New truck orders closed out 2012 on positive note, but lacked year-end boom

COLUMBUS, Ind. -- North American orders for Classes 5-8 commercial vehicles were stronger in December than through most of 2012, but lacked the strength that’s normally characteristic of the final month of the year.

Former Kelron Logistics owner, president Geoff Bennett dies

OAKVILLE, Ont. -- Geoff Bennett, former president and co-chair of Kelron Logistics, died Dec. 23 after a battle with cancer. Bennett started Kelron with his partner in 1992, growing the business from his basement to a North American operation...

Fleet Brake to open new Mississauga parts distribution centre

CALGARY, Alta. -- Fleet Brake has announced plans to open a new parts distribution centre in Mississauga, Ont. in February. The new 50,000-sq.-ft. facility (to be located at 2200 Drew Road) will employ up to 50 people at full capacity. The...

PSI sees record demand for tire inflation system

SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Pressure Systems International (PSI) says it has increase the number of permanent employees at its tire inflation system manufacturing facility by 23% in 2012, following a 21% increase in 2011.

Eassons using performance management technology

BERWICK, N.S. -- Who wants to write company policies and procedures, only to have them ignored? Who wants to do their job well, yet see low performers get the same pay? A tool called performance management solves these problems. Its premise is...

Deconstructing a deal

ETOBICOKE, Ont. – On Oct. 23, 2012, Wheels Group announced it had acquired MSM Transportation in a major deal worth $18.6 million.The announcement came as a surprise, in part because Mike McCarron, managing partner and the public face of...

What lies beyond the low-hanging fruit?

The trucking industry is about to step into a bold new age for fuel- and weight-saving technologies.

The new rail reality

At CITT’s recent Reposition 2012 conference, I heard something during a C-Suite discussion on shipping by rail that caught my attention and should interest all motor carriers, whether they see railways as competitors or partners. Until...

Eassons introduces performance management system

BERWICK, N.S. – Who wants to write company policies and procedures, only to have them ignored? Who wants to do their job well, yet see low performers get the same pay? A tool called performance management solves these problems. Its...

Sixty-foot trailers: The Ontario experience so far

By now, most everyone in the trucking industry – not just in Ontario but certainly across Canada and perhaps in the US, too – knows that Walmart Canada recently announced it was seeking a permit from the Ontario Ministry of...

Walmart should be lauded, not criticized, for its supercube innovation

Sometimes writing this column is so easy, it becomes difficult. Huh? What do I mean by that? My challenge is to make my long-winded opinions fit in the allotted space, which is a struggle because the subject matter is so plentiful it’s...

Finding Christmas spirit through film

So here we are, Christmas 2012. Once again, I find myself spending my evenings surfing up and down the digital remote looking for a holiday movie that will help me find the spirit of Christmas.

Out-of-service rates for new engines tough trade-off for cleaner air

It’s that time of year again. Hopefully you have all overindulged over the holidays and are now starting your New Year’s Resolutions. I have a couple.

Coping with stress at home and on the road

I’ve been feeling pretty stressed out over the last couple of weeks. The reason being, our 16-month-old grandson was undergoing a major surgical procedure.

More flags than in a pennant factory

In something of a New Year’s tradition around here, we once again take a look at Canada Revenue Agency’s blotter of tax fraud convictions. The agency posts these summaries on its Web site and releases them to the media hoping that...