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From the Editor’s desk...
VOLUME 17, ISSUE 09 PUBLISHER/EDITOR John White john.protrucker@shaw.ca PRODUCTION/CIRCULATION Tori Proudley tori.protrucker@shaw.ca ADMIN/SPECIAL EVENTS Donna White donna.protrucker@shaw.ca ADVERTISING/MARKETING John White john.protrucker@shaw.ca Tori Proudley tori.protrucker@shaw.ca CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dave Madill • Mel McConaghy Ben Proudley • Scott Casey Ed Murdoch • Colin Black Tamara Weston PHOTOGRAPHY David Benjatschek • Ben Proudley Brad Demelo HEAD OFFICE Ph: 604-580-2092 Fax: 604-580-2046 Toll Free: 1-800-331-8127 Published eleven times a year by Pro-Trucker Magazine Inc., The contents of this publication may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without prior written consent of the publisher. The advertiser agrees to protect the publisher against legal action based upon libelous or inaccurate statements; the unauthorized use of materials or photographs; and/or any other errors or omissions in connection with advertisements placed in Pro-Trucker Magazine. The publisher can and will refuse any advertising which in his opinion is misleading or in poor taste. The publisher does not endorse or make claim or guarantee the validity or accuracy of any advertisement herein contained. All materials submitted for publication are subject to editing at the publisher’s discretion. The act of mailing or e-mailing material shall be considered an expressed warranty by the contributor that the material is original and in no way an infringement on the rights of others.
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PrO-trUcKErMAGAZINE MAGAZINEe PrO-trUcKEr
It has become increasingly difficult for the average person to decide who to vote for in Canadian politics. One thing that I found eye opening was one of many internet questionnaires that analyze your views then tells you which party best represents your values. It seemed to work for me so suspiciously I put in answers for a friend who has other views and I got a different answer. This was just an experiment, it was not because I thought for a moment that a political party would ever stoop to putting out a phony program John White to influence voters… I received a cartoon recently in an email. It was a picture of two cowboys on horses looking down at the ground in front of them. On the ground there were little deposits left behind from horses (or possibly bulls) that had gone on before them. The caption read, “By the size and frequency of the droppings I would say we are on the campaign trail.” I am sure that there are very few of you who did not nod your heads in agreement with that statement. Reading that put me on a bit of a rant concerning honesty in politics, (yes I know those are two words you seldom see used together - a prime example of an oxymoron) here are some of the things on my fantasy political wish list: - Replace campaign promises with campaign contracts. They would have time lines outlining when a project, or offer of funding, that has been promised during an election campaign, would start, progress, and be completed. Like any contract, over runs in costs and completion date would be subject to various penalties up to and including the ruling party stepping down. This change alone would make it much more difficult for those two cowboys to follow the trail. - Put a cap on political donations from companies, associations, special interest groups, and “private” citizens. This would convince politicians to work for voters not contributions to their campaigns. - Outlaw lobby groups – any politician that does not already know what their constituents want should not be there in the first place. - Free voting in parliament so politicians can represent their constituents – not toe the party line. - Politicians should receive the same pension and medical plans that other Canadians receive. This would ensure that the people who built this country with their taxes are taken care of in a dignified manner. - Make it law that politicians have to answer all questions put to them in question period and make question periods mandatory. This leads to my last wish. - Eliminate all the embarrassing childish behaviour, comments, and outbursts, that to the world make our parliament look like the teacher has just stepped out of a kindergarten class. I honestly do not know how politicians can go home, look their children in the eye, and ask them to behave themselves. They must have parental controls on their TV so that their children will to do as they say, not as they do.
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PRO-TRUCKER MAGAZINEe
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PrO-trUcKEr MAGAZINEe
e e Whit John Magazin
r rucke Pro-T
John White gazine Pro-Trucker Ma
Hello John I thought I would give you an idea of what some of us drivers, or at least this driver, who spends too much time on the road, thinks about. This is where my mind wandered just before climbing in the bunk after a very long day. The Story of Man At first humans, animals, and all living things co-existed. Then Mother Nature became, for lack of a better word, the manager. At first she saw that man was doing great but then realized they were multiplying faster than any other species, (even the rabbit). She thought to herself, “These beings are out of control, they don’t have a breeding season - they just breed at will.” But then man invented weapons, the sling, spear, sword, bow and arrow and alcohol, a very strong weapon indeed. Mother nature was happy as now man seemed to be doing a very good job of overseeing his own population management program.
