Clawing Canadians

Dear editor,

Regarding your trucknews.com story, ‘Eastern lobster may encounter delays at the border’, this is just another in a long line of protectionist responses by the American government.

Under George Bush’s administration we can expect more. I’ve always said that there is no such thing as free trade.

John Otto

From e-mail

Great show… once we got in

Dear editor,

I attended the 2002 Truck Show at the National Trade Centre in Toronto on Sept. 28 and must say I quite enjoyed it. I do have a beef however. There was a huge delay in getting in as everyone was required to line up and have a badge, complete with bar code, printed up.

This process took exactly one hour, and there were many ugly rumblings from those around me. This badge appears to have served no useful purpose whatsoever. What about that old concept for next time, buy a ticket and get in? Works for me.

E.W. (Rick) Baird

From e-mail

Nab them before they hit the road

Dear editor,

Safety blitz’s are a great thing to keep unsafe rigs off the road but it would make more sense and be safer for everyone involved if the enforcement agencies went to individual trucking companies establishments and checked out the trucks before they go out to the road.

Safety stickers are just that – a sticker and nothing more. A driver needs a paycheck so most of them let things slide. Me, if the truck doesn’t meet my standards the company fixes it or I go home. I personally do not think a driver should take a truck out unless it is 99 per cent fit. If he/she does he /she is just as guilty as the company he/she works for and should not be driving in the first place.

I’ve been driving for 19 years first as a cowboy driver not caring about anything just roaring up the payment, to the last decade caring about the image of us semi pro’s trying to make a small impact of good for us safety-conscientious drivers.

Back to my first thought, if the inspectors checked out the licenced trucks in the yard ‘randomly’ – more random for frequent violators – and check out the drivers more closely there would not be half the problems there are and us semi pros probably would get paid better than we are now.

Frank Szeder Jr.

From e-mail

No excuse for insurance hikes

Dear editor,

I recently read an article in your Sept. 2002 issue on the MTO. I found it very informative and felt what a great way to make a point – put it in writing.

I have owned a 1997 Western Star and a 1997 Timmins log trailer since 1998, and since Aug. 2001, my insurance rates have increased dramatically – 100 per cent in one year and 40 per cent the following year. I am the same risk now that I was when I first started out. I have not received much of an explanation other than I am high risk now – all of a sudden. They also tell me that the Sept. 11 attacks contribute as well, however my 100 per cent increase was before Sept. 11.

I am not the only one that is experiencing this and we (truck owners) are chosen at random. Any O/O knows that high insurance rates like this will put them out of business eventually. Therefore, put it in writing and together we can let the insurance companies know something needs to be done.

Mike Saunders

Tilden Lake, Ont.