Over the Road August 2023

At Transam Carriers, we believe that success is not achieved without professional human attitudes. We are proud of providing some of the most flexible work options in the industry for an optimum work-life balance. All of these, in conjunction with new equipment, modern technologies, in-house truck shop, and cross-dock facility, make Transam an exceptional workplace that we call here our second home.

1189694 Ontario Ltd. C.O.B.

Publisher Peter Charboneau

peter@otrgroup.ca

Director of Operations & Editor-in-Chief

Cathryn Charboneau cathryn@otrgroup.ca

Account Executive Luke Zentil luke@otrgroup.ca

Account Executive Earle Madden earle@otrgroup.ca

as Over The Road

Graphic Design & Advertising

lennykuiper.com

lennykuiper@gmail.com

Controller Estela Navarrete estela@otrgroup.ca

Office Manager Mary Charboneau mary@otrgroup.ca

All advertisements, and/or editorials are accepted and published by Over the Road on the representation that the advertiser, its advertising company, and/or the supplier of the editorials are authorized to publish the entire contents and subject matter thereof. The advertiser, its advertising company, and/or the supplier of the editorials will defend, indemnify and hold Over the Road harmless from and against any loss, expense or other liability resulting from any claims or suits for libel, violation of privacy, plagiarism, copyright or trademark infringement and any other claims or suits that may rise out of publication of such advertisement and/ or editorials. Press releases are expressly covered within the definition of editorials.

Keep Your Company Moving With Online Training

During this time of crisis, we need to ensure two things continue to happen:

● Continued transportation of vital goods and necessary food items.

● Open communication with drivers, dispatchers, and other employees.

COMPLIMENTARY TRIAL ACCESS WITH ONLINE TRAINING

We are offering 30-day complimentary access to our system to assist companies in maintaining driver safety training, including tracking and reporting. The Coronavirus pandemic has proven the critical need to Limit face-to-face interaction between employees. But how can your company encourage remote work and still bring on new drivers safely and effectively? How can you keep your drivers up to speed on safety content that would traditionally be covered in safety meetings?

Remote online training allows you to do both:

● Ensures participation and comprehension

● Consistently delivers important elements of your orientation

● Quickly gets your trucks moving safely

● Saves time, resources and money

● Simple to implement quickly and with very little effort on your part

There are no shortcuts when it comes to consistency and quality Infinit-I Workforce Solutions offers a communication and learning management system that allows you to simplify orientation through remote, online training. Spread Coronavirus awareness by distributing messages and policies from your company to your entire fleet.

to increase the Take advantage of our 30-day Complimentary Trial efficiency of your orientation. Keep your company moving!

For additional Coronavirus resources for Trucking & Logistics, visit https://www.infinitiworkforce.com/ppc/comp-access-cn-2/

www.infinitiworkforce.com

“Amazing support staff.”

The Queen’s Gambit

Just because I’m an accountant doesn’t mean I’m immune from stupid financial decisions. I too have taken a few courses from the school of hard knocks. Overcoming personal stupidity is almost always a surgical affair. If correcting stupidity doesn’t hurt, this dumb action usually returns. Maybe not for everyone, but it does for the stubborn… of which I am a member.

This month I am turning sixty and I’m waxing nostalgic. Reflecting back on my actions and in-actions; those that tore my life apart negatively and those actions that brought me life have been sobering. In my solace, I have concluded one ‘hack’ that produces the highest return on investment. I call it the Queen’s Gambit (a chess term).

The Queen’s Gambit was immortalized during the game of the century on October 17, 1956, when the 13-year-old future world champion, Bobby Fisher played Donald Borne in New York City. In this match, Bobby sacrificed his queen for a better position and ultimately won the game. It was an incredible series of moves that was difficult to fathom from a grand master, not to mention a 13-year-old boy.

It was a move that at face value was counterproductive but in the placement of the game, produced the win. It took guts and

Robert D. Scheper

confidence. Life sometimes requires that same guts and confidence to change the trajectory of the game.

Life’s “Queen’s Gambit” to me is an aggressive handling of pride and revenge. In business and personal relationships, giving up revenge or retribution has huge returns. Every time I gathered my courage to do so catapulted my opportunities to a much higher level.

However, using chess as a life metaphor has its disadvantages. In chess, there is only one winner and one loser. In life, there are many other combinations: Winner/Loser, Loser/ Winner, Winner/Winner, and Loser/Loser. If life’s “Queen’s Gambit” is used consistently and properly, you can usually guide progress to a Win/Win.

I’m reminded of Harry Helmsley, a New York real estate developer who bought a building with the intent of demolishing it and building new. The New York Historical Society fought him through the courts for five years to preserve it. In the end… they won. After millions of dollars spent and very harsh words became the norm between them, Harry was forced to recondition the building rather than demolish it. He promptly hired the New York Historical Society to manage the projects renovations.

He laid aside his animosity and won over his adversary. Harry laid down his pride for a better position in the game of real estate development.