Editor’s note: I love your sense of humour Dave. It would be even funnier if it were not so serious. Distracted driving now kills more people in North America that impaired driving. John, Thank you once again for the space to set up our
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But as time went on things started to get out of control again, the population was now growing faster than mice. Mother nature once again became concerned until man invented gun powder and started a few wars. WOW! That worked fantastic – but again only for a while. Next came fuel, hence the automobile, this helped but not enough so the manager gave them big trucks. The manager had to admit that this was a mistake as the large truck drivers had very little to do with population control. “I know,” she thought, “I will make the automobile faster.” This worked so well she made it even faster, which helped, but still it was not enough. Then the manager sat and thought very deeply, all of a sudden a smile appeared and the manager said, “I’ve got the answer! I will keep all the other things, as they still help but I will give them the cell phone and the ability to text...” Problem solved. Dave Keefe Dell Transport
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Veterans Voices of Canada information booth at Alberta Big Rig Weekend. I am writing to tell you that there will be an amazing tribute/campaign by Veterans Voices of Canada to our military heroes called “Flags of Remembrance”. On October 25th,Veterans Voices of Canada will place 115 Canadian flags representing 1000 Canadian fallen soldiers from 1900 to 2014. This year it will be held in Central Alberta and next year the same tribute will be held in each province across Canada. Each flag can then be sponsored by a family, an individual, a business or anyone who would like to give tribute to a Veteran of their choice. The service person receiving tribute can be living or deceased, and from any service period or branch. The flags will be placed on Highway #11at RR12 just east of the Sylvan Lake intersection. For each flag we are asking a minimum donation of $200 which will raise $20,000 for our organization this year. It will be an amazing tribute to the fallen of Canada’s military services, and help Veterans Voices of Canada to continue honouring our Veterans, old and young, through on camera documentation of our Canadian military Veterans for history and education. This tribute to our Veterans and the fallen will take place at noon on Saturday, October 25th with all 115 flags in place. We will continue to add commemorative maple
leaf plaques alongside the flags as they are sponsored until we reach 115 sponsorships. Flags will remain in place until noon on November 15th, where the sponsor or representative will be present to have their flag and commemorative maple leaf plaque(with Veteran information) handed over to them as a keepsake. This will be a ceremony with last post played as well. Passing traffic over for those three weeks will be thinking for a few moments of our military heroes. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact Allan Cameron at (403)887-7114 or Darryn Blondheim at (403)505-9281. Allan Cameron Veteran’s Voices of Canada Editor’s note: Thank you for all the great work you do Allan. My cheque, in memory of my Grandfather, Benjamin S. (Sid) Turner, a Canadian Airforce bi-plane pilot, (yes I’m that old) is on its way. Hello John, Highway thru Hell, Discovery Channels number 1 television series is returning for a fourth season. It was Discovery’s most-watched program for the 2014/15 broadcast year and we are very proud that it is a Canadian production. As you know the series follows Jamie Davis and his crew as they travel the highways of B.C. and
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Alberta. Season 4 picks up where the story left off – with Davis looking to expand his Heavy Recovery Operation while facing new challenges and bigger wrecks. The Jamie Davis Heavy Rescue crew faces significant change, as Davis’ brothers, Kelly and Jason, owner of Aggressive Towing, pitch in to help with the operations between the two provinces. Thank you, Lesley Diana Editor’s note: I think that watching Highway thru Hell should be mandatory for all new drivers. Nothing hits home as hard, or makes all the warnings about the dangers out there sink in as fast as being at the scene of an accident. Highway thru Hell is about as close as you
OctObEr 2015
can get without actually being there. Unfortunately the politicians of every province, with the possible exception of Ontario, where they are working on stricter basic training and licensing, think nothing of giving licenses away with little regard for safety. For instance it amazes me that drivers can still get their Class 1 without knowing how to put chains on. We should kick it up a notch and also make it mandatory viewing for the politicians who control the training and licensing of new drivers. Better yet put them in the middle of a lineup on the Coq for 6 hours while wreckers are clearing some chainless fool who is jack-knifed half way up the hill, or pulling some Indy 500 wanna be four-wheeler out of the ditch…
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Shippers of every shape size and color and with accents that sometimes forced you to go almost by sign language. There was a midget (I understand that the politically correct term is now ‘little person’ but back in the day it was a perfectly acceptable term that was not derogatory) at one stop in California that I never could understand and yet we got along fine and always managed to get the job done. Another that stood out was at a small company in Quebec where the shipper did not speak even one word of English and yet we got along great. There was a gentleman in Toronto that always reminded me of Robbie Burns with his burr and another that sounded exactly like Sean Connery. Over the years I dealt with Inuit, Hispanic, French, Creole and even some
