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FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK
BY JOHN WHITE
By the time you read this, we may have a new Prime Minister, which would be a fantastic way to kick off 2025. I never voted for Trudeau or his father, and I believe his refusal to leave has done considerable, if not irreparable, damage to his party and other Liberal politicians. Nevertheless, the current government has introduced a couple of overdue policies. Expanding dental insurance to seniors and children under 18 from low-income families is a meaningful step forward. However, credit is due to the NDP pushing these measures through by leveraging their threat to topple the Liberal government. (No, I didn’t vote for the NDP either.)
This next section may make you think I voted Green, but I didn’t vote for them either.
Janus Electric, an Australian company, made headlines a while ago with its innovative battery exchange system for heavy trucks. Battery-powered highway trucks have traditionally been limited by their range between charges. Janus Electric has effectively eliminated that limitation with its exchangeable battery system, revolutionizing electric heavy trucking.
The company has installed nine Electric Charge & Change Stations along the 915-kilometer Sydney-to-Brisbane route. With this system, a truck’s battery can be swapped out in just four minutes, allowing vehicles to quickly get back on the road. These batteries are recharged using renewable energy sources like solar and wind.
Operating a diesel rig on this route typically costs around $875 CAD. By comparison, Janus Electric’s battery system costs between $470 and $490 CAD.
Another key advantage is the affordability of fleet conversion. Janus can retrofit existing rigs with electric motors, significantly reducing the need for new vehicle purchases. This approach cuts capital costs by up to 70% compared to buying entirely new electric trucks.
Converting a diesel engine to a Janus electric motor is comparable to the cost of rebuilding an existing diesel engine. Additionally, electrification offers up to a 60% reduction in maintenance and operating expenses over the truck’s lifetime. The removal of diesel engines, transmissions and differentials also eliminates vibration, noise, and harmful fumes, creating a safer and more comfortable environment for drivers. Electric motors eliminate the need for oil changes, filters, and fuel systems, while reduced heat extends the lifespan of brakes and tires.
What makes Janus’s battery technology particularly groundbreaking is its adaptability. Fleet owners aren’t locked into a specific type of battery cell technology. The current battery cells have a lifespan of up to eight years, and as advancements in battery technology emerge, they can be seamlessly integrated into the existing system.
Before I close, I would like to make one wish (okay, a rant) for the Transportation Industry as a whole, and that is for the Transportation Industry to be regulated solely by the Federal Government.
Our constitution requires that the federal government regulate international and inter-provincial transportation, and provincial governments regulate transport within their borders. This is one of the country’s most significant waste of taxpayer dollars. It causes duplicate administrative structures that increase costs without improving efficiency or safety. It leads to inconsistent standards between provinces and hugely unnecessary administrative costs for trucking companies. The thousands of hours clocked by public servants in developing individual and highly inefficient MELT programs alone is a good example of exorbitant waste by our provincial governments. At the very least, our politicians should remove their collective heads from their butts and work to standardize regulations.
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RIG OF THE MONTH by John White
I was born and raised in the small town of Fox Creek, Alberta, which is about 240km northwest of Edmonton. It is known for its logging and oilfield work. As a kid, we snowmobiled, hunted, fished, rode bikes, pretty much anything outdoors. It’s a great place to get lost in the wilderness:
As a kid (7-8), I would go to work with my dad, who was a construction foreman and my very first mentor. This was my introduction to all types of construction equipment, pretty much anything with tires or tracks. I would ride around with my dad and eventually earned the opportunity to try it for myself. As I got older, my summer jobs included being around a lot of trucks and equipment where I would watch and learn. Eventually, I learned how to operate the equipment and drive the trucks.
