Pro-Trucker Driver's Choice Mar-Apr 2020 ( Find Your Trucking Job) by Creative Minds

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF John White: john@ptmag.ca

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK BY JOHN WHITE I put a call through the other day to our writer Scott Casey. Scott is a 2nd generation trucker, 10-year Military Veteran, and the president of Military Minds. Military Minds is a 100% volunteer, non-profit group that lends support to military personnel and first responders that suffer from PTSD. Scott’s unit was the first Canadian UN Peace Keeping unit with boots on the ground during the Bosnian war. One of his jobs was driving a truck hauling food and medicine through blockades into the city during the siege of Sarajevo. Shot at many times, he and his unit witnessed many terrible atrocities inflicted on military and civilians alike. Since returning home, he has lost many from his unit to suicide due to PTSD. Fast forward to today. Scott said he received a voice message from someone who claimed to be his boss, Don Lindsay, the CEO of Tech Industries. The message asked him to call the office by 5pm that day (Friday) or on the weekend using a personal cell phone number. It was after 5pm when Scott got the message, and he says his first thought was that he had stirred up enough sh#t at work that the chickens had finally come home to roost. Then he thought that since he was known to make the odd prank phone call himself that he was probably just being set up. He poured a cup of coffee, and after running his fingers through his imaginary hair (We use the same barber), he made the call. A man answered, and sure enough, it was Mr. Lindsay who told him about Tech Industries’ world-wide Excellence Awards Program. He went on to say that this was the part of his job he loved - telling someone they had been chosen as a recipient. Scott says he was still waiting for the prank part of the call to make its entrance when it finally sank in. Mr. Lindsay told him he had been nominated more than once for the company, ‘Unsung Hero Award’ and would be joining 29 other recipients of the other awards in Tokyo for the 2020 Summer Olympics. Out of over 1000 nominations out of 10,700 employees from around the world, only 30 were selected for awards. I have personally witnessed the incredible amount of work that Scott has done working behind the scenes with Military Minds. Avoiding the spotlight and among many other things, Scott spends a tremendous amount of time organizing and then using his holidays each year riding in the rolling barrage. The rolling barrage is a 15-day fundraising Motorcycle ride that starts in the East (Halifax last year) and ends on Vancouver Island. Stopping at fundraisers each night along the way and welcoming riders who come and go. Knowing his dedication and compassion for his fellow man, I could not agree more with the decision to give him the Unsung Hero Award. Congratulations Scott, it is well deserved, and we are all very proud of you.

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RIG OF THE MONTH by Mike Boisvenue

ur March/April Rig of the Month is Mike Boisvenue from Carleton Place, Ontario. I first met Mike at Alberta Big Rig Weekend in 2018, where his beautiful Western Star took home the 2nd place trophy for Truck Trailer Combination. His new truck looks like it will be a contender at truck shows also. This is Mike’s story. I was born in Winchester, a small town east of Ottawa in September of 1978. I spent most of my life growing up in a couple eastern Ontario towns known as Bourget and Alexandria. I basically took an interest in trucking at my first breath. Like many other drivers today, I guess you can say it was in my blood. My father has been in a truck, either a tractor-trailer or a snowplow, since the day I was born. I’m pretty sure it’s safe to say that he’s the reason I’m driving truck today. When I was young, I spent many days sitting in the jump seat of his trucks. From running around in a little green Ford Louisville for Gerry Lavigne in Ottawa to a Mack Cruiseliner for

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O’Leary’s Construction to a snowplow for the township of Lochiel. One day when I was a kid, he brought home an old White with a 30-something foot dump trailer to go load some firewood. Once we dumped the wood in our driveway, it was time to bring the old Road Boss and trailer back to Ottawa. There was a storm coming with lots of lightning, and it was pretty scary, so he looked at me and said not to worry because we’re in the safest place to be with all the tires. Funny how we seem to remember the simplest little things. I also remember as a kid growing up in Bourget, my dad’s friends who worked for Maurice Yelle in Ottawa, would drive by the house on the weekends and pick me up and take me for a ride to a pit and then drop me off on the way back. I used to love seeing those big blue R models coming down the road. I also got to run around with my Uncle a few times in his single axle S-line International delivering freight around town. He and my dad taught me pretty much everything I know about trucking. MARCH / APRIL 2020

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I turned 19 in September of 97 and started driving a truck basically the same day. Ya ya, I know, just a young pup, haha. Things weren’t much different to get your license at that time. I spent a day at the St Lawrence College in Cornwall for my air brake endorsement course then booked a road test for my D license (class 3), and that was it. I ended up getting a job at a plastics moulding company in town and got to whip around in their 5-ton truck a few days a week. Their weapon of choice was a GMC Topkick with a Cat motor mated to a 6-speed manual. Not exactly something I’d wanna run the Rockies with, but it did the job.

I’ve worked in a few places, trying out different gigs to see what I would like. I’ve done the van and reefer thing, flatbed, walking floor, containers, double drop and multiaxle floats. I really enjoyed the heavy equipment. I’ve also had the pleasure to drive some pretty cool stuff. Most of my career has been spent behind the wheel of a Peterbilt, including some pretty fancy ones owned by Phil Langevin. Hell, I even got to steer and gear one of the nicest Western Stars on the road today for Phil. That would be his blue one with the stainless bunk. That thing is one of the highlights of my career.

Soon after that, I wanted to drive full-time, and a gentleman by the name of Bill Blais, owner at the time of Group Xpress in Alexandria, decided to give this young lad a chance. He hired me to drive a 5-ton Mack cabover with a 24’ box on it. Little did I know that these little Macks had a different shift pattern in them. Let’s just say there may have been a few grinds and a whole lot of cussing that first morning. If that wasn’t bad enough, I ended up crushing my hand in a freight elevator in Orleans on my first day on the job. Yup, I said my first day. Not exactly how I wanted to start, but hey, it was a lesson learned.

The equipment wasn’t the only thing that topped my list of highlights. For example, loads and their destinations. I once had a load of totes that were 3/4 filled going from Ottawa to Lewiston Idaho. My boss told me to take US Hwy 12 from just south of Missoula Mt to somewhere around Lewiston. Me being a rookie said sure! I mean, coming off the 401 and having experienced “Wooler Hill” in Trenton, what could possibly go wrong, right? For those of you who were lucky enough to run that road, you know what I’m talking about. Let’s just say I learned how to drive all over again that day in the middle of winter.

I hauled LTL for Bill, from Alexandria to Ottawa, until I figured it was time for me to get my A license. Bill lent me a truck and trailer to pass my road test, and when I got back to the yard as a newly licensed king of the road, he threw a set of keys at me, told me where to pick up my trailer and where it was going. That is where it all started.

