population. what’s called ‘the rest of Canada’,” said not static,” Wallis said, “and when you Wallis said the Yellowknife confer- YELLOWKNIFE, N.W.T. – An October Peter Wallis, the Van Horne Institute’s have a fundamental review, you look at ence was designed to “take the south- transportation conference in Yellow- president and CEO, noting that the idea it from top to bottom.” ern fundamental review process to the knife saw business, community and is to help guide Canadian transporta- And with the next fundamental re- north, recognizing that an efficient and government folk converge to discuss tion policy going forward, especially view scheduled for 2015, “maybe it’s effective transportation system is the ways in which Canada’s northern trans- since a major policy review is on tap time for the government to perhaps ear- lifeblood of the economy.” portation policy can be moved forward for the not-too-distant future. ly up its mandated review of its legisla- And to make it as relevant as possible through the 21st century. “The year 2000 was the last year the tion and also to reflect on the fact that to the region, the Institute consulted Organized by the Van Horne Insti- government of Canada actually had a it’s not just the federal government that with the region when developing the tute, a University of Calgary affiliate fundamental review of its transporta- has jurisdiction over transportation but conference’s themes. tasked with developing post-secondary tion policy, looking at all the legisla- also the provinces and the municipali- “We gave them this overarching programs and public policy research in tion that is under federal jurisdiction,” ties,” Wallis said. premise about reviewing Canada’s advanced supply chain and logistics, Wallis said, referring to a blue ribbon In other words, while the federal transportation policy,” he said, “but the conference not only shone a spot- panel that crossed the country back government may be the big frog in the the modules and who should come and light on northern transportation issues, then, holding hearings and develop- pond, it certainly isn’t the only one and speak and who should basically partici- it presented them in the context of the ing research papers to advise Otta- perhaps it should be taking the smaller pate was very much driven by a group overall view of transportation in west- wa as to what was and wasn’t working frogs’ issues into account when it cre- of the northern planners.” ern North America. A smaller picture as far as its transportation policy was ates policy that will affect them. This The program included a panel ses- viewed in terms of the big picture, as concerned. is especially important to the north, sion that delved into the relationship it were. But Y2K was a very long time ago, es- which has special issues brought about between transportation policy and “What we were attempting to do pecially considering the growth Cana- by vast areas of difficult to access land, natural resources. Chaired by Mat- thew Spence, director general at the Northern Project Management Office of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor), it noted – among other things – that the mining sector is growing briskly, fuelled by expansion in the Chinese market and presumed growth in the US. All isn’t sweetness and light, though. According to a presentation by Kirk Cameron of the Colorado-based con- sulting firm CH2M HILL, growth in the Yukon has been challenged by “two recent successful challenges by First Na- tions without modern Land Claims Agreements” which have had a significant impact on resource development there. Cameron also noted that, while any northern transportation strategy has to take into account the volatility of world commodity prices and their effect on the economics of northern resource development, businesses also need to see a return on their investment. One way Cameron outlined that could help ensure that ROI for businesses would be for governments to make solid infrastructure commitments, primarily roads and bridges. “A long-term vision for strategic infrastructure commitments could make the difference between ‘no go’ and ‘go’,” Cameron noted in his presentation. A session on community and social accessibility recommended that any northern transportation strategy pri- oritize infrastructure funding to help develop the economy at large. “We had a lot of discussion on that from some airlines and shipping companies,” Wallis said. “We talked about climate change and sustainability – very important topics when you’re looking at something as dramatic as the lessening of the sea ice and the conse- quences of that.” One consequence of less ice could be more traffic through the North- west passage, while another is that “the shoreline of the Arctic is now being more challenged by waves because normally it’s mostly been icebound in the past,” Wallis said, adding that “with some of the open waters, our naviga- tion charts are not up to speed because they haven’t had to be – no one navi- Brought to you by gates through the pack ice. Now, with those waters somewhat opening, we need to know where all the bad stuff is.” And while more open water might make it easier to get stuff into the north, it also creates the need for suitable ports

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so the communities up there can region’s marine infrastructure is out of Corridor all-season road, an all-season Wallis said, noting that it appears the ceive the goods. Wallis cited the ex- date, inefficient and “unacceptable in highway from Manitoba to Nunavut’s message is starting to get through. ample of some safe havens in north- comparison to the rest of Canada” and Rankin Inlet has been proposed. “I think government and industry are ern Quebec ports, where a break wall According to Wal- now coming closer and closer together has been built around which barges can lis, the main takeaway to understanding that they’re more or travel and land their the materials onto from the conference less joined at the hip when it comes to the beach safely. That’s only one pos- ‘We need to take was that, since trans- getting our products to market in the sible solution, though. portation policy is so vi- most efficient way,” he said, “and to do “Even something as simple as ex- this opportunity tal to Canada as a whole that we have to have great infrastruc- tending the season for ice breaking – as well as its individual ture. So I think the understanding of the would allow these ships with the car- units – good policy cre- absolute need to do this on a collective go for the settlements to operate over to make sure ates opportunities for basis is becoming much clearer.” a longer period of time, and allow the the country to “excel in Feedback from the approximately 90 re-supply to go off in a more efficient we’ve got the best transportation supply people on hand was “very positive, ac- way,” Wallis said. chain logistics. We need tually,” Wallis said. “I was delighted to Addressing the topic of sovereignty in infrastructure in to take this opportuni- see not only from speakers but partici- the great north, Dr. Rob Heubert, asso- ty simply to get it right, pants saying they’re glad we did this.” ciate director of the Centre for Military to make sure we’ve got Now that the conference is over, the and Strategic studies at the University of place.’ the best infrastructure next step is for the Van Horne Institute Calgary, spoke of Canada’s need to ac- Peter Wallis, Van Horne Institute in place, and that would to create a report. “I think we’ll certain- cess and protect its territorial interests lead to the argument ly come out with something that’ll be in an area where other nations, such as that we need good poli- thematic,” Wallis said. “What we heard Russia, Denmark and the US (as well as called for a road link to the national cies to help us develop that infrastruc- and the major issues that should be ad- some aboriginal groups), have vested highway system. He noted that, as with ture,” he said. Cooperation between the dressed within the context of policy and interests and claims. Heubert noted the the NWT’s proposed Mackenzie Valley various stakeholders is also required, infrastructure.” growing importance of the Northwest Passage and the Northern Sea Route, both of which have seen increasing transits over the past few years. In the case of the NSR, for example, Heubert noted a rise in transits from six in 2010 to 46 in 2012, which may not seem like much right now but which could fore- shadow a trend. A session entitled ‘Plausible ap- proaches to Northern Transportation,’ chaired by Transport Canada’s Jutta Paczulla, looked into various alterna- tives for creating “a balanced and well- integrated transportation system with minimal duplications and maximum efficiency.” Russell Neudorf, Deputy Minister of Transportation for the NWT government, noted during the session that most of the resource and development-rich areas of his home territory are accessible only by air, or by some 1,450 kilometres of winter roads that are rebuilt each year. One way accessibility could be increased would be to construct all season roads; Neudorf, calling it the “cor- nerstone of the GNWT’s plan for present and future economic development,” noted that a 920-km all-weather highway has been proposed for the Mack- enzie Valley Corridor to Tuktoyaktuk. One of the biggest challenges is how to pay for such work, and Neudorf called for new sources of financing to be found by “promoting partnerships with stakeholders (oil and gas, mining) and the federal government to imple- ment strategy.” He also called for a national transportation strategy that recognizes that, thanks to the uniqueness of the north, “one size does not fit all.” Neudorf also wants to see a transportation strategy that goes beyond economic issues, to consider “social benefits, sovereignty, accessibility, mobility” in any decisions. Robert Long, Nunavut’s Deputy Min- ister of Economic Development and Transportation, focused on the per- ceived need for better air, maritime and road infrastructure to improve links to the rest of Canada as well as capturing “the potential benefits of international air traffic.” Calling air travel “Nunavut’s lifeline,” he noted that a significant increase in such traffic, coupled with aging current facilities, has created the need for a new, $300-million airport in Iqaluit, to be financed as a P3 project. Long also pointed out that the re-