I was in a very tenuous situation a few years ago; a situation of deep pain and loss. I had the immediate opportunity to act with retribution against someone who absolutely deserved it. I paused and strategically chose NOT to retaliate but to offer full immunity, grace, and opportunity. I had to lay down every ounce of pride I had. It was so staggering I had many family members and associates shocked and in wonder. It took only about a year, and I regained the trust of both the offended and the offender. I turned a Lose/Lose into a Win/Win at the cost of my pride. It was well worth the cost. I wish I had done that earlier in my life. It would have saved me much sorrow and further loss.

Being 40+ years in business I have come to conclude that Shakespeare was right when he said... “I have met the enemy… and it is I”. If I can just get over my ego, most of my problems would usually solve themselves. I must sacrifice what I seem to value the most, to get what is truly best.

Financial habits are almost always built around our own pride, not our intellect. We often THINK that it’s intelligence that we act on but it’s nearly always some form of pride or arrogance. Attitudes of ‘I deserve’ or ‘It’s finally time’ or some self-deceiving justification scheme that ultimately is rooted in somehow being entitled.

If I am totally honest, I’m usually challenged by my wife to evaluate financial choices. She is much more astute to my intent than I seem to be. My choices are almost always selfish and proud in nature (sometimes fear, but that’s for another article).

Being a decade closer to some form of retirement is a good time for reflecting. Taking the time to be honest about past failures is a great investment. At my age, I can’t afford to make many more bad choices or justify bad financial habits. Playing the Queen’s Gambit (laying aside one’s pride for future success) is the most powerfully beneficial move we can make. I wish I knew about it when I was in my 30’s or even 20’s.

About the Author:

Robert D. Scheper is a leading Accountant and Consultant exclusively serving the Lease/ Owner operator industry in Canada. His first book in the Making Your Miles Count series “taxes, taxes, taxes” was released in 2007. His second book “Choosing a Trucking company” is the most in-depth analysis of the independent operator industry today. He has a Master’s degree (MBA) in financial management and has been serving the industry since he and his wife came off the road in 1993. His dedication, commitment and strong opinions can be read and heard in many articles and seminars.

You can find him at www.makingyourmilescount.com or 1-877-987-9787.

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Chris Harris

Companies Have a Legal Obligation to Train & Keep You Safe

Why do most companies give you a policy and procedure manual to review and then train the heck out of you when you first join the organization?

And why do some companies get you to sign that you have received the policy and procedure manual, even though they may know that you have not read it, nor do you understand it?

Is the company playing CYA (cover your ass)? Companies are indeed required to have written policies and procedures. After a crash, the prosecuting attorneys will want to see the policy and procedure manual. That attorney is trying to see if the driver was adhering to the company policies. Company policies play a huge role in any court action. But it is more than that. The company has a legal obligation to train and keep you safe.

And the company policy manual plays a different role during an audit. An audit is much more likely to happen than a

court case. The outcome of the two can be similar. By that I mean, both can put the company out of business.

Regulations stipulate that a company must train their drivers in fundamental areas such as hours of service, load securement, safe driving, and distractions. (This is by no means a complete list of required training, just some examples). The activity must be backed up by documentation and policy. So, the Policy Manual and the training do go hand-in-hand.

You can judge how seriously a company takes their legal obligations, at least in part, by their new hire orientation program. If they throw a stack of papers at you and tell you to sign them without any associated training, then the company likely is not very serious abouttheir orientation. On the other hand, if much to your dislike, you must spend hours reviewing the documentation videos and perhaps, an

in-person training program, then the company is serious about meeting its legal obligations.

What should I tell you as a newly hired driver? I would much rather work for a company that takes their legal obligations seriously because I would assume that they would also take their other obligations of keeping me safe just as seriously.

It also signifies that they are likely to obey other laws and encourage me to do the same. These laws might be the Hours-of-Service regulations. Instead of dispatch pushing me to complete the load, dispatch may have also been trained in their legal obligations. Dispatch must understand that it is part of their role to keep me safe and legal. Notice that I put “safe” first? We all know of situations that may be legal but are not safe. (an example might be driving while tired but legally having hours available according to the law).

Dispatch will do precisely what management allows and encourages them to do. Drivers must come first in the dispatcher’s mind. In companies with a driver-first attitude, their retention is much better.

So, the company puts you into a new hire orientation and gets you to sign the policy manual. If this whole process takes hours and hours, then you might be working for a great company. If this process takes only minutes, you should find a new employer, not one that tries to meet their minimum legal obligations. The companies that do the training and onboarding take trucking seriously and are in it for the long haul. Don’t work for the bottom feeders. You are a professional truck driver and deserve to work for an appreciative and safe employer.

Stay safe.

Chris Harris

Top

Dawg, Safety Dawg Inc.

