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.

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After-hours networking makes a difference: Pylypiw

CALEDON, ON -- If you just work nine to five and typically shun the after-work social networking scene with a shoulder shrug or lame excuse, you may be missing out on valuable tools that could be advancing your career or simply making your job easier. Most of work around the same people every day, often developing routines that can be hard to shake. But if you can try breaking out of the rat race, Delta Nu Alpha Transportation Network director Jennifer Pylypiw says that's the time you can shine. When the clock strikes 5 p.m., after-work fellowship can do more to define an employee as a person, she says, and that will enrich your career. "If you're only working nine to five, you're really missing out on the industry you're working in," says Pylypiw. "It's about the work life and the personal life coming together, and you making a personal investment."

Feds to toughen impaired driving rules under pot laws

TORONTO, ON - The federal government has officially unveiled its plans to legalize recreational marijuana by July 2018, and promises as well to introduce some of the toughest impaired driving laws in the world - complete with roadside saliva tests. Under the proposal, police would be able to demand oral fluid samples if they believe drivers have drugs in their body, and with reasonable grounds would be able to demand a blood sample. Punishments for those found driving under the influence of drugs including cannabis will become more severe, said Ralph Goodale, minister of public safety, during a press briefing on Friday. There are also plans for a "wide-ranging" campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of driving while impaired.

OTA weighs in on proposed Thunder Bay truck ban

TORONTO, ON - The Ontario Trucking Association is asking Thunder Bay, Ontario to consider safety zones and photo radar rather than banning truck traffic on several routes. The comments made in a letter to Mayor Keith Hobbs and city council come as the municipality debates a ban on trucks using routes such as Dawson Road and Arthur Street. A proposed bylaw would require those bypassing Thunder Bay to use Highway 11/17 and 61. The debate has emerged on and off over a decade.

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