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maybe not relaying that information to And since the BCTA membership in- Port problems resolved? their owner/operators in a way that they cludes over 50 companies with Port Metro can see the direct benefit to them,” she Vancouver truck licences, “I would assume Continued from page 1 aren’t bearing fruit quite yet - not only be- said, “and while the port does have a peri- that some of the owner/operators who were should lose their licences and face some cause such things take time, but also be- odic drayage sector electronic newsletter there at the demonstration are affiliated kind of public shaming – as in “the nature cause they require “the involvement and that goes out (its schedule) probably hasn’t with BCTA members or contracted by some of the offense and parties involved should cooperation, even if it’s just the tacit co- been frequent enough to keep people up- BCTA members,” Yako said. be made public” – and that the licences operation, of a number of different groups to-date and to remind them of some of the As for the target of the late October proof owner/operators and company drivers and stakeholders.” ongoing projects.” test, Port Metro Vancouver president Robin found guilty of rate infractions be revoked That may sound a bit like herding cats, The group has no official affiliation with Silvester said in a letter of response to the as well, with guilty parties not able to oper- but Yako - who noted that the BCTA has the BCTA, Yako said, and established it- UTA that, while the port takes the group’s ate under another entity, “as has happened been involved in many of the port-related self deliberately as a non-unionized group, concerns seriously, “as some of the issues in the past.” projects - said things are progressing and forming instead as “a loosely knit group you raise cannot be addressed by PMV The letter didn’t include an “or else” that “early in the new year (we) will be un- that wants to act together to improve con- alone, we are actively engaged with gov- clause outlining what action the UTA veiling a couple of (initiatives) that we think ditions for owner/operators.” She admit- ernment and terminal operator, to ensure members might take, so it’s unclear if this is will have direct and positive impact on the ted that some of the members might have all necessary parties are involved in find- some kind of strike threat or mere venting drayage sector.” a BCTA connection, kind of by osmosis, in ing solutions.” of pent-up frustrations. But as the BCTA’s Yako speculated that the UTA mem- that the companies they contract with may Silvester agreed that increased demands Yako pointed out, it may be pretty much bers’ concerns could stem from the fact be BCTA members. “We allow individual have led to challenging operating condi- moot anyway. that they’re so close to their own particu- owner/operators to be members but typi- tions for the truckers but noted that steps “There are so many moving pieces in lar issues that they may not be able to see cally if a company is already a member they are being taken. this particular sector,” she said, referring to the big picture, perhaps through no fault already paid a membership to cover their “We have implemented a new rail oper- initiatives she said have been in the works of the owner/operators behind the UTA. owner/operators, so the owner/operators ations protocol with the agreement of rail for “at least 12 to 18 months” and which “I think in part it’s trucking companies wouldn’t individually be BCTA members.” operators and terminals that allows the port to temporarily stop rail switches and allow trucks to move through the South Shore,” Silvester noted, claiming that the move has improved traffic flow and will remain in effect until the Stewart Street overpass, “which should remove many of the conflicts at South Shore container terminals,” is completed. The letter also noted that infrastructure upgrades to the Delta- port Road and Rail Improvement Project (to be completed by mid-2015) will “greatly enhance access and egress from Deltaport for the trucking community.” As for waiting times, Silvester agreed that they’re too long, writing that “ideally, waiting time compensation should not be necessary if wait times can be reduced.” The port boss also noted that a one-hour  Variety of Lanes: turnaround time is an appropriate target and that “a wider window of gate operat- BC/AB General Freight (must be based near Clg or Van. 1 position only. $0.45/mile) ing hours is necessary to meet the demand LCV (must be based out of Calgary or Edmonton. 2 positions available. $0.53/mile) for road and terminal capacity as we con- BC/AB Container tinue to grow.”  Quality home time Silvester noted that expanding gate op-  Steady Miles: Singles average 11-12k per month erating hours “in a coordinated way, where  Sign on Bonus: C/O $1000 per driver. O/O $1500 per truck the benefits and impacts are shared equi-  Great Pay: C/O drivers can earn $40k-$65k annually tably, is a goal of the Smart Fleet strategy,” (salary earning subject to mileage expectations) and that the Port “would like to encourage and broaden private sector initiatives cur- 564-6228 rently emerging in this regard.” HEAD OFFICE: 739 LAGIMODIERE BLVD. WINNIPEG, MANITOBA ALBERTA TERMINAL: 5300 55TH STREET S.E. CALGARY, ALBERTA The letter went on to note that the Port has 1,000 GPS units installed in container trucks currently, representing about half of the container fleet serving PMV’s terminals, and that penetration could reach the full fleet by sometime in 2014 “to ensure that PMV and stakeholders have more complete data on routing, performance and bottlenecks to aid in performance monitoring and modelling.” Silvester said the GPS program represents the best available method of building “better overall transparency and account- ability between the port, terminals and the container trucking sector.” Silvester’s response also noted that, while the UTA may think the status quo is neither effective nor transparent when it comes to the enforcement of rates, the Quality occupational health & safety support for the trucking industry. Port “works closely with the province of British Columbia to investigate complaints that are brought forward,” and “has begun Occupational Health The Certificate to publish sanctions against drayage firms and Safety Services in a Decision Digest on the PMV Web site.” of Recognition The letter also addressed the UTA’s call Training and Education We provide COR to the BC for a freeze on new licences, noting that Tools and Resources trucking industry. a moratorium on issuing new indepen- Advice and Program Support dent operator permits was put in place in 2007, but that “a new Joint Temporary Permit (JTP) pilot project was developed as a result of industry concern that attri- Check out our services and programs at: tion had significantly reduced available TOLL FREE: 1-877-414-8001 www.safetydriven.ca trucks and that business surges could not be adequately met.”

pg 01, 06,07, 10-11 tw jan v3.indd 10 13-12-12 1:08 PM saskatchewan TRUCK WEST January 2014 11

A convoy of trucks rolls down Lumsden Valley in support of The World’s Largest Convoy for Special Olympics in Saskatchewan. More than 60 trucks take part in convoy By Daniela Piteo SASKATOON, Sask. – The seventh annual Saskatchewan leg of the World’s Largest Truck Convoy for Special Olym- pics rolled through the province this past September. The convoy covers the stretch of road between Saskatoon and Regina. “The convoy started at the Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon and ended at Regina’s Turvey Centre,” said Chel- sea Fidler, the director of marketing and development for Special Olympics Saskatchewan. The convoy covered 248 kms of road with one designated stop en route in Chamberlain, where additional trucks joined. This year, 63 trucks, including a dump truck and a tow truck, rallied together to raise funds for the Special Olympics. The end point of the convoy was the Turvey Centre in Regina, but it’s not where the show ended. “The drivers rolled into a space that doesn’t seem like it would fit 63 trucks, but they managed, and it is very impressive to see the professionalism and skill it takes when they drive, especially when they are (maneuvering) in a small space,” said Fidler. Once all the trucks settled in at the end of the drive, participants, Special Olympians and volunteers enjoyed a barbecue and a truck pull, pulling a 15-tonne semi for 15 metres. “A lot of work goes into organizing the event and we wouldn’t be able to do it without the hard work of our volunteers, our sponsors and the police – who help ensure the routes are safe,” said Fidler. A special thanks went out to the numerous sponsors: Jay’s Moving and Storage, Hornoii Leasing, 620CKRM, Harvard Broadcasting, Gran Tierra En- ergy, and 18 Wheel. “We hope that next year will be big- ger and better,” said Fidler. “We want to see a lot of people out on the road in many different trucks.”

pg 01, 06,07, 10-11 tw jan v3.indd 11 13-12-12 1:09 PM 12 safety

to ensure that steps in a new role are not overlooked, whether scheduling a load Prepare former drivers for or filing an Automated Commercial En- vironment (ACE) manifest. But learning each skill takes time. The human dynamics in a workplace jobs outside of the truck might require some attention of their own. Even the most popular driver can run into jealous peers who feel they are hoosing an office chair in- answers and advice. more deserving of an office job. stead of a driver’s seat was Ask the And while other drivers prefer to stick Extra attention from fellow man- not easy. My life as an own- Expert with the same routes and customers, agers will help to lessen or avoid such er/operator had been re- these are the employees who appear complaints before such feelings have a warding. I enjoyed the Matt Graveline equally as comfortable when shifting to chance to fester. A new job can represent chance to travel and see a new lane or dealing with the demands one of the biggest changes in a driver’s North America. There was of the latest client. life, and any successful transition re- Ca freedom which few other workplaces out wheels. Freedom on the road was re- Above all, they have the positive atti- quires a dedicated focus. provide. Every trip to New York City or placed with a structured schedule and tudes, which are welcome in every work- In my early days at a desk, I still found Calgary left time to meet friends at a fa- a steady stream of phone calls, e-mails place. Formal orientation programs will opportunities to deliver an occasional vourite restaurant; famous monuments and satellite messages. prepare these workers for the challenges load and bobtail back to the office. were always just an off-ramp away. The peace and quiet in my cab was to come – and set realistic expectations A few trips back and forth to Michigan But my young children were grow- exchanged for the never-ending din of about how lives will change. helped retain my skills at the wheel, and ing up without me. On the road for two a crowded office. Fellow drivers contin- Some of the most jarring changes have other changes at a personal level made to three weeks at a time, I felt that I was ued their journeys without me. nothing to do with the office itself. differences of their own. I found that missing too many family events. Like They’re the issues that lead some for- Drivers who come to enjoy person- workouts released some of the stress. every other owner/operator, I also strug- mer truckers back to a life behind the al downtime can struggle with a new We know that a successful driver ori- gled with rising equipment costs and wheel. schedule which sends them home to a entation program involves more than fuel prices. Experienced drivers can be great house full of screaming kids. tossing someone a set of keys. Collectively, it led me to jump at the candidates for many of a fleet’s office- And uninterrupted nights in a sleeper There should be no surprise that the opportunity to work in the fleet oper- based tasks. Many successful dispatch- might be exchanged for a cell phone that plan to prepare a driver for a new job will ations, overseeing trucks, drivers and ers, trainers and safety teams rely on rings in the wee hours of the morning. involve more than handing over the keys owner/operators across Western Cana- skills that were honed while following It’s why a new office employee would to an office. da. The new role offered a chance to ap- a highway’s little white lines. But finding benefit from the guidance of a trained ply my skills in an industry I loved, and and retaining someone who is the best mentor and a clear description of what This month’s expert is Matt Graveline, sent me home at night. fit for an office environment will involve a job will be like. Nobody will offer senior risk services consultant with It was everything I wanted. But the looking beyond a clean abstract. Lead- more insight than workers who have Northbridge Insurance. Matt has more change was also a shock to my system. ing candidates for a new career path or gone through such a change them- than 20 years’ experience in the truck- Like many former drivers who ex- supervisory role tend to share a number selves. As experienced as a driver may ing industry as both a long-haul driver change a cab for a desk, I struggled with of traits. They are the drivers who are be, there will also be new skills to master. and an owner/operator. You can visit some of the realities of a workplace with- always approached by their peers for Formal orientation checklists can help Northbridge at www.nbins.com.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE TW-127 Jan 2014 © M. Jackson Answers on page 24

