Dave brings to you 38 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 to now Publisher Editor of Canadian Trucking Magazine. On the Front Cover is a few very important topics to If you have served and cover in this issue. want to be a part of like minded We have Remembrance veterans be sure to visit the web Day tha I hope we observe all site and show your interest. year long. http://www.cdnveterans.com/ This is a Great Issue You can speak to Paul being November to point out our fearless leader although picagain that Military, Police, Fire, tured below is arrangements he Rescue run towards danger as made for our first ride. Did not others run away and therefore understand the concept of riding deserve our respect. hogs and picking up chicks. They have written a Paul is an officer you know! blank cheque up to and includPlease remember Red ing thier life to protect us. Shirt Fridays, where you wear Should you see on of Red to respect our service peoour Best standing in a coffee ple and thank them. line, please don’t hesitate to step forward, thank them for thier service and buy them a cup if you can afford it. I stand proudly with members of the Canadian TriService Military Veterans Association on the front cover on November 11th. continued on page 4
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Now I have heard of being in the Dog House, but caged by the dog! Last month’s Edition you should have noticed John with his co-driver Teka, someone got Teka’s name wrong, (probally Ang) so this Edition I thought we better correct this as Teka was not pleased with John. We have an awesome line up of editorials by great writers in this edition. First up is Jamie from Integra Recovery Solutions in Edmonton AB. Even the most season Driver can learn tips from Jamie, hey I learn something new everyday, and look forward to it! Jamie points out some very serious safety concerns that I am glad he does. When I see someone on the side of the highway, not only do I move over I slow down, for everyone. Next up Dawn Truell from Cross Border Services with some shocking info that I goggled after reading about it. You get what you pay for, but prescription drugs that can KILL you! Good reason to buy acrosss the counter from a legit pharmacy. Hats off to members of CBP and RCMPolice working with Interpol and FBI to save our lives as to save a couple of dollars we risk our health on internet drugs ???
Now comes our Sister Sandy Long, one of my favorites ! I could fill this page with her involvement in the trucking industry. From Women in Trucking to her web pages and articles to her books she has published. This month she talks about PTSD that I have seen personally and might have had to fight off myself. If you don’t know it exists or what it is, you won’t be equipped to fight it. Take the time to read her article and perhaps pick up her book Street Smarts. If you know a rookie driver, what a great gift! Next we go to another Friend Marc Springer from Snortn Boar Transport, who offers great advice on shipping and offers his company to those of us wondering who do we know with a flat bed that can get that where it needs to be. As a Pro I bet you get asked that all the time.
My Son bought a car off a internet auction and asked me to hook up a trailer and head down and pick it up for him. I have to tell you that by the time we added in fuel, hotels, meals and oter such things we were at $2,000 not including our time. I would have been so better off getting Marc to toss it on his bed and drop it at Pembina or Grand Forks for me. Another friend bought a fifth wheel down south, Great Deal, all around. Went down to pick it up in a pick-me-up truck and found it had sat in the same spot for 7 years. Bearings had to be done, new tires, all meaning repair on the spot being down time with hotels, meals and what not. Again, it could have been loading on a skate board and dropped closer to home or delivered, door to door. Don’t forget if you need something lifted on or off and you are around or near Alberta, call Jamie at Integra. Also when dealing with these fine writers be sure to mention you read thier articles in CTM.
So, besides John and Teka there, these last 2 pages have been dedicated to 4 Great contributors to this months Edition of CTM. Please take the time when you are sitting someplace to read what they had to tell us. Put this copy in your truck, reading room or office and kick back and take it all in. The Crossword has a secret, if you do the word search first you can find all the answers to the crossword in it. SU-DO-KU is a brain busterand good luck to ya! The Pet Page has the MacKENZIE gang with 9 Lab puppies, now you know why I am so happy to be on the road. Twelve (12) dogs in the house. The puppies will be all gone by December 10th and has been an interesting experience having them. Being 8 are jet black, you have to look hard at the picture to see them all. If you are a loyal reader, you have seen the mom and pop Lab in past editions. There are a few pages of NASCAR and even more in the Web extended edition. Please visit the web site for that and the solved puzzels. Continued Page 6
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One more Plug before I get onto other things here. The Source an advertiser and sponsor at the vents CTM attends. This is a great place to Christmas Shop right off your laptop and get the best deals. Check out the free promotion on the inside back cover. I have made it a point to shop for my toys here rather then run around wasting fuel let my laptop do the work!
