DIGITAL CTM MAGAZINE JANUARY 2010

PMA No. 41859012

January 2010

Free

The

Canadian Trucking Magazine

y p p a H r a e Y New Inside This Issue

Messin’Up by Sandy Long Driver to Driver by Dave Ask the Fuel Expert CTM Pet Page CTM Spotlight School Bus Drivers

be r Don Sintrgetuhe Olympic Torch Hold

The

Canadian Trucking Magazine

Dave MacKENZIE

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Drew Thornson

to ensure they recceived a copy, and wanted to have a copy mailed to their home address.

Journalist on the Road or BB (Big Brother) Sharing his many Years of Stories drew@canadiantruckingmagazine.ca

Angie Dola Client Services (The person that does all the hard stuff we don’t want to!) angie@canadiantruckingmagazine.ca

Front Cover Don Streuber - President Bison Photographed by: Joseph David of Bison Transport Publication Mail Agreement No. 41859012

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Dave MacKENZIE Publisher / Editor Dave@canadiantruckingmagazine.ca Dave brings to the magazine 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 CTM a magazine built for transportation.

Happy New Year to all my readers at this very special time of the year.

May God bless you and keep you and yours safe and prosperous for 2010. .

This is indeed a special time for Canadian Trucking Magazine as this is our 14th copy of CTM. Yes, Canadian Trucking Magazine is now over one (1) year old and growing. {We have a lot of people to thank to have reached this goal, but most of all is you, the person that takes the time to read your CTM and send us your valuable feedback helping us to grow.} It was a cold event but worth I believe 2010 is going to be the year we turn things around in the trucking industry.

People have mixed feelings about the Olympic games now fast approaching, but as I watched the torch run with one of our own the President of Bison Transport Don Streuber light the torch and run his part of the relay. I felt he was holding that torch high and proud not only for him and his family but his extended family in the Transport Industry as a flame of hope and prosperity for 2010.

standing close to the coldest spot in NA the corner of Portage and Main.

I am happy to say I was not standing out there cheering by my self, some 20,000 fellow Winterpegers also bundled up and came out to witness this event.

Golden on my December delivery.

Hope your holiday season was safe and warm. The magazine went out late for December placing me on the road through 3 really good storms on delivery.

Which gave me an even stronger reason for the CTM Page this month being dedicated to the School bus driver. Most people are never on roads like pictured here and it may not surprise you how many call in sick on really cold and icy days. Well when it is minus 40 out and the plows KDYHQÂśW HYHQ ILUHG XS WKH GHGL cated people that carry our most precious cargo are start-

1R WKLV LVQÂśW bad picture taking, this is the # 1 b e f o r e

Welcome to winter and mountain driving.

It was pretty much these roads from the time I left Winterpeg till my return.

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ing their day completing a circle check of their vehicle and warming it up for our children.

life that are probably retiring as she is still wheeling a bus. How can we ever thank her and her colleges enough.

Being a Class 1 driver with over 36 years commercial driving experience I volunteered to fill in part time in my school division. Take it from me the testing and courses for a school bus driver is tougher then for transport and for good reason. I thought wheeling a tractor with a 53 foot trailer for years would make a school bus a walk in the park. Not so!

That is where I had the good fortune to meet and be tested by Jean Wasnie a school Bus Driver for over 38 years. She had to be the one in the

Since I am on a thanking spree here of dedicated people. Last month I highlighted Val from the Husky in Re-

gina.

I have watched her at work and she knows all of us by sight and most by name. seeing Val there is like coming home to dinner. Grumpy told me Val has always had a smile and cup of coffee waiting for him before he even gets in the door.

Well as I was pounding those black iced highways Val sent me an email I have to share with you as it shows her character and how she cares for us her family from the road. center page as I listened to others speak so highly of her driving and the respect she receives from her students. When you think of 38 years she has driven people in all walks of

To Dave and all his staff,A very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All,it was so nice to read the write up on myself,I am so humble I just don't know

how to thank you for your kind words,I take pride in what I do for Husky and for all my drivers,my job is to make all feel at home,to make you want to stop in on your way back. I care for each and everyone of you as if you are my family and most of them know that.You can be sure the red carpet is out whether your a driver ,a four wheeler, or just a plain two legger lol. I have been at Husky for going on 11 years and the pleasure has been all mine, I appreciate all who grace the doors of my workplace, and look forward to seeing each and everyone of you! I appreciate it when you stop by, cause then I don't have to worry if you are all right, cause you know I do, Please stop by to say Hi ,fuel up on some groceries, hot Java, a few laughs, the coffee is always on! Wishing all a Happy New Year and look forward to your next visit!!! As Always, Valerie As you see for yourself and witness everyday in the stops we know and love that we have extended family that care about us and not just sling hash our way or top up our cup, but makes our trip and time away from where we hang our hat so much easier. So please make sure never to carry a bad trip or phone call into our home away from home but thanks them and tip heavy.