Across Down 1 Certain cargo restraints (7,6) 1 Participated in truck drags 8 Roll along in neutral 2 Big-rig power unit 9 Cab-top noisemaker (3,4) 3 Pintle or fifth wheel 10 Rural roadside channels 4 Winnipeg-based ____ Group of Companies 11 Fort Erie’s border bridge 5 Radial layer, you might say (4,3) 6 Word on Hawaii truck plates 12 Finish on 9-Across item, often 7 Castrol synthetic gear lube 14 Warehouse forklift brand 12 Between-rig talk tool (1,1,5) 17 “Rebuilt” component synonym, briefly 13 Home of “Treasure State” plates 19 Flexible drive-train couplings (1,6) 15 Industry cargo-volume term 22 Cargo protection material 16 Truck-dealer’s quest 23 Major truck-chassis component 18 Boat on four-wheeler’s roof 24 Certain city roads (3,3,7) 20 Second O in truck-ad OBO 21 Truck buyer’s equipment needs, briefly Try it online at www.trucknews.com

pg 12-13 tw jan v2.indd 12 13-12-11 2:40 PM tax talk TRUCK WEST january 2014 13

tax system is based on what amounts to an honour code. While 90% of Cana- dian taxpayers meet their obligations So, CRA sent you a letter and file on time, 10% is still a huge number for the CRA to contend with. If you receive a CRA letter in the tarting this month, Can- Dauphin, Man., pleaded guilty to fed- coming weeks, see it as an opportu- ada Revenue Agency is eral tax evasion after it failed to report nity to learn more about the types of sending out 33,000 letters Tax Talk $481,764 in the tax years 2004, 2005, claims that CRA is looking at and how to help Canadian taxpay- and 2006. The unreported income in- to support those claims. Request an ers (as they put it) “better Scott Taylor cluded benefits received from a phar- adjustment if you find items that were understand their tax obli- maceuticals company that provided incorrectly claimed in any of the past gations and to encourage more than $100,000 of household fur- tax returns you filed. Talk to your ac- them to correct any inac- that were deleted from cash register niture, a custom wine cellar, and a countant about what to do next, before curacies in their past income tax and tapes and earnings from private func- golf cart. A drug wholesaler also paid the crush of a filing deadline. benefit returns.” tions held at the restaurant. The cor- for a family wedding and another golf Hate to say it, but it’ll be April 30 be- This is the fifth year that CRA has poration was fined $127,499, or 75% of cart that were improperly claimed as fore you know it. sent these letters, focusing on certain federal taxes evaded. It also had to pay business expenses. Personal expens- areas where the CRA has encountered GST not remitted to the CRA on the un- es of Myles Haverluck, one of the cor- Scott Taylor is vice-president of TFS compliance issues in the past. This reported income amounts. poration’s directors, were also falsely Group, providing accounting, book- year, taxpayers who claimed self-em- claimed as pharmacy purchases or ad- keeping, tax return preparation, and ployment or rental losses, or who have Unreported benefits vertising expenditures. other business services for owner/op- claimed certain employment expens- erators. Learn more at www.tfsgroup. es on their T1 income tax return, are Haverluck Enterprises, a pharmacy in It’s incredible to think that Canada’s com or call 800-461-5970. the target. If you receive one of these letters it means that you are in this target group. Don’t presume that you’ve done something wrong. Consider it a friendly reminder about how to qualify for certain types of claims and just as im- portantly what kinds of receipts you’ll need so you can support your claims. If the claims you made on your T1 were accurate, no further action is required. If you think you’ve made a mis- take, you have 45 days from the date of the letter to voluntarily come forward and fix it before the CRA may come knocking on your door. It’s far better to make a voluntary disclosure instead of having CRA ini- tiate a compliance action against you. The process for prosecuting tax-related offenses and recovering taxes owing may be long, but CRA rarely loses once it gets to court (the conviction rate is typically around 95%). CRA posts details about tax cases on its Web site. While these people represent the extremes in terms negligence and dishonesty, virtually every case has elements that you may be dealing with yourself. Here are some recent examples. In addition to the court-imposed fines, people who are convicted of tax crimes must still pay the full amount of tax owing, plus interest and any civil pen- alties that may be assessed by the CRA. GST/HST Jean Cormier, owner of a furniture store in Richibucto, N.B., was convicted of tax evasion and fined $173,129 after investigators found more than 2,500 invoices that were doctored so they appeared to be exempt sales to a Status Indian in order to avoid remit- ting HST. The invoices provided to the real purchasers didn’t include this information. Auditors discovered the scheme by matching sales invoices, purchase slips, and credit card information seized from the store. Cash sales Geoffrey Shui Lung Young, a director and one-third shareholder in a company that owns a Chinese restaurant in Winnipeg, pleaded guilty to tax evasion for failing to report $757,496 in the tax years 2006, 2007, and 2008. The unreported income included cash sales

pg 12-13 tw jan v2.indd 13 13-12-11 2:40 PM Page 14 TRUCK WEST January 2014

Brought to you by

Calendar of Events Western Canada’s Trucking Newspaper Since 1989 • www.trucknews.com < 2014 JANUARY April 29, IANA’s Operations, Safety and Compliance Seminar, Oak Brook, Ill Jan. 17, Toronto Transportation Club Ski Day, Craigleith Ski Club, Blue www.intermodal.org April 30 Trailer Wizards Delta BC Grand Opening www.trailerwizards.com Mountain, Ont. www.torontotransportationclub.com Jan. 18-22, National Private Truck Council, Private Fleet Management MAY Institute, Jacksonsville, Fla. www.nptc.org May 1-3, Quebec Trucking Association Convention, Quebec, Que. Jan. 20-23, National Biodiesel Conference and Expo, San Diego, Calif. www.carrefour-acq.org www.biodieselconference.org May 3-7, Material Handling Equipment Distributors’ Showcase, Orlando, Fla. Jan. 24, Toronto Trucking Association, Annual Ski Day, Devil’s Glen, Glen www.mheda.org Huron, Ont. www.torontotrucking.org May 7 Trailer Wizards Edmonton AB Open House www.trailerwizards.com Jan. 26, Retail Industry Association Leadership Forum, Naples, Fla. May 8 Trailer Wizards Calgary AB Open House www.trailerwizards.com www.rila.org May 12-14, Transplace Shipper Symposium, Dallas, Tex. www.transplace.com Jan. 27-31, COHMED Conference, Sarasota, Fla. www.cvsa.org May 14 Trailer Wizards Winnipeg, MB Open House www.trailerwizards.com Jan. 27, Heavy Duty Remanufacturing Group Summit, Las Vegas, Nev. May 15, Toronto Transportation Club Spring Golf Tournament, www.hdrg.org Brampton, Ont. www.torontotransportationclub.com Jan. 27-30, Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week, Las Vegas, Nev. www.hdrg.org May 24-25, Road Today Truck Show, Brampton, Ont. www.roadtodaytruckshow.com FEBRUARY May 25-28, Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators Annual Feb. 10-17, Toronto Trucking Association Convention, Grenada Meeting, Toronto, Ont. www.ccmta.ca www.torontotrucking.org May 28 Trailer Wizards Saskatoon, SK Open House www.trailerwizards.com Feb. 11-13, SAE Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Technologies Symposium, LaJolla, Calif. www.sae.org May 29 Trailer Wizards Regina, SK Open House www.trailerwizards.com May 31-Jun 3, Heavy Duty Distributor Council Annual Conference, Feb. 24-27, Cold Chain and Temperature Summit, Montreal, Que. Gatineau, Que. www.hddc.ca www.coldchainpharm.com JUNE MARCH June 3, Truck News/Chevron Charity Golf Day, Uxbridge, Ont. March 4-5, Green Truck Summit, Indianapolis, Ind. www.ntea.com Kathy Penner (416-510-6892) or Brenda Grant (416-494-3333) March 5-7, The Work Truck Show, Indianapolis, Ind. www.ntea.com June 4, Toronto Trucking Association Spring Social, Toronto, Ont. March 10-13, Technology & Maintenance Council Annual Meeting, www.torontotrucking.org Nashville, Ten. www.trucking.org June 11-13, Supply Chain Canada, Edmonton, Alta. March 10-14, Truck Renting and Leasing Association Annual Meeting, www.supplychaincanada.com Scottsdale, Ari. www.trala.org June 12 Trailer Wizards Montreal (Lachine) QC Open House March 11, Manitoba Trucking Association AGM, Winnipeg, Man. www.trailerwizards.com www.trucking.mb.ca March 23-25, IWLA Convention and Expo, Phoenix, Ari. www.iwla.com JULY March 23-26, Truckload Carriers Association Convention, Grapevine, July 25-27, Fergus Truck Show, Fergus, Ont., www.fergustruckshow.com Tex. www.truckload.org March 24-26, The Logistics Management Course, Miles S. Nadal AUGUST Management Centre, Toronto, Ont. www.seec.schulich.yorku.ca Aug. 11-14, North American Inspectors Championship 2014, Pittsburgh, March 27-29, Mid-America Trucking Show, Louisville, Ken. Penn. www.cvsa.org www.truckingshow.com Aug. 21-23, Great American Trucking Show, Dallas, Tex., www.gatsonline.com APRIL TDB, Truckers Association of Nova Scotia AGM, Truro, N.S. www.tans.ca SEPTEMBER April 6-9, Retail Asset Protection Conference, Indianapolis, Ind. www.rila.org Sept. 22-24, SAE Thermal Management Systems Symposium, Denver, Colo. www.sae.org April 6-10, CSVA Workshop, Los Angeles, Calif. www.csva.org Sept. 4-6, North American Trailer Dealers Association Trade Show and April 8-10, SAE World Congress, Detroit, Mich. www.sae.org Convention, St. Louis, Mo. www.natdatradeshow.org April 10-12, Truck World, Toronto, Ont. www.truckworld.ca Sept. 17-19, North American Powertrain Conference, Chicago, Ill. April 13-15, NPTC Education Management Conference & Exhibition, www.sae.org Cincinnati, Ohio www.nptc.org Sept. 19-20, Truxpo, Abbotsford, B.C. www.masterpromotions April 13-16, National Shippers Strategic Transportation Council Logistics Conference & Expo, Orlando, Fla. www.nasstrac.org OCTOBER April 24, BCTA Annual Associate Dinner Meeting, Surrey, B.C. TBD: APTA Convention, Moncton, N.B. www.bctrucking.com Oct. 4-7, ATA Annual Management Conference & Exhibition, San Diego, April 25, MTA Spring Fling, Winnipeg, Man. www.trucking.mb.ca Calif. www.truckline.com April 25-26, Alberta Motor Transport Association Annual Conference, Oct. 5-8, SAE Brake Colloquium and Exhibition, Burlingame, Calif. Banff, Alta. www.amta.ca www.sae.org April 25-26, Salon CAM Quebec, Quebec City, Que. Oct. 15, Surface Transportation Summit, Burlingame, Calif. www.sae.org www.masterpromotions.ca/ Oct. 22-24, National Conference on Supply Chain and Logistics April 27, Warehousing Education and Research Council Annual presented by CITT, Calgary, Alta. www.citt.ca Conference, Chicago, Ill. www.werc.org Oct. 27-30, Canadian Transportation Equipment Association Events Calendar sponsored by Manufacturer’s Technical Conference, Edmonton, Alta. www.ctea.ca

NOVEMBER TBD: OTA Conference Nov. 7-9, Fleet Safety Council, Niagara Falls, Ont. www.fleetsafetycouncil.com Nov. 19-20, Canadian Waste and Recycling Expo, Toronto, Ont. www.cwre.ca

