Crowdsourcing Vocational Trucks: Building a service truck on a vocational chassis is a team effort

Building a vocational truck is not unlike renovating a kitchen in an older house. It looks straightforward on paper: cabinets, appliances, wiring, plumbing. But once the walls come down, you…

Mesilla Valley Transportation Solutions brings fuel economy testing into the 21st century

Fleets needn’t look long or hard to find products promising fuel-saving benefits. Aerodynamic add-ons, low-viscosity lubricants, tires, software platforms, “magic” elixirs, and even bottles of distilled water all promise incremental…

Wheel separations: Is it always the driver’s fault?

Should drivers be charged in the event of a wheel separation incident? I’ve never felt it was appropriate to automatically charge the driver, but in Ontario, a wheel separation charge…

Nova Scotia delivers a Christmas gift to Boston, honoring a 107-year-old tradition

The City of Boston lit its official Christmas tree on Boston Common this week, but it’s a celebration that shines far beyond the holiday season. The tree is a gift…

Reading the Road: How to identify deteriorating winter road conditions

You never forget your first time. Not that first time, the first time you suddenly realize you’ve lost traction and you’re sliding along at the whim of the gods. The…

Zero In on… RR Plett

Jim Park: Elon Musk launched his electric Tesla Semi back in November of 2017. That’s when the lights came on for Trevor Platt, the operations manager at Langley, B.C.’s…

Vancouver’s RR Plett Trucking easing into BEVs

While many of us stared at our computer screens watching, bemused, as Elon Musk unveiled his Tesla Semi, Trevor Plett’s wheels were already turning. That was Nov. 16, 2017. Just…

“Let an engine be an engine”: How International’s S13 redefines diesel efficiency

When International’s engineering team joined forces with MAN and Scania back in 2017 to design a new heavy-duty powertrain from scratch, they started with a radical design philosophy: forget about…

Bickner Transport breaks new ground with fuel-saving powertrain spec’

Fuel economy gains in trucking are usually measured in fractions of a mile per gallon. That’s why John Bickner was more than a little surprised — and excited — when…

A new oil category is coming to address needs of EPA27 engines

A new generation of heavy-duty diesel engine oil is headed our way in the next 12 to 18 months. Known currently as PC-12, or Proposed Category 12, the oils under…

Is there still value in learning to drive on trucks with manual transmissions?

I recently came across an eye-opening recruiting ad on LinkedIn. An Ontario-based carrier is offering a $2,500 sign-on bonus for qualified drivers with manual experience and…

MTO fiddles while Ontario’s trucking industry burns

When is MTO going to get serious about protecting this industry from itself? A segment of this industry is hell-bent on destroying the rest of the industry’s reputation. The good…

Brake Safety Week begins Sunday. Are your trucks and drivers prepared?

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) is at it again. This week — Aug. 24-30 — is Brake Safety Week in North America. That means truck inspectors will be out…

Staying on the Straight and Narrow: Why trucks jackknife and how to avoid making the 6 o’clock news

If you have ever yearned to have your name in lights, or at least make the six o’clock news, just jackknife your truck on any freeway in any major city.

Potential flight attendant strike shines light on unpaid work. Truck drivers can relate.

‘It’s included in the rate.’ Truck drivers get that response all too often when asking why they aren’t paid for certain required on-duty tasks. Air Canada’s flight attendants are now…