Another prime example of what this fabulous industry has in store for you every now and then is this. Back in 08, I was hauling heavy equipment for a small Sherbrooke QC based company. I was on my way down empty to a little place called Richlands Va to pick up a crane headed to Edmonton. I had a relatively new Pete 388 with a 550 Cummins. And for the first time ever, I left my brain in the bunk that morning and decided to use the built-in GPS to find my customer. Well, hell. Needless to say, I ended up in places I shouldn’t have been. The people in the trailer park were real friendly as they were waving while I was driving through with my 3 axle float, tandem jeep and single axle booster. Not quite the

Bill was a Mack guy so my first truck was a 1984 R model Mack. It had a 350 Mack engine and a 5x4 transmission. Well now...does someone wanna tell me why there’s 2 sticks sticking outta the floor? That poor truck. I’m sure it cussed me as much, if not more than I cussed it over the first day or two. But I tell you what, I ended up loving that truck. I got to haul around a 48’ walking floor trailer hauling sawdust around to regional farms. I eventually fell into a new CH model hauling wood mouldings for Alexandria moulding to Home Depots in the Pittsburgh area. It was a great job, but I wanted more. I ended up buying my first truck at the age of 21. I bought a 97 Freightliner Classic that had a 500 Detroit with an 18 speed and 3.55 rears on tall rubber. I put that truck on with Laidlaw on the tandem van division. Back then, we still had the 48’ spread axle vans. I always liked the looks of them. After a while there, and the purchase of another truck, which was a 95 Mack CH, I decided to go back as a company driver. I found myself working for a couple small reefer outfits running California and everywhere in between. I told my dad that I’d retire after I had been to all 48 states. Well, that took 7 years, but here I am some 20+ years later still doing it today. MARCH / APRIL 2020

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trailer they were used to seeing, I guess. You know you’re gonna have a bad day when the narrow road you’re driving on turns into 2 tracks in a grassy lane. That also led to a few cuss words. With the help of a resident and a bit of luck, we were able to get me back on the right track and straight to my customer. I never followed a GPS since. They’re the devil’s spawn. I’ve been to some interesting places and met some real interesting people along the way. One that will remain clear in my mind till my last breath was a pilot vehicle operator that I had on a load from Houston to Quebec City. My oh my... We pulled into the Petro in West Memphis, TN, on a Saturday evening and had to wait till Monday morning as I wasn’t allowed to run in Tennessee on a Sunday. I had a fully dressed Volvo 460 excavator on the deck, and my pilot driver had followed me since I left Houston. That Petro used to have a booth in between the entrance and exit lanes. Well, along comes Monday morning, and it was time to leave. I told my pilot car that I had to get out via the entrance to make the corner, so I asked him to go out and stop traffic, so I didn’t meet trucks trying to come in as I’m going out. He said ok, then told me I was clear for the corner. As I was coming out, he told me I was clear for the next corner. Well, hold on there hoss, I’m just making my way out of the parking lot. Then he tells me it is clear for the next corner. I wasn’t sure at that point what he was talking about but then realized that I was on the street alone, without my pilot car. I then heard him on the radio, saying that I was clear to take the granny lane. It turned out that my pilot car decided that he was gonna follow another oversize load onto the highway instead of me. Not cool. What was even worse was that he was following a wooden crate, and it wasn’t even a wide load, it was just tall! Now, although my fat and wide excavator has a striking resemblance to a tall skinny wooden crate (sarcasm…), wouldn’t you kinda notice the difference between them? I haven’t been around for 100 years, but in my opinion, that’s kinda like comparing hippos to giraffes. So, after getting a hold of Ray Charles on the phone, he

kindly turned around and made his way back and followed me up to the Bluewater bridge without another episode of the 3 blind mice. And again, with interesting people, I’ve been to quite a few truck shows in the past. I’ve met some of the coolest people I know at some of these shows. One of my favourite shows is the one in Clifford, Ontario. It’s more of a gathering of legends than anything else. A couple hundred of the coolest rides around, some unfortunate golf carts and stories by the hundreds. Pure class. The Truck N Roll show in Bedford QC is also one of my favourites. It’s for a great cause, created by great people and filled with cool rides. I’ve met a bunch of awesome people there. The Pro-Trucker Magazine show in Nisku AB was also a good show where I met a lot of people from the west. Some good times and better memories from all these places. Thinking of some of these shows puts a smile on my face. Lots of laughs with good people. But speaking of laughs, every once in awhile, you get a laugh at someone else’s expense. This one time, when I was a broker for Laidlaw, I had a load of cases of oil going to a distribution centre in Philadelphia. I was crossing in Buffalo, and once I got to the customs booth, I knew just by the look on the customs officer’s face that this wasn’t gonna be pleasant. After he asked for all my paperwork, my ID and made me regret pretty much every decision I made in life, he asked me to pull ahead and open my doors. I said it was sealed, so he told me to break it. Ok then. It was just an aluminum seal, so I grabbed my pin puller from under the bunk. He didn’t seem to like the looks of my pin puller when I pulled it out from my boot box as he kinda put his hand on his right side near his weapon. I said relax, it’s just a pin puller, not an AK -47. Anywho, I broke the seal and opened a door for him. He put his hands on the floor of the trailer like he wanted to climb in. The floor was filthy, and when he looked at his now black hands, he kinda let out a grunt which can only be described as a sasquatch giving birth. Needless to say, he wasn’t inviting me to his kid’s birthday party. He told me to close my door, gave me my dirty paperwork and told me he didn’t wanna see me cross there anymore for 3 months. It broke my heart. I may have had a chuckle at that later on. With just over 20 years on the road, I’ve met my share of cops, DOT and customs officers also. For the most part, they were good, some were ok, and there was definitely the odd bad one. Like for example, we’ve all heard the age-old joke about the guy who gets pulled over for speeding and says his wife left him for a trooper, and he thought they were bringing her back. Ya, well, that doesn’t work in Michigan. Then there are the DOT officers in Arizona that make you wanna come home and slap your mama for giving birth to you. Oh, and don’t forget the fun haters in Quebec! I could tell you a lot about them, but John said to keep it under 50

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pages. Although, like with any profession, there are good and bad. Unfortunately, the bad ones get all the press, and the good ones end up getting tarnished with the same brush. You can only hope that, when you get called into the scale, the last driver they called in was not a jerk. In the last 20 years or so, it’s been pretty exciting. Many miles travelled, many people met, many things have been seen, and many tickets were given, but most of all, I had a lot of fun. From weekends laid over in Vegas to spending 3 days in a snowstorm at the T/A in Ft Bridger Wyoming to getting lost in Providence Rhode Island. Would I change a thing? Absolutely not. My past experiences are the reasons I’m where I’m at today. The only thing I wish I could change is I wish I would’ve brought my dad with me on trips a little more. I lost my dad to cancer in Sept of 2016. He was 71. He always loved the fact that I was driving. He was old school to the fullest. One day, on my way home from work, sitting in a farmyard, was an old 74 Dodge tandem dump truck from a company that he had worked for. I took a few pictures and when I showed them to him, he teared up because it was his old truck. It still had the company decal and unit number on it. He even pointed out the aftermarket battery gauge that he and a friend installed in the truck when it was new. The company had bought 14 of these Dodges, and 2 of them had Cat diesels with the rest being gas engines. My dad had one with a Cat. Some day I’d like to buy that truck and restore it in his memory. MARCH / APRIL 2020

I’m currently working for P.A. Langevin Transport out of Carleton Place ON. I started there in the spring of 09, then quit for a little bit to do local work but ended up back there a while later, and I have been there ever since. I pull a tridem reefer from Montreal to Alberta twice a month and I enjoy what I do. I work for great people, and there are an awesome bunch of guys here as well. Except for Kole, we’re not too sure about him yet - lol. I bought this truck in February of last year from my good friend Dave. Hopefully now because I called him a good friend, he’ll buy me lunch next week. The truck is a 2007 Kenworth W900L. It has a 530 Cummins ISX with an 18 speed sitting on 280” wheelbase with 3.70 rears. I’ve always wanted a W9L with a studio sleeper, and when Dave offered it to me, I couldn’t say no. Phil and his wife Francie, owners of P.A. Langevin Transport, were a big help in getting me going. All in all, I must say it’s been a great two decades. But I’ve also noticed that things have changed dramatically since the day I started grinding a set of sticks in an old Mack. It’s not what it used to be. It seems like there are way more accidents and way more rules and regulations. Times are changing, I guess. So here’s hoping that they change a little more, making the roads a little safer for everyone and so I can enjoy another 20 years.