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that spoke English of varying types. Places I have been – well I like to say if a road goes there so did I but I know there are still some places I haven’t seen but I have made it from the Arctic Ocean to the Florida Keys and from the California coast to Newfoundland. I watched sunrises and sunsets over some of the nicest scenery in the world and also some of the worst slums and stink-holes, yet there was always one more hill to climb and one more corner to look around. Loads over the years and the companies have varied all the way from A to Z and everything in between and some were memorable and others just roll together into the mix. Hazmat, explosive, liquid, gaseous and solids, from equipment to Christmas decorations and every load was different and every load had its own challenges. Sometimes you would leave the south with a load that had to be kept cool and by the time you delivered in the north you had to keep it warm so it would not freeze. This load needed tarping and this load had to be chained. The next required straps only and the next was shoved inside a van or reefer. Swinging meat was always fun to haul and tankers with no or minimal baffles were also challenging but still we delivered to the receiver mostly on time. Now things have changed for me and I can sit back behind this computer and tell stories of how it was back then and the many colorful characters we came across.
The
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Yep, I have it easy now but still I miss getting up from the bunk in the morning and checking the log book to see how many hours I had left and sometimes to remember where I was. Most of all I miss the people I meet on the road, waitresses, receivers, shippers and other drivers and even other travelers I met along the way. Those I met I still call friends and always look back on with pride and wonder. NO - I have not decided to hang up the keyboard and quit but I just thought I should remind everyone out on the road to stop and take a look around at the many varied things, places and people that go through your day and realize that what you do today, and the way you do it, will be the memories of tomorrow.
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My LIFe ThroUGh A BroKen WIndshIeLd By Mel McConaghy
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Unfortunately, due to my wife’s ailments and the nature of the work I was doing - mostly low-bedding and Bush work - none of the trucks I owned were ever, what you would call ‘Show Trucks’. That being said they were good tough work trucks that did the job they were built for and they gave me the opportunity to make a living and put my kids through school. But because I only had work trucks, before this year’s BC Big Rig Weekend, I had only attended one other truck show and that was a few years ago. With the passing of my dear wife, last year, I found myself at loose ends so I loaded up a couple boxes of my books into my trusty old 1983 Malibu and headed south for the show. I figured that this trip would not only give me the opportunity to sell some books but it would also help with the final breaking in of the rebuilt engine I had recently done in my Malibu. Now at this point I should explain that for years my Daughter had been telling me I should join the BCAA. I
Call Al 604-882-7623 stubbornly refused as I always maintained that I was quite capable of changing my own tires and fixing my own vehicle so why would I need it? As she has always done since she was born, she finally won me over and the week before this trip I joined. There I was cruising down the highway with my brand new BCAA membership tucked in my wallet when just south of 100 mile I came to an unplanned stop. I had heard what sounded like a hose blowing and my power steering came up hard. I coasted over into a right turn lane at the side of the highway, all the while looking in my mirror for any indication of oil on the road, and I was surprised not to see anything. When I stopped I popped the hood to see if I could find what went wrong. All the belts were still there,
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but they were loose. I looked down farther and could see that the vibration damper and pulleys on the crank shaft were almost off the end of the crank shaft. Looking closer I could see what my problem was. The large cap screw that holds it all on the end of the crank shaft had come loose and decided to go in a different direction than the car. After analyzing my problem and making an all points search for the wayward cap screw, in plus thirty degree heat, I swallowed my pride and phoned BCAA. They said they would send a wrecker as soon as one was available so there I sat and waited. After about an hour the wrecker arrived and the first thing the driver did was to hand me a cold bottle of water, saying, “I thought you might need this.” He then proceeded to load my pride and joy and asked me, “Where would you like me to take it?” “Take me to the oldest Auto shop in town, with oldest guy running it,” I answered. “That would be ‘Moon Automotive”, he said, “Fred’s an old grey bearded guy…“ At that point I cut him off with, “That’s the guy I’m looking for!” I knew that if he took me to a new shop with young mechanics, they probably wouldn’t know where to start on a 1983 Malibu. I walked into the shop, carrying the vibration damper with all the pulleys on it and put it on his bench. He looked up from under the hood of the car he had been working on and said, “Looks like you have a problem there!”