It is winter again! We had a bit of a break with snow and ice, but it is back! I am not going to turn you off by spending words here on winter driving and safety, heck, I will leave that to Jamie. But what I will do is ask you when you are at the truck stops and picks and drops, chat it up with the other drivers of your experience, especially the rock pile. They deserve not to find out the hard way.
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Not to blow smoke up your whatsit, but most of my readers are silverbacks who enjoy the pictures and big print. You know the spots between speedy creek and the hat that trucks blow over. You have seen in the rock pile where there is always a big truck in trouble. On 5 I always look for one spot where every trip I see a big truck in the ruebarb or one has just been pulled out.
If we share these spots with stories to the rookies and billy big riggers we will have less line ups waiting for Jamie to pull them out. Trust me so many don’t realize not to use the cruise control.
If you are reading this you probally missed me on the November run. December will be out just before and around Christmas. Yes this Cowboy uses the word Christmas and Merry Christmas and even God Bless you driver. I have served so others have the right to say I should not use words like these, and it warms my heart. So if I don’t have a chance to say in person all these things, I hope in 2013 the tonnage is up, we all make some money and our personal lives are not as complicated as they might of been in 2012. More, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and hope to say so in person one day! Fridays please remember to wear Red Shirts! A Service person is someone at some point wrote a blank cheque up and including thier life to protect us! They run towards danger as others run away!
Happy Trails Driver,,, Dave
WINTER TIPS by JAMIE
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This month was a crazy month in the Edmonton area we had the freezing rain with snow on top what a crazy time. But lack of common sense prevailed as usual sometimes we just have to say stop let’s find a place to get off the road . I seen a lot of stupidly, impatience and ignorance. A word to the wise give the snow plow operators , the tow truck operators and law enforcement some room it’s not all about you. But the worst act of stupidly I seen was a jackknifed truck in the ditch on hi way 16 east between Sherwood park and vegerville. the truck was in the ditch there was blowing snow , extremely slippery I was responding to another call when I came upon this . I could not believe it a truck in the ditch with a truck and trailer parked behind him and one truck parked in front of him, all there lights off engines shut off no reflectors out no flairs out waiting for a rescue I almost took them out myself . I was running tire chains that night and that was the only reason I was able to avoid another serous collision . I went up to the truck in the rear and banged on the sleeper, well I had a few choice words for them .Drivers take some responsibility to protect the rest of the motoring public you are required by law to do this . also slow down and give me and the snow plows a chance to clean up and especially the police and fire rescue.
Just because you choose to go out on a stormy night and risk things doesn’t mean the rest of us do it is our job to be out there and our responsibility give us a break slow down move over or get off the road. Anytime a commercial motor vehicle, that is a vehicle with a GVWR or gross weight of 10,001 pounds or more (see §390.5for complete definition), is stopped on the highway for any cause other than necessary traffic stops, specific safety regulations and procedures immediately become the responsibility of the driver. Section 392.22 lists these responsibilities, which go beyond simply activating the emergency signal flashers. Warning devices consisting of three bidirectional emergency reflective triangles must be placed as soon as possible, or within 10 minutes of the CMV coming to a stop along the roadside, in the following manner: •One on the traffic side approximately 10 feet from the stopped CMV and in the direction of approaching traffic; •One at approximately 100 feet from the stopped CMV in the center of the traffic lane or shoulder occupied by the CMV and in the direction of approaching traffic; •One at approximately 100 feet from the stopped CMV in the center of the traffic lane or shoulder occupied by the CMV and in the direction away from approaching traffic.
Section 393.95 details the required emergency equipment that must be carried on all trucks, truck tractors, and busses. If the CMV is stopped within 500 feet of a curve, or at the crest of a hill, or any other obstruction in view, the driver must place the warning devices in the direction of the obstruction and at a distance of 100 to 500 feet from the stopped commercial motor vehicle to warn others who may be approaching the stopped CMV.
