Mike McCarron
Mike McCarron is a director at Rite Route Supply Chain Solutions, a former trucking entrepreneur, and a straight-talking specialist in trucking growth strategies. He can be reached at mike@riteroute.ca.
It’s time for hourly driver pay
The trucking industry has trouble finding drivers, and it’s no secret that pay is part of the problem. The fact that truck drivers bring home the same dough as they did 40 years ago, when the cost of living was half of what it is today, certainly has something to do with it. Carriers have increased driver pay lately, but all those empty seats indicate that reform is still needed.
Driver Inc. model finally getting attention
From all accounts coming out of last month’s Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) board meeting, the driver contractor issue is finally getting the attention it deserves. With Driver Inc. on the agenda, the alliance brought Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to the table and the government said it’s serious about nailing culprits who are not paying their fair share of taxes or forming sham companies for drivers who have no clue what they are signing up for.
How well do you understand South Asian drivers?
I was disappointed when I read headlines about the “Indian” driver who was criminally charged for the horrific Saskatchewan accident that involved the Humboldt Broncos’ team bus. If guilty he should face justice, but I’m not sure where he was born has anything to do with it. I’m guessing if the driver were Italian it would not have been mentioned.
It’s Our Fault
Like many of you, I was devastated when my two passions—hockey and trucking—collided tragically on April 7 outside of Tisdale, Sask. I was also embarrassed and angry. Embarrassed because the trucking industry I’ve defended at every dinner party for 35 years was somehow responsible for the senseless loss of 16 lives.
Everything is negotiable in ELD era
For years, I’ve been chuckling under my breath at transportation conferences whenever I hear shippers speak about how important it is to be “good business partners” with their carriers. Experience has shown me that once they walk off the stage, their actions tell another story. The “win-win” rhetoric gives way to “we win, you lose” when it comes time to work on a contract. That’s starting to change.
