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.
What an exciting month I have to report about! Where to start, I guess at my favorite Truck show in Canada in the East, Stirling Truck show. CTM had a booth there again and gave a lucky winner a HERD Integrated Vehicle Protection. Or as some of us call it a roo bumper. A new friend and fellow Driver and Legion Member Jim Townson from Trenton calls it a Moran Masher. I like that ! Any way you slice it, with a HERD on your front end the worries are over. On the front page of the web site, I have a special Stirling Show Edition, so please take some time to take a look. Also on Facebook if you do that, we have a bunch of photos and comments there. Please become a fan. The other exciting news this month is my trip to the Red River Co-op Speedway in MB. With CTM as NASCAR MEDIA it is al-
ways a pleasure to cover these events. I do have to say, if you have not been out to the speedway in Manitoba, put it on your list of things to do. The excitement there is fantastic. This month we are lucky enough to have Tayvia Dorge as our CTM Girl. Tayvia is a real life race car driver with a web page loaded with wins and pictures. Look for her portfolio on the CTM web site. The MacDon Crew picture below are a sample of this speedways participation. This picture really does not do this team justice as this is possibly the most colourful team I have ever seen in North America. The spirit of this great people you would have to capture in real life. I must admit, I ate my share of those minni donuts while I was there to. The speedway is located on Hwy 75 just minutes south of Winterpeg. I imagine on a night that is not to busy, you could park a bob tail, not sure if you could get in and out to easily with a trailer. But
for a night out with the kids and friends, do it. Other exciting news is the new book out by my friend Sandy Long. Street Smarts by Sandy Long is a book I would recommend all drivers take a look at. If you can suggest this to your Driver Services department as a book they should give out in orientations. Those of us that have been in Gary Indy at the Flying J, or a few other nameless stops, are well aware how fast a driver can get into trouble. I sure hope you all still look out for each other and if you see a driver being mugged or worst, sound the air horn, put on some lights and get on that CB for others to do the same. Let us keep our home away from home safe. I have to place a few more Speedway Pics in here. Pictured right beside is our July CTM Girl Tayvia giving racing tips to no other than Kenny Wallace. I am talking real NASCAR here. Below is this driver getting pictures with Kenny and of course Michael Waltrip. Top right
corner is with the 40 year veteran NASCAR Ken Schrader. I must say i was just as excited to get pictures cited to get pictures with the local Manitoba Racers that put thier heart and soul into this sport.
Jen our past CTM Girl and Cover Girl as well as Events Reporter was on hand to get a shot here with Jen enjoys getting out to the truck shows and events and meeting the CTM fans and signing some magazines. don’t be afraid to ask for an autographed copy. Remember to go on line each month and see our expanded web editions. The digital web editions always have more NASCAR, NFL, Stories and entertainment. It is a way to draw our reading audience to the web page and facebook. Plus web editions don’t require printing and distribution and save on costs to. You get to see more great action at the Red River CO-OP Speedway! Did you notice in this picture of Murray Kozie on page 7, we put a plug for Beaver Truck Sales!
Border Crossing Myths and Realities So many times I hear from my readers that they either don’t go south anymore or never have and never will. I can’t believe this as the highways are much, much better. The truck stops are more frequent and very traveller friendly and it is cheaper on meals and fuel. Most of the time it is the myth of the evil customs officers waiting for you on both sides of the borders. This is certainly not true. Yes gone is the simple gate and welcome to the US or Canada, but look at the world we live in now. I find it is a lot easier now with PAPs and PARS and the ACE system to cross. The paperwork is all done by the time you get there and it is a scan and you are across. Identification in this day and age should be a requirement.If they want to search me and it is keeping North America safe, good call. New units such as ICE ( Im-
migration Customs Enforcement) have been put in place with the equipment to support them to keep you and me and our families safe. Tips for crossing the border is simple.