Divided or one-way roads require the driver to place one warning device at a distance of 100 feet in the direction of approaching traffic in the center lane or shoulder occupied by the CMV, and another warning device at the traffic side of the CMV within 10 feet of the rear of the vehicle.
Under no circumstances can a driver, or anyone for that matter, attach or carry fuses or any other flame-producing emergency signal on a CMV transporting Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 explosives; or Class 3 or Division 2.1, whether loaded or empty; or any CMV using compressed gas as a motor fuel, use any flame producing emergency signal or attach to any part of the CMV.
Anytime a CMV is stopped along the roadside for any cause other than traffic stops, law enforcement officials are soon to arrive to investigate the matter. If the driver has not taken action as described in §392.22, one can safely count on violations being added to an already unusual event. SLOW DOWN, the LIFE you save may be a Father, Grandfather, Mother, Grandmother, Brother, Sister, Friend, for sure someones Child and may be your OWN ! Don’t spoil Christmas this year because of stupidity! Pass this on and save a life!
Jamie Integra Recovery
info@integrarecovery.ca (780) 719-8077
Editors Note: Thanks Jamie for your dedication and services to the trucking industry through your service, articles and support for good causes! I know who to call now! Dave
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Remember Alain Deschamps and his fantastic family Winner of the BFG at the Capital Truck Show! Well Alain has his BFG on and cruising down the highway!
Why Drivers ask does CTM give away Moran Mashers at shows and events. Time and time again stories come back from the ones we have given away of major damage towing and down time saved. The BFG a solid Stainless Steel Guard weighing less than 300 lbs and costing less than 2,500 with your CTM discount, delivered. No brainer Driver!
Grumpy another CTM winner of a BFG has a great story to tell if you meet up with him. Grumpy runs the rock pile and shortly after the BFG was put on his iron a boulder rolled down a cliff and in front of his right front steer. The BFG made short work of the boulder sending it flying into the side of the road. Can you imagine the damage and costs hitting a rock like that in the mountains unprotected. Another Friend Terry that has a BFG on his trucks had one of his drivers take out a bear! A little bend in the BFG but on his way without a tow or down time. Use the CTM code 100 and order one today!
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ORGANIZED CRIME INVOLVED IN FAKE PILLS SENT BY MAIL
Have you ever ordered prescriptions online? Did you know that they are counterfeit? Did you also know that these companies that are selling to you online are run by International Organized Crime? Samples of some of the hundreds of thousands of pills sent by mail but seized by Canada Border Agency Officials were on display in Vancouver last week. The presentation followed the end of Operation Pangea V, an international investigation co-ordinated by Interpol that spanned 100 countries. RCMP Sgt. Duncan Pound said Canadian officials inspected almost 4,000 packages, seizing 2,000 of those and confiscated nearly 140,000 fake pills worth about $1 million.
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"These products are dangerous," said Heather Ardiel, chief of operations for the border agency at the Vancouver International Mail Centre. "Taking prescription medications without proper medical advice may pose serious health risks and in some cases even be fatal."…
By: Dawn Truell, President, Cross Border Services Police have arrested a 58year-old B.C. man and seized 6,000 counterfeit erectile dysfunction pills and recommended charges to Crown counsel. There are two more cases being investigated with over 4,000 websites, Asia being the primary source of the medications…counterfeit drugs, over 8,000 dosages. Investigations are ongoing daily. There is a case you may have heard of lately involving a truck driver, “Kuldeep Singh Dharni, accused of smuggling 100 kilograms of cocaine with an estimated street value of $10 million, he ended up being acquitted recently of all charges. The Superior Court Justice, Mr. Thomas Carey, even expressed sympathy that the 39-year-old Brampton trucker had to undergo such legal troubles since he was arrested three years ago when customs officers made the second-largest ever cocaine bust at the Ambassador Bridge. “I wish you the best of luck,” Carey told Dharni after delivering his ruling. “And I’m sorry this ordeal was visited upon you.”