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Letters to the Editor Hi John, Congratulations on the new magazine, it looks terrific. Now I won’t have to send my Pro-Trucker to my brother in Ontario. He actually picked one up of his own before I got mine. It is good that you and Driver’s Choice are together as that is where I got my last job. Keep up the good work. See you at the truck show in Nisku. Tommy Delorme Saskatchewan Editors note: Thanks Tom, I’m happy to hear that you got your last job through Driver’s Choice. With the merger of our two magazines, we now have more job postings than any other Canadian Trucking Magazine. On top of that, you can download the free app on the cover and have access to all the job postings and our online electronic magazine on your cell phone, laptop or tablet. The online magazine can also be accessed at www. pro-truckermagazine.com or www.driverschoice.ca

cker azine Pro-Tru Choice Mag s Driver’

I am glad to hear you will make it to Alberta Big Rig Weekend this year. If I remember right it is your turn to buy. Hello John, When you skipped your regular December issue, rumours were flying all over. Everything from the magazine was shutting down to you selling it. Glad to hear you are still going strong. I have just about every issue of Pro-Trucker, and although I don’t always agree with everything, the thing that I have always liked is how you have always supported better training and putting our kids to work before importing drivers. I hope it will not take another Humboldt before we have a government with enough balls to make this a Red Seal Name withheld by request. Editor’s note: My comments about putting our kids to work before foreign drivers was not a slam against drivers from other countries. We are importing drivers from all over the world, and for the most part, they are good drivers. The ability to drive has nothing to do with where you are from. It is the training that counts. Is there anyone out there that has not run into a Canadian born driver that should not be behind the wheel? I rest my case. My point is that with a Red Seal certification, Canadian kids would have another choice in the line of certified trades when they get out of school. It would weed out those not qualified and help alleviate the driver shortage problem. Every driver recruiter that I have talked to has been behind the idea 100% because it would give them as much of a guarantee as possible that they would be hiring a competent driver. There is also a great benefit for companies in the form of reduced insurance costs. Concerning agreeing with everything I write. I have a good friend, and we do not often agree when it comes to politics. One day I said that I did agree with some of the things that he said and he replied with one of the best lines that I have heard in quite a while, he said, “Well, if we agreed on everything, then one of us would not be needed.” The whole point is to get people talking and hopefully getting the government to listen. With that in mind, I had a great phone call from a fellow who made some excellent points on trucking that we both agreed on. I promised to include it in the magazine if he sent me an email. I have not received it along with many others that were ‘going to be sent’ over the years. There are many people out there who have excellent points to make, but unless those points reach other people, you’re revving your engine, but just spinning your wheels.

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TESTED TO PERFORM. GUARANTEED. If it says Howes on the label, you know it was meticulously engineered before enduring a battery of extreme tests to guarantee performance. This winter, stock up on the most trusted anti-gel and fuel conditioner: Howes Diesel Treat.

PREVENTS DIESEL FUEL FROM GELLING ADDS LUBRICITY PREVENTS DEPOSITS REMOVES WATER

ROBERT HOWES II Chief Testing Officer

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100 YEARS

OF BEING PREPARED With the New Year comes new challenges and lower temperatures. You don’t ever want to be caught unprepared. As winter takes root and temperatures tank, it’s important to know your fuel is ready to tackle the cold. Treating your fuel with a trustworthy anti-gel is the best way ensure you keep moving no matter where you’re headed. Choosing the right additive for the job could mean the difference between starting the best year ever and being stranded on the side of the road, stuck in the cold. For 100 years, Howes has been making the highest quality additives and lubricants to help keep you moving. Howes Diesel Treat has been proven effective by generations of over the road truckers. The market’s leading anti-gel, Diesel Treat is guaranteed to prevent gelling in even the harshest temperatures. It is also loaded with performance enhancing elements that complement its unbeatable anti-gelling abilities. Diesel Treat safely removes water, demulsifying it out of the fuel, allowing it to be removed by the water separator. This helps to prevent fuel filter icing which could lead to wax build up, the root of gelling issues. It contains a detergent that helps prevent harmful deposits from forming in your system. It lubricates your fuel, giving you more power and better fuel economy. Diesel Treat reduces cold filter plugging and helps protect your pumps and injectors. Best of all, Diesel Treat is absolutely alcohol-free. It contains no harmful solvents and is 100% petroleum based. That means it is safe to use in all diesel emission systems. With 100 years of experience under their belt, Howes is confident in every product they make. Tested for excellence and proven to perform, Howes products are backed by the strongest guarantees in the industry, so with Diesel Treat, you never have to worry about gelling. Howes guarantees, YOU go or WE pay the tow! When you’re looking for the best product to keep you prepared for everything winter has to throw at you, turn to Howes. Tested. Trusted. Guaranteed.

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Lawful Torture

THE DIESEL GYPSY By Bill Weatherstone This is an excerpt from Bills book, The

hen I was a young hellion (or so they told me) in public school, I was having a tough time with toothaches. In Toronto, the school system had a dentist on duty at Earl Grey public school for those who could not afford one. At that time, I was going to Bruce Public School about 10 blocks away. My dentist’s appointment time was always at 1:00 pm, and when finished, I was allowed to go directly home. Cutting off 2 ½ hours of class time, which, other than the pain, was my only incentive to go to that infamous torture chamber. The first session was a mind-killer. I was told to sit in the chair, lean back, open wide and hang on. The guy then picked up the drill (powered by small ropes and pulleys) and went directly to work on me. No pain killers of any kind, he just started drilling with chips and smoke flying out of my mouth. After I grabbed his hand and let out a blood-curdling yell, he stopped for a moment, and in a gruff browned off voice, told me that I could not feel it and then carried on. That was only a few years after the war, and looking back, I can only now assume that he was straight out of the army dentist corp where no experience was required.

Life and Times of William John Weatherstone."

I used to transfer from one streetcar to another and with a transfer in hand, would climb the stairs to his office. Approaching the reception desk, I passed a row of plain hard chairs along the wall with patients waiting for their turn. Asking what the charge would be, the lady answered $3 per tooth or 2 for $5. Extractions were their only service. The line moved along at an extremely fast pace, and my turn was only a few moments away. Ushered through a small door, I was set in one of three small cubicles. It was like a men’s washroom from the 1890s, with dark brown tongue and groove wood walls, only wide enough for the chair and a tank of medical gas. The dentist would step in, put the gas mask over your face for a few seconds, just enough to stun you, and then grab the tooth and pull it out. He would then move to the next stall and repeat the procedure. It seemed that using the gas was only to stun you enough that you could not fight back.

After several sessions with this butcher, I was glad to stay in class. The 2 ½ hours free time was not worth it, besides he damaged most of my teeth in the process.

One of the nurses would then guide you out to the back stairs leading to the exit. When you got to the bottom of the stairs, you found yourself in the back ally, spitting blood. I would then use my street car transfer and carry on without missing a beat.

My teeth were still in bad shape, so my only other option, when attacked with a toothache, was to get it pulled. In 1950 there was a specialist, Dr. Liggett, in Toronto who ran a tooth pulling enterprise. His office was on the second floor of a building on the corner of Broadview & Gerrard right across from the infamous Don Jail, where the local hangings took place, giving one the thought of, which would be the most painless?

Compared with today’s dentistry, I am sort of glad it is all behind me. With the super technology, x-rays, sonar scanners, form-fitting chairs, soft music plus 3 rooms of unknown gismos, it is now a painless experience - or so I’ve been told. It just leaves me to wonder if these new modern dentists have been trained in resuscitation. After receiving the bill for work done, I can only assume a heart attack would follow.