DECEMBER Dec. 4, BCTA Christmas Part, Surrey, B.C. www.bctrucking.com

pg 14 tw jan.indd 14 13-12-11 1:05 PM Motortruck Fleet Executive, Canadian shipper, and Dan Goodwill & Associates present

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please plan on joining the country’s Top Transportation Executives for a day of Education & Networking

Trans Summit 2014 Tab.indd 1 13-12-05 10:59 AM

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Mack_mDRIVE_TruckingNews_Spd_r03_Dec.indd All Pages 11/8/13 2:45 PM Mack Canada.indd 3 13-11-11 9:06 AM 18 natural gas Bringing gas to the Island

Cold Star By James Menzies transporting perishable products be- One frustration for Cold Star has tween the Lower Mainland of B.C. and been that natural gas costs consider- Freight first to VICTORIA, B.C. – Cold Star Freight Vancouver Island. ably more on the Island than on the is breaking new ground with its pur- It partnered with FortisBC through Lower Mainland. bring natural chase of 10 natural gas Mack trac- an incentive program that pays back Hawes said the company brief- tors. The company is the first to 75% of the cost premium associated ly considered setting up routes that gas trucking to bring natural gas fuelling infra- with natural gas trucks. would enable the trucks to fuel up structure to Vancouver Island, and Cold Star also reached a deal with on the mainland, but wanted to do Vancouver Island. is also among the smaller Canadian Fortis to build a fast-fill compressed its part to develop a natural gas fuel- fleets to adopt the increasingly pop- ling infrastructure on President Kelly ular alternative fuel. Vancouver Island. Hawes says small Kelly Hawes, president of Cold Star “Once we have this Freight, attended the Natural Gas Ve- ‘We don’t have here, we want to go out fleets have unique hicle Infrastructure Conference Oct. even to our competi- 1-2, to discuss his company’s natural the capital to tors and say ‘There is a concerns. gas strategy. Cold Star runs 35 trucks, solution here’,” Hawes said, adding Fortis is withstand a trying to come up with a way to establish more period of trial consistent pricing between Vancouver Is- land and the Lower and error. We Mainland. While Hawes is op- Green don’t have excess timistic about the potential for natural gas, he admitted he still has equipment for some concerns. The to trucks run 20 hours downtime.’ a day, so unplanned Kelly Hawes, Cold Star Freight downtime will be ex- Gold tremely disruptive. “We don’t have time to have them in the natural gas (CNG) fuelling station on shop,” he said. the Island. Cold Star will also have to change For a small fleet such as Cold Star, how it services its vehicles, which to- the incentive program and a close col- day is often done by a team of mo- laboration with a fuel supplier was key bile mechanics; work on natural gas to taking the leap, Hawes said. trucks will have to take place in ap- A special “I can tell you that without that pro- proved facilities. gram, we wouldn’t even have enter- Hawes also is cognizant that the supplement profiling tained this idea,” Hawes said. “For a province could begin taxing natural the technologies, small company like ours to take on gas if it gains traction as a transpor- strategies, a challenge with such a huge capital tation fuel. (investment) would be too big a risk.” Another challenge is how to share and practices that Hawes estimates Cold Star will re- the savings with customers and es- are good for the duce its diesel consumption by about tablish a fair fuel surcharge model. environment and 380,000 litres per year once it takes Hawes said he’s also unsure of when delivery of its natural gas-powered to sell the diesel trucks the natural gas your bottom line. trucks in December. vehicles will be replacing. Find it under It is already looking to possibly add He plans to keep the diesel tractors Knowledge Centres another 10 natural gas trucks to op- for a few months before selling them erate out of its Nanaimo location in so that the company has a backup in on trucknews.com 2014, with a CNG fuelling station to place while it learns the nuances of be constructed at its terminal there. natural gas. Hawes said his company enjoyed a While this experiment is still very strong relationship with its local Mack much in the early stages, Hawes said dealer, and was comforted by the fact he feels natural gas is a viable op- it could switch to natural gas with- tion for smaller fleets, not just the out a radical departure from its tra- big guys. ditional spec’. “I do believe there’s an opportu- “We have a great relationship with nity for smaller fleets to get involved our Nanaimo Mack dealer,” Hawes in natural gas, but it’s important for said. “We were thrilled when they the OEMs and fuel providers to un- came to the table with a solution. They derstand the unique challenges of also have a maintenance shop in Vic- small fleets,” Hawes said. “For ex- toria they are converting to look after ample, we don’t have the capital to all our maintenance requirements. withstand a period of trial and er- We were able to spec’ out the exact ror. We don’t have excess equipment truck we currently have, except we’re for downtime. Those are huge, huge adding the natural gas.” challenges for us.” Brought to you by the The one change is that the CNG Still, Hawes said Vancouver Island editors of Transportation Media tanks required a slight wheelbase is home to many small fleets and own- and sponsored by: extension. Cold Star has chosen the er/operators, and as the fuelling infra- Cummins Westport ISX12 G engine, structure is developed, there should mated to a 13-speed transmission, be some excellent opportunities for with 45 DGE (diesel gallon equiva- them to take advantage of the poten- lent) tanks. tial savings.

pg 18-19 tw jan v2.indd 18 13-12-11 2:58 PM oem/dealer news TRUCK WEST november 2014 19

Volvo building off-road track at Virginia truck plant

By James Menzies sion. The off-road section of the track includes grades of various lengths DUBLIN, Va. – Volvo Trucks North and pitches, some bumpy, rocky sec- America is constructing a road course tions, dips of varying intimidation lev- and vocational track at its New River els and lots of mud – Mother Nature’s Valley Truck Plant, where customers contribution. can put new vehicles through their pac- The I-Shift transmission can han- es with or without a commercial driver’s dle gross combination weights of up to licence (CDL). 164,000 lbs, but Volvo has some reser- Work on the track began in the vations if it will be required to handle spring, after plant managers devised those types of loads in soft sand. a plan to keep costs low while build- “You can do almost anything with ing a “state-of-the-art” facility. this, but for dump applications the Lars Blomberg, vice-president and concern is where you want to take it general manager of the plant, said and how soft the sand is where you “It’s always difficult to get money ap- want to take it,” explained John Moore, proved, so we sat down together with Volvo has built an off-road track at its Virginia plant to show off the vocational marketing product manager, pow- the union and it turned out we have capabilities of its VHD. ertrain. And unlike fully-automatic six to 10 people – maybe more – in the transmissions, the I-Shift can also be plant who are really skilled when it Volvo’s I-Shift transmission, so I had ably doesn’t get as much attention as it mated to engines that produce 1,850 comes to driving excavators and grad- the opportunity to see first-hand how deserves, overshadowed as it is in the lb.-ft. of torque. ers. So we created a team of six people several of the I-Shift’s features contrib- construction market by the popular The VHD has never reached its full and we started to make some sketches ute to greater productivity and safety Granite, produced by sister company potential in the vocational truck seg- and drawings of how it should look.” in construction applications. Mack. Among the VHD’s attributes are ment. But when Goran Nyberg was ap- Next, a call was placed to Volvo’s Among the features I experienced a wider cab than what is available with pointed Volvo’s North American presi- construction equipment group, and a were Power Launch (accelerating up the Granite, and a large, one-piece dent of sales and marketing last year, good deal secured on equipment rent- an incline, out of a muddy mess) and a windshield. The interior of the VHD the vocational segment was one in als. Before long, the dirt behind Volvo’s feature that allows the operator to rock is spacious and comfortable and it’s which he asserted Volvo must become sprawling 1.6 million square foot truck the truck back and forth out of a sticky a handsome truck when viewed from a stronger player. Volvo now has at its plant was being rearranged and the situation. This is achieved thanks to the outside. disposal a powerful tool with which it track began to take shape. the incredibly quick clutch actuation, Another of the features that was ap- can demonstrate the capabilities of the Two months of near-steady rain which allows for the transmission to parent during my off-road drive was VHD in a harsh, off-road environment slowed progress, but the track is now alternate between reverse and forward the articulation of the rear axles when that closely matches – or surpasses – drivable, and on schedule to be com- gears almost instantly. crossing uneven terrain. This VHD those in which this truck will be asked pleted by next summer. When com- The VHD itself is a vehicle that prob- rode on a 46K Volvo T-ride rear suspen- to operate on a daily basis. plete, it will feature a 1.1-mile paved road course (with banked corners so trucks can easily achieve highway speeds) with an off-road vocational truck track within its perimeter. This marks the first time Volvo will have a place of its own to demonstrate the capabilities of its VHD vocational truck in an off-road environment. It also means customers – including fleet owners who may not have a CDL - will be able to get behind the wheel of Vol- vo vehicles without venturing onto the Interstate. “We will keep an off-road section for our VHD, because we know we can talk a lot about the VHD and we can talk a lot about the I-Shift (automated manual transmission), but it’s a completely different thing when you use the I-Shift on a fully loaded dump truck,” Blom- berg explained during an exclusive visit to the track. “I think you don’t realize the benefits of the I-Shift until you sit behind the wheel and try it.” Though it’s still incomplete, Vol- vo recently gave a group of customers an opportunity to drive the track. Their reaction was “very, very positive,” Blomberg said, adding “I do believe this will sell a lot of trucks for us if we can get customers inside the truck and give them the complete customer experience.” The facility had another important visitor in recent weeks; Olof Persson, Volvo’s global president and CEO, wasn’t apprised of the undertaking until he arrived at the plant for a visit. “He liked it,” Blomberg said with some relief. “I took him out on it and he got an opportunity to drive it himself, and he really liked it.” I also had the chance to drive the track, from behind the wheel of a Vol- vo VHD dump truck, powered by a D13 engine with 500 hp and 1,750 lb.-ft. of torque. The truck was equipped with

pg 18-19 tw jan v2.indd 19 13-12-11 2:58 PM 20 oem/dealer news Mexico trucking industry in transition Volvo bringing feature-laden, high-tech trucks to Mexican trucking market. We visited the first fleet to take delivery of trucks with the I-Shift transmission.

