Green to gold

Green to Gold

Inside the latest fuel efficiency programs and practices.

Learn how to drive results to your bottom line.

Brought to you by the editors of Transportation Media Sponsored by

GREEN to GOLD

Sustainable Transportation Practices: New Programs Delivering New Opportunities

18 FLEET EXECUTIVE â?™ September/October 2013

trucknews.com

s a country, our cities and resources are so geographically dispersed and we so dependent on trade that we demand a great deal from transportation. In fact, much of our country’s success as a trading nation, and many of the advances in supply chain management that have driven that wealth over the past two decades, have a lot to do with improvements in how we manage transportation.

Yet the very success of our transportation system is what’s leading to its greatest challenge: its sizeable greenhouse gas footprint.

But in every challenge there is opportunity. That’s something we’ve strongly believed since publishing our first annual Green to Gold supplement seven years ago.

Back then sustainable transportation practices or “green transportation” as most called it, was just beginning to become a topic of discussion in the boardrooms of most major shippers and carriers.

When large players such as Wal-Mart, IKEA, Mountain Equipment Co-op, Home Depot and Unilever began to move towards more sustainable supply chain practices, carriers began to take notice. For our part, we believed that with the transportation sector being the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada, it was prudent for the industry to become actively involved in devising the new way forward rather than to be left reacting to eventual shipper and government edicts.

Seven years later we are seeing sustainable transportation practices evolve beyond the boardrooms of pioneers such as Bison Transport and Robert Transport to carriers of all sizes. Carriers are coming to understand that investment in fuel efficient products, practices and training for their people pays off for the environment and the bottom line.

Our goal then, and now, is to inform fleet managers and executives about the latest technologies, programs and strategies being used to reduce the carbon footprint.

We hope you enjoy our latest Green to Gold supplement on sustainable transportation practices. As we’ve mentioned many times before, if you take the time to do it right, you can turn green into gold.

Lou Smyrlis | Editorial Director

Bridgestone’s environmental mission is to help ensure a healthy environment for current and future generations. Our objectives are to work in harmony with nature, emphasizing the value of natural resources and reducing CO2 emissions - in our operations, products and services, and in working with our communities. These commitments are not only designed to benefit our shared environment, they are good for business. Bridgestone products help customers improve fuel efficiency through proprietary compounds and design while achieving excellent tread life through patented technologies, enabling multiple re-use with Bandag® retreading – saving them resources and money

GREEN to GOLD

N

SmartWay Program Expands into Canada

Benchmarking offers opportunity to reduce operating costs, gain fuel efficiencies

By Julia Kuzeljevich

housands of trucking companies across Canada and the United States are partners of the SmartWay Transport Partnership. This partnership is a public/private collaboration between Natural Resources Canada, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the freight transportation industry that helps freight shippers, carriers, and logistics companies improve fuel-efficiency and save money. It is here, it is free, and if you have not checked it out, you should!

“In terms of the trucking sector, SmartWay gives fleet managers a sense of how their fleets compare to their competitors and how they can improve their fuel efficiency,” said Manjit Kerr-Upal, Chief, SmartWay, Natural Resources Canada.

Benefits to Canadian truck carriers registering with SmartWay are many: Ø they will be able to reduce operating costs and emissions; Ø attract business from SmartWay shippers; Ø benchmark themselves against trucking companies with similar fleets; Ø track and improve fuel efficiency; Ø and make a positive contribution to corporate culture.

To register, carriers can download the SmartWay Truck Tool, complete it with data on their fleet activities and operations, and submit it to Natural Resources Canada.

SmartWay Canada is currently focusing on motor carriers, logistics providers, and shippers. However, SmartWay will eventually include the freight transportation sector as a whole.

Tools for the marine, rail and aviation sectors are planned for the future.

The SmartWay Transport Partnership was developed with industry for industry. This long standing tradition will continue as SmartWay expands into these new sectors, said Natural Resources Canada.

The Canadian program is the same as the U.S.’s. The only differences are that in Canada, the measurement units are metric and all material is available in English and French. The Partner List includes companies from both Canada and the U.S. regardless of which country they register in. This list is posted on both the EPA and NRCan websites.

Describing his experience with the SmartWay program, trucknews.com

Gaétan Aubin, IT Manager and Compliance Officer with L’Express du Midi Inc., said it allows the company to make comparisons and to have a sense of their fuel consumption, and where the highs and lows occur.