Customs officers found 100 bricks of cocaine in Dharni’s truck, hidden among aluminum coils picked up in Indiana, as he attempted to cross the Ambassador Bridge into Canada around 8:30 p.m. on August 10, 2009. Dharni maintained that he had no idea cocaine was hidden in his truck, though federal prosecutor Richard Pollock argued that the accused knew full well. Carey found Dharni’s evidence truthful and suggested that the owner of the truck, not Dharni who drove it, orchestrated the crime which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. The owner of the truck was dishonest on the stand and had directed Dharni to a busy truck stop to wait while paperwork was allegedly processed, he then could have had cocaine planted in bags on the unsealed truck. Carey also noted that two sets of footprints on the aluminium coils did not match Dharni’s. “I do believe your evidence,” Carey told Dharni. “It was clear and uncontradicted by any other evidence. It did not sound practised or rehearsed and it made sense. “The cross examination, in my view, enhanced your credibility. There is no criminal record alleged and I accept you, Mr. Dharni, as a person of good character.” Dharni was declared free to go. Outside the court house Dharni, who listened to the two-week trial with the help of Punjabi interpreters, expressed relief with the decision to the thanks of his lawyer Mr. Patrick Ducharme.
Ducharme said he will seek a quick return of his client’s passport from the police, so that Dharni can return to his wife and 2 1/2-yearold son in Brampton and soon resume his trucking career. Dharni had been living under strict bail conditions for more than three years. Things aren’t always as they seem.
For further information on aiding in the fight against smuggling, terrorism, C-TPAT, FAST, PIP please contact; Dawn Truell, President, Cross Border Services, at: www.c-tpat-certified.com dawntruell@c-tpat-certified.com.
Note from Dave here, if you see suspicious activity, persons asking you for a ride acrosss the border in your truck, a loose lipped driver talking about smuggling loads of drugs or weapons, do us all a favour and contact authorities. Try to get as much information as possible without becoming involved and shut these bad guys down!
BORDER WATCH CALL
1.888.502.9060
By Sandy Long
Coming across I-72 westbound yesterday morning, I saw emergency vehicles on the eastbound side ahead. When I got up next to them, there in the middle of the lanes was a sheetcovered body. It was not a good way to start the day to see this in the dawn’s early light. PTSD used to be called combat fatigue and came to be understood most in soldiers returning
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home during WWII and then Korea. It is the residual from traumatic incidents or occurrences that one suffers such as battle, abuse, abject fear or accidents where one feels out of control. The easiest explained example of PTSD symptoms is someone being gun shy; one jumps or over reacts adversely to a loud noise after say, being shot at another time. Physical symptoms are increased heartbeat, anxiety, nausea, sweats, flashbacks to what caused the PTSD in the first place, nightmares, high stress levels and depression.
Accumulative Post Traumatic PTSD may be caused by accumulative incidences; this is what affects truck drivers the most. Added to the constant stress caused by traffic and tight schedules, seeing horrendous accidents, assisting as first on the scene to accidents, or seeing the sheet-covered bodies can cause accumulative PTSD. Because of the isolation of the job, the trucker may not be able to talk about whatever it was they witnessed to work thru the emotions. If truckers have been in a serious accident themselves, PTSD may kick in if they see a similar accident. People can show some strange behaviors that are caused by PTSD. My late brother would tell me of seeing a horrendous wreck with dead bodies and then laugh. He had PTSD for years after serving three tours in Viet Nam and being a trucker added to it. Laughing after relating something terrible he had seen was his way of coping, it was a release for him, but if you did not know him, you would think him callous or hard hearted‌he was not. If he heard a helicopter too closely or a jet would go over too low, he would hit the dirt or go into defensive mode, classic examples of PTSD.
Stress Disorder (PTSD)
I was in a major wreck in 2000 where I was pinned in the sleeper for a couple of hours in the dark. I still to this day do not know exactly what my position was when I pulled myself up, I could look down at my ex pinned behind the steering wheel. When I am tired or stressed, if I think about that, my mind goes into a loop reliving that wreck… and I get scared all over again. Some PTSD is normal after an incident where you are scared or feel out of control and normal PTSD will ease with a little time. However, PTSD that stays around or shows up years after the event can be hard to deal with; but it can be dealt with. Treating PTSD takes dealing with the emotions that you did not feel at the time, this might take seeing a professional. Talk therapy is the most common form of treatment for PTSD, using anger management, depression strategies and coping techniques. For truckers, the need to talk about what they see during the day that affects them adversely is very important, for instance, my writing about seeing the sheet covered body is a way for me to deal with seeing it so it does not build up in my mind and turn into PTSD. PTSD is a very treatable mental illness and nothing to be ashamed of. If you think that you might be suffering from it by having continued nightmares, anxiety, de-
pression or stress when you see or remember bad things, then by all means do not hesitate to see someone to get some help with this disorder. As with any mental illness, there is no shame in having it, only shame, in this day and age, if you do not get help with it.