At 18, I was offered a job swamping on picker trucks and bed
trucks, moving service and drilling rigs for Babco Oilfield Hauling, but the thought of becoming a driver hadn’t crossed my mind yet. After spending two years with the company, the manager encouraged me to go for my Class One. I ended up doing my class one road test with another guy in a tandem- tandem Kenworth C500 picker truck because the tester only visited the town once a month, and that was the only truck the company who arranged the test had in the yard. We both passed the test and took that truck to work that same afternoon. I eventually left that company because the opportunity to be in my own truck
by: David Benjakschek www.wowtrucks.com
wasn’t there. However, the manager, Jordan Werzun, is still a mentor to me to this day.
As a swamper, I got to experience a lot of tasks that would to this day be frowned upon, like riding in the rig dolly to steer it down the road (off-road, of course). Before I got my license, I got a lot of off-road practice “two-trucking” the derrick (one truck pushing, one pulling on each end of the drilling rig derrick), moving them hundreds of kilometres through the bush and spending a lot of time in the yard on my own time, learning how all the trucks worked and practicing
Bradley George
Pictures
backing up.
I started work at Total Oilfield in my very own truck at 21. It was a 1996 Kenworth T800 day cab Texas bed winch truck moving oilfield rentals and equipment. At 23, I had the opportunity to move from Fox Creek to the big city of Edmonton. I started working for Hamptons Oilfield Services, where I drove a 2005 Kenworth C500 tandem-tandem, 400” bed truck moving drilling rigs and construction equipment. This was seasonal so when breakup came, we would find other jobs. I got a job as a garbage truck driver in Edmonton. This wasn’t really for me, and I preferred to stick to oilfieldrelated jobs. I ended up staying with Hamptons for four years. I met my partner, Shelley, there, but due to the company downsizing, I switched to an oilfield hotshot service. Shelley’s dad, Sandy (whom I had originally known from working at Hamptons), owns a heavy-duty repair shop called Sandys Heavy Truck Repair, and he had the opportunity to buy a truck if I could keep it busy. A 2002 Peterbilt 378 winch tractor with a c15 6nz 475 cat with an 18-speed transmission and 46k rears with a 30 Braden mechanic winch (old school, everyone runs hydraulic now, and I still get comments about my mechanical winch). This was my first foray into becoming an owner-operator, and we were business partners for six years.
Sandy has taught me everything I know about fixing trucks and has been my biggest mentor since putting me in that truck. The truck belongs to me now, but it wouldn’t have been possible without him. He’s taught me everything from brake jobs to rebuilding my engine. Any owner will tell you that there is always something to fix. I am proud to be able to fix those things myself. With the rising costs of the industry, the more I can fix myself, the more I save on repair bills.
I’ve been lucky not to have been
involved in too many incidents, but one that comes to mind was during the first winter that I had my license, working for Total. We were heading to a job site, and I was following the picker truck in my truck. It was quite icy; the road conditions were poor. I was pretty green, and neither of us had tire chains on. We were climbing a hill, and the picker lost traction and had to stop. I was too close for my own good and had to stop. I jumped out to put tire chains on while the driver of the picker truck was doing the same. It didn’t happen in time, and the picker truck started to slide down the hill. All I could do was watch, tire chains in hand, as the picker truck took out my truck, and they both went sliding down the hill. No one was hurt, but it was an expensive error and a real hit to my pride.
I got pulled into the scales once, and my paperwork was a mess. I got it all together, and everyone knows that feeling as you walk into the scale house waiting for the inevitable. The officer looked at me and said, your bunk door is open. Have a nice night. If only you could be that lucky every time.
I may not have spent any time up on the ice roads, but I’ve seen my share of icy roads. I remember a
trip I made headed out, and the roads were good and dry. The next thing I knew, jackknifed Super B’s were on a hill, and I was putting all my drive chains on, including both steer chains. I needed chains on my feet just to stand on the highway. Another time, I came upon a workmate stuck on a hill blocking the highway, and I used my big oilfield bumper to push him up the hill and clear the highway. A lot of off-road experience comes with a lot of mud. Being on location in the mud with ruts up to your neck and spending eight-plus hours in the wash bay to get the truck clean.