“That would have to be the understatement of the week, Fred. When the mechanic put the engine back together he forgot to torque it and from what I can see he didn’t use lock-tight on it either. The woodruff key is still there and nothing seems damaged. Can you help me?” “Give me a few minutes to finish this gentleman’s car and I’ll have a look at it.” By this time it was 4:45. It was five o’clock when he went to the bench and looked over the vibration damper and confirmed everything was all right. Then he went to the car and reaching down he stuck his little finger in the hole the cap screw had vacated and said, “Just as I thought it’s a ¾ inch bolt with a fine thread, I’ll get on the phone and see if I can find one” and with that he started phoning.
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When he came back he said, “No one even knows what I’m talking about. I used to have buckets of bolts and things around here, but I’m getting ready to sell out and retire so I cleaned the place out, but let’s see what I can find in here.” He dumped a half full 5 gallon oil bucket on the shop floor and started looking through the pile of nuts, bolts and washers. “Well will you look at this,” a ¾ fine thread, but it’s too long,” he said. “We can shim it up with washers and lock-tight it” I said, “She’ll probably last as long as I have the car, I’m an old truck driver and I’ve done a lot worse things to keep a rig going.” Just then the phone rang and after he answered it he came back and said, “You are one lucky so and so - that was Dave from NAPA Auto Parts and he just found a bunch of ¾ fine thread bolts right from four inch down to three and a quarter and everything in between. He is on his way home and will drop them off in a few minutes.” Just then a NAPA pickup drove up and an older gentleman stepped out, and handed a brown bag to Fred. I cleaned up the nuts and bolts and put them back in the bucket while he put my car back together and then figured out my bill. You could have knocked me over with feather when he handed it to me. It was only eighty-eight dollars! So I paid him then signed one of my books and gave it to him.
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That wasn’t the end to my troubles getting to BC Big Rig Weekend. A few days before leaving Prince George I had fixed my fuel gauge. I fueled up before leaving and according to my calculations, I could easily make Cache Creek so I flew right through Clinton. Sure enough, as I approached Maiden Creek hill, I ran out of gas. I coasted ever so sedately into a rest area and stopped. Then once again, within a week of signing up with BCAA, I phoned them and said, in a pleading voice, my name is Mel McConaghy, my number is--- and I’m out of gas, could you please help me? *****
Overheard in a truck stop
Yesterday I had an appointment to see the urologist for a prostate exam. Of course I was a bit on edge because a few of my friends have either gone under the knife or had those pellets implanted....... The waiting room was filled with patients and as I approached the receptionist’s desk, I noticed that the receptionist was a large unfriendly woman who looked like a Sumo wrestler. I gave her my name and in a very loud voice, she said, “Yes I have your name right here. You want to see the doctor about impotence – right?” All the people in the waiting room snapped their heads around to look at me. I was really embarrassed but I recovered quickly, and in an equally loud voice replied, “No, I’ve come about a sex change operation, but I don’t want the same doctor that did yours.”