By James Menzies for the Mexican market, which involves providing feature-laden, high-tech MEXICO CITY, Mexico – The Mexican trucks rather than decontented, lower- truck market often gets overlooked when cost vehicles. TMS has had its eye on the new technologies are introduced to the I-Shift for some time, and leapt at the op- industry in other parts of the world. It’s portunity to be the first Mexican fleet to a constant frustration for Laura Mandu- place an order for VN tractors with the jano Valdes, director commercial with I-Shift transmission. It ordered 100 such Transportes Monroy Schiavon (TMS), trucks earlier this year, and has already a sophisticated fleet based just outside taken delivery of 25 of them. So far, Mexico City, which is trying to elevate with nearly 300,000 kms of experience, the professionalism of the industry here. the benefits of the I-Shift are meeting “The technology that arrives in Mex- expectations. ico is lower than what is offered in other Raul Monroy Otero said the I-Shift- countries,” Valdes said during a tour of equipped VNs are averaging 5% better the company’s facility. fuel economy than similar trucks with But that could be about to change. manual transmissions, and these trucks Mexico represents a growing truck mar- are not yet broken in. Drivers are report- ket, totaling about 25,000 new vehicles ing feeling less fatigued after a day of per year, putting it on par with Canada. driving, and after some initial reticence Truck OEMs are aware of the opportu- about using automated transmissions, nities this represents. are beginning to embrace the technol- Volvo has announced a new strategy ogy, Monroy Otero said.

Dear valued customers, readers and friends: Have a Safe and Happy Holiday!

From your friends at Truck News, Truck West & Motortruck Fleet Executive

pg 20-21 tw jan v2.indd 20 13-12-11 1:09 PM TRUCK WEST january 2014 21

The trucking industry in Mexico is concerns over hijackings and stolen facing many of the same challenges it loads. To reduce the risk, drivers travel is here in Canada, yet it also has to con- in convoys and must stop only at pre-au- tend with the perception it’s a low-tech thorized locations for food or fuel. Every industry running shoddy equipment. truck is satellite-tracked and dispatchers That may be true of some Mexican car- closely monitor the movements of loads. riers, but TMS demonstrated during a When loads do get stolen, two-thirds of visit, a high level of sophistication and the time TMS is able to recover the cargo professionalism. For example, while with the help of law enforcement. driver wellness has in recent years been In Mexico, hours-of-service are not brought to the forefront in the US and yet regulated, but TMS enforces its own Canada, TMS has a program that would rules. Drivers can work just 12 hours rival any you’d find north of Laredo. The a day (including non-driving related company runs an on-site medical facility work). While TMS brings to the Mexi- 24/7, and requires drivers to undergo a can trucking industry a progressive atti- mini-physical before setting out on each tude and heightened level of profession- and every trip. Things like temperature, TMS is Mexico’s 16th largest trucking company. It runs a young fleet of Volvo alism, it’s keenly aware that it all begins blood pressure and vision are tested a trucks and has begun using the I-Shift automated transmission. with the driver. maximum of one hour before the driv- “We see them as our main asset,” er leaves the yard. Think of it as a pre- ments, a road test and a mentoring pro- but we believe we need that special and Valdes said. “It doesn’t matter if we have trip inspection for drivers. If medication gram. For every 10 drivers who apply for professional driver to have our units, the best truck or the best facility, at the is required, the fleet provides it free of a position, only one is selected. It takes otherwise we prefer to have the unit just end of the day it’s only one man that has charge on the spot. about a month, and costs $1,000, to hire laying there.” everything in his hands…our daily chal- “Through this pre-trip medical ser- a new driver, Valdes explained. Security is not just a concern within lenge is to make our drivers believe in vice, we check that and we follow up,” “Sometimes this can be expensive, the fleet. TMS also contends with real the importance of what they do.” said Valdes. “The nurse will tell us if he is in the condition to make a trip. If the nurse says he’s not able to go, he won’t take the trip.” Running close to 500 tractors and serving major customers such as Walmart and Ryder, TMS is large by Mexican standards, where only 100 carriers operate 100 trucks or more. Its nearly all-Volvo fleet averages just four years of age. TMS partners with several major US carriers, with whom it swaps trailers at the Mexico/US border for delivery into their respective countries. Asked if TMS is interested in partici- pating in the US pilot project that allows qualifying Mexican carriers to deliver into the States, Valdes said she prefers the current arrangement. She worries Mexican drivers would abandon their trucks and never come back, lured by the potential for greater earnings north of the border. Dear valued customers, readers and friends: “We have the big risk of losing them,” Valdes said. “Every day, Mexicans are trying to cross the border into the US.” While a life in the US may be allur- ing to some, drivers at TMS make a good wage, one that in some cases can exceed Have a Safe and Happy Holiday! that earned by doctors and other professionals, Valdes said. Drivers there earn about 1.2 pesos per kilometre, or about $30,000 per year, which goes a long way From your friends at in Mexico. Still, the profession remains stigma- Truck News, Truck West & tized, with few young people looking at truck driving as a viable career. TMS Motortruck Fleet Executive is aiming to change that. It has built a training school at its headquarters and hopes to begin developing its own drivers. Turnover at TMS is about 25%, well below US standards but still a costly problem. TMS has an extensive hiring process, which is both costly and time-consum- ing, but important to weed out undesir- able drivers. Valdes admitted trucking attracts some unsavory characters, including those who feel their carrier’s diesel fuel is an extension of their own wages. “They think fuel is part of the salary and that they can steal fuel, that every trip they can take some of the fuel and sell it on the road,” Valdes said of some drivers. “We believe we cannot allow them to do that. If we allow them to steal the diesel, the second part will be the tires and at the end they’ll take the cargo.” To avoid these issues, TMS conducts extensive background checks, numerous interviews with various depart-

pg 20-21 tw jan v2.indd 21 13-12-11 1:09 PM 22 oem/dealer news TRUCK WEST january 2014 Parts availability a primary focus of Alliance Truck Parts

By Daniela Piteo quent parts and repair needs,” said any real advantage is again related ance Truck Parts has invested in mo- Biggs. “By renewing our attention on to having the right parts in stock, or bile technology that works to serve MIAMI, Fla. – The bright yellow the second and even third owner of having quick access to parts distri- customers on the road. logo is definitely a standout feature the truck, we open up new market bution systems so any repair can be “With mobile apps like Trucker- of Alliance Truck Parts, but where potential for Alliance and help de- made quickly,” Biggs said. Net and TruckerTools available on the company – a division of Daim- liver better uptime for this often un- While the retailer aims to be phys- smartphones, drivers can find parts ler Trucks North America – really ex- derserved customer.” ically visible in the market, to best and service locations, parts specials cels is in its unwavering commitment According to Biggs, it is also an serve its customers, Alliance has also and more from wherever they are,” to being a leading provider in the advantageous practice for O/Os shown a commitment utilizing tech- said Biggs. aftermarket. and small fleets to return to the nology and social media to diversify And then there’s Alliance Truck Todd Biggs, director of parts and dealer when purchasing aftermar- the brand. Parts relationship with NASCAR – service marketing, Daimler Trucks ket products. “Alliance Truck Parts has really where through technology and so- North America, says the company “There are clear choices between embraced technology as a way to help cial media, race fans are offered an continues to set the brand apart by OEM parts, the all-makes parts that customers get the parts they need to up-close view Alliance Truck Parts ensuring availability – Alliance Truck Alliance Truck Parts offers, and the keep their trucks on the road. Better Racing Team. Parts are stocked at over 800 North generic white box. Often ‘right-fit’ communication tools allow our cus- Together, Alliance and NASCAR American locations; through rec- generic parts really aren’t all right. tomers to find parts locations, spe- travel throughout North America vis- ognition – the Web site is constant- In the end, the location isn’t as im- cific parts and specials much more iting dealerships and other locations ly evolving and a continued social portant as access to the right quality easily than ever before,” said Biggs. with one of the number 12 Ford Mus- network presence is being built; and part at the right time. From a parts “Alliance uses social media plat- tangs – allowing customers to enjoy through education – Alliance truck perspective, that means the real im- forms like Facebook and Twitter to the thrill of race day miles away from parts are serviced and maintained portance is parts distribution speed inform and to hear back from our the track. by qualified technicians that thor- and in-stock availability,” said Biggs. customers.” “Seeing the actual machine and oughly understand the Daimler prod- With over 800 locations offering Alliance isn’t just a tweet or Face- hearing the sound of a real track- uct. While Alliance Truck Parts are Alliance parts, distribution speed book status update away from its worthy engine has been a great way available throughout North America, and stock availability are both in a customers, but optimizing its to engage customers and introduce the company will continue to expand solid position to help reduce down- Web site also helps achieve better them to the complete Alliance Truck in the market, hoping to gain the time for drivers and furthermore, communication. Parts product portfolio,” Biggs said. attention of small fleets and owner/ its widespread market presence “Our own Web site continues to In the end, it’s always about pro- operators. makes it easier to contact a quali- evolve to provide the parts informa- viding exceptional service to its cus- “While large fleets do use Alliance fied technician for vehicle service, tion that our customers need most tomers, the company claims. Truck Parts to help improve their to- repairs and maintenance, according with all-makes part search function “Our dealer kits and the Parts Pro- tal cost of ownership over the time to the company. in on-line catalogs and with links moter programs are designed for our they hold their trucks, the owner/op- “There are often service level ad- to useful parts information such as retail partners, providing them the erator and small fleet customers are vantages to visiting a reputable deal- product brochures and a bumper tools they need to better serve the more likely to be running older trucks er, like an Elite Support certified customization tool,” said Biggs. end customer at their locations across and mixed fleets that have more fre- dealer, but from a parts perspective, In addition to a Web presence, Alli- North America,” Biggs said.

