Blogs
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What constitutes success in effort to get more women into the industry?
There’s no denying that more needs to be done to increase the number of women in the trucking industry, but what does success look like? It’s been three years now since I became the editor of Truck West magazine, and…
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It’s a good time to be small
The trucking industry is booming, and small carriers are potentially the biggest benefactors. Looking to the U.S., small fleets are growing while larger fleets are not. Speaking at Newcom’s Surface Transportation Summit Oct. 10, Stifel Financial Corp.’s David Ross pointed…
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Time to get serious about safety
I have a real issue with complacency from carriers when it comes to driver turnover. I will arrive at this from two different angles. When I look at a motor carrier that has excessive turnover I see any number of…
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How to make healthy comfort food in your truck
With the temperatures dropping, we naturally look to warm, comforting meals to satisfy us, but they often come with a cost: high calories, limited fruits & veggies, and low nutrient density. Whether you’re at home or in the truck, you…
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Understanding the changing face of the trucking industry
Much like women, Aboriginal Peoples are under-represented in the trucking industry. This is not the case for all visible minorities in Canada. This month marks the launch of our Changing Face of Trucking project, which goes alongside the acquisition of…
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The changing face of trucking
If you’ve been around the trucking industry for any length of time, you’ve no doubt noticed the shift of demographics over the past several years. The traditional Canadian driving force is aging, and not being replaced with young people coming…
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Mental health matters
In any given week, 500,000 employed Canadians are unable to work due to a mental health issue. Depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other mental health conditions are increasingly responsible for disability claims and account for more than $6 billion in lost…
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Missed opportunities
During initial contact with a new client, I usually start by looking for the low hanging fruit, the quick fixes that involve little investment other than some amount of time and can have a big positive impact, fast. Here are…
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What you need to know about medical expenses at trial
Medical bills are like the sticker price on a car—very few people pay the full amount. Yet, when your trucking company is sued, the full price of the medical bill is too often used as a barometer of the case’s…
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The Cost of Unhealthy vs. Healthy Food
A common reason (or excuse) people present for why they can’t eat healthy is the cost. They believe that eating healthy has to be expensive, and that it’s not worth the investment in their health. The idea that eating healthy…
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Predicting future crashes
What if you could predict which drivers in your fleet are the most likely to be involved in a crash? You could intervene with them ahead of time, address risky behaviors, offer remedial training, and potentially prevent that crash from…
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The way ahead now that driving season is over – as far as the refiners are concerned
I am a believer that things go backward because it makes no sense to go forward. Yes, but if you keep looking backward you can’t see where you’re going. Take that Confucius! Confusion would be an appropriate word to describe…
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Nothing is more expensive than missed opportunity
A few months back I wrote an article that suggested that the opportunity to share in financial gains, that did not exist prior to a point in time, with drivers was something that makes perfect sense. I’m talking about paperwork…
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When lives are at stake, is the saying, ‘better late than never’ still acceptable?
“Better late than never” would likely give little solace to families that lost loved ones as a result of the collision between a tractor-trailer and the Humboldt Broncos team bus. Moments after the police arrested and laid 29 charges on…
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The electrics are coming
If the industry buzz over the last couple years was about autonomous driving, this year the clear theme that’s emerged as the hottest discussion point is electrification. And despite a high profile unveiling, much media coverage, and more than a…