For you silverbacks make sure to let the young guys know the good spots we have already scouted out. I always

say, anywhere you find CTM you will find a great place to stop as I will not place my Magazine somewhere I would QRW UHFRPPHQG ,I \RX GRQÂśW VHH D &70 or at least an empty box there, grab the tums!

Speaking of places to hang out! Here is a plug for South Beach Casino & Resort.

I kept seeing the Ad in my Magazine 47 $ per night on certain nights and hearing good things so the gang and I tried it out.

It was Saturday night and in the restaurant they had all you can eat Prime Rib, and I am a Prime Rib eater. Never mind the rest to much to mention I put on an extra 10lbs I am sure.

The rooms are new and very nicely done with every amenity.

The pool itself was warm and well maintained.

I mention this as have you ever been stuck trying to give a B day present or anniversary present or just a thank-you to someone that has everything?

has redone the pub there and it is worth a look. Not to mention the food there is great. When you drop in, if you see my friends Bernie and Dick who are regulars, tell them Dave said Hi. Well I found they have these gift cards so you can give a week-end getaway

to someone. Now that is better than a gift card to anywhere else as it is a complete getaway. Great food entertainment and relaxation.

Take that someone special yourself and give it a whirl.

If you are heading down the # 5 between Kamloops and Jasper my Fav stop the Wells Grey Inn in Clearwater

Last piece of experience or advice I would like to share. This last trip my Laptop went on me. Great, where do you go and who do you trust. I was r e c o m mended to Integrity Computers in Chilliwack and I dropped off my Dell.

Ron & Jared looked after me so here they are getting a plug .

Happy Trails and I hope to see you on this delivery !

Dave

about… in his opinion… to draw to a close. I took this chance to ask him to tell me a little about his background and that’s when the situation changed.

Red Flag Alert on Job Applications

By Kelly Anderson I was recently visiting with the President of a company with which I’ve had a relationship for the last ten years. He introduced me to his new Vice President in whom he has placed a lot of trust, and hopes for great things for his business as a result of this Vice President’s efforts and long track record of reported successes.

When I walked in the door the Vice President (let’s call him John) stood and quickly greeted me by name with an extremely firm handshake.

We decided to sit and visit for a minute getting to know each other.

He fired off numerous questions to me regarding Impact and the Society. I answered his questions and it seemed that the meeting was

John went from a leg crossed toward his new employer, leaning toward his employer, and a solid 90% confident eye contact to crossing the opposite leg, leaning away from his employer, crossing his arms, covering his mouth, only making eye contact about 10% of the time, and all at once his socks needed continual adjusting and he began to itch. This was the most dramatic change I had ever seen and the most visual signs of deception I’ve ever had a person exhibit in such short amount of time.

The skills I used in the detection of John’s deception were learned from John E. Reid and Associates in Chicago IL. You can look them up at www.reid.com and if you can’t attend their school they do sell DVD’s with their instruction material. Check out “The Reid Technique – Hiring the Best” My client and friend was oblivious to what had just happened. Later he asked me what I thought and I outlined the signs of deception I observed and inquired about the background investigation. John’s work history had been verified as much as possible since he claimed to have been self employed for the last 4 years or so. All his references had been called as well.

One thing to keep in mind, his references are usually his friends, and

their agenda is to help him get a job.

new business card every time we run into each other.

Here are a few statistics to keep in mind when reviewing applications and resumes: • Eighteen percent of applicants have a criminal record within the past 7 years • Thirty Five percent misrepresent education and professional credentials • Thirty Five percent misrepresent previous employment

This leads me to one of the first red flags I look for and have seen often over the last 11 years of independent consulting. Whenever I see an application which indicates, or a person who has, changed jobs every one and half to two years, I suspect this person doesn’t bring results or value to the organization and as a result of efficient background investigation I usually validate my suspicions.

My client was shocked and concerned about my observations and asked me if I would mind checking a little more on John’s work history.