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Twitter tab.indd 5 13-12-12 10:06 AM 24 tires TRUCK WEST january 2014 Savings out of thin air Kramer contended. Technology such ing can tap into a reputable vendor and Tire manufacturers have been preaching as tire inflation monitoring and man- access the same expertise. The truck tire the importance of inflation pressure agement systems have come on-board market is highly competitive and the in- to help address the issue, but even the-field support being offered by the maintenance for 100 years. Why isn’t those systems, when adopted, are not biggest suppliers is comprehensive. Con- a panacea. sultations, however, should begin even the message getting through? “The reason adoption has not gone before the first tire is installed, pointed further with that technology is, there out Michelin’s Beaudoin. By James Menzies gallon and anywhere from 9-16% drop is no foolproof solution yet that exists,” “When purchasing tires from their in overall mileage if it’s not addressed. Kramer said. “There are deficiencies dealers, fleets need to make sure they “Steer tires mounted two weeks ago were It can have a huge impact.” with each one and that has hindered tell their dealers what kind of application found today at 90 psi. A result of pressure And that’s just the impact of tempera- further adoption by fleets, so air pres- they’ll be doing,” she said. “If you pur- set at indoor temps moving to cooler out- ture alone. Unfortunately, few fleets and sure is still a major issue.” chase the wrong tire for the wrong appli- door temps.” drivers are adequately maintaining in- Ideally, inflation pressures should be cation, you can put all the air you want The above tweet was from profession- flation pressures even in ideal weather. checked – with a tire gauge, not a ham- into your tire – you’re not going to get al driver Angelo Diplacido, who through “It doesn’t matter if you’re a big or the performance you’re his 30-year career as a company driv- small fleet, air pressure is the number looking for.” er and owner/operator has become at- one thing,” said Stephane Beaudoin, With fuel economy tuned to how ambient temperatures af- marketing manager, Michelin truck ‘Air pressure being a priority for most fect tire inflation pressures. Diplacido’s tires. fleets today, many buy- tweet was sent out in early December, It would be wrong to assume that large is still the ers gravitate to Smart- when much of Canada was feeling the fleets are always better at managing tire Way-approved products. first icy blasts of winter. inflation pressures than smaller fleets or But it’s important to re- According to Donn Kramer, director owner/operators. most critical member not all Smart- of marketing and product innovation “I’ve seen large fleets with poor tire Way tires are created with Goodyear, every 10 F drop in tem- management,” pointed out Robert Lor- component.’ equal. perature results in an air pressure loss of anger, business development manager, “Keep in mind that 2 psi. So a properly inflated tire at 50 F central region, with Yokohama. “They Bert Jones, Bridgestone SmartWay verification (10 C) will lose 6 psi at 20 F (-12 C). sometimes do not realize that (tires) are is done by the tire com- “So the tire is already at 94 psi, and if their second biggest expense after fuel.” pany involved – so it’s it wasn’t at the correct inflation pressure Tire manufacturers have been preach- mer – at least once a week. self-policing,” warned Cressman. to start with, it might be assumable the ing the importance of maintaining in- “Air pressure is still the most critical Achieving SmartWay certification is tire is below 90 psi,” Kramer explained. flation pressures for 100 years, but “It’s component to maintenance of a tire,” not an easy process, but tire companies “Then you have a 1% drop in miles per still not being given adequate attention,” agreed Bert Jones, product marketing can choose different paths to compli- manager at Bridgestone Commercial ance – and it may involve compromises Solutions. “It’s not just keeping it from in other equally important areas. overheating or blowing out. Air pressure “It’s not easy to hit the SmartWay tar- that’s properly maintained increases the get, but sometimes it’s such that you sac- life of the casing, so you can retread it. rifice all other performance attributes,” So, you’re preserving your asset and pre- Kramer noted of some suppliers. serving the value of the casing that you “One of the problems is that fuel ef- paid for when you bought the new tire.” ficiency is very difficult to measure,” Perhaps the biggest problem is that added Bridgestone’s Jones. “There are too few fleets think of tires as an asset. so many factors involved.” However, he Certainly, total cost of ownership (TCO) said SmartWay, as a whole, has been a is a concept tire manufacturers often good thing for the trucking industry. speak of, but how many customers ac- “It has had a major impact on the in- tually evaluate the complete life-cycle dustry and it has required a push in tech- cost when selecting a tire? nology that I think has been very suc- “One of the issues we see, is some out- cessful,” Jones said. fits being lured into buying low-priced Rolling resistance, which influences a tires that may not prove to be the best tire’s contribution to fuel economy, is a overall choice when the full value of the relatively new concept, he added. product is considered,” said Greg Cress- “We as manufacturers are expend- man, technical services director with ing great effort to find new and better Yokohama. “Early tire removals, driver ways to achieve the performance char- complaints, lost casing value, fewer re- acteristics that our customers want and treads and lack of service support from need,” Jones said. “Initially, I think there the brand are classic pitfalls of just buy- was some compromise (when maximizing on price.” ing fuel economy). You did have to give This month’s Fleets that don’t consider transporta- up something else in order to achieve tion their core competency are among ultra-low rolling resistance. But we are CROSSWORD the most likely to buy cheap tires, ac- able to advance technology at a faster cording to Goodyear’s Kramer. rate these days.” SOLUTION “Some of the mid-sized fleets, where If fuel economy is important – and it transportation is not their business – usually is – it’s okay to seek out a Smart- is brought to you by they need trucks to move their goods Way tire, but also ensure the tire’s perfor- – they have a tendency on the mainte- mance in other areas will be up to expec- nance side to look at tire price. That af- tations, advised Michelin’s Beaudoin. fects their budget. What they don’t re- “Sometimes, you need to sacrifice alize is, they need to manage the tire on mileage to have a SmartWay tire, so asset over its life-cycle and in order to you have to be careful about that,” she do that, they need to partner with a good warned. “They may have a great tire tire supply vendor,” Kramer said. on fuel, but if it only lasts 100,000 miles Some of the larger fleets have very so- instead of 500,000 miles, it may not be phisticated tire management programs worth it to you.” – some even have a dedicated tire guy or gal – and conduct extensive evalua- In Part 2 of this series on tires, our tire ex- tions that measure total cost of owner- perts will offer practical tips on maximiz- TRY IT ONLINE AT www.trucknews.com ship. However, smaller companies that ing your tires’ performance and reducing lack the resources to do their own test- overall cost of ownership.

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Celadon Canada Inc. “Welcome Yanke” Advertisement Publication: Truck News — January 2014 Issue 10.875” wide x 16.5” deep (Full Page) / Colour December 5, 2013 / Proof 1 2 3 4 5 Agency: McCorkindale Advertising & Design Tel: 519.886.0636 • Fax: 519.886.0042 • [email protected] 26 inside the numbers TRUCK WEST january 2014

Freight volumes in 2013 compared CRYSTAL to previous year BALLIN’ 4% 4% 8% 28% 32% 24% 0%

Are Western 2014 Canadian shippers forecasting significant It was down It was down It was down It was about It was up It was up It was up more than 20% 10-20% 5-10% the same 5-10% 10-20% more than 20% freight volume increases?

Modes shippers Projections for freight volumes in 2014 expect to have greatest pricing power

Intermodal % Courier 9.1 9.1%

Truckload 50% Less than truckload 31.8% 0% 8% 0% 16% 68% 4% 4%

Shipper perceptions of competitive activity between modes It will be down It will be It will be It will stay It will be up It will be up It will be up more than 20% down 10-20% down 5-10% about the same 5-10% 10-20% more than 20% Well above normal levels Shipping expecting to increase use No opinion 9.5% of surface transportation in 2014 23.8% Above normal levels 28.6%

Around 14% 30% 40% 43% 27% normal levels 38.1%

Rail Truckload Less than truckload Courier Intermodal

estern Canada-based shippers are quite optimistic about their 30% expecting to increase their use of TL services over the previous year. That freight volume projections with 76% forecasting growth in 2014 ranks among the top for surface transportation with only courier showing and only 16% expecting freight volumes to remain the same, greater potential for growth. And that may also translate into a rise in freight according to our recently completed Transportation Buying rates. Our survey found that 50% of Western Canada shippers expect TL to Trends Survey, conducted in partnership with CITA and CITT. have the greatest pricing power and 32% expect LTL to have the greatest pric- That is considerably better than the national average, which ing power among all modes. Whas 59% of shippers expecting freight volume increases in 2014 and 34% ex- For a detailed analysis of the trends affecting surface transportation in West- pecting volumes to remain on par with 2013. Western Canadian motor carri- ern Canada be sure to take in editorial director Lou Smyrlis’ address to the up- ers stand to gain from the optimistic outlook on freight volumes with 40% of coming Manitoba Trucking Association’s Annual General Meeting March 11, shippers expecting to increase their use of LTL transportation services and 2014, at the Viscount Gort Hotel.

