NAFTA deal still in question

TORONTO, ON – The future of NAFTA remains uncertain as negotiators prepare for their latest round of meetings, this time in Montreal. Months into discussions, nobody even knows if U.S. President Donald Trump will decide to outright scrap the deal that governs every load of cross-border freight. With about 10 million trucks crossing between Canada and the U.S. each year, there is plenty of business at stake. A recent survey by Export Development Canada even found that 26% of exporters would shift their business to the U.S. if the agreement was revoked outright. Trade between the U.S. and Canada tripled between 1986 and 2017, Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association executive director Ruth Snowden observed, during a January 17 seminar hosted by the Fernandes Hearn law firm in Toronto. “If [NAFTA] goes, it could be very significant.”

Year closes with record-breaking freight volumes

TORONTO, ON – Canadian freight volumes closed out 2017 in record-breaking fashion reports TransCore Link Logistics. The company says Canadian and cross-border freight volumes saw unprecedented growth in the last quarter of the year. Volumes were up by 51% year-over-year, and 9% compared to the previous quarter.

New transportation Minister in Ontario

TORONTO, ON -  Ontario is getting a new Minister of Transportation. In a cabinet shuffle happening today, Premier Kathleen Wynne is moving Minister Steven Del Duca from the transportation portfolio to Economic Development, and has tapped Minister Kathryn McGarry to replace him.

CTA concerned about carbon pricing scheme

OTTAWA, Ont. – The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) has expressed concerns about a national carbon pricing system, which could give U.S.-based carriers a competitive advantage over those from Canada. The…

Deadline for Top Fleet Employers application fast approaching

OTTAWA, Ont.  – There’s just two weeks left to apply for a spot in Trucking HR Canada’s 5th annual list of Top Fleet Employers, which recognizes fleets that offer the…

CITT to host webinar on how to compete with Amazon

TORONTO, Ont. — CITT is hosting a webinar next week to educate those in the trucking industry on how they can compete with Amazon. The webinar is scheduled for January…

Women in Trucking rolls out new online community

PLOVER, Wisc.  – The Women In Trucking Association (WIT) announced today the launch of its new member-only online community platform, Engage. This new platform encourages mentoring, community, and education by…

Cyberjacked! — Trucks vulnerable to cyber threats

It's Tuesday afternoon, a little after 2 pm. You're the operations manager of a major truckload carrier. The morning rush is over, all the drivers and customers are happy, and now you're gearing up for the onslaught of late-afternoon messages from customers wondering where their trucks are and drivers alerting you that they can't load 'til tomorrow. Typical day. Then a driver calls on his mobile phone. "My engine has just shut down and I'm sitting deader than a doornail in the center lane of Highway 401 between Dufferin and Keele Street," he says.

Ontario funding vehicle charging stations

TORONTO, ON – Ontario has unveiled a new Workplace Electric Vehicle Charging Incentive Program to help those that want to install charging stations -- but not for commercial vehicles.

Context: Understanding electric trucks

Electric trucks seem to be all the rage today, just as natural gas was to be the industry's salvation just a few years back. There's not much excitement in natural gas today, though it remains a viable alternative fuel. Electric trucks, on the other hand, are just beginning their climb to prominence. Interest in electric trucks peaked in November with the world's first look at Tesla's Electric Semi. Whether Tesla can carry the torch for battery-powered heavy trucks remains to be seen, but Elon Musk isn't only player in the market. Transpower's electric Class 8 tractor uses a conventional drivetrain, but with a 400-horsepower electric motor. It has a range of up to 160 kilometers at full load. I drove a fully electric plug-in Transpower USA Class 8 tractor back in 2015. That truck had been in field tests at the port of Long Beach, California, for two years prior to that. The company made headlines recently announcing a partnership with Meritor that will make its technology commercially available in the spring of this year.

Do you know Canada’s top driver or O/O?

TORONTO, ON – The search is on for Today’s Trucking’s 2018 Highway Star of the Year – the honor reserved for Canada’s top driver or owner-operator. Nominations are now open for the award, which will be presented during the Truck World trade show that runs April 19-21 in Toronto. And there’s more than bragging rights at stake with more than $15,000 in cash and prizes.

PMTC’s Young Leaders Group to host educational seminar in February

MILTON, Ont. — The Young Leaders Group (YLG) of the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada (PMTC) is hosting an educational seminar next month. Scheduled from 8 a.m – 11:45…

Trailer orders hit all-time high in December: FTR

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Net trailer orders reached an all-time high of 47,000 units in December, according to preliminary data from FTR. December’s order intake was 10% above November levels and…

Daseke names new president

ADDISON, TX – Daseke -- North America’s largest flatbed and specialized transportation carrier -- has appointed Chief Financial Officer Scott Wheeler as its new president. He also remains Chief Financial Officer and assumes the role from founder Don Daseke, who continues to serve as Chief Executive Officer and chairman.

Do you have one of Canada’s biggest fleets?

TORONTO, ON – Today’s Trucking is compiling its annual list of the Top 100 – Canada’s largest for-hire carriers. And given the ever-changing size of individual businesses, we want to ensure nobody is missed.