Over the Road September 2023

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE THAT HELPS TO KEEP OUR COUNTRY’S FREIGHT MOVING!

Why us?

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.

Networking. Support. Empowerment.

Robert D. Scheper

Crisis Management and YRC

I’ve written for Over the Road Magazine now for 15+ years. This is the first time I’ve ever mentioned a carrier by name. The reason I haven’t is, I don’t wish to get openly involved in carrier bashing and/or propping. It’s safe now to comment on YRC (often known as Yellow) as this company, which has been around since 1924, has declared bankruptcy after years of financial struggles and growing debt. They will be wrapping up services and assets... soon they will be no more.

I sat down with a client who was working at YRC and went over their finances and options. They had worked at Yellow for many, many years. The difficulty comes when evaluating the options at a later stage in life and halfway through the life cycle of a highway tractor. A well-qualified driver will almost always land on their feet when it comes to a job. The truck, however, in some circumstances, can be a difficult fit. In this case, the client will be okay, but not all situations end up that way. Matching a truck, a driver and a carrier is sometimes more difficult than assumed. The Operators at YRC may be struggling to place some of their units now set free. A year ago, those assets could have been sold at a premium price. Today they are well below average. It’s amazing how fast markets can change.

Independent Operators ride the waves of asset valuations.

An Independent Operator is a description of two types of operators: Lease Operators and Owner Operators. Owner Operators are those who get paid a percentage of the freight while Lease Operators are paid cents per mile (loaded or empty). YRC operators were Lease Operators. Remember, this title has nothing to do with their financing situation; it has to do with their business model for gaining revenue. Lease Operators are all about miles… miles, miles & miles! Owner Operators are about revenue and time, which is not always about miles. YRC Operators were always looking for miles.

I hardly have outside information about YRC (never mind inside information) so my personal opinion is very tainted with hearsay and conjecture. The only thing I know for sure about the management and the union is… things couldn’t be worked out for a mutual benefit.

It’s sort of like one of your good “couple friends” going through a divorce. Even though you may be closer to one party than the other, you know it is not ONLY one party’s fault. It’s sad but somewhat inevitable if conflicts and crises are never really dealt with.

The drivers will find jobs; most equipment will find a place to work. The freight will be divided up between carriers and the assets will be sold off to satisfy the debt (to the best it can). It will be amazing how fast we will forget.

Transportation of freight is an industry highly dependent on people and their performance. Freight is accepted and rejected based primarily on reputation. Reputation can be built over several decades but lost in only a few minutes.

I was in a small family run restaurant a while ago. It was known for its fresh food and value pricing. I came into the entrance just as the “owner of the operation” was openly chewing out the waitress in front of all the customers. It was not pretty. I thought it was extreme and I felt sorry for the girl… until her reply came… it was just as brutal. As she went on, it suddenly became apparent that the conflict was between a daughter and a father. The entire crisis spun into a very personal family one. All I wanted to do was get the heck out of dodge.

When internal conflict within a business spill out into the street, customers just want to get the heck out of dodge. It’s a recipe for quick and terminal bankruptcy.

Crisis Management is all about dealing with issues long before they become terminal.

SUN TZU in the book “The Art of War” said, “...the best war ever fought is the one never waged”. Solve the problem before it turns into a war.

With 20/20 hindsight, perched softly in my recliner chair, with no skin in the game whatsoever, I’d say someone didn’t solve the real problems at YRC. I hope someday, the same won’t be said about me.

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.

SEARCHING FOR A TRUCK DRIVING JOB

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Chris Harris

Driving for Smaller Trucking Companies

“Why does it take so long to apply and get a job at many of the smaller companies today? I want to work for the company located just down the street. I went to school with the owner’s children and they were good friends. So, I want to work for their parents. Why is it so hard to work for a small trucking company today”?

I was asked this question recently and I can answer the question since most of my clients are as described above—small, local trucking company with roots in their community. These trucking companies are primarily getting applicants by word of mouth and because of their reputation. So why is it so damn hard, in this market, for these same small, trucking companies to hire experienced, truck drivers and what can a driver do about it? (Newly licenced drivers are a different question and I have written about that in previous editions of OTR).

Most drivers understand that it is not usually the trucking company that is the roadblock to being hired. In many cases, it is the trucking company’s insurance provider that is the obstacle. The insurance company demands that the trucking company prove the applicant’s

experience. This is where the driver applicant needs to be of assistance; when you are applying for a new position you need to bring all the necessary information you have with you because the insurance company will want to have your driving experience verified.

What is it that the insurance companies want? They want and need proof of your experience. So, you, the applicant, need to provide the name of the insurance company of your current trucking company and the names of the insurance companies of any past trucking companies you have driven for. How do you know who the insurance company is? Their name is on the Pink Slip or the insurance documents. Since you are in the truck every day, make sure the proof of insurance or Pink Slip is in the cab which is part of your vehicle inspection. Write down and keep a record of the insurance company’s name. If you are with a trucking company for more than a year, your name should appear on the driver roster that the trucking company submits annually to the insurance provider. But here is where the problem often arises; fleets only provide the list of current drivers at insurance renewal time. If you have not been working at that trucking company for a year, your name

may not be recorded on the list and with the insurance company. For many drivers who don’t stay for at least a year, the insurance company doesn’t even know that the driver was working for the trucking company. Now, when proof of experience is being asked for, (many of the insurance companies are now requesting the proof of experience from other insurance providers), nobody knows that you were driving for that company. This is a real problem because the insurance companies have been defrauded many times by drivers with no experience, who are providing fake experience letters and subsequently crashing. The insurance companies have been forced to insist that the experience letters be provided from a trustworthy source, which in most cases is a fellow insurance company.

