What to do if you’re first on the scene of an emergency

Growing up, I was always taught I could count on a truck driver for help in any emergency on the road. I certainly found this to be true a while ago.

Pre-trip inspections should include a driver’s state of mind

It’s no secret that trucking can be a stressful career. Just-in-time delivery schedules, hours-of-service regulations, bad weather and traffic jams often seem to conspire against those who work behind the wheel. To compound matters, the...

So, you want to start a trucking company?

You’ve been an owner/operator for a number of years. You’ve made a good living and your equipment is either all, or mostly, paid off. Perhaps you even own your own trailer. You have made the decision to make the leap from being an...

Orange turns green

TAMPA, Fla. – There should be little surprise that Schneider National burns a lot of fuel. With more than 12,000 tractors and 13,270 trailers, the truckload fleet that first came to Canada in 1989 is covering a lot of ground.

In-cab use of CPAP devices a challenge

TAMPA, Fla. – The effects the increasingly prevalent sleep disorder obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have on a professional driver have been well documented. However, there’s growing concern about the impact in-cab use of continuous...

Trailer Blazers

TAMPA, Fla. – If you’ll forgive the obvious pun, the latest frontier in fuel economy involves some out-of-the-box thinking. Specifically, manufacturers and fleets alike are exploring innovative ways to include trailers in...

Stability mandate on the way, officials claim

TAMPA, Fla. – Panelists discussing truck and trailer stability systems at this year’s Technology & Maintenance Council meetings agreed it’s just a matter of time before the systems are mandated in North America, but the...

Volvo announces new approach to aftermarket support

TAMPA, Fla. – Volvo Trucks has announced a new approach to aftermarket support for its products, including two years of free access to its MVASIST platform.

Seeking stability

HOUGHTON, Mich. – This pretty, historic town located on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is as good a place as any to demonstrate safety systems co-developed by Volvo Trucks and Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems.

Taxes can be so taxing: Part 1

There was another letter from the government. This one, like the one before, was from the Canada Revenue Agency. He put it aside atop the pile of junk mail he’d just cleaned out of his post office box.

CFMS is undergoing a transformation

The organizers of the Canadian Fleet Maintenance Seminar recently announced that the event is no longer an event. Sad really, it was the first industry function I attended way back in 1980. In those days, it would easily draw four or five...

TSQ: Are the glory days of truck shows behind us?

BRADFORD, Ont. – The summer truck show has long been an industry mainstay, showcasing the best and – sometimes literally – brightest rigs on the road. But a struggling economy has taken its toll in recent years, as even some...

Best Fleets to Drive For seminar series announces tour dates

MARKHAM, Ont. -- The 2012 Best Fleets to Drive For seminar series is back again this year, with a full line-up of dates announced for its cross-Canada tour. The series of half-day seminars, organized by CarriersEdge and sponsored by Truck News,...

Budget focuses on sound public finances, long-term economic growth: CTA

OTTAWA, Ont. -- With fears that yesterday’s announced federal budget might feature slashed government spending, the Canadian Trucking Alliance has expressed satisfaction with the budget’s plans for new spending and a focus “on...

N.A. surface trade climbs 11.5% in January

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Trade using surface transportation between Canada, the US and Mexico was 11.5% higher in January than in January 2011, totalling $75.5 billion, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of the US Department...