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Little Star By Dave Madill Dave Madill was Pro-Trucker Magazine’s Rig of the Month in June of 2001 and he has been entertaining us with his poetry ever since. Dave has published three books of poems that are available by special order through Chapters Book Stores.

ay back in the old days, we not only had a small trucking operation and a gravel pit, but we also had a farm. Now, Dad was always trying to make things easier by using machinery, but Grandpa, (Pop), had himself a team of four Clydesdales, and he was well known in the local community for these horses and the way he worked with them. When Pop plowed a field, every furrow looked like someone had put a gunsight on it and pulling a wagon, he could make those horses do everything but talk. The local fair was coming up in our town, and as usual, Pop was taking the team and wagon up for the parade and also for the horse and wagon competition, but we had a problem. Queenie had just had a foal, and he was only five days old when the fair rolled around, so he just had to go along with his mom and the rest of the team. Pop figured it would be no problem as I could lead little Star during the parade and hold him on the sidelines during the competition. We trucked the team and wagon to town, harnessed the team, and they were all brushed and shining like a new penny when we started out in the parade. Little Star was fine walking along beside Mom until some idiot decided to let

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off some firecrackers just as we passed him. The big team shied a little, but with Pop’s steady hand on the reins and his quiet voice, they were quickly under control - but not the little guy. He shied, jumped and tore the rope from my hands and then proceeded about fifty feet down the road where he caught up to the local high school band. Well, that didn’t suit him either, so he turned around and headed back and tucked in beside Mom close enough that they were almost one animal. Thinking quickly, I grabbed his rope and simply wrapped it into the harness of his Mom and stepped back. That was how they finished the rest of the parade, and it looked fine, but the little guy was really shaken. After the parade, the team was unharnessed and got a full day and nights rest in the fair barns while Pop worked on his harness before the big competition the next day. It was quite a show with all the local horse people out with their wagons and teams. Everyone else had Percherons or Belgians, and they were all magnificent animals, but Pop had Clydes. Now, these wagon competitions were quite a sight as you had to take your team through a set of pylons, down lanes, around corners and then back the wagon about twice its own length into a bay. Everything was going fine until about halfway around the course Queenie decided to give out a little neigh and Star took off into the ring. (I was preoccupied with a young lady). Well, Star sidled right up beside Queenie and followed her every move around the corners and through the gates, so I decided just to sit back and watch. Everything was great until the backing started. Horses, unlike cars and trucks, do not usually back up so this was new to Star, but I guess he figured if Mom could do it so could he and he matched her every move as Pop directed the team and wagon into the bay and then as a show-off slapped them on their backs with the reins and ran them off the field. Needless to say, Pop won the competition, but the local paper had a picture of little Star in it stealing the show. Trucks and trucking are all fine, but sometimes I like to look back to where our trade developed and the horses and men that led us. MARCH / APRIL 2020

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By Greg Evasiuk

Greg is a third generation trucker with over a million miles and 20 plus years in trucking.

n a recent online video, I talked about knowing what you want from life and your job. I also spoke about how much easier it is when you have a plan to achieve the things you want. As I sit here waiting for another load, I can’t help but think how arrogant that sounded. To state that having a plan is a sure-fire way to a better life, as to say, ‘and I know….’ is ignoring the most important part of the solution. One of my goals coming back into trucking is to maintain my health and eating habits at the same level as when I work an office job. Now in my defence, I hadn’t hauled over the road in Canada in about 5 years. Even then, I ran a pretty regular route that ended in the states, which has a ton of advantages. What I didn’t realize in my plan was the sad lack of accessibility truckers have to services now. Truck stops are few and far between, and the only restaurant options seem to be fast food. The shower facilities are hit and miss when it comes to cleanliness, and you can forget about finding parking anywhere near a gym. No doubt most of you are saying ya no sh%t Greg, but as I

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said, I hadn’t realized how bad it was. I don’t know where to start in lobbying to get this all fixed, so I’m starting with me. While the situation is bad, it’s not impossible, so I am working everyday to compile a list of places that have good services. There are often dogs in the jump seat, so I am testing out dog parks and places to get out and be active. In the all-important area of nutrition, I have started trying out new recipes that I can make ahead of time at home as well as some frozen meals available at the stores. (Not everyone has the time for prep cooking every trip). There really is no more important piece of equipment you have than your body, so it just makes sense to work hard to maintain it. It is the same hard work that’s necessary to achieve any goal. To make that easier, let’s share our successes in healthy living on the road. Let’s share the good truck stops that we have found, the restaurants that have a decent menu and truck parking, or the 15-minute workout routine you devised in your truck. Share them with us on our Facebook page, and we can help each other. MARCH / APRIL 2020

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Getting Started. I

n 1969 I moved from London, Ontario to Prince George, BC. Back in Ontario, I drove 5-ton furniture moving vans, and when I moved to Prince George, I was fortunate enough to get a job doing the same thing. One of the biggest differences that I found between driving in Ontario and driving in BC was the number of highways that were available to take you to and from a destination. There was really only one main highway through the province of BC at the time, while in Ontario, you had a choice of several different highways to get to the same destination. This allowed you to choose a different route

INTRODUCING... By Ross Evison Ross Evison is a retired driver who started his career in Ontario when he was 18 years old. After a year he moved to BC where his first trip was from Prince George to White Horse.

if there was a road closure. In BC, on the other hand, you could be left stranded for several hours and even days if there was a problem on the highway. Shortly after I arrived in Prince George, I was approached by a freight hauler who had a contract to haul culvert pipes for road construction. He asked if I would be interested in working for him driving to Whitehorse, Dawson Creek, Houston, Kitimat and Williams Lake. I had always wanted to drive a tractor-trailer, so I jumped The at theBear’s chance. View Constable Tim Schewe (Retired) The truck was a 1964 cab-over Mack with a 280 Cummins engine, 5 + 3 transmission with a 40-foot trailer. The truck didn’t have power steering, air conditioning

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Open 6:00 am to 7:30 pm Mon to Fri 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Saturdays

CANYON CABLE 1988 LTD. 930-6th Ave., Hope, BC 604-869-9036 Toll Free 1-800-588-8868 or power anything else for that matter. I guess the maintenance was too high for those extras back then, as was the initial cost. There was no air dryer either, so you had to drain the air tanks pretty much every day. At that time, I knew nothing about tractor-trailers, and wouldn’t you know it, my first trip was to Whitehorse. The Alaska Highway was a challenge at that time, and it was all gravel. The fellow who hired me taught me to drive in all kinds of weather and road conditions – even on that first trip in August, I ran into a wide variety of weather conditions ranging from very hot to snow. He taught me to do oil changes, grease jobs, airline repairs, and how to adjust and replace brakes. He also taught me how to chain up. My first lesson was in a warm, dry shop, which was much easier than when stuck halfway up a hill. I learned some good tricks like putting the chains on loosely and just idling up the hill with a load on so you could get off the hill and not cause problems for others. Once at the top, I would tighten the chains and carry on. He taught me about power dividers – to just flip the switch, let off the accelerator and then press it down – and all was good. When driving for a living, as a professional driver, safety for yourself and everyone on the road should be your main concern. Don’t let others influence how you drive. Remember, the dispatcher is sitting safely in his office. And always drive according to the road conditions and not necessarily the posted speed signs. Sometimes it is a fine line – go fast enough to keep tires warm and sticky but slow enough to keep your equipment under control.

