Over the Road March 2023

FEEL THE FREEDOM OF THE OPEN ROAD

WE ARE HIRING:

• COMPANY DRIVERS A-Z

• OWNER OPERATORS A-Z, D-Z

• DISPATCHER • LOCAL DISPATCHER

• DISPATCH ASSISTANT

• DATA ENTRY/CUSTOMS СLERK

• MECHANIC

Why us? Contact us today!

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. as Over The Road

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

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.

Perks Include: group benefits plan, pension plan, vacation starting at 4 weeks per year, paid sick leave, paid personal days, and additional paid time off around the year-end holidays and in the summer!

$46,800+ Per Year Plus Benefits

We are looking for seasoned DZ Driver-Ambassadors to join our team!

Drivers would be responsible for loading and unloading assigned product into the assigned truck for every shift. Must provide a clean driver’s abstract of minimum 3 years.

AT TURKS, WE HIRE PEOPLE WITH GREAT ATTITUDES, BETTER THAN AVERAGE WORK ETHIC AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, PEOPLE THAT ARE RESPECTFUL AND DEMAND THE SAME OF OTHERS! OUR PROFESSIONAL OPERATORS ARE OF THE BEST IN THE

Robert D. Scheper

The downs, ups, downs, and ups of the TL2 Simplified Method

I was doing some research on the history and comparisons of the TL2 and NonTaxable Benefits (NTB) in preparation for a short video on the 38-year study. While doing a step-by-step breakdown, I reviewed the Aug 24th 2000 court case of Don Wilkinson vs CRA. This court case was the one I quoted in my first book “Making Your Miles Count: taxes, taxes, taxes”. The conflict was that Don claimed $40 per day rather than the $33 allowed at the time. The debate between the judge and the CRA representative was a conflict between the “reasonableness” of the $40 per day asked for versus the allowable $33. The evidence Don Wilkinson provided was that the CRA gave $48.00 per day to their auditors when in travel status. The now infamous quote by His Honor (condensed):

“...why is it reasonable for civil servants to be paid $48 a day for meals while somebody who has to go down to the States on work business and buy their meal is limited to the amount of $33 (Canadian currency) … quite frankly, it just boggles the mind that $33 would be considered to be sufficient… I just do not see $33 per day as being nearly

what I would call reasonable in the circumstances... I am going to allow the appeal, as you may have gathered from my comments.”

Mr. Bouvier (CRA Rep): “Yes. Well, I think enough is said.”

The conflict was/is the TL2 regulatory publication of $33 per day (today the amount is $69 per day). The judge had an issue with the $33 as not adequate in comparison to the civil servants’ $48. In the end, he allowed Don Wilkinson to claim $40. This means the “regulatory publication” is subject to “reasonableness” (according to the judge).

However, that being compared and said, there are some details about the issues that I’ve never really gone over in any of my articles but will do so now (also in my video). Comparing $33 per day to $48 per day is inaccurate. The $48 is a non-taxable benefit (after-tax money) and the $33 is the amount that is entered into the income tax form as a gross figure. The formulas assigned in the income tax system convert the $33 DOWN into its after-tax figure (called non-refundable tax credit). The true comparison is actually

$48.00 and $5.38… YEP! That’s right! An 892% difference (not even the lowest in the 38-year review).

There is yet another issue regarding the court case numbers. Don Wilkinson’s use of $48 is not the actual amount. It’s not the figure civil servants were using at the time of the court case. Depending on its date of reference it was: 1995 $47.55, 1996 $49.20, 1997 $49.75, 1998 $50.85, 1999 $53.70. The reason I used five years as the reference is that 1995 represented the last year civil servants were given under $48 and 1999 was the latest possible audit year in dispute. The case most probably referenced 1998 since the filing deadline would have been April 1999, then went under audit, appeal, and finally, a court date assigned. The audit and appeal process itself usually takes 6+ months so it’s highly unlikely it referred to 1999 (CRA rarely proceeds that fast). So, comparing equal dates, in 1998 auditors were getting $50.85 per day, not $48. All this additional evidence proves that the court case was filled with even more “aberrations” than the judge acknowledged.

In studying the reaction of CRA to the case (or at least what I believe is their reaction) it seems as though they were “aggressive” in providing the US exchange on top of the regulatory publication. In other words, CRA took one thing the judge said (driver drives in the US and must purchase US meals), then only applied THAT issue to their allowances. The aberration was… basically… ignored. You can tell because

they never increased their $33 per day until 3 years later… when a class action suit became public (another issue).

In my video “38 years of Truckers Taxation” I show the ups and ups of NTB versus the downs, ups, downs, and ups of the TL2 simplified method.

Watch Making Your Miles Count Podcasts on our website… the leading industry site for becoming successful operators.

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.

SAFETY DAWG

Chris Harris

Trucking Safety

I get feedback regularly from you, the readers and one comment that I often hear from you is why do I always stress trucking safety?

Did you know that trucking is one of the most dangerous professions in North America? Yeah, I just looked it up again, and you trucking professionals are number 8 on the list of 10. Trucking is in the top ten professions that kill workers. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, truck drivers have a fatality rate that is 26 times higher than workers in other professions.

Truck drivers suffer 26 deaths per 100,000 workers. YES, 26 of 100,000. Oh My.

That is a lot of people leaving their homes and never coming back again. And please remember that this is not counting the injuries. I am only talking about the deaths.

There are many reasons why trucking is so dangerous, including extended hours on the road, tight deadlines, and hazardous weather conditions.