Being in remote locations gives you the opportunity to see some pretty great wildlife. I’ve seen caribou, moose, and wolves, two of which were wrestling in the middle of the road as I turned a corner. There were also grizzly bears and mountain goats. It also brings some wild weather. Some things just can’t wait, and if there’s a blizzard and you can’t see three feet in front of you, that’s too bad. It can be wild out there, from the beautiful northern lights of the Yukon and North West Territory to the thunder and lightning shows in Saskatchewan.
I’ve always been into shiny and litup trucks, but once I started running
as an owner-operator, I really started to get more into the polish and lights scene. I had been to a few truck shows as a spectator, but in 2019, I registered my faded old oilfield truck to my firstever truck show as a participant. That weekend, I received an award. I was the guy whose truck had potential but wasn’t quite there. I was awarded a gift card for polish supplies.
The winter of 2019 hit, and so did COVID. I worked the whole winter in Slave Lake in northern Alberta, living out of my 36” flat top sleeper with little to no amenities. With the
were starting to lift, I received a call from Tina at Lesco. Leduc Kinsmen Club hosts a walk-through lights display at the Leduc West Antique Society with over 2 million lights. This organization wanted some alllit-up trucks to come out and hang out, and they wanted me to get some buddies together and do it. The wheels started turning. Why not make this a toy drive? So, through Lesco, we collected some toys for Santa’s helper in Leduc and food for the food bank, gathered 15 well-lit trucks and winged it. Down the highway, we went with trucks and trailers. We
world ending and the economy dying, it gave me all kinds of time to put my polishing supplies to the test. For most of that summer, I spent time upgrading the lights and practicing my metal paint restoration skills.
The 2020 Lesco Proshow truck show was a participant-only event due to the restrictions from covid. This was the first year it was held at the Leduc West Antique Society, which is an absolute wonderland for a truck nut. It’s filled with all kinds of antique trucks, farm and heavy equipment, along with private collections like a Rolls Royce museum and thousands of die-cast collectables. That year, I became a huge part of the truck show scene, becoming a volunteer and organizing the parking of what is now up to 200 units.
In the winter of 2020, as restrictions
didn’t know what to expect, but the trucks were a big hit, and they asked us to come back the following year. In the second year of our “convoy,” we asked if we could officially stage the event at Blackjacks Roadhouse in Nisku. The owner of Blackjacks, Clarence Shields, really stepped up to help us out. He knew who to talk to to take our convoy of Christmas trucks right through town. With his help, we were able to get permits and help from the city and the county to take us right through Leduc and out to Leduc West. That year we had over 60 trucks and a ton of donations. It was amazing what it had turned into in just a year’s time.
In our third year, the group of friends I had made through the truck show community, and I decided we needed something to set us apart. To show that we wanted to take our event to another level. We named the event
The Leduc Country Christmas Convoy and purchased “The Command Centre”—a 1998 Stoughton 28’ van trailer. With the crazy idea set in motion and the ability to modify it to our every whim, we went to work. We sandblasted and painted it, installed over 350 lights inside and out and polished everything we could. But how would we fill it? We decided to reach out to friends we’d worked with to see if they would be interested in sponsoring our event. Sponsorship included advertising their name on the side of our trailer. We started with five sponsors, which has grown to over 15. Since we started with the Command Centre, we have raised over $90,000 in toys, food, and pet supplies. This is thanks to so many supporters of the County Christmas Convoy.
I’ve been in many industry sectors, including gravel, fluid, hauling animal feed and bales, and flat deck work but the hands-on oilfield work is what I really enjoy. Moving equipment, rig moves, and all the things that take you away from home. I relax at home when I’m not trucking or fixing or adding things to my truck. I have two big dogs, Nova, the ten-year-old pitbull mix, and Peter, the two-year-old retriever mix, and I have a big yard to mow. I like getting out on the North Saskatchewan River for kayak and camping adventures and snowmobiling in the winter. I have two younger brothers, Kyle and Brett, and I have just become an uncle. A couple of years from now, I will be teaching him everything I know (sorry Delainey).
