Fast Forward: An inside look at the future of trucking

Avatar photo
@LouSmyrlis

 

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — What will the future of trucking look like? Come hear industry experts discuss the need for new recruitment and retention strategies for transportation professionals, and the imminent adoption of breakthrough technologies and new transportation strategies.

Participate in the discussion as the experts debate how these changes will reshape the face of the Canadian trucking industry, bringing forth new leaders, requiring new skill sets and transforming the shipper-carrier dynamic.

This event is being sponsored by Mobil Delvac with the support of M-O Freightworks, Fleet Executive Magazine and CITT Toronto Area Council.

The speakers confirmed so far for this event are;

Jonathan Wahba, Chief Operating Officer, Kriska
Elias Demangos, President, Fortigo Freight
Al Goodhall, Professional Driver
Guy Broderick, Driver Trainer, APPS Transport
Angela Splinter, Executive Director, Trucking HR Canada
Chris Iveson, Director of Maintenance, Challenger Motor Freight

The event will be moderated by editorial director Lou Smyrlis and his team of supply chain journalists.

WHEN:
September 24th, 2015

WHERE:
1 Maritime-Ontario Blvd. Brampton, Ontario L6S 6G4

TIME:
6:00 to 7:00 pm Networking and Buffet Dinner;
7:00 to 8:30 pm Speakers Forum moderated by Lou Smyrlis

COST:
$50.00 CCLP Designates and Students, and CSCMP members
(CITT is pleased to welcome CSCMP members at the preferred rate)
$65.00 All others.

REGISTRATION:
http://goo.gl/forms/wXRv6Mo3ba

Avatar photo

With more than 25 years of experience reporting on transportation issues, Lou is one of the more recognizable personalities in the industry. An award-winning writer well known for his insightful writing and meticulous market analysis, he is a leading authority on industry trends and statistics.


Have your say


This is a moderated forum. Comments will no longer be published unless they are accompanied by a first and last name and a verifiable email address. (Today's Trucking will not publish or share the email address.) Profane language and content deemed to be libelous, racist, or threatening in nature will not be published under any circumstances.

*

  • Trucking as we know it is on its last legs; it’s a dinosaur that will quickly become extinct in the next 10-15 years; unless some radical changes take effect. By then, that vast majority of drivers will be at retirement age or well beyond – as in my case – I’m 63 now and ready to say “hasta la vista”. Don’t get me wrong, I still like the company I’m leased on with as well as the job, but I can’t stand the industry, its absurd HOS rules, it’s asinine restrictive regulations, the increasing unreasonable demands placed on aging drivers such as myself, the flat/static pay-scale/rates that don’t compensate drivers like they did 25-35 years ago; which incidentally, attracted me to the industry, as well as regular home time.
    Company execs, management and dispatchers refuse to acknowledge the new demographic and paradigm shift that’s taking place right before their eyes; read my editorial in the May issue of Today’s Trucking titled Snow Truckers; otherwise, they’d be taking more concerted and corrective action than the insipid, if not inept response that’s currently taking place.
    Sadly, I see the ultimate intervention of government, their interference, control and re-regulation to move the essential goods of life across both countries. As urban/city centres grow exponentially with the mass influx of immigrants, population growth and demand on strained services, the government; in order to avoid unrest, destabilization, and panic stockpiling will have to take control of much of the industry, establish special rapid training truck driving schools and delegate certain segments of the population (perhaps conscripting new drivers or utilizing the military) with a guaranteed establish pay structure to ensure new recruits and candidates remain.
    As for the delusional ‘pipe dream’ of autonomous trucks remedying the crisis; get real! Extensive safety testing will still be required over the next 15-20 years by most industry projections. Even so, the trucks will still need/attended to by trained drivers to ‘stand by’ like a train engineer or planes co-pilot; always ready to take manual control if circumstances warrant. Once the truck has to leave the designated GPS ‘grid’, a human driver will still be needed to commandeer and shuttle the trailers into warehouse docks, onto container trains or facilities, make deliveries to local stores and shopping centres, etc.
    And then there’s the spectre of a possible catastrophic accident. Even if it’s not the fault of a system failure, the opinion and reluctance of the general driving public to allow the continuation of autonomous trucks sharing their highway will be greatly strained. With a human driver behind the wheel, at least they have someone to blame, not so with an unidentifiable nebulous system, not readily understood by the average ‘Joe or Josey.’
    My son is a commercial pilot; ask him how many passengers would panic and promptly exit the plane if they found out it was fully autonomous with no pilot or first officer in the cockpit. If the autopilot system failed; at least with two pilots your chances are better because they too have a vested interest in staying alive; a singularly purposed machine doesn’t!