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Here it is September and once again I am off on a new adventure, as our boss decided to move his trucks over to another oil hauling company. This means more orientations, new tanks, new routes and a new truck for me as the blue beast had a direct drive pump and the new company has a strict policy against them. Instead I was given a pretty black flat top with a hydraulic pump system which I promptly brought home to wash and polish then I loaded her up for the road. We were dispatched to Saskatchewan to haul back
but we were out in the field, loading straight from tanks, which is right back to what I was doing when I started trucking. Getting into a new truck has its challenges, each truck has its qwerks, and sounds and it always takes a bit of time for me to figure out what is normal for each of the trucks I have driven. This truck was no different. It was only a few days into our hitch that I had a brake pot go. I’ve never had to cage a brake before that and Eric was at the opposite end of our 8 hour rounder so I had to sort it out with a little help from my ‘call a friend’ button. Thanks Mr. Mitchell - you rock! Once I had it caged I managed to get my load on and get out of the field and back to civilization where I was able to get the pot switched out. On the way out, once I hit pavement, I was powering up through the gears when my truck started to howl and shake and gave me no power at all. At this point I was
into Alberta so I have to do federal log books - again something new for me. Something I was completely unaware of was the way each regional municipality in Saskatchewan marks the grid roads. They don’t! So we were sent out into the field, down unmarked gravel roads, to find well sites and tanks. I should add, that Eric put me out front, like he has for the past two years. At first I thought it was because he didn’t want to have to read a map or follow directions but what he was actually doing was making me a better driver. He forced me to read the road conditions, to be alert to traffic, to make me think on my feet. I have learned quite a lot being out front, but now I’m off in another province trying to find my way and the first day was very trying. After struggling to find our first sites, I figured out how to add the coordinates into the navigation systems in our trucks. It was pretty easy after that. We were hauling tri axle trailers, which was a change from super b’s
losing my mind - had a girl moment - and called Eric who calmed me down. I limped her the 46 kms to the nearest town where I had arranged to get the brake pot replaced in the morning. I spoke to my boss about what was going on but he was at a loss so I waited till morning to check things out when she was in the shop. I opened the hood and started to poke about while the mechanic started on the brake pot. I noticed right away some soot on my air to air flange so I called my boss and he told me that the flange had loosened off a few months back so he said that’s probably all it was. I set out to tighten it up and discovered that the bolt was stripped. I had the mechanic switch out the bolt and he was able to replace it with a longer bolt without having to re-thread anything. With that crisis averted I was all set and off trucking again within an hour. I went up and offloaded and managed to catch up to Eric and found that our next loads were at the same loca-
From the Patch By Tamara Weston
Tamara and her husband Eric, were the Rig of the Month drivers in our October 2014 issue.
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tion. In retrospect I’m so thankful. We were able to hook up and load at the same time so we were ready to roll in no time. I put my truck in low to pull away from the tank and as I slowly let out the clutch, my truck lurched. It felt like it was going straight up and made a horrible grinding screaming noise - something I have never heard before. I instantly pushed the clutch back in and checked my PTO but it was off so I tried again. Same thing…. I radioed Eric and asked him to please come to my truck. Okay maybe it wasn’t a polite “please come to my truck”, there could possibly have been more than two but less than 5 swear words used. When he got there I asked him to please just drive it, so he hoped in and yep, same thing. We managed to get her moved from the tank and on flat ground then Eric and I crawled underneath and started looking. Based on the noise and where it was coming from I asked Eric if it could be the transmission, he wasn’t too sure but then he found that both bolts had sheared off the rear engine mount. We pulled what was left of the bolts out and saw that one had been broken for a while and the other had just happened. That horrible sound it made was the flywheel binding up when the engine torqued. Right about then I desperately wanted my old blue beast back. There was a little bit of messing around to unload my trailer and get my truck back to Edmonton where the boys at the shop went through her with a fine tooth comb
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and have assured me that she’s good to go. Out of curiosity I asked my boss if he spoke any other language, because perhaps the black flat top doesn’t speak mine, he said German, so I guess I have to learn to deutsch sprechen! ***** Some years ago, there was an Engineering Convention in San Francisco for people who had an IQ of 140 or higher. Several of the members went out for lunch at a local cafe. When they sat down, one of them discovered that their salt shaker contained pepper, and their pepper shaker was full of salt. They pondered how they swap the contents of the two bottles without spilling any, and using only the implements at hand? Clearly this was a job for engineering minds. The group debated the problem and presented ideas and finally, came up with a brilliant solution involving a napkin, 2 spoons, a straw, and an empty saucer. They called the waitress over to dazzle her with their solution. “Ma’am,” they said, “we couldn’t help but notice that the pepper shaker contains salt and the salt shaker contains pepper.” But before they could finish, the waitress interrupted them. “Oh, sorry about that.” She leaned over the table, unscrewed the caps of both bottles, and switched them. There was dead silence at the table. This reminds me of our government.
