Features
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The last word: Raising our standards
I recently read a letter to the editor in an industry publication, in which the writer was expressing his disappointment in the quality of driving he was witnessing on the road around the Greater Toronto Area and the loss of…
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Mark Dalton: Bud’s bail buddy – Part 2
The story so far Mark gets a call asking if he’s willing to bail Bud out of jail. He agrees to do it for a few days, because on the 10th, Bud’s brother will be back in town and will…
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Time to tighten trucking’s Temporary Foreign Workers Program
A recent article in the Globe and Mail has shone a light on some very unsavory and unsafe practices that are occurring in our country when it in comes to the Temporary Foreign Workers Program (TFWP). While many in the…
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Don’t let yourself slip
Have you ever hurt your ankle while jumping down from your rig? Although ankle injuries are often considered sports injuries, any activity that forces your foot or ankle into an unnatural position can cause an ankle strain, sprain, or break.…
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The unstoppable Ross Mackie
OSHAWA, Ont. — At 85, you’d think Ross Mackie would be happy to take it slow during his golden years. After all, the Mackie companies are in the capable hands of his four sons, he’s got a barn full of…
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Driver shortage? Look at the numbers
“If I had a dollar for every time I heard the term, ‘truck driver shortage,’ I wouldn’t be here today.” Those are the words of Kristen Monaco, associate commissioner at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Office of Compensation and…
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Ron Boyd’s tireless work ethic a perfect fit in Alberta
EDMONTON, Alta. — In Ron Boyd’s world, there’s no such thing as being too busy. For a man who loves his work, being busy is a blessing, and since the age of 17, when Boyd bought his first truck, the…
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MELTing things down
EDMONTON, Alta. – A recent report in the Globe and Mail indicated that Alberta has eased its testing standards when it comes to mandatory entry level training (MELT) for some farming and bus driving professions. But as Alberta Motor Transport…
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Winter conditions already a reality in Western Canada
RICHMOND, B.C. – Drivers will again be “Shifting into Winter” in B.C. and across Canada in the coming weeks, and for the 11th year, WorkSafeBC wants to remind truckers to be prepared before hitting the road. Trina Pollard, manager of…
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Tax Talk: Put incorporation on the menu
As an accountant, I deal with a lot of numbers all day long. But a few figures stand out. Twenty years ago, 36% of our owner-operator clients were incorporated while 64% were sole proprietors. Today, those percentages have flipped. Roughly…
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The Last Word: Keeping our head in the game
You can make sure your phone is in airplane mode when you drive, never snack when you’re behind the wheel, always have both hands on the wheel, and yet still be a distracted driver. Keeping your head in the game…
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Keep on rollin’
Few things take as bad a beating on jobsites as the tires for fleets of heavy equipment. So, what can operators and fleet managers do, in terms of tire management, to ensure their operations run as smooth as possible? Well,…
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VNR Electric to make California greener
DUBLIN, Va. — Southern California will soon see the deployment of electric rigs, produced by Volvo Trucks North America in partnership with 15 stakeholders, with some of the funding coming from the California Air Resources Board. The first Volvo VNR…
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Mark Dalton: Bud’s bail buddy – Part 1
Mark was on his way back from a nice easy trip to Calgary where he’d been able to stay a couple of nights between loads, and take in a Calgary Flames home game and have one of the best steak…
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The man behind Volvo Dynamic Steering
DUBLIN, Va. — It happened almost 13 years ago. Technology specialist Jan-Inge Svensson and his colleagues at Volvo’s Advanced Steering Systems in Gothenburg, Sweden, were brainstorming about making truck steering controls more driver-friendly when an idea struck them. They had experienced…