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Nature’s Child

Dave Madill

He’s a child of the wilderness, a woodsman out of time Nature is his solace; its stillness fills his mind. Once he walked with Druid Priests and matched them stride for stride, Once he rode across the plain; Cochise was by his side. He travelled with the voyagers, paddled water deep and cold, He guided the Forty-Niners as they searched for nature’s gold. Even when you’re with him, it still seems like he is alone. The wildness; it calls to him, the forest is his home. Out of step with modern time, he does the best he can; He’s out there on the highway, a diesel-driving man. Beneath the jeans and t-shirt, lies the spirit of the wild, Out of step with modern man, he’s Mother Nature’s child.

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Winter Blues By Myrna Chartrand Myrna was born and raised in Oak Point, Manitoba and was our April 2019 Rig of the Month driver.

he only words I have to describe my current situation are to say that I have a case of the “winter blues.” Not only do I dislike the winter but Pinky 2.0 (my truck) is not a fan either. My truck developed this “quirk” at the tail end of the winter last year but like with a lot of things, I turned a blind eye to it then it was Spring and all was well with the world again. This quirk came back again this winter, though, and I have to say it’s certainly an inconvenience. Pinky 2.0 works just fine at -14 degrees Celsius, but at -15 and colder, it loses power. No one can seem to figure out why and by the time it gets to a shop, “Surprise,” its warm and all is right with the world once again. It’s annoying, but yet I deal with it and sympathize because quite frankly, some days when it’s colder than -15 degrees, I don’t feel like working either. Dwelling on the winter gets me to thinking of the hard lessons I had to learn about winter driving. In my very first winter driving experience, I skidded a set of trailer tires to the point you could stick your fist in the holes in the tires. I had never given even one moment’s thought to the fact that brakes could freeze. It was made abundantly clear to me at that very minute that I had learned something new that day, and I wouldn’t let that happen again. That was 10 years ago, and I have not done it since. One bad experience that I had was getting “whited out,” and I ended up in the median of the Interstate. This taught me that I don’t need to be a hero and to shut it down if I don’t feel comfortable. I was scared as all get out, and thankfully for my guardian angel, no one was hurt, nor was there damage to the load or equipment. To this day, I still get that panicky feeling when the passing lane has just enough snow on it to cause that snow cloud that surrounds me when the wind blows in just the right direction. As I get older, and maybe a bit wiser, I feel like I’m more apt to shut things down early when I feel it’s more of a hazard for me to be on the road. With everyone being on social media these days, I’m also afraid that if I ever go in the ditch, it will literally be 0.5 seconds before the picture of my truck is plastered all over the internet with many unpleasant comments following it. With Pinky 2.0 being so noticeable, I’m sure it wouldn’t take long for someone to tag me in the post. Believe me when I say that this is a definite fear of mine! MARCH / APRIL 2020

The last hard lesson I learned was not so much about not understanding as it was just not taking the time to be prepared. Sometimes it’s not alright to just live in the moment. One must look ahead to the days coming to see what they have to offer. I filled up with fuel in Kansas on the way home one time, and it was a lovely day with good weather all the way back. I didn’t even think to look at the weather that was in store for that evening or the days to come. I got to work a couple of days later and wouldn’t you know it, my fuel gelled. Well darn it, was all I could think, and I knew it was my fault for not looking ahead and either topping off with number one diesel or at very least, adding fuel conditioner. From that point on, every day of the winter I always look ahead to what the temperatures are going to be along the path of my trip. I do not want to get stranded ever again due to my carelessness. Keeping in mind, it’s still possible to get bad fuel even if you are diligent about your fuel and additives. Here’s a point I think many can relate to and gives us a moment to think of the things that we or others take for granted. When you’re at home, and you need to use the bathroom, I’m sure you’re not too far away, nor do you have to put on an extra layer of clothes just to use it. One cannot explain how good that feels when you have been in a position of having to put on an extra layer of clothes plus shoes to traipse a half-mile through a blizzard just to get to the bathroom in the truck stop. On top of this, if the parking lot is slippery, you now have to do the parking lot shuffle, so you don’t slip and fall. This is one of my big worries because at the moment I may be freezing to death as I walk towards the truck stop, but if I slip and fall, I’m betting I may get warm after all when I quickly find out I don’t need to finish the walk to the truck stop to empty my bladder. I have somewhat determined a cure for these “winter blues,” and that is to run Texas all winter! Texas is my happy place. It’s where my truck runs at it’s best, and it’s where I keep up with my exercises. I have mostly given up on my workouts because A) it’s tough to get motivated when it’s snowy, windy, icy etc. and B) it’s easier to make excuses than exercise because I don’t even have to go outside to generate excuses. When I run that way, I have my set places I like to stop at, and I develop a bit of a routine. Routine and long haul trucking don’t often tend to go hand in hand, but on these trips, it’s as close as I feel I’ll ever get. Unfortunately, though, I’m not the only one who wants to break away to Texas to cure the blues, so it’s often difficult to get these runs steadily. I keep telling myself once winter is over, I’ll get back at my “routine,” and like my truck, all will be well in the world once more.

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Sheep

By Glen Millard

Glen 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.

s Ray Stevens would say, “It’s me again, Marguerite.” I’m back to tell you more truck driving stories. All my stories are true, but the small details are only as exact as I can remember. At one time, I mentioned my recall. I hear people talk about truck drivers as though one size fits all. That is far from being right. There are log-haulers, shack haulers, car trailers, bull haulers, reefers, b-trains, tankers and huge oversize loads, to name just a few. The only thing that they share is the truck. All different commodities require special care. Just because a person can steer a truck and keep it out of the ditch, doesn’t mean that he is a truck driver. He or she may just be a roster filler. Each different commodity requires different handling and care taken. But you don’t hear about the driver that took extra care and went beyond his duty. You make the headlines if you mess up, and those are the ones that the public thinks are in all trucks. I try to learn all about the care required in each job. Some do not require much braining or experience, but specialty

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hauling takes much more seat time to be good. Some jobs are also hard on the nerves and require concentration. They are not for all people. At the end of the day (retirement), there is no public recognition, maybe a plaque - but not a gold watch. The satisfaction and pride of a job well done must come from within. If you feel satisfied with your driving record and enjoyed doing it – you are a winner. If not, you have been in the wrong job. I’ll tell you about my early years of learning how to handle sheep. I was in my mid 20’s and was driving for W. B. Trailer out of Saskatoon, hauling cattle for Burns Packers and pasture hauling for farmers. One day Bill McQueen (one of the owners) said I was to go to Hughton, Saskatchewan – south of Rosetown. He said the Meyers feedlot had a load of sheep to go to Jenner, AB., south of Hannah to a pasture in the middle of nowhere. There was no G.P.S., so Bill drew a map on a piece of paper to a pasture out of town so I wouldn’t get lost. Bill said if I was at Hughton pasture by 6am, the ranch hand lived in the pasture in a small shack, and he sometimes makes breakfast for the drivers. I was ready to go early and eager to haul sheep. Until that day, my only experience with MARCH / APRIL 2020

www.driverschoice.ca 43 sheep was limited to wearing a Siwash Cowichan Sweater in the wintertime. I was there at 6am, and there was a light on in the shack, so I went to see where we loaded. The ranch hand said, “Come in, leave your shoes on, and I’ll make breakfast.” I was glad he told me to keep my shoes on. I’m sure he swept the floor every day that had a z in it. He was a friendly guy and seemed to enjoy the company. As he cracked an egg at the stove, he threw the shells over the top and behind the stove. I could see that it was not the first time he had done that. The coffee was strong enough to clear a plugged drain. After breakfast, I was ready to carry each sheep onto the trailer. I went to the corral, backed into the loading chute and set up the 5 separate pens inside the trailer. I was then ready to load. The ranch hand was sitting on the top rail of the fence watching me and enjoying a smoke while I was trying to herd the sheep up and into the trailer. The sheep thought it was a tour. They would go up the chute into the first pen, then circle around and come back out. I was trying to count them and push them into place. I don’t know if everyone knows where lanolin oil comes from. I found out, their wool is greasy, and so was I.

