GUELPH, Ont. – The Canadian trucking industry is powered by 250,000 drivers and each one of them needs a support system to overcome the challenges that come with life on the road. That support system often includes the fleet dispatcher, manager, trainer and peers, but probably the most significant source of support is family.

Industry trade magazines such as Truck News and Truck West (depending on where you are in Canada) are there to help you and your family keep on top of industry issues.

We caught up with truckers and their families at MacKinnon Transport’s recent 75th-anniversary celebration in May, attended by 400 employees and their families – to ask MacKinnon drivers how families keep up with the industry.

Jim Coles is a driver and a driver trainer with MacKinnon Transport and he says he reads Truck News/Truck West faithfully.

“My wife is an avid reader and she likes all sources of media and so she also picks up the paper from time to time to see what’s going on in the industry,” said Coles. “My oldest son reads it too when he can, because he is working in the maintenance department here at MacKinnon.”

“I definitely read a lot of the stuff in Truck News/Truck West. It lets me know where things are going and what to expect over the next little while,” said Ken George who drives for MacKinnon Transport. George has been driving for 40 years and says he sees big differences in the industry now. George says his wife doesn’t tend to keep up on the industry by reading, however.

“I have always tried to leave my job in the truck when I go home each day,” said George. “I like to have my work life and my home life as two separate things.”

MacKinnon driver Earle Campbell’s wife has always kept up with trucking issues and is interested in knowing what’s going on with her husband’s industry.

“She probably knows more than I do about the industry,” laughs Campbell. “She likes to read so she reads about the trucking industry and tries to keep up on everything.”

“I know I’ve often picked up Truck News/Truck West when I’m waiting around; there’s always lots of good information in there. I think it’s a great idea to include something more geared towards truckers’ wives. I often see them reading the magazine too,” said Rae Mast, who has 44 years of accident-free driving with MacKinnon Transport.

Gerald Billing, a driver with MacKinnon, who is also an OTA Road Knight, usually drives a border run but when he can pick up Truck News/Truck West, he does.”My family usually tries to keep up with everything, they are always interested in what I’m doing and what’s going on with my job,” said Billing. “Including something a little more geared towards the wives of truckers is a good idea. It would be interesting to read about what it’s like to be a truck driver’s wife.”