It’s also become a metric that more and more clients are asking for, he said.

He wouldn’t make any modifications to the tools and makes good use of the guide in which he has underlined a lot of the information.

“After a while we got a handle on how the program was set up and it’s pretty straightforward now,” said Aubin.

Chad MacKay is in charge of fuel management at Seafood Express, which came to the SmartWay program via the company’s involvement with the EcoEnergy for Fleets program.

“Registering took a little longer the first time because I was still fairly green. This year it took an hour at the most. I sat in on a call with their (SmartWay’s) tech team. They were asking me similar questions regarding changes. I didn’t find the system that hard to navigate through but the only thing that threw us off was the metric system as our measurements were in feet,” he said.

Benefits of the program, he said, are increased knowledge around fuel efficiency and performance monitoring.

“SmartWay opened up a few more areas of where to look for improvements. We’re trying to implement a rewards program for idling-we started slow with gift cards and small items of clothing. Once we get it all pieced together we’re looking at the possibility of some monetary options,” said MacKay. Having the SmartWay tools in place offers an easier way of keeping track of things, he said.

“We did have quite a few career truckers who had never been monitored before. Now we post a weekly report of miles per gallon and idle time — this has created a little bit of a culture. We’re getting a lot of feedback from drivers on things they’d like to see implemented. I’d like to see everyone get on board with it,” he said.

“Everyone seems to be talking SmartWay, fuel efficiency, idling, so it’s kind of created a culture.”

Lew Davis, Safety & Compliance, and Mike MacDonald, Operations Analyst, with Skelton Truck Lines Ltd., said that the benefit of a program like SmartWay is it’s like the ISO standard: it’s a symbol that shows what you do as a fleet and it’s recognizable to customers.

September/October 2013 ❙ FLEET EXECUTIVE 21

IN THEIR WORDS Industry stakeholders weigh in on Smart Driver for Highway Trucking program “We spent some time reviewing the material and making sure it fits the industry of today when it comes to learning perspectives, objectives, and technology,” said Bison Transport’s Garth Pitzel, Director, Safety and Driver Development.

As an industry stakeholder involved in the consultation process, Pitzel noted that Bison Transport has already built a lot of its own inhouse training but wanted to be part of redeveloping Smart Driver for Highway because “we believe we have a responsibility to make the industry better and that issues are being addressed in an effective matter. Programs like these are important to the long-term success of our industry,” he said.

“For the smaller carriers without training resources having a good program they can obtain raises the benchmark from a safety, image, environmental perspective. That’s why we got involved with the program. It’s important to give back to the industry and create benchmarks and resources not only in Canada but in the wider North American market,” said Pitzel.

He noted that an e-learning environment would be a huge win for the trucking industry where drivers who are absent from their home terminals for Garth Pitzel significant periods can learn on their own time.

For the e-learning materials to be relevant and to stick, however, Pitzel stressed that modules that touch on fuel efficiency and reduced idling must also be part of everyday company culture.

“If you as a business are not talking about idle time and fuel efficiency, that training is useless. You have to continue to talk about those processes. You need to keep following up and continually support the training in the culture of your business,” he said.

E-learning materials must also have a built in feedback process so that there is access to information and to answers whenever any questions come up.

The best trainers, he said, are the people who have a passion for what they’re talking about, and an ability to articulate how to be a safe driver.

“When that comes through and when they can transmit the importance of that issue, that is going to be what’s effective,” said Pitzel.

John Bortoluss, Driver Trainer, Truck Training Schools of Ontario Inc., said he would like to see the program monitored “and see if the program is getting the results we want. Saving fuel was never a consideration in the past by anybody. We have to make new drivers understand that saving fuel saves the environment and if fuel costs are down, wages will go up,” he said.

He said he would also like to make the course part of the licensing program for new commercial drivers.

22 FLEET EXECUTIVE ❙ September/October 2013

Truck Lines Ltd. has long been actively involved in environmental initiatives in order to be as efficient as possible.

“Nowadays it has also become a common question in the bidding process, whether or not the fleet is involved with SmartWay,” they said.

With a lot of long-term customer relationships already established at the company, Davis and MacDonald said that it’s important for the Skelton customer base to know when they are deciding what carrier to use who is really putting the effort into it, and “SmartWay distinguishes that you are making this effort. When you first see the info it doesn’t make a lot of sense, but the webinar walks you through the tool, and the partner account managers are very helpful, and you can contact them either by phone or e-mail,” they added.

