News
IN PRINT — Gold Star: Western Star turns 50
TORONTO, ON -- Western Star Trucks is now 50 years old, an iconic brand in Canada, if a little less so in the U.S. That difference isn't surprising because the truck was born here when White Motor Company built a plant in Kelowna, B.C., and launched what was called the White Western Star. A tough truck, it was essentially hand-built, and if you wanted holes in the frame here as opposed to there, you had only to ask. Its initial target was the forestry world. A logging truck par excellence, as it remains, it also found favor in the oil patch and in mines.
IN PRINT — Tanks a Lot: Leave some tanker spec’ing to experts
TORONTO, ON -- There used to be good money in the liquid bulk business. The required equipment is so specialized that it presented somewhat of a barrier to entry into the market. That's still the case, but there are more players in the game now, and competition is keeping rates at near-1980s levels. Fleets, both private and for-hire, are now trying to make up for the low rates by optimizing their trailer spec's to increase utilization and carrying capacity.
Temporary fix to avoid ACI penalties
OTTAWA, ON -- Trucks that arrive at the Canada-U.S. border without Advanced Commercial Information (ACI) will for a 90-day period be allowed to turn around without incurring Administrative Monetary Penalties (AMPS), Canada Border Services Agency has announced. eManifest requirements have been mandatory for highway carriers since January 11, 2016, and carriers still have to transmit cargo and conveyance data electronically before arriving at the border. It's good news for the Canadian Trucking Alliance. The group has recently been citing recurring delays and system outages, and for several months been working with the agency to solve issues surrounding the AMPS linked to ACI reporting requirements.
Study says link between weather and crashes not what you think
TORONTO, ON -- Quick: Do more accidents happen in lousy or good weather? According to a research study led by Sunnybrook Hospital physician and epidemiologist Dr. Donald Redelmeier, it's actually the bright, sunny days that put us at all at greater risk of getting into a crash.
