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Did you notice something different about the front cover this month? Instead of just May, it is a May and June Edition. This is the first time in 19 Editions I have combined and about time. First the work that goes into producing, printing and delivering the magazine each month is a job in it’s self especially in this economy where I am all of those plus the sales guy. The magazine has been going out later and later each month missing it’s 15th of the month distribution date. Combine all of this with 2 Truck shows in June the Fergus show on our heals and two of my sons having wedding socials and getting married. You HERD right both getting married this year one month apart. Good
Dave brings to CTM 36 years of valuable experience in transportation, management, business and compliance. Dave has driven in every condition across North America and overseas as military, police, company driver to owner operator. Now Publisher & Editor of Canadian Trucking Magazine the one you pick up,read and keep.
thing they both have great heads on thier shoulders and great better halfs that have it so all I have to do is show up.People always ask about me having kids old enough to get married and surprised to find out that Robert is 32 this year and Gordon is 30. Smarter then thier dad married at 18.Then the other shoe drops when I tell them that I have had 9 children, not to slight you other guys in my life that have lived with me that I consider like my sons. A gang of us, eh! So back to my story. This month I am combining May & June in one to give me a chance to put out a stellar July 15th edition for the Fergus truck show. But don’t let me get to far ahead of myself 3
here. Let us start with two shows on the father’s day week-end. A great way to spend time with the family. The Stirling show in the East at of course Stirling Ontario and the Big Rig Week-end this year in Red Deer. Both great shows giving you the opportunity to spend a week-end at a truck show no matter which side of the country you live in. I will be at the Stirling Truck Show because I can’t be two places at the same time and at Stirling we have a Herd Intergrated Vehicle Protection Bumper we are giving away at the awards ceremony. It will be sitting at our both, so come down and give us a visit. Rumor has it that our CTM Girl from last month Jen and our current CTM Girl Krissy are planning on attending and signing autographs and handing out magazines. The fine folks at Stirling put on a banner show, in my opinion if you are a trucker and anywhere in the east around that time you have to attend to see this is a 4
truck show for truckers. Now talking west here, there is no introduction or indorsement needed for the Big Rig Week-end put on by Pro-Trucker, more importantly the White Family who are Pro-Trucker. I have attended several of thier shows and trust me if you miss this, what are you doing driving a truck! I will get out to Chilliwack for the July one and sure sorry this year I am torn in two and will be in Stirling. So drivers plan your trips and book your days now. Those in the West, Red Deer and those in the east Stirling. Both are located where you can so easily get to. Any one sitting in Cowtown or Edmonton reading this magazine should all get together and run there for the day. An hour and a half drive from either direction which is nothing for a driver. Back to Stirling, this HERD is going to be drawn to some lucky driver who will never have that white knuckle feeling again. Sorry I don’t understand Owner Operators that don’t have a HERD on thier truck already. No this isn’t an
info commercial, this is years of experience speaking. On my trucks I had my bar and I could fill up the magazine with times I used that bar even in traffic accidents. Never any my fault by the way. If you have to run at night and in Canada in the fall/winter you don’t have much choice if you are going to make a buck. Having a solid bar on the front of your truck, takes a little more stress off the chest. I promote HERD as I have toured thier factory, used thier product and spoke to drivers that have saved thousands in repairs and down time, because they had a HERD. Of course there is different price breaks and models of HERD so compare apples to apples. Don’t run out and buy a cheap bar that does not say HERD on it and think you are going wildlife hunting. I just have a friend Gord, owner operator out there pasted by a four wheeler who then locked thier brakes to turn off giving him no choice but kill them or take the ditch. Gord went in and locked them and drove out, but the roo bar on 6
his rig twisted like paper. Not a HERD. Not saying the bar won’t take a beating depending on what you spend, but the HERD quality and if you invest right might save your life. It will certainly in this economy save you down time and repairs and again peace of mind. There is my two cents again on bars on trucks, not because they advertise, but because I asked them to because I believe in this product. All this talk about bars and running down the road really makes this driver miss the road. Years ago with a CDL in my pocket I could just go to a company grab thier truck and thier load and run off to Texas or Florida make some cash and put some pavement under my tires. These days with a CDL in my back pocket and a fast card I can’t do that. They want me to become an employee, go through origination, drug testing, road testing, dangerous goods, interviews and a class room. I guess I am grounded till the driver shortage picks up, and it will. As Tonnage is now on