I’ve enjoyed the last 25 years of being a trucker. I’ve learned from the old boys of the industry and try to pass on the knowledge where I can to keep the industry alive. I would never take back the experience or the opportunities that have come my way, even with some of my bad decisions. I don’t plan on hanging the keys up any time soon. And I’m always up for a fuel island chat.
Letters to the Editor
Hi John,
Pro-Trucker Driver’sChoiceMagazine
Great editorial in the November/December mag. Well written to drive home a point without offending half the world. I love your point around kids. I’ve attached one of my favorite all time photos of my daughter Mia. For her 6th birthday we had a photo shoot party with her kindergarten friends which is the perfect illustration of what you mention. If I told you their names you could probably link to the name to kid very easily (Parvinder, Blessing, Brittany, Choi and of course Mia) but not once did she refer to any of them as “My Pakistani Friend or my African friend or my Asian Friend” they were just Pavinder and Blessing and Brittany and Choi - the way life should be.
David Benjatschek Wowtrucks.com
Calgary Alberta
Editor’s note: Thank you David. It was something that had to be said and I thought that Christmas was a good time to do it. You have always been so good at capturing the moment. This picture of Mia and her friends is wonderful. Children are not born with prejudice, it is something that is learned.
John,
Thank you for your comments about the prejudice we find all
around us concerning immigrants although I wonder if it will get through to some of the idiots on the road. I have been driving for 45 years and no longer use my radio because of all the crap you hear on it. We are all out here busting our cans trying to make a living and make it home safe to our families. We don’t need to listen to holier than thou cowboys who think they are impressing everyone with their tough talk B.S.
Don’t use my name as I don’t need the hassle. Two more years to go.
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Looking into my truck or reading my article from a few months back may make you think I am somewhat of a packrat. The cabinets and cubbyholes are full of things I need or may need on the road or in an emergency. It’s well organized and definitely full, so I thought… apparently, there was room for a different kind of rodent!
Let me preface the story by saying I did not grow up on a farm. I did not grow up in close proximity to mice. In almost 30 years of trucking, I have never had any of them hitch a ride in one of my trucks – until now. As I’ve said, I keep a clean truck. I vacuum daily, take out the garbage, and don’t leave food or snacks inside when I park it on my days off.
About a month ago, I parked my truck to be off for the weekend and drove the 2 hours to see my folks. I left it parked by the fence for a mere 18 hours when my phone rang with an “emergency” call that a customer needed a load taken to Tumbler Ridge. Normally, my weekends off are sacred, but this was one of our best customers, and we had no one else around who could do it. So I ripped back to Edmonton, sparked up my trusty steed and headed over to grab the load. To put it mildly, I was in a hurry. It was 4 pm Friday, and I needed to be home by Saturday evening to help finish smoking the bird for a family gettogether Sunday afternoon.
It wasn’t until I got to Valleyview that I noticed I wasn’t alone. I grabbed the roll of paper towels I kept behind my passenger seat to wipe the mirrors while fueling up and noticed it had been chewed on! I turned on the sleeper lights and saw bits of it led
back to the bunk area. If you’re my age, you may remember the cartoons of the big elephants jumping up onto something high to get away from the little mouse. Well, that gives you a bit of a visual. I’m 6’3”, 220ish pounds, and not much makes me jump, but for some reason, little fury vermin do!
I hadn’t seen the little culprit (or culprits) yet, but I knew they were there, which made my skin crawl! What if he scurried up my pant leg while I was hurtling down the highway at 110? No dashcam in the world would exonerate me after I crashed when I said a mouse ran up my leg!
“Ok, Greg, calm yourself down...” I said to myself, “It’s just a little furry creature trying to get in from the cold, and he’s probably already gone.”
I opened the door to return my gloves to their rightful place in the bunk door and noticed one of the winter gloves had also been nibbled! I repeated my mantra, steadied myself and devised an eviction plan.