About then, the fellow on the fence called and asked if I would like some help. I sure did. He said, “I’ll be back, I’ll go and get the goat, the shovel and the dog.” I had to sit down and figure this out. Soon he was back. He said here’s the shovel, you go inside and stand by the gate. Count the sheep as they go into the pen. He would put the goat in with the sheep. Goats are snoopy, and the sheep would follow. The dog was behind the herd, pushing them up and into the trailer and keeping the sheep from coming back out. When I got the right count for that pen, I was to hit the ramp with the shovel, real hard. The noise and the vibration of the ramp scared the sheep, and they all stopped. I closed the gate, he took the goat out of the pen, and the dog chased the remaining sheep out of the trailer. I reset the ramp onto another pen, and we repeated the operation until the whole trailer was full. The trip to Jenner was uneventful. I found the pasture, and there were two guys there to meet me. I unloaded the sheep through the bottom of the trailer and out the side door. They were glad to get out. When those sheep touched the ground, they were running, and I think that there may be some still running. That was the first and last load of sheep for me to haul. I guess I’m not a sheep hauler – not enough experience!

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The First Time

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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.

here are plenty of “First Times” in trucking. Like when you get in a truck with a gearbox you’re unfamiliar with, I got a job with the Scottish side of an Irish firm who were running two Mercedes trucks. Back then, Mercedes had a system called EPS, electropneumatic shifting. The trucks still had a clutch pedal, but the gearshift was a small thing that looked like a joystick. It took a bit of getting used to, but I always think these things are designed to be used by a driver, so how hard can it be. Another first was with that same company when I had to get on a ferry, I was a dayshift driver, but when one of the two drivers who did the Belfast and Dublin run were on holiday, a dayshift driver would cover their shift. That was another first for me, the Irish run was nightshift, so I had to get used to sleeping through the day. If the driver was only off for a week’s holiday, by the time the week was up, I was just getting used to nightshift when I was back on days. We shipped out from Stranraer, so getting there and into the ferry port was the easy part, then I had to go on the scale so the ferry company could get an accurate weight for the truck. There was a keypad on the scale, at just the correct height for the drivers to lean out the window and enter the truck registration number. But, some of the numbers and letters on the keypad were worn off with use. This was not a problem if you were a regular user of the scale, but for a first-timer, in the dark, and trying not to hold up the trucks in the queue behind you, it seemed like an eternity before I figured out the correct buttons to press. I’d been told you got a free meal on the boat, and that was another easy part, get parked up on the freight deck and follow the rest of the drivers up the stairs to the driver’s diner. The food was great, just hand the guy your drivers

MARCH / APRIL 2020

pass and fill your plate with as much food as took your fancy. When the boat docked in Belfast, I drove off and followed the instructions one of the regular drivers had written on one full side of an A4 envelope to the first delivery and pick up. The warehouse was only a couple of miles away and quite easy to find, so when I unloaded and reloaded at Belfast, I set off for Dublin, I hadn’t gone very far when I started to realize, I’d missed a turn somewhere. By the time I got somewhere to turn around and get back to where the written instructions had told me to get off that road, I had lost some time. The cab phone rang when I was still a fair distance outside Dublin. It was the clerk from my next drop in the Dublin office, and he knew their day was screwed up when I told him where I was. Losing the time meant I was running into the rush hour traffic on Dublin’s outskirts, so that held me back even more. My first-night screw-up wasn’t held against me though, and I went on to hone my skills on the Irish run to the point where I actually got there on time. The Irish drivers were a great bunch of boys, and just like most drivers were only too happy to help you out. In the early days, if one of them was going into Belfast at the same time as I was going back home, they would ask what way I was going to go on the way back up. They would often say, “Oh, you don’t want to go that way, follow me, and I’ll show you a quicker way.” Then they would turn onto a back road that was pitch black. With their intimate knowledge of these roads, I could only sit and watch the taillights disappear up this narrow twisting road at high speed into the darkness.

But it was another lesson learnt, find your own short cuts as your experience grows. Pro-Trucker Driver’s Choice Magazine

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Let’s Block the Road!

hen I was posted in the Okanagan in the 1990s I was answering phones in the detachment dispatch office. A caller from Summerland asked what would happen if he decided to take his protest sign down to the highway and conduct his own personal blockade. He expressed the opinion that if he did that the police would arrive quickly and if he did not move he would be removed. I couldn’t argue his point. This past week has seen a number of blockades of B.C. highways and other places, so I thought that it would be interesting to examine why groups were permitted to disrupt our everyday travels to express a point.

operating a motor vehicle is a privilege not a right.

Second, streets are blocked off for various reasons on a INTRODUCING... regular basis. Examples include activities related to the film industry,By parades, marathons, and marches. Police are present Ross Evison to ensure that the scene is safe and the Ross Evison is a retired driver whotraffic startedis diverted. These events typically occur on main thoroughfares. A his career in Ontario when he was 18 years old. double standard applied in the case of lawful protest would After a year he moved to BC where his first trip be unreasonable. was from Prince George to White Horse. Third, roads are public places in which political expression can take place. The rights to freedom of expression and assembly are enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights

My first stop was the Guide to the Law of Protest published by McGrady Law of Vancouver. This document outlines some history of civil disobedience in B.C., examines a person’s right to protest, outlines how to conduct yourself and how the law may be applied to you when you do. Next, I contacted the Ministry of Public Safety & Solicitor General via the media contact information. All that they would say beyond the fact that the Motor Vehicle Act did not direct police to dismantle blockades was that the Ministry did not get involved in day to day police operations. When asked about setting government policy all further e-mail was ignored. Government policy is published in the form of the Crown Counsel Policy Manual on Civil Disobedience and Contempt of Related Court Orders. This guides Crown lawyers in deciding whether they should prosecute protesters or not. I don’t doubt that this guides police decisions as well. Media relations with the RCMP in B.C. were helpful. They explained that each situation is evaluated separately and that a balance had to be struck between Charter rights, criminal actions, court orders and public safety. Where there is no court order, police can rely on the Criminal Code and common law powers in the event of violence or criminal actions by protesters. Police resources to cope with the size of the protest group is without a doubt an important consideration. Finally, the most assistance came from the B.C. Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA): First of all, regarding the “free passage of traffic”, MARCH / APRIL 2020

The Bear’s View

Constable Tim Schewe (Retired)

and Freedoms, and are necessary in a free and democratic society. Furthermore, the police have a duty to ensure a safe environment for members of the public to express themselves through non-violent protest and civil disobedience. Finally, during the course of their duties, police are constantly balancing interests and re-evaluating their discretion. In the event of an emergency, police have the option to use their discretion to clear the way for an emergency vehicle. A court would likely uphold the infringement of Charter-protected rights to allow for the safe passage of an emergency vehicle. A counter-protest to a blockade on Highway 19 in Courtenay did result in an arrest and an end to the blockade. The original protesters left out of concern for their own safety. Returning to the inquiry that I mentioned at the start of the article, the BCCLA says that there is no difference between the right of the individual and the right of the group to protest, but I do wonder what would happen.