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the climb and a lot of drivers dropped off the market when there were no trucks or jobs available when the loads start pilling in, again there will be a shortage of good experienced drivers. Right now I have friends that own trucks on with companies that I can’t even team a load unless I jump all those hoops. With not taking a load for 2 years now and pounding on this keyboard, I get pretty antsy. I hear time and time again when I go out and deliver the magazines from Ontario to BC by hand, people saying wow that is a lot of miles. About 8000 clicks. But it is the only road I get to play on each month. To bad it is in a four wheeler. This last trip I hit 3 major storms in AB and SK . Wow did people forget how to drive in winter? If you were on the highway in AB or SK around the 29th of April you know 8
what I am talking about. Every few miles there were 2 or more vehicles in the ditch and a few big trucks. If you are a new driver and the road conditions are bad, park that rig. You are more important than the box behind you and if you do turn her over then there goes your job anyways.Even with summer, we get heavy down pours with high winds a recipe for disaster. If you feel your butt checks clenching where you could split a 2 x 4. Guess what you should not be on that road. I have never chained up in my life. If the roads are so I need chains I park. The CB has always let me know if the road ahead is not what I look forward to driving and driver I park it. Never put one in the ditch, touch wood,,, But I have done some tree farming, ask me about that one over coffee. Hey talking about coffee, in Winterpeg there is a s p o t called the 57 Chev Cafe hid-
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den on 365 Transport Road out on the east end of the city, industrial area, actually considered the R.M of Springfield. If going around the perimeter you noticed Gunn Road, you are close. Only open Monday to Friday from 6:30 to 3:00 pm it is worth going in there. Debbie and Sherri make me a burger and fires to drive my cardiologist nuts. I gave it away this month as they are in my driver do you know this person. Since we are talking about food, On delivery in Saskatoon at my favorite Husky there, I caught up to Grumpy having breakfast with an amazing women, of course his better half, sorry women he is taken. Had to put a plug in for Crystal one of CTM’s biggest fans who has a pile of people each month asking her for the latest CTM. She can’t 10
even go to Tim’s without a driver in line asking Crystal for the latest magazine. Nothing is better music to my ears when I hear how much you enjoy my magazine and you keep it. This month I took my
10th Annual BC Big Rig Weekend
July 10th-11th, 2010 at Chilliwack Heritage Park 3HOWª@Nª3HINEªsª ª4RUCKª2EGISTRATIONªsª$ASHª0LAQUESªsª4RADEª"OOTHSª 3ATURDAYª.IGHTª"ESTª,IGHTSª#OMPETITIONªsª,IVEª%NTERTAINMENTªsª$OORª0RIZES
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8th Annual AB Big Rig Weekend June 19th-20th, 2010 at Westener Park, Red Deer
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Trucker’s Family Weekend ¬7INNING¬4RUCKS¬FROM¬%ACH¬3HOW¬WILL¬BE¬&EATURED¬IN¬THE¬7/7425#+3¬ ¬#ALENDAR &EATURED¬IN¬THE¬ 7/7425#+3¬ ¬ #ALENDAR
"ESTª)Nª3HOWª ª7ORKINGª4RUCKª ª*ASª*OHALª ª ª0ETERBILTª ªOFª* !ª4RANSPORTª ª3URREY ª"# For more information call 1.800.331.8127 pro-truckermagazine.com ª-AJORª3PONSORS *OHNSTONª-EIER )NSURANCE 'ERMAINEª0OINT
own advise and headed to South Beach for a minni vacation. Another advertiser I pursued on the next page to us here. The reason, great food combined with excellent
entertainment and priced right for my scottish heart.I was happy to hear a lot of you took advantage of thier gift cards at Christmas time for people who are hard to buy for. Great for a birthday present to with thier golf packages and so close to Grand Beach one of the worlds finest beaches in my opinion.A couple of great car shows coming up and you can check thier web site for the entertainment line up. Give it a whirl or give someone who deserves a good week-end a gift card and let me know how it works out. Talking about web pages, we now have all the back issues on digital on the 12
web page for you to read at your liberum. As well we have hit over 1200 fans on our Facebook Page, that is more fans then any other transport magazine in Canada. Please keep in mind the very important events coming up with Convoy for a Cure and the Torch Run. We drivers have always been there for people that need our help. This year let’s make these events the largest best ever. Once again I look forward to meeting each one of you on the road or at one of these truck shows and hearing your input into my magazine. I built this as an entertainment magazine for you my readers.
