OOIDA blasts PQ Minister for reneging on speed limiters; promises to sue

GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. - Quebec's Transport Minister Julie Boulet has backed out of a promise to hold off on mandatory speed limiters until other Canadian jurisdictions jump on board the bandwagon, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) is complaining.

Good going for column, Brian

KINGSTON, Ont. -- Today's Trucking's safety columnist Brian Botham has won a prestigious award and he has been recognized as one of the best driver-safety experts in the country.

Answers sought in freak Toronto truck tragedy

TORONTO -- Police still don't know what caused steel and copper-loaded trailer to fly off an overpass, killing the driver in a passenger car below, but they don't think there was anything mechanically wrong with the equipment.

Winter weight watching underway in Sask

REGINA -- While some highways won't be affected by the Winter Weight Season until Dec. 1, other regions of Saskatchewan will be observing new weights this weekend.

Brake blitz nabs more OOS truck than last year

WASHINGTON -- A slightly higher rate of out-of-service brake problems on North American highways was reported by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance and its on-road enforcement partners in the U.S. and Canada.

Road crash victims remembered

OTTAWA -- November has long been a month of remembrance and this year will mark the first time a day has been set aside nationally for the memory of road crash victims.

Ontario speed limiter law on the books; Jan. 1 start date

QUEEN'S PARK, Ont. -- It's official. The Ontario government has published rules requiring all commercial trucks operating in the province, regardless of where the vehicle is base-plated, to set engine speeds no higher than 105 km/h or 65 mph.

Manitoba to dial up cell phone ban for drivers

WINNIPEG -- It's becoming an increasing trend across Canada and it seems Manitoba will be the next province to crackdown on cell phone use by the motoring public.

Hijacked truckers released unharmed

TORONTO -- A team of armed thieves hijacked a tractor-trailer, took the driver and his partner on a three-hour joyride in a van, blindfolded, and then finally released the pair, unharmed, in a mall parking lot at the other end of Toronto.

Getting kids into trucks

TORONTO -- Trucking is more than driving. It's logistics; computer science, psychology, high finance and finally, it can be fun and quite lucrative, too.

How’s your sex drive? Truck school has the answer

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Maybe they're inspired by the can-do spirit of their governor and media star Sarah Palin, or maybe they're just fed up with the cold and want to hop in a cab and drive anywhere, as long as it's south.

FMCSA introduces new medical rules

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration published a final rule changing how driver medical qualifications are handled, tying them to the commercial driver's license.

Alberta gets driver input for future rest areas

RED DEER, Alta. -- Alberta Transportation has some ideas for an improved network of rest areas in the province, but wanted to run it passed some truckers first.

ROLL STABILITY

Haldex Trailer Roll Stability System adds diagnostics and communication tools

Vanport owner-ops stirring the port again

VANCOUVER -- Independent can haulers at the Port of Vancouver staged a noisy protest yesterday, indicating that more labor unrest in the Lower Mainland is a possibility.