Have the approved ID needed on both sides of the line. Have no weapons or prohibited food products with you.Make sure your PAPs or PARs are faxed well ahead of time and phone the brocker to confirm they have been accepted. If you are picking up on a Friday, fax right away and check before close of business to make sure there are no issues. At the border, use the manners mommy taught you and show respect for these guardians of our freedom. While away, keep all your receipts for any thing you buy in a separate envelope to present at the booth Seriously, some of these men and women have served and have sand in thier boots and deserve thanks and respect. My friend Dawn Truell with CBS writes in my magazine every week with interesting stories and tips worth reading. If you or your company is experiencing border issues and trouble understanding the procedures, call her. Talk with me, or email me, as I have 37 years crossing borders. Most important my friends, crossing the line is not brian surgery, millions do it every day. No exceptions, even our P.M. Just like anything, follow the rules, respect the people doing thier job and don’t try any short cuts. Happy Trails Dave,,,,,,,
Now who are these two smiling faces? I don’t think these are the pictures they expected in CTM, but great smiles. Details on page 30, Hint, South of Winnipeg down a very rough road!
Dawn Truell, President, Cross Border Services As much as we all know that it is a pain every time we want to cross the borders in/out of Canada / U.S.A., we have good reasons for heightened security initiatives, and following are some recent border incidents. July 2, 300 lbs of high-grade marijuana were seized at the Cascade, BC & Laurier, WA border; it was concealed within a commercial load of woodchips destined for the Avista Utilities generating station in Kettle Falls, WA. Matthew Tutt, 31 of North Vancouver, B.C. a commercial truck driver, was arrested
The tractor-trailer combination was escorted to the utilities station and its cargo offloaded under CBP supervision when wooden crates were observed sliding out of the rear of the trailer into the station’s hopper. Five crates were retrieved and a CBP narcotic detector dog named Diesel gave a positive alert to the presence of a narcotic odour. The crates contained 255 plastic bags, 300 pounds of marijuana suspected to be “BC Bud,” a highly potent form of marijuana cultivated in British Columbia, Canada, and can sell for $3,500 to $6,000 a lb. Tutt was taken into custody on site by CBP officers and turned over to agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations for his initial appearance in
U.S. District Court in Spokane. July 10, 5 p.m. CBP officers were screening travelers when they became suspicious of a man and the documents he was presenting in order to gain entry into the U.S. CBP officers examined the documents closer and found that the visa was a counterfeit document. The man was a repeat offender and was processed for removal from the U.S.
July 13, Canada’s Public Safety Minister, Vic Toews and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano, met to advance a strategic dialogue on developing a shared vision for border security for Canada and the United States. “Our mutual security extends beyond our borders and we must work together to mitigate threats before they reach either Canada or the U.S. while facilitating the legitimate mobility of people and goods between us” said Minister Toews. Joint Border Threat and Risk Assessment, releasing later this summer, outlines areas of concern along U.S.Canada borders where there is the potential of terrorism and transnational organized crime. Issues addressed: drug trafficking, illegal immigration, illicit movement of prohibited or controlled goods, agricultural hazards, and the spread of infectious disease. For further information on any cross border issues please contact crossborderservices@cogeco.net 905-973-9136.S
Sandy Long Women abound in the trucking industry beyond capably filling the seats of trucks. You will find women working in warehouses as forklift and crane operators loading trucks, in the offices of both factories and warehouses scheduling loads and dealing with us drivers, as security guards checking trucks in and out, in trucking companies doing everything from mechanic to owning the company, in brokerages matching loads and trucks, and last, but not least, the women who are waiting at home for their spouses and partners to come back home. These last women are the unsung heroines of the trucking industry. Standing in the door waving as the person they love most in the world drive away to an uncertain future is probably only second to sending off your child to war. Their heart shrivels a little because they know the inherent dangers of the road and most come to dread the after midnight ringing of the phone. T h e s e women are strong. They shoulder the burden of raising the children with only telephone support from their spouses and short visits every couple of weeks. Their support system is comprised of family and friends that can come and fix a leaky faucet or baby sit while they rush around to work or errands. Their best friend becomes the yellow pages or a fixit manual to take care of routine household maintenance. Many face children’s illnesses and pregnancies alone for the most part. Some women do the dispatching and accounting chores for their spouses and partners, putting in long hours learning about road and fuel taxes and then taking care of the figuring and paying of them, laws and regulations concerning trucking, collecting revenues due to the truck from shippers and brokers, pay for on road expenses while budgeting for the house, filing and sorting a mountain of paperwork, and providing support and sympathy to their driver loved one. All of this while dealing with their own jobs and supplying most of their own emotional needs. They wait with breathless anticipa-