Once Skelton has implemented its new dispatch software system it will be easier to complete the tool, MacDonald added.

The company is also in the process of adding aerodynamic devices to trailers so improvements will be ongoing.

“It took about a week of gathering info and calculating it.

This was perhaps a little longer because we didn’t have that info electronically available in terms of revenue/km and empty miles. If there was also a way to focus on and reward people for better maintenance of the trucks as well as cleanliness and appearance it would be good for industry as well,” he said of the SmartWay program. Each year’s submission of Skelton will demonstrate, in real numbers, the actual improvements in fuel efficiency as a result of their initiatives and investments.

“From a Canadian standpoint, SmartWay is doing a great job - it takes a bit of time to get a handle on things and roll things out correctly,” he said.

“In 2008 environmental issues took a back seat to the economic crisis, but now the concentration is back again and SmartWay is definitely something worth doing. Like with the Canada’s Best Managed Companies criteria, there’s a point where you want to drive everyone to do this. You want to make sure the standard is high in the industry,” added Davis.

Supply Chain & Logistics Association Canada (now part of The Supply Chain Management Association or SCMA), has been working with Natural Resources Canada for almost a year to generate visibility for the SmartWay program in Canada, said executive director Alison Toscano.

“Through a series of case studies and events, we have connected with many companies in transportation and 3PL. There is a high level of adoption of technologies and focus on driver training shown by industry leaders. These companies have not only realized substantial fuel savings, but have also reduced their GHG emissions,” she said.

If you are interested in fuel efficiency, setting your company apart from your competitors and understanding how your fleets compare, check out SmartWay. FE To register or to learn more, contact the SmartWay team at: smartway.nrcan.gc.ca 1-855-322-1564 smartway.canada@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca trucknews.com

Scan to learn more.

SAVING YOU FUEL AND SO MUCH MORE.*

Introducing FuelTech — Bandag’s most fuel-efficient retread solution. ®

An achievement in low rolling resistance, FuelTech helps you go farther using less fuel.

That’s good for your bottom line. And our environment. See it at EcopiaTruckTires.com.

Maximize your FuelTech investment. Combine with Bridgestone Ecopia™ casings to optimize your fuel savings. *Based on rolling resistance and field mileage tests, Bridgestone Ecopia and Bandag FuelTech are our most fuel-efficient and lowest total cost of ownership tire and retread solution. Combining proprietary low rolling resistance technology with the industry’s most retreadable casing, Ecopia and FuelTech can help reduce fuel use and extend tire life for lower costs and greener returns, when compared to other Bridgestone tires.

Bridgestone Commercial Solutions

For your nearest Bandag authorized dealer, visit our website. ©2013 Bridgestone Canada, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

www.trucktires.com

GREEN to GOLD

By Carroll McCormick

A Smart Way to Reduce Yo The online Fleet Efficiency Tool places a library of information at your fingertips

T

hose tasked with reducing their fleet’s fuel consumption face many technology and training choices and a lot of calculations before they can select solutions that will be cost-effective for them. Recognizing this challenge, Natural Resources Canada developed the Fleet Efficiency Tool (FET), an on-line decision-making tool and resources centre to determine energy savings, create action plans and measure their impact.

Available free, it is designed to help freight and municipal fleets analyse the relative merits of adopting various fuel-reduction strategies. Fleets supply their actual fleet data and the FET calculator uses average fuel savings obtained from research trials. Possible strategies include fuel-saving technologies such as aerodynamic devices, low rolling resistance tires, driver training and anti-idling programs.

“You will see a lot of calculators on the market but they give estimated values.

We wanted actual values. We gathered everything there is in North America on vehicles to see what we could do with that. We examined all the information available on the market for trailer skirts, etc. Our engineers and economists studied all the research projects and tests results. This is what the calculations are based on,” explains France Pelletier, senior manager, ecoENERGY Effiency for Vehicles, NRCan. NRCan also assembled a library of information on fleet efficiency topics to complement the FET calculator. They are divided among three vehicle classes: light-duty, medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles. The many topics include aerodynamics, driver training and behaviour, idling, oils and lubricants, freight logistics and vehicle selection. There are many subtopics and very useful explanations to help readers understand what solutions might be relevant to their situation, because there are few one-size-fits-all solutions.