At first, it was pulling things out by hand and setting them on the fenders. Then I got to thinking about the scurrying, the possibility of something running up my arm, and me possibly running around the Petro-Pass parking lot like the devil was chasing me. Ok, it is time for a new plan: I’ll use the fifth-wheel puller to remove the item from under the bunk and propel it to the ground for inspection and possible disposal. If the security cameras were monitored there, I would surely be on the internet and will be part of some hilarious meme soon. Once an item was on the ground, I would poke and prod around it with the fifth-wheel puller. I found inventive ways to get
By Greg Evasiuk
Greg is a 3rd generation trucker with over 1 million miles and 22 years in trucking.
the few things that showed signs of contamination into the garbage bin.
When I think back, I have to laugh at the absurdity of how I reacted, but I don’t regret dealing with the issue right then. While I found the beginnings of a nest, no actual rodents were seen. I went through every cabinet in the truck, moved everything outside and then cleaned and disinfected it all on the spot! Before putting everything back in, I used almost half a bottle of peppermint essential oil, sprinkling drops on surfaces throughout the truck. The last part may sound the craziest, but a little research will show that it is one of the most effective ways to keep mice out.
When my wife first told me about the peppermint, I scoffed at the idea, thinking she said it to make me feel better. It turns out she was right; there are no repeat offenders! So, I would like to express my gratitude to the mouse or mice. First, it made me clean areas of my truck I didn’t know needed cleaning. Second, for reminding me that we all are capable of irrational fears and behaviours. I would also like to thank my wife for advising me on essential oils and for not calling in my man card after hearing my hysterics on the phone! Speaking of which, if that is recorded anywhere, I am definitely going to be famous on the internet or Facebook for the wrong reasons!
Stay safe and keep moving all winter long.
Always Stay Alert:
Slow down, add space between vehicles and always think a step or two ahead.
Be Prepared:
Have a fully stocked safety kit and warm clothes in the event you need to get out of your vehicle.
2nd Annual Metro Vancouver Transportation Night Another Huge Success
Surrey, BC – The 2nd Annual Metro Vancouver Transportation Night (MVTN) took place on November 14, 2024, at the Aria Banquet and Convention Centre, impressing guests from near and far. More than 230 attendees, all from the trucking industry, were welcomed by a piano reception, played by Hitesh Malhotra, a local musician. Guests then took the opportunity to enjoy appetizers, have some cocktails and mingle with other industry professionals before the event began.
In the few past years, the transportation industry struggled to regain its momentum, as shown by low sales and load volumes. However, since
spring of this year, there has been a positive outlook, making the theme for 2024 – “Let’s Rebuild Trucking” – an appropriate one. The guest speakers, from across North America, shared insights and views on how to rebuild the trucking industry. In addition, many shared specific ways to grow your business, whether local, national, or North American.
MVTN 2024 guest speaker list was nothing short of spectacular, including Dave Earle, President, BC Trucking Association; Paul Adams, CEO, RoadEx; Jason Scultety, Senior Key Account Manager, BC Hydro; Aaron Lindsay, President, NAL Insurance; Simon Ze, Assistant VP, Cansure;
Salman Ahmad, President, FuelTrace; and Amit Bhardwaj, Partner, Golden Express Trucking.
All guest speakers captured the audience’s attention, as many wanted to learn of new ways to improve their fleets and/or businesses. Following the presentations, many company owners connected with guest speakers to gain more insights.
MVTN 2024 also saw the launch of scholarships and awards. Two grade 12 students, Jiya Bhardwaj and Deepnoor Gill, each received scholarships in the amount of $1500 towards postsecondary education. Rajdeep Brar of Highway King Transport Ltd. was the
recipient of the prestigious Driver of the Year Award, sponsored and presented by LoadLink Technologies. Harsimar Singh of Triple Eight Transport Inc. received the prestigious Employee of the Year Award, sponsored and presented by JGK Media Group.
“Providing scholarships is a great way of supporting students in their educational goals,” said Sepehr Saebnia, President of Cool Heat Truck Parts.