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In the Face History T

here is a known phrase I’ve been coining a lot lately. And it rings more prevalent every day as our world races at break-neck speed along the racetrack of technological innovations. “There are two things people hate most, change, and the way things are.” Human beings are like water. Without any thought at all, but forced by nature, they seek out the easiest route forward. Since the creation of the wheel, humans have strived to make their lives easier through technological innovations. The path to inventions was paved with the desire to achieve great things with the least amount of effort. Long gone are the washtubs and washboards, now replaced by washers and dryers that you can start or stop from another province simply by using your cellular phone. From working in the fields cutting, raking and piling crops up in stukes, to autonomous GPS guided combines harvesting sections of land in a few days. And no different than when thieves would raid a warehouse of its goods, concerns of technology-based security threats are daily dialogue in boardrooms around the world. The ability for systems to be hacked is on every companies mind and they spend an enormous amount of money on mitigating those possible breaches. And let’s face it, if the system of the US presidency can be hacked, anything can be. So as we move towards autonomous transportation systems it doesn’t exactly leave any of us with a warm fuzzy feeling.

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.

basic requirements of society. Other considerations should also be addressed. Including, when drivers are replaced by a vacant cab, where will the tax revenue that was formerly collected by those employees come from? Should the companies employing the technology be accountable to the federal government for the tax loss? How will the employee replaced by a network system of lanes, permissions, and communications systems, continue to feed his or her family? Working in an autonomous environment currently, I have witnessed how valuable this technology can be. What it provides for in safety and productivity. And in that I continue to be a proponent for technology whilst improving conditions in the work environment for my fellow employees and staff alike. It has also given me the opportunity to listen to the concerns of the working person. The uncertainty and often confused mindset left behind by poor employer to employee communication and the ever-popular rumour mill. This is exactly where the lines of socio-economic development, technology, and social interaction find themselves in a vortex of possibilities, conundrums, and instability. If Western society is going to benefit from these vast technological changes as a whole, then the communication and education that is required must become as ingrained as the transportation industry is in our daily lives.

A concern I have been mulling over, is technology moving faster than the first cloning of a sheep in its moral obligation to society?

Our greatest asset in this world is people, not technology. Because without people, technology serves no purpose. Are we ready, or better yet are we really prepared to have a day to day interaction between robot tractor trailers and the common driving and non-driving public?

Like that first cell reproduction, we must have cheques and balances in place to ensure that autonomous vehicles and their systems - but not limited to - are truly compatible with the

Which leads me to the final phrase that stands in the face of history, whether it was a horse-drawn cart or a shiny 18 wheeler, “If you bought it, a trucker brought it.”

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SOME THINGS ARE JUST BETTER LEFT UNSAID AND I USUALLY REALIZE IT RIGHT AFTER I SAY THEM. • If you can’t fix it with a hammer you have an electrical problem. • Last night my internet stopped working so I spent a few hours with my family. They seem like nice people. • I don’t always go the extra mile but when I do it is because I missed my exit. • At my funeral take the bouquet off my coffin and throw into the crowd to see who is next. • I told my wife I wanted to be cremated. She made an appointment for Tuesday. • I asked my Grandpa, “After 65 years you still call Grandma darling, sweetheart, beautiful and honey. What’s the secret? He said, “I forgot her name 5 years ago and I’m scared to ask.” • My wife asked me to take her to one of those restaurants where they make the food right in front of you. Apparently she did not mean Subway. • Before you start popping that bubble wrap, remember, the air is from China. • When I was a kid my parents would always say, “Excuse my French” just after a swear word. I’ll never forget my first day of school when my teacher asked if any of us knew French.

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Human Trafficking O n the 30th of January this year a convoy of three automobiles was stopped in the eastbound lanes of the TCH near Swift Current, SK for travelling close together at 153 kph, which for us older folk is 90 mph, which is 20 mph or about 35 kph over the posted speed limit. While investigating, the RCMP officer’s suspicions were aroused as to the relationship between the adults and the young women who carried no ID. Not only were the drivers cited for exceeding the posted limit, but all four adults are facing human trafficking charges and one weapons charge. They all hailed from Vancouver Island. This is Canada, land of the apologetic. One does not expect to see or hear of this type of crime in such a law-abiding, socially ethical nation. However, statistics indicate that up to 1200 individuals are trafficked in Canada every year. These are only the reported stats, so the real numbers are likely much higher. It is a growing industry here and worldwide, an epidemic worth $32 billion more than the worth of Google, Starbucks and Nike collectively. It is estimated that there are at least 27 million sex slaves worldwide, 80% are women and 50% of those are children, and it is becoming a well-hidden and growing crime problem in Canada. So what can a person do to help improve the situation? TAT, Truckers Against Trafficking is a not-for-profit organization that began in Oklahoma in 2009. TAT partnered with Pilot/Flying J in 2011 and with the Truckload Carriers Assoc. in 2013. In Canada in 2012, Ottawa based Persons Against the Crime of Trafficking in Humans, PACT, was inspired by TAT to initiate “TruckSTOP” a program to teach truck drivers how to recognize human trafficking incidents. Truck stops, travel centers and rest areas are often active centers for sex trafficking since they are usually insulated from the nearest community, making these areas easier locations for both customers and pimps to avoid detection and, at the same time, harder for victims to escape. As many of you have

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been made aware of this activity via the CB radio or having a young person knock on your cab door or seen them walking around watching for a rig flashing its lights for a commercial rendezvous, you may not be aware of the condition of the human trafficking victims or the enormity of the problem. We often considered them simply nuisances and called them lot lizards, but the reality is Canada’s lack of criminal justice makes our country a natural field for the cultivation of the sex business and to victimize young persons, both male and female. To date, there has been only one conviction in Canada for child trafficking, and the offender received just 3 years for trafficking a 15-year-old girl and was credited with time spent in custody. He made $350,000 in two years from the services of this young victim, spending less time in jail than he did for exploiting this young girl! Even the internet is being used to recruit and advertise the business on sites such as Craig’s List. The latter is currently attempting to eradicate the problem from its locations. TAT and PACT have partnered with enforcement agencies and transport carriers to provide training. As a result, hundreds of victims have been freed to pursue new lives. If you are not yet aware of the preventative measures available to you, it is perhaps time you looked into the possibilities. Look for information at your favourite truck stops. Google PACT Human Trafficking (http://www.pact-ottawa.org/) … also Center To End Human Trafficking (https://www. canadiancentretoendhumantrafficking.ca/). If you see what you think is suspicious activity and don’t have time to access the Hot Line, dial 911 and explain the situation. It might be a good idea to place the Hot Line number 1-833-900-1010 in a prominent place in your cab and on your cell phone contact directory. Make it a topic of conversation among your trucker friends and acquaintances or anywhere it is appropriate, especially when the subject comes up in a random chat. If you are blasé regarding the topic, imagine if your wife, daughter, son, niece, or nephew were abducted and being used in this unthinkable trade. We do not know how many of Canada’s MMIWG, (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls), and other missing persons have been lured or kidnapped into this horrific life experience. Worldwide it is a monumental issue. Let us do what we can as caring individuals here at home and stay aware as we travel to and from our destinations every day. Be safe … 10-4! MARCH / APRIL 2020

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Free, Online Aggregate Hauling Equipment Training Course NOW Available!