24 FLEET EXECUTIVE ❙ September/October 2013

There is also a small glossary with definitions for some of the terms found in the FET library.

Those who want to access the FET website, fleetefficiencytool.ca, must first email Bronson Consulting Group, the company that built the calculator and website and populated them for NRCan. Bronson will supply a site user name and password, and for those who want to use the tool, an individual account user name and password.

To briefly illustrate how the FET works, imagine a fictitious carrier with some incity delivery trucks and a few long-haul trucks. The carrier wants to reduce his fuel consumption. Using a quick reference guide called the “Place Mat” that takes users through all the steps in the correct sequence, this is roughly what the carrier would do: Armed with his user names and passwords, he first enters some truck information into the FET calculator, or he might simply upload the information from his trucknews.com

company spreadsheets; e.g., truck model, engine size, fuel type, city and highway kilometres driven and the amount of minutes spent idling per day. The FET calls this step Calculate Baseline.

After reading up on some of the possible solutions, a good assortment of which is available in the FET’s Resources

data, our fictitious carrier has it easy.

Using the FET on a fleet without neat and tidy data is quite another matter, however, as Allison Ashcroft, senior planner Environmental Issues, Department of Sustainability, City of Victoria, discovered. But even though the FET required input that she couldn’t provide right

to talk about fuel management, fuel efficiency and more,” Ashcroft explains.

“Right now what the FET shows me is that I don’t have enough good data to put into the FET for it to deliver good information to me. But the FET and the training did highlight that our best strategy is to reduce idling and enhance our fleet

our Fuel Costs & Tools section, the carrier uses the calculator to test drive different potential solutions to see what savings each offers. The FET will calculate the energy savings and greenhouse gas reduction based on the truck use data supplied and the relevant research result data stored in the FET. This step is called Calculate Energy Savings.

Having figured out the best solution for his fleet, say, trailer side skirts for the long-haul trucks to reduce aerodynamic drag, and a battery-powered system to

away, such as accurate and complete odometer data, she found that the FET helped focus the city’s attention on ways to begin reducing fuel consumption.

About three years ago Ashcroft began taking steps to report the city’s carbon footprint to the provincial government.

Looking at the city’s vehicle fleet, she recalls, “It became apparent that there wasn’t a focus on fuel management. We lacked the systems and tools to gather and analyse our fuel usage.”

The carrier can see totals for his trucks, in terms of overall projected annual savings and GHG reductions. power the city trucks’ on-board systems as a way to reduce the need for idling, the carrier proceeds to the next step, which the FET calls Create Action Plan.

It can include timelines, budgets and other information. The carrier can see totals for his trucks, in terms of overall projected annual savings and GHG reductions - the sum effects of his plan, in other words, should he execute it.

The last phase is called Measure Actual Impact. Here, after the carrier has taken the plunge and purchased and installed the hardware, the FET tracks current fuel consumption and determines the impact of the fleet efficiency actions the carrier has taken.

With his well-maintained operations trucknews.com

Ashcroft approached NRCan to find out what tools it offered fleet managers to help them reduce fuel consumption.

The city began by giving most of its drivers the half-day to attend NRCan’s SmartDriver training program. From this Ashcroft learned that a fleet replacement plan and reducing idling time were the city’s best options.

Then a dozen city staff received training on the FET during NRCan’s one-day Fuel Management 101 workshop. “We had mechanics, parks people, a financial analyst and end users in the room – people who normally never get together. We dived into what the FET could do. The FET training and the Fuel Management 101 was, for me, a way to get people together

replacement plan by incorporating better fuel efficiency analyses into our decision-making,” Ashcroft says. “The FET will give us greater impetus to ensure our mileage and fuel consumption data is detailed, complete and accurate, and better analyse the impact of different savings strategies.”

Although NRCan began developing the FET about five years ago, it is only just coming out of its pilot program phase. It has yet to gain much traction.

In an effort to improve the tool, in late July this year NRCan awarded a contract to Project Innovation Transport (PIT), a group of FPInnovations, to find out what potential users think of the tool in its English and French versions.