“We have always believed that we need to support the coming generations and providing this scholarship is our way of doing that,” echoed Bobby Saini of JGK Media Group.
“It is important to recognize exceptional drivers, and we are honoured to present this award to Rajdeep Brar,” said Claudia Milicevic, President of LoadLink Technologies. “It was an incredible night, and we look forward to more opportunities to support our industry.”
“Harsimar Singh is an example of a model employee who is always working to improve himself and his company and that’s why he was award the Employee of the Year Award,” said Tony Singh of the APNA Truck Show.
Following the event, organizers received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback. Some comments include:
Dmitriy Zarossilenko: Thank you so much for the incredible event last night. We had such a great time, and you truly made it so special!
Clint Huntington: Thank you to all the folks at JGK Media for putting together an incredible and informative evening.
Larry James Hall: We had a very good time and connected a few folks we’d not met before. Very informative and well delivered meeting.
JGK Media Group would like to extend its heartfelt appreciation to all the sponsors, guest speakers and attendees. In addition, thank you to the Canadian Trucking Association and the Port Transportation Association for organizing this year’s MVTN. This year’s event was, like last year, sold out and organizers are optimistic that the 2025 event will be even bigger, with more components.
About JGK Media Group
JGK Media Inc. is a leading media company based in British Columbia that has helped companies meet their marketing and communication goals since 2008. Serving across North America, JGK Media Inc. prides itself in bringing various industries together through print, digital, and face-to-face platforms.
For more information, visit www. jgkmedia.ca or contact Jag Dhatt at jag@jgkmedia.ca.
• $300 0 sign on b onus
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• Stable company in business since 1954
Safe driving record • Mechanically sound tractor • Cross bo rde r ca pa bilit y • Cu s to m e r se r v ice focu s
Dave Madill
Sadly Dave Madill passed on May 1st of this year. He will always be fondly remembered and missed.
Memories and Echoes
What brings on these words and causes me to write
Why do dreams and memories chase me thru the night
Tales of fact and fancy and senseless little rhymes
Why do they run thru my head and lodge in the crevices of my mind
Places I have never seen and times of long ago
Seem to drive my hand to write as the north wind drives the snow
Castles out of fantasy and legends I have heard
Come alive within my mind and somehow become my words
Echoes dance and whisper and tell secrets from the past
Do they seek the written word to make the memories last I know not what brings the words or what tales they may bring
Still I pause and listen and hear the echoes ring.
An open letter
An open letter, and letter document that I’ll be mailing this week to a few MP’s.
The Honourable, Mr. Dan Albas, P.C., M.P.
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario Canada
K1A 0A6
There is an old saying, “The guilty run, even when they’re not chased,”
I have owned or used firearms for most of my life. Growing up in rural British Columbia, our family lived on a farm and our father taught us about firearms safety from the time we were old enough to walk. We learned to respect others and to offer a hand when someone was in need. Our family raised its own food by having cattle, chickens, pigs and a very large vegetable garden. We supplemented our food storage during hunting season. We harvested moose, deer, and grouse. Firearms went hand in hand with being a responsible person. I completed my firearms and Conservation Outdoor Recreation and Education (CORE) course with ease when I was 13, as I was already well versed in the rules and regulations of using firearms and hunting. The course also taught us how to respect the land and every living thing on it.
As a 12-year-old boy, in the Royal Canadian Army Cadet program, we used the FNC1 7.62mm and Lee Enfield 303 rifles. The FNC1 has been a prohibited firearm in Canada since the late 70’s. Yet we were young boys schooled in how to care and control
the firearm. We shot those prohibited rifles a few times every year without incident.
There were always firearms in our home.
