News
SPECIAL REPORT: The early days of mandatory training
TORONTO, ON -- Darryl Robitaille belongs to a rare graduating class, one of the first future truck drivers to study under Ontario's new Mandatory Entry-Level Training (MELT) regime. That means he had to complete at least 103.5 hours of approved training before the Ontario Ministry of Transportation would allow him to take the road test for an AZ licence to drive tractor-trailers. He failed on the first attempt. "The road test I did fine on," says the resident of Caledonia, Ontario, referring to actions like steering and backing. His challenge was with new questions linked to pre-trip inspections. "I was extremely nervous," Robitaille adds. This despite the fact that he personally completed a 200-hour training program, well above the mandated minimum introduced on July 1. But with a little extra studying he passed the test on his second attempt. Now he is looking to secure his first job behind the wheel. Robitaille can take comfort in knowing he wasn't alone.
For self-driving tech, weather is snow easy job
NASHVILLE, TN - Trucking is rolling into the future, and the trucks may be getting there all by themselves. Autonomous trucking was the topic of the moment this week at the 2017 In.Sight user conference and expo in Nashville, with panelists disagreeing on what is possible and in what timeline. Development of autonomous technology still faces a lot of obstacles including, one panel noted, snowbanks.
Border Barriers: A trucking wish list for NAFTA
OTTAWA, ON -- So it begins. The North American Free Trade Agreement that governs every load of freight crossing the Canada-U.S. border is now formally being renegotiated. In the midst of talk about tariffs and taxes, however, regulators are also looking for ways to streamline the crossings themselves.