“NRCan has asked us to find out what could be done to make the FET more useful to general freight companies and municipal fleets. For example, is anything missing or is it a lack of promotion that explains its lack of acceptance,” says Yves Provencher, director, PIT. PIT’s mandate is to contact 200 fleets across Canada and hold workshops to discuss the FET. PIT will hit the road this September and tour the country until September 2014. Anyone who wants to attend one of these workshops is welcome to contact PIT by sending a note to Frederic.Faulconnier@fpinnovations.ca. FE FleetSmart training programs are offered across Canada. Call 613-253-1086, or email FuelManagement-101@bronson.ca.

September/October 2013 ❙ FLEET EXECUTIVE 25

GREEN to GOLD

GET THE MOST OUT OF EVERY DROP OF FUEL

by Harry Rudolfs

Natural Resources Canada embraces e-learning in revamp of SmartDriver for Highway Trucking Program

N

atural Resources Canada (NRCan) launched the e-learning edition of its SmartDriver for Highway Trucking in 2011, and is now redeveloping the learning materials, with the support and guidance of numerous trucking industry stakeholders, to meet the needs of today’s professional truck drivers and trainers.

The SmartDriver for Highway Trucking (SDHT) program is designed to help achieve improved fuel efficiency — as a way to save money, reduce emissions, and improve safety. While new technology is important in achieving those goals, driver skills are also crucial. The program’s main purpose is to help drivers get the most out of every drop of fuel, said NRCan. “With fuel prices on the rise, we’ve been hearing loud and clear from industry for some time that it was important to update the program,” said Louis Brzozowski, Senior Manager, ecoENERGY Efficiency for Vehicles It’s not so much that the content has changed considerably.

“Fuel efficient driving will always be fuel efficient driving. Our stakeholder consultations did reveal, however, that we consider more of a web-based e-learning style,” he said.

“We’ve been getting feedback from the trucking industry since 1998 and we always heard the complete program was comprehensive but lengthy. We worked on reducing it from an eight-hour program to between one and five hours depending on the needs of our target audience. We also were interested in connectivity for our stakeholders — do they have access to computers, and online access? It was 26 FLEET EXECUTIVE ❙ September/October 2013

clear that the industry is progressing relatively well with technology and with using things like laptops, LCD projectors and interactive whiteboards in the classroom,” said Brzozowski.

Web-based learning is also a little bit more appetizing than working through hard- copy training materials in a binder.

“The trucking industry supported the idea that we were embracing technology to allow for a better training delivery methodology,” said Brzozowski.

Stakeholders were more vocal about the accuracy and completeness of the course content as opposed to ancillary things like presentation design, delivery formats and quizzes or testing results.

“We started about three years ago on the definition and analysis work in terms of who actually uses SDHT, how they use it, is the course too long or too short, etc. trucknews.com

We engaged stakeholders from all facets of industry. We’re well on our way in the development process, finalizing content, videos, and training prototypes,” said Brzozowski.

Three separate courses are being developed for use by owner/operators, fleet operators, and ‘drivers-in-training’ at trucking schools.

The redeveloped SDHT learning materials will be available in two delivery platforms: Self-directed e-learning (online & offline); and instructor-led, classroom learning platforms, to support multiple learning environments. This classroom version includes master lesson plans PowerPoint slides, presenter notes, and student handouts to support facilitators and trainers, and ensure consistent delivery of the learning material.

For the online learning component, an onscreen host has been built into the training, and actually speaks to the learners on the screen.

“It’s more than a glorified PowerPoint presentation — it’s a modern, interactive suite of learning tools with excellent graphics and video clips,” said Brzozowski.

The program is still built around four modules, the first of which covers ‘why fuel efficient driving matters.’

“The on-road transportation sector is growing and so is the demand for professional drivers. Whether the trainee is an aspiring, entry-level or experienced driver, we want to get the point across why fuel-efficient driving matters more than ever. Maybe they understand the benefits, but sometimes we find there are practices they have not considered,” stressed Brzozowski.

In Module 2, they look at factors that affect fuel efficiency, i.e. vehicle and load characteristics, routing, etc.

Module 3 gets to the nitty-gritty of fuel-efficient driving practices: shifting, braking, starting the engine and road speeds.

“We teach them everything from pretrip to the time they are shutting the vehicle off for the day,” he said.

Module 4 examines vehicle care and inspection, and things to do to ensure the vehicle is running at an optimum.

“It has a little bit better flow than our trucknews.com

previous training. It’s more defined, specific and will really meet the needs of each segment of our target audience,” said Brzozowski The inclusion of graphics, animation, and pop quizzes aims to help learners retain information.