pg 26 tw jan v3.indd 26 13-12-12 12:08 PM new products TRUCK WEST january 2014 27 Accuride introduces new NANCY LIOU Missing Since: Jan 27, 1999 Date of Birth: Nov 3, 1983 coating for steel wheels Missing From: Toronto, ON Height: 5’5” Weight: 120 lbs By James Menzies “Coatings and their application methods are among our core compe- Eye Colour: Brown EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Accuride has an- tencies. This means that Steel Armor is Hair Colour: Black nounced the development of a new specifically formulated and precisely coating technology for steel wheels, applied to deliver improved corrosion which it says will extend service life by resistance, as well as UV and chemi- two years. The new Steel Armor coat- cal durability for the tough steel wheel ing will better protect against corro- environment.” sion, and will be available at no ad- The new coating is especially effec- ditional cost compared to today’s tive around perforated edges, prevent- process, the company announced in ing rust from getting in underneath the IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THIS MISSING PERSON, a Webinar with journalists. The new paint where it can spread, the compa- coating will be available in January ny claims. The Steel Armor coating will PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE OR CALL US TOLL-FREE 2014, Accuride announced. be made standard on all steel wheels missingkids.ca 1-866-KID-TIPS “The introduction of our revolution- beginning in January. (1-866-543-8477) ary Steel Armor coating technology The development of Steel Armor OR CONTACT YOUR LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENT. ALL CALLS CONFIDENTIAL. ups the ante for steel wheel corrosion caps a three-year, $90-million invest- missingkids.ca is a program of Child Find (Ontario) Inc. is an affiliate of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection Inc. protection in the commercial vehicle ment into Accuride’s wheel-end busi- and trade-mark of Together, they provide missing children services in the Province of Ontario. industry,” said Rich Dauch, Accuride nesses. president and CEO. “Corrosion continues to be a multi-billion-dollar problem for fleet operations, and demands a solution. Steel Armor provides that solution for steel wheels. Its premium rust protection leapfrogs other wheel coatings with its ability to dramatically reduce fleet maintenance costs.” Western Canada’s Trucking Newspaper Since 1989 • www.trucknews.com Accuride conducted extensive testing and found that steel wheels with Steel Armor coatings can be run two additional years before they need to be removed and refinished. This can provide cost savings of about $630 per truck, company representatives said. They also provide better UV durability, boasting a 90% gloss retention SUBSCRIBE compared to today’s standard of 75%, MOVING? so that wheels continue to look better READING SOMEONE longer, officials said. REQUALIFY? Accuride has instead more than $6 ELSE’S COPY? Send us your new address million into powder coating technolo- Have your own! in writing on this form. gies at its plans in Henderson, Ky. and NOW! Monterrey, Mexico. GET YOUR PAPER “While others outsource their steel Company ______wheel coating, we’re committed to Name ______Title ______keeping that expertise in-house,” said Craig Kessler, vice-president of engi- Address ______neering with Accuride. City ______Province ______Postal Code ______Telephone: ( ) ______Twin steer prep Fax: ( ) ______kits available E-Mail ______CHANGE OF ADDRESS ONLY 1 1 4 for Freightliners Serial # from code line on mailing label Canada USA Foreign ❏ Charge Card ❏ Cheque Enclosed PORTLAND, Ore. – Freightliner has an- $ $ $ nounced the availability of twin steer 1 Year ❏ 42.95 ❏ 107.95 ❏ 107.95 Visa No: ______chassis prep kits for its 114SD and (+ applicable taxes) 122SD truck models. Mastercard No: ______2 Years ❏ 65.95 The prep kits allow quick aftermar- (+ applicable taxes) Amex No: ______ket conversions and installations of Cda. Single Copy ❏ $ 8.00 Quebec Residents Add Expiry Date: ______second steer axles and heavy-duty sus- USA Single Copy ❏ $10.00 QST (7.5%) To Total pensions, resulting in faster delivery to Foreign Single Copy ❏ $10.00 Signature: Date: the customers, Freightliner says. AB, MB, PE, SK, QC, 3 Territories Add 5% GST; BC, NF, NB, ON Add13% HST To Price; NS 15%. Providing the turnkey solution is Si- mard Suspensions of Baie-Saint-Paul, DO YOU WISH PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS CLIP and MAIL Quebec. The product is aimed at crane, 2) How many vehicles are based at or controlled from this 6) Indicate your PRIMARY type of business by checking TO RECEIVE OR location? Please indicate quantities by type: ONLY ONE of the following: dump, wrecker, mixer and logging ap- (CONTINUE TO — No. of Straight Trucks _____ No. of Trailers a) ❏ For Hire/Contract Trucking (hauling for others) With plications. _____ No. of Buses b) ❏ Lease/Rental RECEIVE — No. of Truck-Tractors _____ No. of Off-Road Vehicles c) ❏ Food Production / Distribution / Beverages Payment to “To provide a simplified transition 3) Does this location operate, control or administer one d) ❏ Farming or more vehicles in any of the following Gross Vehicle e) ❏ Government (Fed., Prov., Local) from factory to conversion, we devel- Weight (GVW) categories? Please check YES or NO: f) ❏ Public Utility (electric, gas, telephone) 14,969 kg. & over (33,001 lbs. & over)... ❏ YES ❏ NO g) ❏ Construction / Mining / Sand & Gravel oped a cost-effective and timely pro- 11,794-14,968 kg. (26.001-33,000 lbs.). ❏ YES ❏ NO h) ❏ Petroleum / Dry Bulk / Chemicals / Tank 8,846-11,793 kg. (19,501-26,000 lbs.)... ❏ YES ❏ NO i) ❏ Manufacturing / Processing ❏ ❏ cess that still allows for customiza- 4,536-8,845 kg. (10,000-19,500 lbs.)..... YES NO ❏ ❏ YES ❏ NO Under 4,536 kg. (10,000 lbs.)...... ❏ YES ❏ NO j i) Retail tion,” said Mary Aufdemberg, director jii) ❏ Wholesale 80 Valleybrook Drive, 4) This location operates, controls or administers: k) ❏ Logging / Lumber ❏ ❏ Diesel powered vehicles...... YES NO ❏ of product marketing for Freightliner Refrigerated vehicles...... ❏ YES ❏ NO b) Bus Transportation Toronto, Ontario Trucks. “We are responding to our cus- Signature Pickups or Utility Vans...... ❏ YES ❏ NO m) ❏ Other (Please specify) Propane powered vehicles...... ❏ YES ❏ NO 7) Are you involved in the purchase of equipment or M3B 2S9 tomers’ needs by providing a stream- 5) Do you operate maintenance facilities replacement parts? ...... ❏ YES ❏ NO Date at this location? ...... ❏ YES ❏ NO 8) Are you responsible either directly or indirectly lined solution that will get them on the IF YES, do you employ mechanics?...... ❏ YES ❏ NO for equipment maintenance? . . . . ❏ YES ❏ NO TODAY! job as fast as possible.”

pg 27 tw jan v3.indd 27 13-12-11 2:46 PM fiction Mark Dalton: Owner/Operator 28 TRUCK WEST JANUARY 2014

By Edo Van Belkom Mark moved more slowly now between the cars, careful not to expose himself in a clear line of sight to the men milling about his truck. THE STORY SO FAR... Obviously they’d recognized Mother Load from their dealings with Mark on the road. Then, Mark is attending Truxpo Can, his favourite after checking out the truck, they saw the words truck show of all. While he’s at a booth he over- “Mother Load” painted on the rear of the sleep- hears two men talking. One tells a story about er and anyone with a brain would come to the how a driver got him in trouble with the police, conclusion that – “Hey, this is the truck of the while the other says a driver put coloured diesel guy that screwed me over. I bet he’s at the show.” into his tanks. Both men would sure like to find Then it was another small leap of logic that if the guy. Mark knows they are talking about him they waited long enough, the guy who owns that and slinks away. truck is bound to show up. Then, as Mark is having a bite at the food Mark was about 10 cars away now, partially court, he overhears two other drivers talking hidden by the rear end of a Hummer. He used to about how some guy got him in trouble with wonder why anyone needed to drive such huge the law, one with the Canada Border Services gas-guzzling cars, but not anymore. Sure they Agency, the other with police. Mark knows for used a lot of gas, but they were perfect for hid- sure they’re talking about him because he knows ing behind. one of them by name. He needs to get away and Of the five men, Mark recognized two of them calls Bud for a load… from his dealings with them on the road. The • other three men appeared to be buddies with When the coast was clear and the two driv- the first two and were likely there for support, ers who’d been talking about him had left the and back-up if things turned violent. food court, Mark decided it was probably a good Mark took a quick look around to see who he Illustration by Glenn McEvoy time to leave the show. He could just as easily had with him. Nobody. He checked his phone. wait for Bud’s call in Mother Load as he could Not even a call from Bud. moving from booth to booth waiting for some- What to do? one to tap him on the shoulder and say, “I al- He could try to outwait them, but there were ways hoped I’d run into you somewhere,” and five of them and they could easily take shifts punch him in the mouth. The Truxpo watching his truck for hours. Besides that, at Just then, someone in the crowd bumped him least one of them might have a truck of his own from behind. Mark gasped spun around and on the lot and could easily wait and watch for took on a half-fight/half-cower sort of stance. 3 him throughout the night. “Hi there,” said a woman pushing a stroller. He could call the police, but what would he tell “Hey,” Mark responded awkwardly as he Gambit them? “I think someone wants to hurt me.” And

stood up and straightened his shoulders. Part when they asked why he thought that, it wouldn’t “I’m sorry,” she said. “I wasn’t looking where take long before he sounded crazy and paranoid I was going.” Mark checked his phone for any messages or enough for the police to come looking for him. Mark tried to smile. “Nice bumping into you.” missed calls, but there were none. He started walk- Maybe he could take a cab to a nearby hotel and The woman returned the smile, but her attention ing south through the lot, keeping his head down pick up Mother Load on Monday. If he were lucky, was drawn to the child in the stroller. and turning away anytime anyone drove or walked all of his tires would still have air in them and all Mark took it as his cue, turned away and headed past him. of the windows would be free of cracks and clear for a quiet corner of the show hoping he’d be able He realized he was acting a little paranoid and enough to see through. to sneak out one of the smaller exit doors and make doing things that were counterproductive to his Or, he could go back inside the show, spend a few his way to Mother Load without any more delays. own safety, but he couldn’t help himself. After all, hours looking around and maybe these guys would In the northwest corner of the hall there was a dis- which was safer...walking alone through a desolate lose interest by then and go home. That seemed like play of 20 or so antique trucks, most of them serv- parking lot, or getting lost in the crowd inside the a plan. If the coast wasn’t clear in a couple of hours, ing as rolling advertisements for the companies that show. How many times had he actually looked for then he could try one of his other ideas. owned them. There were a couple of vintage dump someone he knew, spending hours searching and So, without a sound, Mark turned and headed trucks from the 60s, a couple of milk delivery vans never finding the person at the show? Still, here he back to the main entrance, hooking up with two from the 50s and no less than three flatbed delivery was walking by himself and constantly looking over teenage boys to make it look as if he were attend- trucks from the 1930s. Normally Mark would spend his shoulder. It wasn’t a good feeling. ing the show with them, his two sons. an hour going from truck to truck checking to see if Mark turned the corner outside the exhibit hall “Hey mister,” one of the boys said when it was each vehicle had been restored to original or updated and saw Mother Load in the distance. She was obvious Mark was walking with them. “Do we know with modern upgrades that would allow them to parked in the back row of the lot in a line of may- you?” keep up to traffic on today’s roads. be two dozen tractors. He was glad to see she was Mark shook his head, “I sure hope not.” Mark liked trucks that were kept as close to orig- still there, but there was also something troubling inal as possible and there were probably a few at about the scene. – Mark Dalton returns next month in the conclusion the show that were concourse caliber, but he didn’t Standing in front of Mother Load were five men, of The Truxpo Gambit. have time to appreciate their beauty. He was more two in one group, three in another. Their talk was concerned about preserving himself and keeping spirited, with wild arm gestures and plenty of body all his own parts totally original. language. One guy, Mark could just make out, was Did you know that there are two full-length He got out of the exhibit hall easily enough and pounding a fist into his palm. Mark wasn’t an ex- novels featuring Mark Dalton?: Mark Dalton found himself at the opposite end of the parking lot pert in sign language, but this guy’s gesture left no “SmartDriver” and Mark Dalton “Troubleload.” from Mother Load. But that was a small price to pay in doubt in Mark’s mind that someone was going to For your free copy, register with ecoENERGY for exchange for getting out of the exhibit hall unnoticed. get hurt...real bad. Fleets (Fleet Smart) at fleetsmart.gc.ca.