Ya’ll be safe and I wish you peace and some serenity in your busy lives
(www.facebook.com/theoneandonlytv), email (trkrsvoice@thetruckersvoice.net), or
twitter (@trkingsantas).“
Do not cuss a trucker or a farmer with your mouth full!
Street Smarts: A Guide to a Truck Driver's Personal Safety Arriving Alive: personal safety, driving and sharing the road with semis tips Just a Lady Driver blog Sandy Long's Faire personal website Sandy Long @ Facebook TrailerTruckinTech Life member OOIDA Women In Trucking Association NOTE FROM DAVE; As a former Soldier, Policeman and Trucker I too have seen horrific sights and have seen my Brothers and Sisters suffer with PTSD. It has manifested a personality in myself to make light of hard situations and be jovial instead of taking in the hard impact, reality and truth of the situation. I understand, and understand more, we need to share our stories as a release of the stress we as truckers face daily. Truck stops, CB, make sure to share Driver.
Make sure to visit the expanded Web Edition of CTM to see more content and NASCAR! Please visit our page on facebook and LIKE our page to get fast first updates such as where Dave is on delivery for a coffee and pie!
WHO IS HAULING YOUR FRIEGHT Your concerns are valid. there are people and companies out there that have figured out ways to take advantage of this and you lack of experience in the trucking industry.
You just won that Auction and how do you get that Car, Truck, Boat ,Mobile Home or whatever to where you need it?
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As a relocation professional perhaps a friend has asked you how to ship something somewhere at the best cost and safest way. Who would you call or know where to start looking. As a shipper, you’re contemplating who is going to ship our new Backhoe, car or CNC machine, motorcycle, boat or tractor you just purchase on the other side of the country? Never had anything trucked before? Not sure how to get it done without going broke. How do you know it will arrive safe and sound? This is a very common thing these days with all the internet purchases being made every single day. Large auction company's are building empires on this very concept.
Large trucking try their best to treat each piece of freight they have with respect but lets
face it. When you employ 10,000 trucks each day the quality control is going to suffer.
This is exactly why myself and a few other Owner Operators have taken on the challenges of running a trucking company with a one on one personal approach.
The greatest care possible is taken to ensure you property is respected and treated well the entire trip. It doesn't have to be a problem or a stressful experience. If you hire the right company.
Pictures are courtesy of Ian Spanier
By- Marc Springer - Snortn Boar Transport My company Snortn Boar Transport you will receive your property in a timely professional manner from the owner and operator of Snortn boar Transport, Marc Springer.
You will have talked with him on the phone several times to be kept current on the progress of your shipment. You will have paid a 50% deposit and paid the balance upon a successful delivery. Most of all you will have dealt with a small business owner who has respect for his customers and their business and treats each and every one of his customers as a friend with the hopes of a long term trucking contact having been made. There is people like me out there, still you need to look around and ask the right questions. For example. Do you have a MC # are you properly insured in the unlikely event there is a problem. Do you have any referrals or feedback from previous customers with similar shipments. At any rate don't let the giant trucking companies buffalo you into paying to much or having your property held hostage for weeks on end while they shuffle it around some terminals waiting for a small truck to deliver it to your door. Picking up something can have it surprises and can end up more costly then hiring the shipping out, fuel, hotels,tolls and unexpected repairs.
Call an Owner Operator like me and get the job done the way you know it should be!
I do what I say I going to do. Your satisfaction is my motivation. Call Snortn Boar Transport today for quote on your next shipment. Wether you need that purchase door to door or brought to the border, be you a large shipper or first time auction winner, Snortn Boar Transport can make this a painless secure way to move your freight.
Marc Springer Owner/Operator
Snortn Boar Transport Providing Quality Transportation Throughout the US and Canada www.snortnboartransport.com