Happy Trails My Friends,,,,, Dave
Jack Lee AskTheFuelExpert
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Gas Prices Up to $7 per gallon? Give me a Break! I just about fell out of my chair. I know gas and oil prices have moved up over the last few months and we are on the verge of the annual summer bump in fuel prices, but when I heard about the possibility of a $7 dollar gallon, I had to do some digging. Where did that number come from? It seems the prediction was made as a reaction to more stringent environmental controls on emissions coming in the future for both Canada and the US. First, let’s look at what is planned for the oil sands in Alberta. Production from oil sands bitumen emits 15% more carbon dioxide (CO2) than conventional crude oil on a wells-to-wheels basis. Shell reports it is committed to cutting its environmental footprint. The company reports on its website it is dealing with the problem in a number of ways, “including greater efficiency and technological innovation.” They report the first stage of expansion will employ a new technology that cleans the bi-
tumen froth more efficiently, saving energy and water and avoiding C02 emissions by 40,000 tonnes a year. Shell will build the process into the first expansion phase of the Athabasca Oil Sands Project (AOSP Expansion 1) now under construction. Looking at that situation, 4Refuel Fuel Analyst Bob van der Valk says, “Current technology has not caught up with the impending stricter requirements to make the heavy Alberta Oil Sands crude oil more environmentally sensitive. When it does, it will eventually add to the cost of production pushing up prices.” So, in reality, having cleaner extraction technology will boost the price we pay at the pumps, eventually. Now on to the US. The Obama Administration has identified the environment as another top priority and in order to meet the new regulations, consumers will all be asked to pick up a portion of the cost of cleaner air. A Harvard Study says to meet EPA emissions targets gas prices could reach $7 per gallon! Here’s what the gas guy, Bob van der Valk has to say about that, “Targets set by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) include a goal to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the transportation sector 14% by 2020. A lofty ambition, and in order to give it some teeth, it is included in the EPA’s 2010 budget. Consumer studies by researchers at Harvard’s
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs suggest that in order for the Obama Administration to meet that target and cut greenhouse gas emissions, Americans will soon be spending $7 per gallon.” And what about those new laws controlling emissions? van der Valk reports, “As the government works through its new Health Care legislation, it will turn to the proposed carbon tax which is meant to discourage the present trend for ever increasing use of fossil fuels. Without implementation of this carbon tax, it is predicted that vehicle miles traveled will increase by more than 30 percent between 2010 and 2030, putting even more pressure on fuel prices.” Bottom line is we will all spend more for gas. Will it hit seven bucks a gallon? Maybe. But for now let’s assume fuel prices are on a rocket to new heights. What do you do? There will be a need for a huge shift in how we all use fuel. For families, we’ll have to continue our move to more energy efficient models, do more carpooling and take fewer road trips. For companies who are fuel dependent there is a technology solution tied to Fuel Management, called Fuel Management Online, or FMO. With this web-application fuel monitoring is made easy so that fuel consumption can be controlled, measured and managed. For years there have been similar applications available to control labour costs and now FMO makes these tools available for fuel management use.
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FMO helps Fleet Managers, Operations Managers and Purchasing Agents cut fuel costs. In a technology driven world, FMO is a technological solution. Created by 4Refuel, the world leader in Total Fuel Management, this software suite is exportable for use with any accounting software. In fact the 4Refuel has even created USB FMO buttons that plug into your computer and take you immediately to the app’s home page with one click…very slick. Fleet Managers used to rely on manual reports, if they got them at all. FMO eliminates the hassle of gathering this information and ensures accuracy in all data. So relax. Fuel is going up, but probably not to $7 a gallon any time soon. But we all need to replace old habits with new ones. For company owners and fleet managers, FMO is the only way to plan for the future sting.