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pg 28 tw jan dalton.indd 28 13-12-12 12:11 PM fleet news TRUCK WEST january 2014 29

Bison wins award for corporate culture

WINNIPEG, Man. – Waterstone Hu- Transport are being recognized in this man Capital, one of Canada’s leading great manner. It also serves as a great executive search firms, has announced reminder that it is not just about what the national winners of the Canada’s 10 you do, but also how you do it and how Most Admired Corporate Cultures of you treat and interact with others mat- 2013 program. ters too.” The program is divided in four sep- arate categories – Enterprise, Mid- market, Growth and Small Capital and lastly, Broader Public Sector – and recognizes 10 national companies in Caravan Logistics each category. This year the trucking industry’s rebrands, launches own Bison Transport was hailed as one of the top 10 most admired corporate new Web site cultures in the mid-market category. This recognition signifies, in terms of TORONTO, Ont. – Caravan Logis- a three-year average revenue growth, tics has a new name and look. The that Bison Transport has notably out- company has been renamed Cara- paced the largest companies of Stan- van Group of Companies as part of a dard & Poor’s/ Toronto Stock Exchange rebranding effort aimed at bringing ninefold. Caravan’s complementary operating Bison Transport executive vice- units under one corporate umbrella. president and COO Robert Penner is The rebranding marks the first pleased that the company has been such change Caravan has under- poised as an admirable corporate gone since its inception 16 years culture. ago. At the same time, Caravan has “Being selected as having one of the launched a new Web site, which most admired corporate cultures in provides features such as 24-hour Canada is a true honour for our orga- online customer freight tracking nization,” said Penner. and instantaneous freight quotes. “As a company, it is important that The company said in a release our beliefs and behaviours are instilled that it has “extensive expansion in the workforce and that the environ- plans,” which will make it “an even ment we create allows our people to more powerful player in the truck- grow, prosper and excel,” Penner said. ing and transportation industry.” “It is gratifying to know that the col- The new Web site can be found at lective efforts of the people of Bison www.caravangroup.com.

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pg 29 tw jan v3.indd 29 13-12-11 1:13 PM 30 TRUCK WEST january 2014 jim’s brayings

Welcome to Jim’s Brayings, a quick look at some interesting community news items from across the west that we think will interest you. If you have some news you think will be a good match for this column, pop me off an e-mail at [email protected]. We can’t run everything, of course, but we’ll try to get in as much as space permits…

and now operates from locations in cellence, teamwork, community leader- ON, MB, AB and B.C.. The Penner ship and overcoming the odds. family has also been active with Pro- vincial and National Trucking asso- Like reading? How about ciations, with several of their team serving in executive positions with a free e-book? the MTA. From the BCTA comes news that professional drivers across North Ameri- …and in Saskatchewan ca are being offered free digital down- loads of some works by B.C.-based The Saskatchewan Trucking Asso- suspense author William Deverell. ciation held its 76th Annual General According to the BCTA’s Web site, Steve Meeting and Gala on Oct. 19 at the Ho- Scherf Audio Books is offering a free tel Saskatchewan Radisson Plaza, with digital download from one of the titles over 150 showing up for the bash. listed below. Perhaps since it was in Saskatch- Here are the titles that are being ewan, and lots of people there un- offered: doubtedly had a Grey Cup-hosting • Needles (won the $50,000 Seal First date in late November on their minds, Novel award in 1979) - Corrupt streets they broadcast the Saskatchewan of Vancouver in the early 70’s Chinese Roughrider/B.C. Lions CFL game at heroin trade. Manitoba Driver of the Year Marc Tricco of Bison Transport was honoured at the the event (the Riders won 35-14), which • High Crimes (1981) - Smuggling association’s recent AGM. also carried a Roughrider green and large amounts of pot from Colombia white theme. to Newfoundland, and the RCMP foi- Merry Christmas and a Happy New drivers, recognized at the MTA’s Fall Awards were given out as well. Driver bles that ensue. Year! Whether you’re holding this issue Awards Gala on November 18. Awards of the year (sponsored by Volvo Trucks • Mecca (1983) - A Montreal poet/ in your hands before, during or after the handed out included: Canada) was Harold Kinvig of C.S. Day terrorist infiltrates a European/Middle holidays, my compatriots and I at Truck MTA 2013 Pioneer Club Inductees: Transport. The Dispatcher of the Year, East cell bent on starting World War III. West wish you all the best and hope that Gary Arnold and Gerald Gardy, both sponsored annually by Cervus Equip- • Mindfield (1990) - A Montreal cop your 2014 is happy, rewarding and prof- whom are with Arnold Bros. Transport. ment Peterbilt, went to Timothy Moor- underwent electro-shock/drug thera- itable. And thanks for your support and The Pioneers Club recognizes members man, dispatcher for D.J. Knoll Trans- py at an institution funded by the CIA your feedback over the past 12 months. of the industry who’ve been employed port. The Service to Industry Award, in his early years and is starting to re- Well, for most of the feedback… in the trucking business for at least sponsored by Shaw Tracking, went to member… As we move ahead to 2014 there are twenty-five years continually, are cur- Jim Friesen. • Kill All The Lawyers (1992) - Mem- plenty of challenges on the horizon, but rently in a management role and who Congratulations to all! bers of a group of Vancouver lawyers there are just as many – or more – oppor- have made positive contributions to in- start to die after a series of trials that tunities, so there’s always reason for good dustry during that time. Giving Rimrock don’t seem to have any connection… cheer! We’ll see over the coming dozen MTA-Volvo Trucks Canada Manitoba Of course, there’s a catch: months how it all shakes out. Driver of the Year: Marc Tricco of Bison another shot 1. You need an account with either Transport, honoured for his 33 years The Alberta Motor Transport Associa- Amazon.com or Audible.com, although New year’s fitness free of accidents as well as his commit- tion is moving up - or is it moving back? you won’t go through them directly to ment to a safer industry. The group has announced that its 2014 receive these books. regimen? MTA-Payne Transportation LP Asso- Management Conference and Annual 2. Send an e-mail to Steve Scherf, Well, I can think of 15 people who may ciate of the Year: Bert Wiebe, of Marsh General Meeting weekend (scheduled [email protected], not need a new year’s resolution to keep Canada, who has been an invaluable for April 25-26) is returning to its old with the title from the list above that fit. According to Vedder Transportation’s resource to the MTA for more than 20 haunts up the hillside, at Banff’s Rim- you’d like to receive and the e-mail Fred Zweep, the 15 folk in question are years. Wiebe started his career as a rock Hotel, after a couple of years at the address registered with your Ama- the group that took on a corporate health truck mechanic, then spent 27 years famed Banff Springs. zon.com account. Steve will send a and wellness challenge that started in focused on safety and compliance in “The committee thought it was time free digital copy of the audio book for September of 2012, culminating in the the Transportation Sector. for a change of venue,” AMTA execu- download to your iPod, iPad, smart- Tough Mudder Whistler Challenge last MTA-RBC Royal Bank Service to tive director Don Wilson said, “and the phone or other device. June. Dubbed (at least on Vedder’s Web Industry Award: Tom Payne Jr., of Rimrock welcomed us back with open 3. In return, Steve asks that if you site) “Probably the toughest event on Payne Transportation. Tom began his arms.” enjoyed the book you post a short re- the planet,” the Challenge consists of 19 career while still a teenager and went Friday night at the Conference tra- view on the Amazon or Audible site, klicks’ worth of trails, mud and military from doing odd jobs (he impersonat- ditionally means a theme-based par- and spread the word about Deverill’s style obstacles. The event puts partici- ed James Bond villains with deadly ty. This year’s saw folks dressing up work and Steve Scherf Audio Books to pants’ perseverance, will, grit, determi- hats), to dispatcher and then to com- circa the 1970’s, and you wouldn’t other drivers. nation and camaraderie to the test from mercial driver. have believed all the acid dropped If you have questions, please contact start to finish. And maybe after that. In 2008, Tom was appointed Presi- that night! Steve at the e-mail address above. The B.C.-based Vedder team “looked dent and General Manager of Payne Okay, it was acetylsalicylic acid, For more information about the it right in the face and emerged victori- Transportation. Active in the indus- a.k.a. aspirin, but there sure were a company and William Deverell, visit ous,” so good on them! try for more than 30 years, Tom has lot of ex-hippies out that night! www.stevescherfaudiobooks.com. The challenge was documented by served with the MTA, the Canadian Next year’s theme will be “Sand and Note: neither the BCTA nor me - nor Dave Brunt and you can catch a rogues’ Trucking Alliance, CentrePort Can- Surf,” so if you plan to attend better start Transporation Media - have a stake in gallery and a video on their Web site at ada and the Winnipeg Airports Au- “digging” out suitable shorts, Hawaiian this offer; we’re just passing the notice www.veddertransportation.com/fit- thority. shirts, flip flops and shades. along. ness-challenge.php. Congratulations MTA-SHAW Tracking Distin- Another big reason to attend: 2014’s to the “fabulous 15!” guished Member Award: Penner In- Saturday lunch keynote will be given That’s it for this month’s prattling. As ternational for its generations of dedi- by Michael “Pinball” Clemons, CFL always, if you have an item you think Industry excellence in cation to the efforts of the MTA and legend and vice-chairman of the frig- deserves the attention of your peers (as- the industry. gin’ Argos. suming you have any!), feel free to fire an Manitoba… Penner is a three generational fam- Clemons was a great player who is email off to me at jim@transportation- From the Manitoba Trucking Associa- ily-owned company that got things now a much sought after speaker who media.ca. We try to get as much stuff in tion comes word of the province’s top rolling with one truck back in 1923 exemplifies the qualities of personal ex- here as space permits. Happy New Year!

pg 30 tw jan v3.indd 30 13-12-12 2:09 PM Challenger_TruckWest_Dec2013_Layout 1 13-12-10 1:34 PM Page 1

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