Nearly 4 decades ago I signed the dotted line and made the choice to serve Canada as an infantry soldier with The Royal Canadian Regiment. I served just short of 10 years, and in that time, with extensive firearms training, I became extremely proficient with many small and large caliber firearms. That training kept me alive, during the very dangerous peackeeping mission in the former Yugoslavia, specifically during the Siege of Sarajevo in 1992. We were using firearms to control a population that was out of control and committing genocide. We were entrusted with that. We were trusted implicitly.
Following my tenure, I was honourably discharged from the Canadian Armed Forces and moved into civilian life. From a young age, through life as a soldier, to today as a sport shooting enthusiast, I have never been charged, or found guilty of any firearms violations, firearms crimes, or crimes in general. As a Canadian holding a valid Restricted Firearms Aquisition License (RPAL) my name is run through the firearms database every single day. As is every law-abiding firearms owner. My firearms ownership is incumbent upon me to be a law-abiding citizen, which I am.
By Scott Casey
Scott, our Rig of The Month for May 2003 has written “Ghostkeepers” a book about his years as a gun toting truck driver while serving as a Canadian Peacekeeper in the former Yugoslavia.
Since 2020, through its actions of fear mongering, misinformation, and capitalizing on tragedy, the Canadian Government, has with extreme prejudice, vilified me. They have overtly stripped me of my honour as a citizen and as a retired soldier.
They have vilified me and thousands upon thousands of Canadians with absolutely zero regard for our honour and loyalty to our nation. They have stripped us of our property rights based on illegitimate information and are in the process of implementing forced confiscation upon us without due process.
I am a tax paying loyal Canadian citizen who’s only wish is for fair and just treatment. Not just for me but for all Canadians. Please repeal Bill C21 and any subsequent firearms bans relating to the current gun bill. It is a futile waste of taxpayer money, resources, and time.
I’m asking you, my Member of Parliament, to represent my honour and integrity, my right to own property, and my overall rights as a citizen of Canada.
Sincerely,
Scott Casey
There Is No Substitute For Experience
On one trip while working for Imperial Roadways, I picked up an empty reefer trailer in the yard and took it to Winnipeg Cold Storage (I remember it being under the Salter Street Bridge). The bridge was built over a railroad switching yard, and the loading docks for the warehouse were built into the bridge’s abutment. When you backed into the dock, it was so cramped that the tractor was still parked across the first set of railroad tracks. They normally locked off that set of tracks during the day so that truck traffic could load, but I soon found out this wasn’t the case that day.
On this particular day, I backed into the dock as normal and went inside. They loaded me right away, so I signed the bills and went out to pull ahead so I could shut the doors. Another truck and trailer was getting loaded on my right-hand side, and three trailers were parked to my left. As I climbed into the Chevy, I noticed a locomotive slowly coming down the track on my right side. I could see that the engineer was talking to a worker who was walking beside the engine. I looked twice because the engine was on the same track that I was parked on, and it looked like he was going to hit the truck beside me. I thought for
a second that I could jump out, but I wasn’t sure I could jump clear of the wreck. I thought quickly and froze!
The engine slowly hit the truck beside me and then began squashing my rig between the tractor and the trailers on my left. Then suddenly, everything stopped, and it was really quiet. The doors on my truck were jammed shut, but the window was down, so I just stood up, climbed onto the seat and climbed out of the left window. I went onto the dock and called the Imperial Roadways office. I told them that I was hit by a train while I was being loaded. He thought I was kidding and asked, “Have you been drinking lately?” I said no and explained that it really did happen, so he told me to stay where I was and that he would send an accident investigator from our insurance company. The investigator came and took the paperwork, but he was confused when he discovered that the locomotion engineer didn’t have a driver’s license. He didn’t know that you don’t need one to operate a train. They asked me if I was okay, and I told them that I felt fine. Then I went to the yard, got in my car and went
By Glen Millard
Glen “The Duck” was born in Saskatchewan. He has driven trucks for 50 years, mostly long hauling. He’s now retired, that is until another adventure comes along.
home. I went to bed that night and slept right through the night, but when I woke up in the morning, I felt like I had been hit by a train!