tion for the phone to ring to hear their loved driver’s voice and wait even more breathlessly for the sound of the truck coming down the drive or to come into the truck yard. Then the hard part of their job starts, dealing with a tired, sometimes stressed out driver that has overwhelming needs of their own…a shower, a home cooked meal, laundry to be done, a good rest and some downtime from the stress, fear and constant mix of hours of boredom interspersed with the occasional adrenaline rush of the road. The lucky ladies that stay at home have spouses/partners that understand the loneliness and stress that their ladies go through while they are on the road and help out around the house when home. The driver takes some of the burden from their ladies, take them out for dinner or a movie and take up some of the slack of the child rearing while at home; others just zone out, wanting to do nothing but rest up and let their ladies wait on them hand and foot. Being one of the other women in trucking, the stay at home woman, is hard, I have tried it and didn’t like it at all. I found that I didn’t have what it takes to see my other half leave out after too little time at home and live with the uncertainty of ever seeing them again. My hat is off to the other women in trucking that have found the strength and tenacity to stay at home and be the support base for their driver spouses and partners. You are a very special breed of women, I salute you! Sandy Long is a long time truck driver, a life member of OOIDA, a member and on the driver advisory committee for the Women In Trucking Association. Ms Long has a yahoo group where she works with new and prospective drivers, Trailer Truckin’ Tech and is a freelance writer. She has recently published her first book, Street Smarts: A Guide to a Truck Driver’s Personal Safety. Ms Long can be reached at ladygodiva1953@yahoo.com and welcomes comments
Street Smarts: A Guide to a Truck Driver's Personal Safety
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Here’s what I call a Truck Driving Champion! Howard McAfee with the brians of the operation Better Half Wife Theresa hold a bunch of great awards including the Grand Champion. He is smiling now, till he found out, of all the years to win to go to the 2010 NaBill Gagnon of Big Freight picked up the very respected Driver of the Year Award. 43 years of driving experience with out an accident. Now that is something you can hang your hat on. Bill began his career as a driver with the Canadian Armed Forces prior to moving a civilian rig around. Thank-you for your service Bill See you all at the Nationals!
tional Professional Truck Driving Championship, and they are right here in the peg. Sorry Howard, no paid vacation to somewhere else in Canada. I understand your great sister in law Irene taught you every thing you know. Congrats to Theresa on the new CDL she now sports!
STIRLING
Now what should we draw for? I just wanted to touch back on the Stirling Truck Show again. Weather was great, trucks were fantastic and the hosts are warm and well organized. As I said a pleasure to be able to be a part of the Stirling Show. I have always Holiday Inn it, but this coming year I am going to camp. Below is Murray the big HERD winner Kloosterman. The HERD I had at the show was a perfect
fit to his truck. I guess he was meant to win it. Of course Jen here to the right showing off the HERD bar. Jen said the truck shows are the best part of her position with CTM, very close second to NASCAR. I thank HERD for thier participation with CTM in these truck shows where one lucky driver takes home a 3,000 + valued HERD. I have never in these past years steered you wrong, and my commitment to this project is to educate drivers on the
TRUCK SHOW
value of having a grill guard. herd has them in all sizes and costs from the little bambie bumper to the moose bar, or as they call them Economical to Extreme Duty. They are all great moran mashers. Importantly I have always had one on my trucks. I have tried all kinds and I must say if you don’t pick HERD, what the heck are you thinking. I don’t make a nickle on each sale and you already know I don’t let anyone advertise I don’t believe in. But Folks HERD is a product you can count on to save you damage dollars and down time. Sorry Darryl @ Eastside taking away some business here.
Gary HERD Cox Last years winner pictured here to the right was at the Stirling Show and told me a couple of stories where his HERD has already saved him dollars. One of the stories is he was driving and a big buck came out from the ditch and hit so hard he had to turn on the wipers to see. Gary got down from his rig and checked for damage. You guessed it driver none. Just a lot of clean up for that very happy Owner Operater to do. If you are an O/O, make the investment, if not talk to the safety department of the savings. Tell them Dave said HERD is the only way to go!