Blogs
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Infrastructure upgrades desperately needed
The tragic collapse of a Minneapolis bridge this week has demonstrated the need for immediate upgrades to North American infrastructure. The deadly collapse comes just weeks after Transports Quebec announced oversized loads will no longer be allowed to cross 135…
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It’s just lip service until you drink from the fountain of youth
I’m sure there has yet to be a generation of young people who have not felt slighted by their predecessors. And likely, along the same lines, there probably has yet to be a generation of decision-makers who has not wished…
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What drives the success and fuels the fears of motor carriers?
I’m often asked by companies selling products into the transportation industry to outline the major trends that are both driving the success and fueling the fears of their motor carrier customers. I put it down to three main trends: Accountability,…
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Ontario waste oil heater ban now official
The June 29 version of the Environmental Registry confirmed Ontario Regulation 280/07, a law that prevents companies from burning waste oil for heat as of June 1, 2009. Truck News has been covering this story in recent months and the…
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Keeping fit is a constant challenge for drivers (and writers)
It’s no secret that professional drivers are generally not the fittest of folks. Of course there are exceptions to the rule, but it’s not easy to stay in shape when you spend long hours behind the wheel and the most…
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Road carnage – when’s it going to end?
They say bad things happen in three but we’re beyond three and still counting when it comes to recent truck crashes on major GTA highways caused by four-wheelers. Yesterday a cement truck rolled over on Hwy. 427, closing the well-travelled…
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While we’re at it, let’s limit all vehicle speeds
Ontario Transport Minister Donna Cansfield has unexpectedly announced (amid very little fanfare during a long weekend) that the province is going ahead with an OTA proposal to require the use of speed limiters on heavy-duty trucks operating within the province.…
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Always be prepared!
A reader submitted these photos as a reminder to always be prepared for everything while out on the road. These pictures were taken near Terrace, B.C. The driver apparently rounded a corner in the highway and was greeted with a…
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‘Hypermiling’ poses safety risks
A growing legion of motorists are taking notice of their fuel economy and altering their driving styles to maximize mileage. However, the American Trucking Associations’ has voiced concern that the practice of ‘Hypermiling’ is posing risks to truckers and other…
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Waste oil heater ban likely to move forward
It’s sometimes surprising which topics elicit the most passionate responses from readers. Take for instance the cover story on the June issue of Truck News (Up in Smoke) about the impending ban of waste oil space heaters in Southern Ontario.…
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Banning rush hour deliveries in TO would be costly
Last year around this time Toronto City Councillor Michael Walker began touting one of the most asinine policies to ever emanate from City Hall when he proposed a rule that would ban downtown deliveries during the morning and afternoon rush…
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Nostalgic recollections of a bygone production era
I tend not to write in this space about internal matters regarding how our magazine is produced, on the assumption that readers prefer that I focus on industry issues. However, I’m going to break that rule here because of a…
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Will 2007 be the summer of discontent?
It appears native groups in various parts of Canada are determined to bring attention to land disputes by creating widespread “economic disruptions.” Freight trains were blocked last month near Deseronto and now native groups in Manitoba are vowing to block…
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Readers are getting pee’d off over roadside messes
It must be spring, because I’m getting more and more e-mails from road users voicing their disgust in an all too common practice out on the road. Of course I’m talking about drivers who relieve themselves into juice bottles, windshield…
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Problems with the Ice Core data
A few days ago I posted a Blog entry and also a website news item at www.hazmatmag.com and www.solidwastemag.com about a documentary from the UK entitled The Great Global Warming Swindle, which takes apart the conventional wisdom about man-made climate…