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Aggregate is a fundamental component of construction and important part of the world around us. Floors, basements, sidewalks, patios, roads, buildings, landscaping, trails, playgrounds, winter road applications and even toothpaste, include aggregate. If you are hauling aggregate, you know first-hand that it’s hard work, each product behaves differently and there are literally millions of truck loads on the move. But what about the specialized skills required to keep everyone safe when hauling? Do you know the risks and dangers you are exposed to and what could potentially put others in harms way? In 2015, a young Alberta man named Stephen Penny sadly lost his life to a tragic incident involving aggregate. It was a regular day on the job and he was hauling street sweeping material. When the end gate of his dump truck didn’t open, Stephen stepped behind his vehicle to see why. Moments later, the end gate opened unexpectedly and he was buried under the one tonne load. As a result of this tragic accident a Creative

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Sentence was directed, such that a specific skills development course could be created. The AMTA is pleased to introduce and now offer the Aggregate Hauling Equipment Training Course. This free, online course is designed to introduce drivers to different types of aggregate hauling equipment and safety practices for operating, loading and unloading. It includes definitions, equipment configurations, inspection requirements, legislation, hazard awareness, fatigue/stress/ impairment and distracted driving strategies, trip inspections, journey management planning as well as hydraulic and air systems. Upon successful completion of this online course, drivers must complete a competency evaluation that is conducted by their employer in order to receive their certificate of completion. Stephen’s story is a tragic one and a harsh reminder the drivers must be aware of the responsibilities and hazards associated with their job, understand equipment configurations and safety best practices. Ultimately, it is the goal that the development and accessibility of this course will promote occupational health and safety, and reduce the risk of similar accidents and loss of life from happening. Take the Aggregate Hauling Equipment Training Course today by visiting amta.ca.

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INDEX ASL Global Logistics ........................................................................................ 55

TRUCKING SERVICES

Berry & Smith ..................................................................................................... 09 Centurion Trucking Inc. ......................................................................... 08 Challenger Motor Freight ........................................................................... 64 DeckX ...................................................................................................................... 63 Edge Transport .................................................................................................. 03

AB Big Rig Weekend ............................................................................ 57 Advanced Fleet Maintenance Ltd. .................................................. 59 AMTA .......................................................................................................... 58

Envision Transport Ltd. .............................................................................. 28

B & W insurance ............................................................................. 02 & 06

Garuda Transport Ltd. ................................................................................. 18

BD Diesel Performance ........................................................................ 41

Golden Express Trucking Inc. ............................................................... 62

Blue Capital Equipment Finance ................................................... 54

Grant Transport Inc. .................................................................................... 56

Canyon Cable 1988 Ltd. ....................................................................... 34

Heartland Transport Ltd. ......................................................................... 40 Jagged Edge Enterprises Ltd. ..................................................................... 51 Jete’s - MTB Group .................................................................................. 15 Key West Express Ltd. .................................................................................... 38

Cool Heat Truck Parts .......................................................................... 20 Diamond Insurance ............................................................................ 52 First Truck Centre ............................................................................. 49

Light Speed Logistics Inc. ........................................................................... 61

Gemm Diesel Ltd. ............................................................................... 26

New Malwa Express ....................................................................................... 04

Gold Key Insurance ......................................................................... 27

North Coast Trucking Ltd. ........................................................................... 21

Howes Lubricator ......................................................................... 22 & 23

Preferred Carriers Inc. ................................................................................... 31

Line and Grid ............................................................................................ 12

Royal City Trucking .......................................................................................... 37 Sandhu Express Inc. ...................................................................................... 46 Select Classic Carriers ..................................................................................... 14 Shadow Group of Companies ............................................................ 32 & 33

Mobalign Services Inc. ......................................................................... 09 Norris & Co. ............................................................................................... 19 Ocean Trailer ......................................................................................... 29

Shergill Transport Ltd. ................................................................................. 35

Pacific Inland Powertrain .................................................................... 43

Transam Carriers Inc. .................................................................................... 05

Top Line Truck Parts ........................................................................... 44

Tri Force Inc. .......................................................................................................53

Truckers Together Fuel Services ...................................................... 48

Van-Kam Freightways Ltd. ............................................................................ 16

Truck West Collision .............................................................................. 36

Watt & Stewart Trucking Inc. ........................................................................ 17

24 LAWFUL TORTURE

SHEEP

30 IT’S NOW OR NEVER

42 45 47

34 GETTING STARTED 39 WINTER BLUES

50 56

IN THE FACE HISTORY

Bill Weatherstone

26 LITTLE STAR Dave Madill

Greg Evasiuk

Ross Evison

Myrna Chartrand

Pro-Trucker Driver’s Choice Magazine

Glen Millard

THE FIRST TIME

Colin Black

LET’S BLOCK THE ROAD! Tim Schewe

Scott Casey

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

RIG OF THE MONTH

Ed Murdoch

MARCH / APRIL 2020

NOW HIRING!

US Singles (Open Board).............$0.54 US Teams...................................$0.66 Canadian Teams.........................$0.62 Canadian Singles (AB to BC)........$0.59 Canadian Singles (Open Board)....$0.50 Hourly Waiting Pay Paid Meat Inspection

US Teams (Open Board)*................$1.62

US Singles (ON to Mid-West)*.........$1.59

US Singles (Open Board)*..............$1.52

Canadian Teams*..........................$1.55

Canadian Singles (Open Board)*....$1.45

Calgary Single (AB to BC)..............$1.75

Canadian Singles (AB to BC Heavy Loads)....$1.90**

** Heavy loads Gross Weight must Exceed 88000 Lbs

Canadian Singles (AB to BC Heavy Loads)**....$1.98

*Rates are based on the current fuel surcharge.

Paid Meat Inspection

Hourly Waiting Pay

US Singles (ON to Mid-West).......$0.66

COMPANY DRIVERS:

US Teams (ON to Mid-West)*..........$1.69

OWNER OPERATORS:

122 Carmek Blvd, Rocky View AB T1X 1X1

safedrivers@lslinc.com www.lslinc.com

DARYL: 403-483-2802 BOB: 403-875-5152

1-800-397-6009 (Press Option 3)

JAGGI DHILLON: 403-208-5441

CALL US OR DROP IN!

www.driverschoice.ca 61

Pro-Trucker Driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Choice Magazine

www.driverschoice.ca

HIRING

Company Drivers & Owner Operators

California terminal opening soon

1-800-507-6625

#201 - 8642 128 St, Surrey, BC

E: jobs@geti.ca I www.geti.ca

Pro-Trucker Driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Choice Magazine

MARCH / APRIL 2020

www.driverschoice.ca 63

@drivetransx

STRONG, SAFE AND GROWING

DeckX West Division:

DeckX Linehaul Division:

• Owner Operators and Company Drivers • Runs Primarily between BC and MB • Tandem, Tridem, and Super B Trailers • Company Drivers average $.64 per mile • Owner Ops average take home $1.24 per mile

• • • •

Owner Operators and Company Drivers Canada/USA Lanes in ALL LOCATIONS Company Drivers average $.64 per mile Owner Ops average take home $1.24 per mile • Owner Ops average Net $148,800 per year

Let DeckX help drive your success! Apply at DriveTransX.ca or call 1-877-787-2679 for details

MARCH / APRIL 2020

Pro-Trucker Driver’s Choice Magazine

www.driverschoice.ca

FIRST CLASS

PAY • SAFETY • SUPPORT • EQUIPMENT

LIFESTYLE • TRAINING • THE COMPANY

DRIVING EXPERIENCE

NEW PAY PACKAGES

At Challenger, our drivers enjoy a new, leading pay package. We reward (from day one for experienced drivers), employee assistance plan and employee discounts. We welcome quality drivers from all walks of life and experience levels. Drivers also get paid for the driving experience they have, even if they drove for someone else before Challenger. Want to join drivers. Simply, we offer a rounded First Class experience at Challenger – starting with leading pay and compensation.

Hiring Professional Drivers! We’re hiring AZ / Class 1 Drivers. Also seeking Owner Operators. Contact us today!

| recruiting@challenger.com | 1 800 334 5142

www.challenger.com Pro-Trucker Driver’s Choice Magazine

MARCH / APRIL 2020