I agreed to help.

I went to the internet and entered his name. Interestingly he was listed on several social networking sites and had his work history outlined on one of them. Furthermore, I found two press releases from previous employers announcing the addition of their new “super star”. Once I put his complete record together as a result of his online resume, press releases, and the incomplete resume he supplied to my client, a much less stable job history emerged. He hadn’t held a job for more than 2 years in the last 10 years.

As a result of attending many national, state, and local events and working with hundreds of carriers across the United States and Canada I have met and know a lot of people. It is interesting to see these people who seem to have a

Why does it take one and half to two years for the change to take place? I believe this is caused by a three stage process. Stage one the four to six month honeymoon; Stage Two - the four to six month realization that things aren’t getting done; Stage Three - the six to twelve month tolerance for pain.

Once the pain exceeds the cost and the pride of the person having to admit they made a bad hire, a change is made.

Once the change is made the nonperforming executive updates their resume with your great name and their impressive title and someone else hires them on face value again.

Returning to the story of John, he was smart enough to leave off some of his employers to show some stability. He also had an impressive list of references. As I mentioned above his references are his friends and they have an agenda. Another truth is birds of

feather flock together. Interestingly enough, John recommended one of his friends (references) for another position my client had available. These two men would have been compensated very well for the incredible value they were going to bring to the organization.

As I researched the other executive applicant’s background I found he wasn’t smart enough to leave off some of his employers to show some stability in an otherwise

unstable work history. Moreover, John and this applicant cross paths at numerous employers. Posing as the dynamic duo at point of hire, departing as Beavis and Butt Head.

The first red flag I had in this situation was when my client verbally shared the impressive list of companies this individual had worked for at a senior and sometimes worldwide level. My second alarm came during our face to face meeting. The final nail in the proverbial coffin was the falsification of the resume.

Remember the three stage process outlined above.

Well, I took the falsification information to my client. You would think that he would immediately have dismissed this liar and fraud. Nope! He asked me if I thought his claims of business growth at his past employer was true.

Basically, he was willing to keep this guy if he could deliver the results he lied about previously. It appears to me my client will have to go through all three stages to make a change. However, the length of each stage will be substantially shorter.

Written by Kelly Anderson Kelly Anderson is President of Impact and the International Society of Recruiting and Retention Professionals.

Reach Kelly at; 888-429-3445 www.impacttrans.com

Messin’Up

by Sandy Long

It seems that having to constantly prove ourselves in the trucking industry causes some of us lady drivers to get arrogant or at least appear that way. I am not guilty of that I do not think, at least I hope not. I credit my attitude with things that throughout the years have kept me humble. “Oh come on” you might say, “You have messed up?” Yep, I sure have…on occasion.

One of the most embarrassing things to happen to me was in 1983. A friend of mine’s husband was a retired Roadway driver and had set up a hot shot rig to run. He had a mild heart attack and she knew nothing about the business so asked me to run it for a little while. I knew little about flatbedding at the time and absolutely nothing about hot shots, it was just starting to become a viable part of trucking, but being younger and braver then, I told her that I would give it a whirl.

I took the little truck to the old Prothro Jct truck stop in Little Rock where the 40’ flatbed trailer was, hooked up to it and pulled it up to the front of the parking lot along the café side of the building. It was pouring down rain and about noon so the café was full. I went in, had lunch and ran to the truck. I started to pull out, and dropped the trailer on its nose right there in front of everyone in the café! I found out that the darned thing had a double locking 5th wheel and I hadn’t had it fully locked.

Needless to say, I provided plenty of entertainment cranking it back up off its nose in the pouring rain and of course, no one came out to help either. They had a high ol‘ time inside where it was dry, drinking coffee and all huddled in front of the windows watching ‘that hard working, soaked woman driver‘!

In 1997 again in the pouring rain, this time at night, I took a loaded trailer into the yard of the company I was working for in Ft Smith AR to drop it and pick up another loaded trailer.

Their drop lot was gravel, but they had a concrete pad the width of the landing gear to drop onto. There was about 6” of water all over the lot and the wind was blowing and rain was coming down in buckets! I positioned the trailer in the row of trailers, pulled the pin, dollied down, unhooked the glad hands and electric line and rehooked to my next load and went on my merry way.