905-973-7056

chris@safetydawg.com

@safety_dawg (twitter)

32nd annual

Fleet Safety Council Conference

Date: Friday October 27th, 2023

Location: Millennium Gardens Banquet Centre (20 Polonia Ave #100, Brampton, ON L6Y 0K9)

Master of Ceremonies: John G. Smith

AGENDA:

› Transportation Industry Update: The Changing Face of Transportation (Steve Lawn: Private Motor Truck Council of Canada Board Chairman)

› Is It Time To Cull The Herd In Trucking? Setting Priorities in a Tough Economy (Dirk Kupar: President, TruckRight)

› The Gamification of Training (Phil Speed: SVP Business Development and Client Services, The Learning Network)

› Mental Health Panel: Requirements, Responsibilities, Resources and Innovation (Moderated by John G. Smith: Vice PresidentEditorial at Newcom Media Inc.)

› Best Practices Presentations: Building Your Line of Defense (Presented by: The Chapters of the Fleet Safety Council) Early

KEYNOTE SPEAKER:

Sébastien Sasseville: Motivational Speaker, Athlete and Author

From Mount Everest to the Sahara: Thriving in Change to Win the Long Game

(Before September 30th)

MISSION STATEMENT: To promote health and safety within the transportation sector through network support and sharing of information resources, allowing us to have a strong voice in the industry. Sponsorship opportunities available

Regular: $299 (After September 30th)

TABLE PRICING AVAILABLE

Ellen Voie

A Lesson about our Interstate System

Warmer temperatures bring orange cones and construction signs to our nation’s highways. Although these barriers might be frustrating, they are needed to maintain nearly 50,000 miles of interstate highways.

How familiar are you with how our roads were designed and how to understand our nation’s interstate numbering system? If you’ve always relied on your GPS instead of a folded map, then you may not know the reasoning behind our highway system.

In 1908 Henry Ford introduced the Model T to America. Until that time, the roads were better suited for horses and buggies than tires. The need for paved roads led to the creation of the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916, but progress was delayed during World War I. In 1921 the Federal Highway Act provided funding for two highways to be built by state highway agencies.

It wasn’t until 1956 when the Federal Aid Highway Act authorized a network of 41,000 miles of interstate highways to be funded through a three-cent per gallon tax on gasoline. This was the goal of President Eisenhower, who had been impressed by the German high-speed roads he used in World War II.

Eisenhower wanted a coast-to-coast highspeed interstate system with overpasses and bridges to avoid intersections and stop signs that would slow a motorist’s travels. The medians were designed to separate traffic and the signs were standardized.

These roads are maintained by the individual states, which also set the speed limits within their borders. This changed for a few years from 1975 to 1986, in an effort to conserve fuel by slowing down the traffic.

The Interstate System has an easy-tounderstand numbering method, but many people today are unaware of what these numbers mean. All the primary interstates are two-digit numbers less than one hundred. The north and south highways have odd numbers while the east and west highways have even numbers. The numbers start in the west and become larger, and the north and south roads increase as you travel north.

There is a total of 77 interstate highways in the United States. The longest is I-90 which begins in Seattle, Washington and ends in Boston, Massachusetts traversing thirteen states for a total of 3,020 miles.

Interstate numbers that are divisible by five are coast-to-coast or border-to-border roads, such as I-90.

The shortest interstate highway is H2 which is located in Hawaii with only eight miles from one end to the other. The shortest highway located in the United States is I-87, which runs thirteen miles from Raleigh to Wendell in North Carolina.

To travel around cities, you will find three-digit roads which include the last two digits of the connecting highway. For example, in Washington DC I-95 will connect you to I-395. For loops and bypasses that start and end with the same numbered highway, the first number will be an even one as opposed to those that might connect to only one other interstate highway given an odd first number. More confusing are the bypass highways on one interstate which results in multiple three-digit highways around cities, including I-395 which can be found in seven locations.

Although the Interstate System was created to connect the United States, there are three land masses that are not part of our 48 contiguous states. Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico have their own interstate systems, but the highway numbers begin with the letters A, H or PR.

There are still new lanes being built, but these are much shorter than the original roads. The most recent are highways which were built in 2017 and include I-14 in Texas, I-11 in Colorado, and I-87 in North Carolina.

Professional drivers are much more knowledgeable about the markings on the interstate system and know to reference mile markers to report their location. Most states number their exits to correspond to the nearest mile marker, but some states have sequential exit numbers which are typically found in the northeast. Multiple exit numbers that are close to a mile marker include letters such as a, b, or c to remove confusion over which off-road travellers should take.

President Eisenhower had a vision to connect our vast country by creating an easy-to-understand and easy-to-use interstate system. The orange cones and construction areas will be around as long we continue to wear these roads down with both our cars and our trucks on the highway.

Ellen Voie President/CEO/Founder of Women In Trucking, Inc. ellen@womenintrucking.org www.womenintrucking.org

Mission: Women In Trucking was established to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments and minimize obstacles faced by women working in the trucking industry.