Can you see the problem here? If you are not on the driver’s roster, which is recorded just once a year at your current insurance provider, then you may have a difficult time proving your experience to a smaller carrier. The large trucking company doesn’t have the same issue. That is largely because the bigger company has a much larger, insurance deductible so that they can hire almost whomever they want — big advantage to the big guys.

How can you as a driver applicant help yourself to get hired? You NEED to know the insurance company that insures the fleet that you are currently with, and also past insurance companies. Try to stay longer than a year with a trucking company; in that way, your name should appear on the driver roster given to the insurance company. Lastly, and the hardest, is to be patient. It may take you some time

to be hired on to work for a smaller trucking organization. You must plan for that extra time. It is not the trucking company’s fault that this is going to take time. I’m hearing that it is taking weeks for insurance companies to approve applicant drivers. And of course, when proof of experience can’t be verified, then in most cases, the applicant is denied for approval. I know hearing this might hurt, and of course you, the applicant driver, can’t understand why because you know that you have the necessary driving experience. But can it be proved?

The second part of the question, “What can you the driver do about it?” As I wrote previously, know who your insurer is, and who they were in the past and stay with a company whenever possible for at least a year.

This is not an ideal situation that we are in currently. It is taking way too long to get driver approvals and it is the insurance companies’ fault. They don’t seem to be cooperating with each other. But unfortunately, I don’t see this changing anytime soon. We are in a ‘Hard Insurance Market’. This means that a trucking company doesn’t have a lot of choices when it comes to getting an insurance provider that is easier to work with. So, don’t expect changes anytime soon.

Chris Harris

Top Dawg, Safety Dawg Inc.

905-973-7056

chris@safetydawg.com

@safety_dawg (twitter)

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 Good Old Days

Today’s professional drivers are much different than the guys I knew when I started working in the trucking industry. Yes, I wrote “guys” as I didn’t know any female drivers in the seventies. There were a few women out there, but the steel fabricating plant where I worked used flatbed trailers to haul in the raw steel and the steel products out. Not a lot of women were pulling flatbeds in those days.

Before deregulation, every common carrier load cost the same regardless of the name on the side of the truck because the rates were determined by tariffs. That meant the trucking company had to provide the best service in the area they were allowed to run based on their Interstate Commerce Commission authority. Competition was truly different then.

Without the technology we enjoy today, a typical dispatcher’s office included a United States map with the highways marked by brightly coloured pins where shippers were located. Loads were recorded on an index card taped to the wall and assigned by pickup date and driver.

Ellen Voie

The safety department, if it wasn’t the dispatcher’s job, involved files full of driver qualification folders, drug testing results and logbooks from the past seven days.

Drivers were also less regulated. Although the hours of service were in place, the method of recording was in a paper logbook. It was common for drivers to use two or three logbooks, as enforcement didn’t have the technology to match the days and times of tolls, scales, or even carrier records. Shutting down within three hours of home was not an option!

Truck stops had designated areas for professional drivers to get them served and on their way faster. Except, of course, the drivers who were waiting to use one of the many pay phones along a back wall to check in with the dispatcher to get their next load. You were lucky to find a booth with a payphone included so you could eat and wait at the same time.

Before the Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) was mandated in 1986, many drivers had numerous chauffeur’s licenses from various states. That way, if a speeding ticket was received in Ohio,

the other states didn’t have access to the information. Of course, drivers were expected to report violations annually to their carrier, but it was more of an honour system at the time.

To obtain a chauffeur’s license, someone might take a written test in one state, or they may have used a pickup truck for a driving test in another state. There wasn’t a minimum standard for training and more than one driver has told me they learned to shift and to back the trailer AFTER they were hired.

Many drivers entered the industry because their dad or grandpa was a truck driver. In the past, drivers were considered the Knights of the Road and a stranded fourwheeler welcomed a tractor-trailer slowing down to help them change a flat tire or give them a ride to the next truck stop for a few gallons of gas. Every trucker kept a toolbox in his side compartment and could rig a tractor or trailer with a roll of duct tape and a few lengths of binder twine.

The ideal driver was a farm kid, as they learned how to drive heavy equipment at an early age and usually had a better work ethic. Carriers loved those hardworking farm boys! They didn’t require much training other than the paperwork, and they were used to long days and hard work.

The early trucks didn’t have the amenities we enjoy today. The steering wheel was huge to allow the driver leverage to turn the steers without power steering. Air conditioning wasn’t standard and

safety features were not common. Double clutching and thirteen-speed transmissions took some time to master.

The trucking industry has changed since I started my career in the traffic department of a steel fabricating plant. I had a diploma in Traffic & Transportation Management on my wall amid the maps, the shelves full of tariffs and the index cards. Deregulation changed the industry into a MORE regulated one as technology has been mandated through the years.

More technology means more monitoring and less autonomy, which is what attracted most drivers to the career in the past. Ask any seasoned driver about the “good old days” and they’ll tell you how things have changed. These drivers are leaving the industry to a new generation that will never appreciate how things have changed so quickly.

Will new drivers look back in a few decades and consider these “the good old days?”

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.

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

Regular: $299

(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

(After September 30th)

TABLE PRICING AVAILABLE