The next day when I checked called, my dispatcher told me that I had cost the company $500 but that they wouldn’t charge me for it…this time. I didn’t have a clue what he was talking about and upon asking him, he told me that I had missed the concrete pad by 3” and the trailer had sunk in the mud all the way to where the nose was in the mud too! It took two wreckers to lift it. I had mud on my face for that one!

We can pass over all the falls over tarps, off of the trailer and getting thrown by my cheater bar when I was flatbedding along with missing the ICC bar getting out of the back of the trailer, missing the step getting in or out of the truck and slipping of the fuel island because I was watching a tight pair of jeans on a good looking male trucker walk by. You know the sort of things where you jump up or act nonchalant and look around to see if anyone was watching?

I will tell you though of the time out in WY when I was going back to the truck after taking in my permit book to the scale house. I took a Pratt fall right in broad daylight on a nice bright, warm, sunny day. I had finally adjusted to seeing everyone else wearing sandals in the truck stops and such so I had decided I would wear them too. I came down the steps of the scale house, strutting a little thinking about my pretty new sandals, took about 8 steps and SWOOP, THUNK! I hit the ground. Yep, there were lots of drivers around too…they all saw me! I took the sandals off when I got to the truck and refused to wear them ever again on the road.

There have been other humbling experiences through the years; the trailer tandems sliding on the wet grass on the side of a levee and high siding the tractor, taking someone’s word that ‘they do it all the time’ in going across a grassy area at a gas pressure station in MA and the shame of having a Ford F150 pull me off the wet, red clay, recently having my pin puller slip throwing me on the ground the second week at my new job in the yard no less, and finally if there is nothing else that will humble someone in a Minnesota second it is… hearing the glad hands slap against the back of the sleeper because I forgot to unhook them!

Yes, we lady drivers have to prove ourselves over and over in the trucking industry, it is the way it is, but remember that even though we have to prove ourselves, we don’t have to become arrogant or think we are anything other than what we are, truckers. You can rest assured that as soon as you start thinking you are a cut above the rest, a hole will be hidden in the newly cut grass on the way to the ladies room in the shippers office and while striding along so proudly, you will step in it and fall flat on your face in front of eight trucks sitting along side the grass with all the drivers watching, just waiting to serve you a great big slice of humble pie.

Ya’ll be safe!

Sandy Long is a long time truck driver who is also very active within the trucking industry. She was a freelance writer for layover.com, a life member of OOIDA, member of the WIT and owner of two web web-sites: Trailer Truckin’ Tech, a yahoo group dedicated to the education of new and prospective truck drivers and www.satinandsteelsisterhood.com for women truck drivers. Sandy welcomes comments at ladygo ladygo-diva1953@yahoo.com

Written by: Dawn Truell President: Cross Border Services GOVERNMENT CRACKDOWNS Hello again all. The Governments on both sides of our borders, Canada and the U.S.A. have been really cracking down on border related issues and criminal offenses. If you have noticed when crossing the borders between the U.S.A. and Canada in this last year, longer line ups, longer wait times, secondary screenings, vehicle inspections, etc., it is because the governments are cracking down at all border points due to the increased illegal activities.

While I have been out on the road these last few months working with government issues across Canada and into Alaska, I have wondered what our world is coming to and what are we to expect tomorrow. It seems that our major drug trafficking in Canada occurs in/out Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec.

Unfortunately it appears that our trucking industry is being hit the most for these occurrences. There are thousands of great honest truck drivers across Canada whom we know and trust, it is those few bad apples that have given us a bad name. Of course we are not just talking about truck drivers here, these criminals can be the people next door we see walking their dogs, we just don’t know.

Where this hurts us the most is cross border business. As you all know, since the new government in the U.S.A. has taken over, their initiative is to bring home to the U.S.A. all Trade making our daily business profitability dwindle. We need to keep our business going cross border and most importantly across Canada. Our staff members need to be trained better on the how to’s and the what to look for’s regarding Security and

Trust.

The extent of the drug trafficking, child abductions, murders, illegal activities all inclusive, has gone up. There are many factors in this puzzle and

leaves one to feel rather uneasy at times. Having seen and experienced some of these incidents first hand, I can truly tell you that I returned with this wow what has this world come to attitude. I am a Christian and believe that all of us can fix this, we can educate ourselves on the going’s on and the preventative measures that we can all take to gain back the security and trust that we all once had and experienced.

