John G Smith
John G. Smith is Newcom Media's vice-president - editorial, and the editorial director of its trucking publications -- including Today's Trucking, trucknews.com, and Transport Routier. The award-winning journalist has covered the trucking industry since 1995.
ELD’s, “jobs for life” among legal concerns for fleets
NIAGARA FALLS, ON - Canadian fleets face several new legal challenges this year in the face of plans to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, as well as a recent Supreme Court of Canada ruling that could offer federally regulated drivers a job for life, an industry lawyer says. Heather Devine, a partner with Isaacs and Company, points to the pending U.S. mandate for Electronic Logging Devices as an example. That applies to cross-border drivers as of December 18. But during a presentation to the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada she said the devices could become one of the bargaining chips in trade negotiations. "I've heard that there are those discussions," she warned, referring to talk of a future Canadian mandate that mirrors rules in the U.S. "It's coming." The recent Wilson v. Atomic Energy of Canada ruling by the Supreme Court, meanwhile, ...
Cummins commits to electrification and more
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - Cummins is pledging to launch a fully electrified powertrain in 2019, and a range-extended electric powertrain in 2020. But senior executives stress that these rollouts will be for urban transit vehicles, and that electrified long-haul trucks are still years from reality. "We are not just a diesel engine company," proclaimed Chief Executive Officer Tom Linebarger, during a Wednesday conference call. "Technology is what we do. Innovation is what we do." An internal electrification business group is combining Cummins expertise with selected partners, as they collectively develop power storage, related electronics, and traction motors.
Plan for the worst collisions, loss control specialist says
NIAGARA FALLS, ON - Roads and highways can be a dangerous place. The World Health Organization says there were about 1.25 million road traffic fatalities around the world in 2013, notes David Gaskin, a loss control specialist with Aviva Canada. Canada records about six such fatalities per 100,000 people.
Private fleet practices differ across border: survey
NIAGARA FALLS, ON - Private fleets have much in common, but there are some distinct differences between those that operate in Canada or the U.S., according to new benchmarking research conducted for the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada (PMTC).
Michelin unveils wheel with no air
MONTREAL, QC -- Looking not unlike a lushly blue life form on James Cameron's cinematic world of Pandora, the prototype of Michelin's Visionary concept tire glowingly held center stage on June 14 at the tire maker's Movin' On global conference on sustainable transportation.
