Canadian Economy Downgraded, Atlantic Provinces Mixed

TORONTO -- Expectations for the performance of the overall Canadian economy have been downgraded, but forget talk about a recession, while conditions should improve partly when it comes to the Atlantic Provinces, according to two new reports from the Royal Bank of Canada.

Talk About A Big Tip! Trucker Leaves $$$

GRAND ISLAND, NE - A truck driver was no doubt more than happy with the service he received for his dinner and drinks recently, leaving a US$1,000 tip.

TransCore Link Logistics Hands Out Two Scholarships

TORONTO -- The freight-matching service provider TransCore Link Logistics has announced the second annual scholarship recipients for its LinkScholar program.

OTA Educational Foundation Awards More Than 30 Scholarships

TORONTO -- The Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) Education Foundation has awarded scholarships to five high-achieving students for the 2015 academic year.

Many Drivers Say No to Paying for Reserved Parking

ARLINGTON, VA - Nearly half of truck drivers say they would refuse to pay for reserved parking, according to just published results in a survey over truck parking. That's according to the American Transportation Research Institute, which has released the findings in its "Commercial Driver Perspectives on Trucking Parking" survey.

Trailer Wizards Joins Hunger Awareness Week Campaign

MISSISSAUGA, ON -- Trailer Wizards Ltd. is sponsoring Food Banks Canada's 2015 Hunger Awareness Week for the third consecutive year. During this campaign, 'Let's Bring Some Focus To Hunger", the trailer dealer and its employees will be spreading awareness of the issue of hunger across the country and the need for donations to food banks as well as supporting national programs now through Sept. 25.

News First – 2015-09-21

Tru-Nor’s New Name Shows “Commitment to the North”…

VHD Equipment Network to Merge into Power Heavy Duty

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL -- VIPAR Heavy Duty has announced its VHD Equipment Network of distributors will transition into the Power Heavy Duty LLC the first of 2016. The combination of the two groups into one will allow the organization to maximize efficiencies while focusing on growing business with members, supplier partners and their collective customers, according to VIPAR. The merger will also result in a network of hundreds of locations in Canada and the U.S.

Trucking Names Make Fastest Growing Companies List

TORONTO - Companies known to many people in trucking are among the many listed in the just published 2015 Profit 500 Ranking of Canada's Fastest Growing Companies. The 27th annual rundown by Profit magazine includes not just the overall rankings but also a special transportation and logistics section, featuring the 28 fastest growing firms in this sector of the economy.

FMCSA Chief Outlines Year-End Priorities

WASHINGTON, D.C. - If you truck into the U.S. there are some changes that will take place in the landscape between now and the end of the year that could affect your operations. The top trucking regulator in the U.S. has laid out his priorities for the rest of the year, that include rules for electronic logging devices (ELDs) to track driver compliance with hours of service (HOS) requirements.

N.A. Class 8 Truck Orders Top 20,000 in August

COLUMBUS, IN – There were nearly 20,200 net news Class 8 truck orders during August in North America, while Classes 5-7 totaled almost 17,900, slightly higher than preliminary numbers from…

Bison Transport Driver Named TCA Highway Angel

ALEXANDRIA, VA - The latest trucker to be honored by the Truckload Carriers Association for coming to the aide of someone along the roadway is a driver for Bison Transport

Trailer Wizards Appoints New Calgary Branch Manager

MISSISSAUGA, ON -- The commercial trailer rental, leasing, and service, Trailer Wizards Ltd. has named Tim Tymko as branch manager for the Calgary, AB customer care center.

Think Shippers Don’t Care About Truckers? Think Again

SAINT-AUGUSTIN-DE-DESMAURES, QC - As carriers across Canada spent last week holding events and incentives to thank the hundreds of thousands of men and women who drive the nation's trucking industry, a few shippers also took the opportunity to show their appreciation to those entrusted with delivering their freight every day. The most remarkable was cookie maker Leclerc.

Behind the Wheel of Freightliner’s Autonomous Truck

LAS VEGAS, NV -- Sometimes, trucking journalists like me do very funny things. Like getting certified to drive a truck that can pretty much drive itself. Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) took a few trucking reporters to Las Vegas earlier this week so they could drive the Freightliner Inspiration autonomous truck, introduced in North America earlier this year. The prerequisite to sit behind the self-steering wheel of the Inspiration was to hold a commercial driver's license. Fortunately, I got one a dozen years ago, otherwise, I would have missed what was waiting for me at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. There were the two trucks at the event. Jim Martin, one of the few Freightliner engineers certified to drive the autonomous truck, would certify six trucking journalists, reminding us that nobody ever passed the test before.