Here are some recent stories that have happened: U.S. Customs and Border Pro-

tection officers at ports of entry along the California/ Mexico border seized almost 2,900 pounds of narcotics valued at $2.2 million, captured 13 fugitives, and stopped the illegal entry of 417 persons over the busy holiday weekend.

The largest seizure occurred at the San Ysidro border on Sunday at about 1:30 p.m. after a detector dog alerted to the back wall of a motor-home pulled by a Ford F-350 pickup as it and the two female occupants waited in line to be in-

spected. Officers subsequently discovered 78 wrapped packages of marijuana in the rear wall of the motor home weighing 1,764 pounds, valued at more than $1 million.

CBSA confirmed the deportation of Samuel Martin Luin November 9, 2009. The Edmonton resident was convicted of 17 offences including sexual assault, assault causing bodily harm and assaulting a peace officer while incarcerated.

Sunday December 6th, 2009, shortly after 3:30AM, male suspect Eric Shawn Carty shot and killed Kirk Matthews who was outside his home.

Canada wide warrant Michel Bergeron, murder, gangsterism, drug trafficking, conspiracy to commit murder.

Banks Singh Chadi, warrant related to a conspiracy to traffic substantial quantity of heroin.

RCMP after Claudine Bishop wanted in Quebec and Ontario for a variety of offences including armed robbery, fraud over $5000 and abandonment of a baby in Montreal.

Border Services Officers in Sarnia, Ontario, prevent 50 kilograms of cocaine from reaching Canadian streets. crossborderservices@cogeco.net

Ask the Fuel Expert By Jack Lee Jack Lee is CEO of 4Refuel Trucks taking 50% longer to fuel ² 45 minutes is new industry average according to study.

Time spent fuelling increases labour costs; decreases productive time worked I remember starting my working career as a kid, my employers told me what I was worth. And I think it was a buck and a half an hour. As time went on, my working-worth increased until I became an entrepreneur and then my value was directly proportional to how well I managed my growth and controlled costs. I had to work smarter given the limited hours I had each day. Today that challenge continues for me, for suppliers and our clients.

7KHUH DUH VRPH FRVWV \RX FDQÂśW control but they can all be managed better. For example, high labour costs can be contained particularly when it comes to refuelling, In a recent study of major transport companies across Canada, the average time to fuel at commercial stations had increased by 50% over two years. What used to take truckers 30 minutes now takes 45. I know this number is low for bigger cities where

\RX VLW LQ WUDIILF ORQJHU DQG LWÂśV always hard to account for the drivers who spend additional time making a call, using the restroom or stopping for a coffee. But for the SXUSRVHV RI WKLV GLVFXVVLRQ OHWÂśV stick with 45 minutes per refuelling session; 15 minutes longer than it XVHG WR WDNH 7KDWÂśV D LQFUHDVH LQ time, and a 50% increase in hourly labour costs.

7KHUHÂśV QR UHWXUQ RQ SD\LQJ IRU XQSURGXFWLYH WLPH ,WÂśV DV VLPSOH DV that.

The 45 minute measure considers the total time spent getting fuel per truck per day. The clock starts when the truck leaves its route to find a fuelling station, waits in line, adds fuel to tanks, completes the transaction and returns to its route.

During this time, you are paying for the labour, maintenance, insurance and administration but making no deliveries, moving no goods and earning no return on a considerable investment.

The study was conducted through personal and telephone interviews with senior executives, owners and fleet managers of businesses in transportation, logistics and freight operating in major urban centres in Canada. It was conducted by 4Refuel, the only company in the world to develop systems for automatically tracking fuel transactions and reporting them online. /HWÂśV GR VRPH PDWK WR VKRZ ZKDW WKH real cost of refuelling is when you do your own fleet filling at card-locks.

For a fleet of 20 trucks you can

expect to spend approximately 50 hours each week devoted to refuelling. And many of those hours are overtime hours costing time and a half or double time rates. What do your drivers earn per hour? Now do the math. It adds up to tens of thousands of dollars in lost productivity. Now, think about what you get for all those hours spent filling up, other than fuel. Nothing.

Today many companies have come to the conclusion that time spent refuelling can be re-gained and put back onto their bottom line when they use Total Fuel Management. This solution has been pioneered, developed and fine-tuned by 4Refuel Inc. the only company in the world to look at logistics, refuelling and fuel management from your perspective. Total Fuel Management includes everything from fuel procurement, delivery, to the measurement and management of fuel consumption data. Clients no longer have to search for fuel during shortages. No more driving time. Waiting is eliminated and you get the information you need to manage your fleets better.