At the end of all learning streams there’s a final summative test with 20 questions that touches on each module to ensure all participants have met the course’s learning objectives. Drivers who complete the course, and pass the test, will receive a Certificate of Achievement.

“We think the new SDHT e-Learning program has an effective methodological approach based on fundamental adult learning principles,” he said There’s guidance about what drivers should expect from the program, how it can benefit them in terms of possibilities for employment and for improving the professionalism of the industry by demonstrating leadership through responsible use of our natural resources.

An On-Road Practicum will also be included to give drivers a chance to apply what they’ve learned with help from a professional driving instructor.

“In keeping with this theme, we are building in the On-Road Practicum so that professional drivers understand more clearly the benefits of using SmartDriving

Module 3 gets down to the nitty-gritty of fuel-efficient driving practices: shifting, braking, starting the engine and road speeds.

techniques to improve fuel economy and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

By measuring each driver’s performance before and after SDHT training, the OnRoad Practicum provides immediate, measurable results to illustrate the effectiveness of SmartDriving techniques.”

“In our early work we found there was an immediate fuel savings benefit to the on-road element of our training. We regularly see that when truckers learn new driving techniques, their retention of this new or enhanced knowledge improves when they are able to apply it in a real-world setting. This can obviously have a positive affect on their fuel efficiency,” he said.

There are plans to work with various trucking schools to deliver the new SDHT training as part of a pilot and then follow-up with students, six months and one year down the road to see if the knowledge acquired is still being applied.

“There’s some information suggesting that some drivers do tend to go back to practice old habits. We’re hoping to address that through the pilot and implementation work and see how often refresher courses in fuel efficiency may be required,” said Brzozowski.

“We believe that the Smart Driver for Highway Trucking program is designed to promote energy efficiency as a cost effective, responsible way to reduce fuel costs and the environmental impact of fleet operations. I am confident the redevelopment of the program will continue to meet the needs and then some in terms of ease and deliverability,” said Brzozowski NRCan’s primary focus is on its membership of over 8000 FleetSmart members. Throughout the training development and pilot process, NRCan will continue to track stakeholder feedback and user data to make additional course improvements as well as report on the potential for program support and success.

“What remains is some tweaking of the development software coding and its subsequent integration into NRCan’s learning management system, before final approvals and our anticipated launch of SDHT e-Learning in the Spring of 2014”, he concluded. FE September/October 2013 ❙ FLEET EXECUTIVE 27

Ready

threeby Harry Rudolfs

FleetSmart’s third Mark Dalton novel is now On Ice.

M

ark Dalton rides again in “On Ice”, the third and final fulllength novel which is now available free from Natural Resources Canada’s FleetSmart program (as of November, 2013).

Mark Dalton is the trucker-private detective character created by author Edo van Belkom, and whose monthly adventures have appeared in Truck News and Truck West since 1998.

Van Belkom’s serialized stories have earned him a wide following in the trucking community. Lynda Harvey, now-retired senior manager of NRCan’s FleetSmart program, was also a reader of van Belkom’s trucker-detective series and had an epiphany that the Mark Dalton character might be used as a pedagogical tool to explain the program’s fuel-saving strategies.

Harvey’s idea was to supply a full-length Mark Dalton novel free of charge to truck drivers, particularly owner-operators, who wouldn’t have the time to attend FleetSmart’s Smart Driver training session. She reasoned that the driver should be

28 FLEET EXECUTIVE ❙ September/October 2013

able to absorb the fuel-efficient driving tips imbedded in the novel, and afterwards take the 25 question quiz, available online from FleetSmart, and obtain the training certificate that way.

“She (Harvey) thought this would be the best way to reach people that don’t have an opportunity to get classroom training,” says Nancy McEvoy of FleetSmart. “It would be a way to talk about fuel efficiency and really engage the drivers at the same time.”

Harvey approached van Belkom in 2004 about taking on this project, and the trucknews.com

e-quel? first book, Mark Dalton – SmartDriver 1: Highway Trucking, appeared in 2005 and has been reprinted several times. McEvoy estimates that more than 49,000 copies may have ended up in drivers’ hands.

In the first novel, Van Belkom sets up the dynamic between the grizzled veteran, Dalton, and Jimmy, a know-it-all rookie, fresh out of driver school. Mark Dalton is asked to take along his dispatcher’s nephew and “show him the ropes.”

