satisfy your mind

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Dust off your travel clothes, kiss the spouse and kids goodbye and get set to spend some mind-enriching time outside the office. If you’re a truck fleet manager, September is full of events worth your time. In fact, in the 13 years I’ve been covering this industry, I can’t recall a month so full of worthwhile events. I know how difficult it can be to escape the office these days but the events I’m about to mention are worth even the mountain of work you can likely expect when you get back.

First on my list is Truck World, Canada’s largest and only national trucking show. Set to take place September 26-28 at the National Trade Centre (CNE Grounds) in Toronto, this is by far the most comprehensive showcase of key industry suppliers and professionals under one roof. We’ve been giving this show a lot of ink in recent issues because we not only like what it has to offer, we believe in what it stands for: a show for the industry, owned and operated by the industry. Profits from the show won’t go towards fattening the corporate wallets of a distant trade show company, they will be used to directly benefit our industry through the Canadian Trucking Alliance, which organizes the event.

That’s a good enough reason on its own to support the show, but that’s not why I think it a must-attend event. Over the course of the year, I have been fortunate enough to be involved in the planning of some of the events surrounding the show, and I can tell you show organizer Barbara Cole and her staff have been working full out to make this a first-class production. I’ve been to my share of Canadian, American and hey even a Japanese truck show, and I’m extremely impressed with the package of events and educational opportunities that have been built into this show.

A good example of the CTA’s diligent work is the launch of the National Truck Maintenance & Technology Conference on the first two days of the show. Barbara Cole and Technical Advisor Rolf VanderZwaag brought together many of the industry’s leading truck technology experts to put together a program of topics and demonstrations that really matter to fleet maintenance managers, technicians and mechanics. Headlining the event is Kelly Walker, a highly respected fleet maintenance expert who has developed and teaches a university-level masters course in fleet maintenance and shop management. He will deliver a series of seminars on what it means to run a world-class shop.

Truck World and the National Truck Maintenance & Technology Conference is sandwiched between another national event that deserves your support: National Trucking Week, which takes place September 22-29 coast to coast. Let’s face it, public image building has not traditionally been one of the industry’s strongest suits. Use the event to create the positive public image the industry deserves. Call your provincial trucking association or the Canadian Trucking Alliance for help in coming up with creative ways to celebrate the event.

Just before Truck World is an event I will be adding to my list for the first time this year: the Annual Conference on Transportation Innovation and Cost Savings (which, although new to me, is actually celebrating its 16th year.) The event takes place September 24 at the Bank of Montreal Institute for Learning in Toronto. This is a high-level event with the likes of Paul Ragan, President of Burnham Logistics, Sandra Scott, Advocate, Roadway Express, Peter Marshall, Vice President, Canadian National Railway, Marcel Pouliot, Vice President, Trimac, Doug Munro, President, Maritime-Ontario and Darshan Kailly, President and CEO, Canadian Freightways, headlining the list of speakers and moderators.

One more event before you can go home: The Council of Logistics Management’s Annual Conference. Scheduled for September 29-October 2nd in San Franscisco, California, this event has been drawing increasing attention from truck fleet managers in recent years and for good reason: With 39 different logistics and transportation related educational tracks over its three days it’s the most highly regarded educational experience of its kind on the continent.

Hope to see you at all these events.

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Truck News is Canada's leading trucking newspaper - news and information for trucking companies, owner/operators, truck drivers and logistics professionals working in the Canadian trucking industry.


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