So why do I talk so much about trucking safety? I am trying to get truck drivers to make small behavioural changes. We can control our future to at least some degree by changing what we do. For example, I recently saw yet another truck driver holding their cell phone to their ear. They were driving a standard transmission vehicle in the city at the time! What a bozo.

You are working long hours. For most people, overtime is after 35, 37, or 40 hours a week. For a truck driver who started the week on Monday, they may have done 40 hours by the end of the day Wednesday. And that driver still has at least two more days till they get their weekend, so fatigue is undoubtedly a contributing factor.

Another issue is that I believe that most truck drivers are paid for safety risks. Many drivers are paid by the mile or the load, which means that they are subtly encouraged to rush. We also have weather conditions to think about. Truck drivers don’t just drive in beautiful daylight. Truck drivers are like postal workers, the mail must get through. Truck drivers often must drive in weather that is far from good. Some truck drivers often continue operating their vehicles when they know they should stop. Many of us have seen this repeatedly result in collisions.

And then there’s one more risk that comes to my mind. And I believe it is the most significant and most uncontrollable risk. “The other driver.” We know that most fatal crashes are not caused by professional truck drivers. However, that does not stop truck drivers from losing their lives. Every day you are involved in collisions that were not your fault and crashes that despite driving safely, you could not have prevented.

Truck drivers keep the economy moving. You were all celebrated as heroes during the pandemic. People applauded and encouraged you, saying what a great job you did. How short our memories are. Now many

are back to saying that truck drivers are a menace on the road. Their large size and slowness are often nothing more than an inconvenience for a car driver.

Unfortunately, many people who share the road with trucks do not give the truck and the driver the respect they have earned. Trucking is one of North America’s most dangerous and demanding professions, with a fatality rate 26 times higher than other industries. To improve safety for everyone on the road, we need to understand what dangers truckers face to better educate ourselves and others about how to share the streets safely. Truck drivers deserve our respect as they are essential workers who keep the economy moving. Making small behavioural changes such as following speed limits, avoiding distractions while driving and respecting trucks’ rightof-way, we can all help to reduce fatalities among these hardworking individuals.

Stay safe.

Chris Harris

Dawg, Safety Dawg Inc.

SEARCHING FOR A TRUCK DRIVING JOB BUT DON’T KNOW WHERE TO LOOK?

Get into a job you enjoy by searching through hundreds of driving jobs across Canada and the US!

Drivers and Owner Operators, apply to leading trucking companies in minutes!

It is absolutely FREE, easy and simple to use. Check it out today!

Ellen Voie

What Does Your Recruiting Ad Say About Your Company?

Before you create an ad campaign, you must first determine whom you want to recruit. Sure, you want drivers, but are you targeting owner-operators or company drivers, regional or long haul, flatbed or dry van, men or women?

Men or women? Why should your ad consider the reader’s gender, aren’t all drivers looking for the same thing… pay, home time, equipment, etc.? Not necessarily. If you truly want to recruit women, you might consider changing your message and your graphic to be more inclusive.

If your ads depict scantily clad women spread across the grill of a truck, you aren’t going to attract female drivers. It’s offensive to them. What about the wording in your ads? “Take your wife to the big island” claims one ad. Wife? A simple solution would be to change “wife” to “spouse”, but then you’ve excluded all the single drivers.

At Women In Trucking (WIT), we’re concerned about the way our industry reaches out to potential female drivers,

and recruiting ads are part of the challenge: the message and the image often exclude our target audience.

To better understand the driver’s perspective, we teamed with Dr. Jeanette Kersten, EdD. Assistant Professor in the Department of Operations and Management at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Graduate students Anyradha Nigam, Martha Vang and Tracy Abrahamson designed a recruiting ad project to better understand the female driver perception.

Nigam began the project with a survey and handed it off to Abrahamson and Vang who took it to the next level with additional research and a final report. Some of their findings were surprising. Sixty-eight CDL holders completed the survey, which also depicted three advertisements from WIT member companies. The respondents were asked for their opinions on the ads. The questions asked if the ads were believable, relevant, persuasive and

clear, in addition to other criteria. The drivers were able to provide additional input in a comments section.

One of the ads featured a professional driver; the other two were stock photos (models). The respondents questioned the ads’ honesty with comments such as: “lies,” “dishonest,” or “biased.” One even remarked that the teeth were too “white” for a professional driver! The ad with a couple (team) was criticized for not using “real drivers.”

When asked, “If you were to create a recruiting advertisement, what would you include?” Eighty percent wanted information on “home time” and “benefits” to be included. “Experience requirements” scored 75% and “wages” was listed as the fourth most important item to include in a recruiting ad. The type of equipment was important to 67 percent of the respondents and “miles run” was next with 64 percent. The routes (or lanes) were important to 61 percent of the drivers and “perks” followed with 57 percent.

One notable finding was that 52 percent of the drivers wanted to know about the company’s pet policy! Women are often more apt to want to bring a pet with them for security reasons or just for companionship. The carriers that allow a dog or cat in the cab should be sure to include that in their recruiting ads.

The survey included a few openended questions. When asked what should be included in a recruitment advertisement, the comments included things such as the company turnover rate, CSA score, background requirements, bonus information and special benefits such as gym memberships, satellite radios and group discount programs.

One driver felt the ads should reveal the “attitude of dispatchers!” Another respondent wanted to know the dispatch policies (forced or choice). Several of the comments asked for the type of freight the company hauls.

Our goal is to encourage companies to take a hard look at their recruiting ads and consider whether they appeal to women. Models in short skirts in front of a truck need not apply.

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.

Networking. Support. Empowerment.