After investigating, they concluded that somebody must have left the lock off the switch, and the engineer was inexperienced and distracted while talking to the fellow walking beside the engine.
This is one of the reasons why I believe in graduated licenses, not just for truckers but for anyone who has control of a vehicle or piece of machinery. A person needs seat time, not theory. Learning about smaller equipment and loads is better until they can handle traffic and focus on their surroundings and their equipment. Then, once they have proved themselves, move up slowly. This is not what is done today. No experience, too much power, and no seat time equal accidents like those at Humboldt and Cereal, Alberta.
Variation Law
If you change lines (supermarket or traffic lanes), the one you were in will always move faster than the one you are in now (works every time).
Law of Random Numbers
If you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal and someone always answers.
Advice is FreeNot Taking it Can Be Costly
Isaw a post on my Canadian Facebook friend Cynthia Tobin’s page. It said new Kenworth line haul trucks would only be available with automatic transmission, and heavy-duty vehicles with manual transmission would be capped at 10% of production. Many of the Volvos I saw when I was in Canada were autos, and Freightliner and Peterbilt will also have a big percentage. I don’t know why they’re making those kinds of restrictions. In a few years, it sounds like the only trucks you will find on Canadian roads will be trucks with automatic transmissions.
When I retired, my company had only bought automatic transmission trucks for about five years before that. But that was their choice, and I don’t think there was any restriction on the number of trucks with manual transmission like Kenworth is doing.
In the transition period before the fleet went automatic, there were still some manual trucks in the yard, and there was a bit of competition between dayshift drivers to get a manual gearbox truck. Those drivers felt the same as me. When driving a truck with a manual transmission, you focus on shifting through the gears cleanly and always being in the right gear for the road conditions. In general, you feel more in control. But as a night shift driver, I had to take what I was given.
Big companies probably bought
automatic transmission trucks because they were easier to drive, and there was less chance of inexperienced drivers wrecking a clutch, especially if they were bringing in agency drivers to cover holidays. I remember one company I worked for brought in an agency driver to cover a night shift. He was given one of the old ERFs. I don’t know what he’d been doing all night, but the stink of roasted clutch took days to clear.
By Colin Black
Colin Black lives in Bellshill, Lanarkshire, Scotland and has been driving truck for over 40 years. His story shows us once again that the problems drivers face are universal.
Then another company brought in an agency driver when it was busy coming up to Christmas, and they needed an extra night trunk trailer. The young man who walked in the door looked like an extra from a Western movie. He was dressed as a gunslinger with a long leather coat down to his ankles. His truck and trailer were already hooked up out in the yard and backed onto a dock, getting loaded. He got the keys and went out to check his truck. When he returned, he asked the usual night shift driver to tell him how the gearbox worked. Okay, sometimes the diagram of the shift pattern is missing or unreadable. After the usual driver explained the gearbox, he asked if he knew where he was going, “Oh, you don’t need to worry about me. I’ve been up and down that highway plenty of times.”
But, as our young man discovered,
the main highway isn’t the problem. It’s when you come off onto the narrow, unlit back roads. Because he wouldn’t listen to the experienced driver, he got lost on those narrow back roads, tried to turn the truck in a farmer’s field, and got bogged down. After the recovery truck had dragged him out, wrecking the tail lift on the trailer in the process, he eventually got unloaded and reloaded for home, hopefully learning a lesson.
I did agency work for a short time when I was in between jobs. At the time, there were very few agencies in my hometown of Glasgow. The agency wages were well above the normal hourly rate company drivers were getting, but they were not fulltime. I finally got a full-time job with one of the companies I had spared for. I had driven trucks with various gearboxes, Eaton, Fuller Road ranger, and I’d come up from driving small trucks to class one trucks. Some of the young agency drivers give you the impression they’ve just passed their test, which they probably have. But then, we’ve all got to learn, hopefully not making too many big mistakes on the way.
Law of Close Encounters
The probability of meeting someone you know increases dramatically when you are with someone with whom you don’t want to be seen.