Jack Lee is CEO of 4Refuel – the largest onsite fuel management company in Canada and a global leader in technology designed to help businesses reduce their fuel expenses. Got a question about fuel? Ask the fuel expert by emailing Jack at AskTheFuelExpert@4Refuel.com
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Once upon a time, dinosaurs lived on the earth, humans lived in caves, truck drivers were hard working, dedicated professionals who put the load and company first and were some of the most respected workers on the road. Like the dinosaurs and cave people, the old time, old style driver is becoming extinct. What is killing off the old time driver? The new style of trucking is. In the old days, a driver that made deliveries on time no matter what, took care of the equipment, talked politely to their dispatchers, other office employees, and gave 110% were taken care of. Pay raises, new equipment and bragging rights to being a top driver were the old time drivers rewards, with perhaps a jacket for not tearing up the truck or someones car thrown in to boot. A driver knew where he or she stood in the company if they did a good job, There were heroes of legend on the road to think about, drivers who ran fast, experimental engine trucks and many tales were told of their adventures over coffee. The old hands knew that they would never be like their heroes, the company trucks were slower for the most part, but still a little bit inside of the driver wanted to be like them. A driver felt like a hero when he/she
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Sandy Long knew that they were designated top driver in their company. Truck drivers were respected then, not feared. A little old lady in her broken down car knew that a trucker would stop and assist her. Children would stop playing to pump their arms to hear the air horns the driver would blow. Truck stop personnel of both genders would come out and wake a driver up with a cup of coffee without fear of getting beaten, raped or shouted at. Truck stops at night were lit with the running lights of 100s of trucks idling so that the driver could sleep comfortably, no one complained of the noise or pollution, everyone knew a driver needed their rest. Now days, things are radically different. People are encouraged to enter the profession to be professional tourists not professional drivers. Companies no longer acknowledge a driver as ˜top driver other than at award ceremonies and the driver is rewarded with monetary bonuses for doing their job; fuel, safety and perforance.quarterly or annually. Like the companies themselves, this has changed the driver to being more concerned about the bottom line rather than taking pride in giving 110% or their own health and safety. Talking to one’s dispatcher is no longer an option. Everything is going high tech with loads given over satellite systems and one puts
one’s hours, comments or requests over them too. Gone is the voice at the other end of the line saying Good job driver. It is all impersonal now, drivers have become just the person who drives the truck, meat in the seat. Drivers are caught between their dispatchers who want the freight delivered ˜just in time and the company safety department and HOS regulations while driving a too slow governed truck. The dispatcher can get the driver fired if they are late on delivering a load, while the safety department can get the driver fired for not following the strict letter of the regulations. Where is the pride in a ˜damned if you do, damned if you don’t catch 22 situation? Trucking has become so regulated that a driver is told when they are tired or not tired, when it is too cold, too hot or just right for them to be comfortable in their trucks, and where they can or cannot park to catch a nap. Those same regulations have turned the trucking industry into a huge cash cow for many municipalities and states. No longer do many children pump their arms to hear the air horns and few truckers would notice to blow the horn anyways. Little old ladies in broken down cars look up in fear if a truck comes by. Truck stops are now travel centers and a driver cannot for the most part even get a free cup of coffee for buying $500.00 worth of fuel much less get a wake up call while parked in the
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lot, the tourists get the freebies now. Truck stops in the night too are darker as more and more states have laws against idling the truck so a driver can rest comfortably. Drivers turn down loads now because they have to do their laundry or they have a headache. Even though showers are more available now than ever before, there is little pride in appearance and a lot of drivers look worse than the beggars at the off ramps of the interstates. Most companies no longer have dress codes and allow everything from cheek piercing to crack showing sweat pants and flip flops. Where are the legendary truckers that used to be around? They have died off and been replaced by nascar drivers and heavy metal bands. Now days, one no longer sees a huge round table of drivers laughing and telling tales over a cup of coffee, everyone is in too big of a rush and too self centered to mingle and socialize. In the rare occasions one does get into a conversation with a driver, it isn’t about tales of legends, it is about griping about loads or how many times one scored with the opposite sex. Once upon a time starts many a fairy tale and before too much longer the old time truck driver will become just a faded memory of a time long ago when drivers were respected for the professionals they were and treated accordingly. As an old time driver, I too am being slowly killed off by the new style trucking industry and will fade away in time just like the dinosaur,
but I will not go quietly. I will keep the memory of the old time driver alive the best I can in my writing, who knows, fairy tales sometime come true and perhaps some day in the far future, the old time type of driver will be appreciated once again. Yall be safe out there! Sandy Long is a long time truck driver who is also very active within the trucking industry. She is a freelance writer for layover.com, a life member of OOIDA, member of the WIT and owner of two websites: Trailer Trucking Tech, a yahoo group dedicated to the education of new and prospective truck drivers and www.satinandsteelsisterhood.com
for women in non traditional jobs. Sandy welcomes comments at
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