Fuel Management Online or FMO delivers, via email, the data captured from each truck.

This information allows you to figure out where consumption is wasted and productivity can be improved giving you better profitability for each dollar spent on fuel. Your drivers appreciate the change to this system because they are no longer responsible for maintaining fuel levels because all refuelling is done at your location while trucks are parked, usually outside of business hours. %XW GRQÂśW WDNH P\ ZRUG IRU LWÂŤ

Âł,W V DERXW WKH PRQH\ VD\V +XJK Sanders Vice President at Roff Logistics, the company responsible for transport needs for Supply Chain Management and Walmart Canada.

They have 135 trucks on the road and another 15 in-yard. "We've been using 4Refuel for the past 10 years.

Based on our current fuel useage it

would take us 93 man-hours each day...that's right, each day...to refuel at card-locks. With 4Refuel we save over $2,200 every working day. Each year?

That works out to over $500,000 in saved labour costs. Over the years we have seen traffic increases and more demand for fuel.

We don't have to worry about fuel supply or running low. Our trucks are always kept full, and 4Refuel drivers are available 24/7. Everybody has to wait at card-locks. And when you combine the driving time, waiting, and the time it takes to fill up, it's a lot of wasted time, money and effort.

Years ago we realized the importance of having 4Refuel look after us. That was when we were paying $12 per hour. Today our costs are well over $20 an hour. Wait times, drive times have all increased, in addition to wages." Mr. Sanders concludes, "So, who doesn't want to save money?"

Total Fuel Management eliminates the growing labour costs associated with refuelling plus delivers valuable information to make your operations run PRUH VPRRWKO\ ZKLOH LQFUHDVLQJ SURILWV ,œG VD\ WKDWœV SUHWW\ JRRG DGYLFH IURP D JX\ who used to be worth only a buck or two an KRXU Jack Lee, President/CEO 4Refuel Inc. Jack Lee is CEO of 4Refuel ² 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

at an angle. Once the vehicle starts moving, gently turning the wheel can get you going the way you want to go with a lot less effort and sliding.

The Safety Tip Adviser Alvis Violo of Emergency Road Services of Canada Inc. Help, I’m Stuck and I Can’t Get Out!!!

There are few things more nervewracking for a driver than to get stuck in snow or ice. The feeling can be even more helpless if you are stuck at night and the road you are on isn't a well-traveled one.

However, if you stay calm and don't give in to the fear and frustration, many times you can work yourself free.

Let’s start with something you shouldn’t do. Applying too much power to the drive wheels can cause the wheels to do nothing but spin, which can make matters worse. Instead, apply steady light power.

If you are at a complete stop, having your front wheels turned isn't a good idea, even for a front wheel drive. This increases the amount of power needed to get going again, since the vehicle is forced to move

Rocking the vehicle back and forth, forward and reverse, can help if the reason for being stuck is piled snow or ice is in front of and behind the tires. Patience is the key here.

It can take quite a bit of rocking before the vehicle is free.

Letting a little air out of the tires can also greatly increase your traction and get you out of a stuck situation.

Do keep in mind however that under inflated tires cause the vehicle to burn more gas. They also wear out faster, so you will want to air them back up when you are able to.

If you have someone with you and the vehicle is sliding, try having him or her put weight over the drive wheels. This increases traction and can get you out of a frustrating predicament.

Carry some form of snow shovel when traveling in snow and ice. A collapsible shovel takes up little space and doesn't weigh much, but it can be a blessing if you find yourself stuck in a snowstorm.

Having material you can put under the tires to increase traction can also be very helpful. Many people carry sand, which also helps by increasing the weight in the vehicle.

Clay style dry cat litter is even better. A few handfuls in front of and

behind all four tires can often get you right out of being stuck.

Not giving in to fear when you get stuck in the snow and ice is also a huge help as is having some notion of how to get unstuck. Some preparation is helpful as well. If you follow the above tips, you need never wonder what to do when you get stuck. You will be well on your way to getting free.

Drive safe, think positive and be prosperous.

Alvis Violo is the C.E.O. of Emergency Road Services Of Canada Inc., a coast to coast national roadside assistance company dedicated to the trucking industry in Canada.

For more information visit www.ersofcanada.com or call 1-877-377-2262. Please send your questions, feedback or comments about this column to alvisviolo@ersofcanada.com.