Jimmy may be new to the profession, but he’s an enthusiastic newbie and has just taken the SmartDriver course. He’s brimful of fuel-saving tips for his mentor Dalton, who doesn’t let on, at first, that he knows a few things about saving efficiency, himself.

Relations are at first cool between Dalton and Jimmy after he picks him up at a truck stop in New Brunswick. Dalton won’t even let Jimmy drive, but he slowly warms up to the young man as they travel across the country.

In typical Mark Dalton fashion, the former private eye can’t keep his nose out of trouble. The two bond after they’re witness to an attempted murder, hijacking, and eventually help the authorities break up a gang shipping stolen cars overseas.

Van Belkom is an award-winning and experienced writer, and with seamless expertise manages to weave FleetSmart’s fuel-saving seminar and driving tips into the narrative while delivering an adventure story that’s a real page-turner. The reader learns about progressive shifting and APUs while compelled to keep trucknews.com

reading by the twists and complications in the action-packed story line.

A sequel novel, Mark Dalton – SmartDriver 2: Trouble Load, was published

by FleetSmart in 2009. In this segment, Jimmy hears about a good-paying load going to California and convinces Dalton that the two should take it. This leads to an involvement with a sketchy shipper who they discover is smuggling contraband between Canada and the US. Van Belkom throws in a few driving tips in this effort as well, but pays more attention to some of the issues around border-crossing and route planning in this novel. Their truck “Mother Load” breaks down on route, and the two are threatened at gunpoint before Dalton slams a trailer door on the two baddies.

The second book sets up the conclusion of the trilogy, Mark Dalton – SmartDriver 3: On Ice. Mark and Jimmy have put a very bad man in jail who has extensive connections in the criminal underworld. He puts the word out to have Dalton and his partner eliminated. As it turns out, the hit man is a trucker as well who does “enforcement jobs” as a sideline.

The RCMP intercept Mother Load at an inspection station in British Columbia. They tell Dalton and Jimmy that there is a contract out on their lives, and the police suggest they make themselves scarce and take on a job on the ice roads in the Northwest Territories where they are unlikely to be discovered.

The Mark Dalton series has appeared more than 100 times in Truck News and Truck West, and van Belkom can never be faulted for lack of research. He even has a bit of experience driving trucks, but when he needs background material he likes to go directly to the source.

While researching the On Ice novel, van Belkom flew to Yellowknife to see things first hand. It was only 30 below Celsius during the three days he visited but he got to take a ride on the ice road and talk to some of the people involved.

Ice road truck driving is a fascinating vocation, both to the public and truckers alike. The first season of the Ice Road Truckers television series was filmed in Canada and stirred up a lot of interest

among viewers because of the exotic and extreme nature of the job.

But van Belkom takes issue with the glamorous and unrealistic portrayal in the TV series. “The television show would have you believe that there’s a lot of danger involved in the job,” he says. “But having been there, I can tell you that safety is the primary concern, and these roads have a very good safety record. Very rarely a truck might break through the ice but that’s usually in a service vehicle or plow at the beginning or end of the season. The biggest danger for drivers on the ice road is probably falling asleep at the wheel.”

Dalton and his sidekick attend an ice roads training session before they can begin hauling. The two are told about the dangers of exceeding the speed limit and the shock waves that can occur between rigs running too close together. But attention to detail is what makes van Belkom’s writing authentic and come alive.

Leaving a truck running 24/7 hours in frigid temperatures might seem anathema to the SmartDriver program, but van Belkom explains that winter trucking in the far north is an entirely different world. “Keeping the trucks running and getting the loads delivered is paramount,” he says. “The season is only six weeks long, and the drivers might forgo some considerations of fuel economy to get the loads delivered on time.”

Needless to say, Mark Dalton survives this adventure and turns the tables on the hit man. But for fans of the detective-turned-trucker the ending will probably come too soon. What is amazing is that van Belkom has managed to reach so many drivers through three short novels, and impart so much information.

“I can honestly say that I’m the only writer who has had two bestsellers published by the Canadian government,” adds van Belkom.

According to FleetSmart’s Nancy McEvoy, the three novels are charting new territory. “The feedback has been incredibly good, both at trade shows we’ve attended and online” she says. “In all my experience in government I’ve never seen another department try something like this.

This is really break-through stuff.” FE September/October 2013 ❙ FLEET EXECUTIVE 29