Sties: no crying matter

I recently had a driver come into my clinic complaining of pain in his upper eyelid. During the examination I noticed a small red lump on the inside of his eyelid.

Claiming immunity

How do you stay well? Think about how many germ-covered surfaces you touch each day. What dirty hand last touched the steering wheel in your rig; the truck stop bathroom door; the money with which you paid for your meal; the pen you used to...

Six steps to address the challenges spotted in CSA warning letters

Now that CSA data is being used to measure fleets and drivers who travel US highways, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is preparing to deliver the first 50,000 warning letters to those who are already approaching (or passing) a...

Ontario Transport Minister takes a wrong turn

A couple of years ago I was getting fuel at the Shell station in Ignace on Hwy. 11 in northern Ontario, when I watched a pick-up truck towing a fifth-wheel trailer wipe out in the middle of town. The driver was doing about 50 km/h, I'd guess,...

The lost weekend

On the August long weekend, I watched countless hours of CNN reporting on the US debt crisis and the rest of the time reading former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's new autobiography. I don't know why. I know I wasn't on the golf course,...

Road hogs

CALGARY, Alta. - There are road hogs, and there are roads that carry hogs. And before long, roads that carry hogs will require the use of a new tracking and reporting system to help ensure the health of the nation's meat supply.

Watching your weight

HALIFAX, N.S. - Log truck owner/operator Richard Countway has earned a bit of a reputation among the enforcements folks in Nova Scotia. He's got the uncanny ability to load to the precise maximum gross vehicle weight allowed without going so...

Heavy metal classics

DARTMOUTH, N.S. - Classic Freight Systems, a 25-truck self-described "boutique" fleet out of Dartmouth, N.S. is a little like an ambitious university student who has moved out from their parents' place and sees nothing but opportunity in the...

The Good Shepherd

The truck stop outside of Winnipeg was busy for a Thursday afternoon with all kinds of people taking time out from their cross-country treks to eat, grab a coffee, or otherwise take a break from the endless miles of road that stretched out in...

What keeps you coming back to the Fergus Truck Show?

FERGUS, Ont. - One of the hottest truck shows of the season, the Fergus Truck Show, was back at the Fergus Fairgrounds July 22-24, coming on the tail of some of the hottest weather in the province's history.

Truck News August 2011

Click here to download the August 2011 Truck News Digital Edition…

Singing for a cure

STIRLING, Ont. - Anne Finley still remembers when the song first began to take shape in her head. She was tarping a load last October just two weeks before her participation in the Ontario West version of the Convoy for a Cure when the lyrics...

Why dogs make the best travelling companions

I wasn't planning to write about this subject this month, but circumstances have warranted a short out-of-route detour.I have just spent a sleepless night beside my eight-year-old mutt Monty, whose constant whimpering signaled, unmistakably,...

Melting in the heat

All winter and spring, I have been hearing from carrier executives about the need to get aggressive on rates. Carrier executives were looking to a confluence of events - an improving economy, higher freight volumes and tighter capacity - to...

California trailer requirements put the squeeze on O/Os

SACRAMENTO, Cal. – A few thousand dollars is a lot or a little, depending on how much money you've got in the bank. Just ask Ryan King, a Saskatoon-based owner/operator who won't be running in and out of California anymore due to the fact...