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www.cool-it.ca Head Office: Abby New Location: Surrey
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Rig of the Month by John White
Brittany Biggar, our October 2015 Rig of the Month industry. This is her story: Driver, is truly in love with her job. She wears a perpetual I was born in Burnaby, BC, and raised, for the majority smile, is a joy to meet, and a great ambassador for the of my life, in the Fraser Heights/Port Kells area of Surrey.
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I would hear the trucks and rail cars at the CN yard down the road, every night, and it became a comforting sound. Living down the road from the Port Kells industrial area since I was 8 years old, I would always see trucks driving down the road, and I thought how awesome it would be to drive a big truck like them one day. I grew up watching Monster Machines, How It’s Made, and all those awesome Discovery Channel shows with my dad, so, in my eight year old mind, seeing rigs bombing down 96th Avenue, and out on the highway, was like watching the show live. I was also never taught that certain things were specifically for boys or girls. I had my Barbie Dolls and easy bake oven, but I also had my hot wheels and Fisher Price tool set. As I grew up, I would set goals and I loved to push myself to see what I could do. I loved a challenge, and would think, “What’s the craziest thing I could do? I have to see if I can handle it!”. I didn’t have any family members who drove truck when I was growing up, but I made it a goal to get my bike license and my CDL
class 1. In the meantime, I was going to university for a Psychology major, and after a few years, I realized that I loved to learn about my courses, but I didn’t necessarily want to apply them to anything. I dropped out of school, and figured that I’d continue working for a few years, save
before I was 25. When I was 21, I got my class 6. The accomplishment felt great, and I was content for the time being, bombing around on my cruiser. In the back of my mind, though, I would wonder how the heck I would go about getting my
up money, then go back to university when I figured out what I wanted to study. After several years of being the Supervisor at two different Mr. Lube locations, I decided to change it up, and worked as an office assistant at a medical office. Shortly thereafter, I discovered that, for me at least,
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being stuck in an office is about as close to Hell as one can experience. My opportunity finally arose out of a bad situation, as I was laid off from work, a few days after Christmas 2010. I spoke with a career advisor, and she told me about a program the government had, which helped retrain workers. The amount they would cover was virtually the exact cost that Valley Driving School charged for their trucking course. Everything began to fall into place, and I started my driving classes shortly after. After completing my training and passing my road test, the hunt for employment began. I discovered the wonderful “catch 22” of trucking. Companies want to hire a driver with experience, however, to gain experience, one needs to be employed as a driver. Thankfully, after two weeks of relentlessly firing off resumes, I received a call back from Whiskey River Warehousing. Greg, the owner, explained that it was a long-haul outfit, and asked if I was certain that I wanted to drive OTR. I saw it as the biggest adventure I could possibly have at the time, and enthusiastically agreed to come in for a road test with him. The next day I showed up to Whiskey River’s office and met with Greg. Handing me a set of keys, he led me to where his trucks were parked. As we walked up to a truck and he motioned for me to hop in, my stomach tightened. I had learned how to drive on the standard issue T600s and T660s during my driving lessons, and now here I was standing in front of a longnose Pete, with keys in hand. After a very shaky and nervous road test, Greg asked if I wanted to come by the next day to check out the company a bit more. I agreed, and for the next few days, I was running around town, picking up LTL freight in this massive 2007 Peterbilt 379 that terrified the crap out of me. At the end of the week, Greg warned me to be prepared for the next Friday, as he was sending me out on my first trip. I didn’t even realize I had even been hired, let alone ready to head out on the road. Friday rolled around, and I still had no idea where I was being sent. I packed up my bags PAGE 24
NEW Extended Hours Mon-Fri 8 am- Midnight • Sat 8 am- 5pm with what I thought I should bring, and headed into work. Greg handed me a stack of paperwork as I walked through the door, and I stopped in my tracks. Louisiana. I hadn’t even driven further than Bellis Fair in Washington prior to this, and now I was expected to trek across the continent
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after a total of roughly 30 hours of seat time? Well, it’s a good thing I love a challenge. I can’t even begin to describe how accurate the phrase “thrown to the wolves” was in my situation. I headed up to Westbank, BC, to pick up my load for Louisiana, and within the first 10 minutes of running the Coquihalla, I discovered that my Jake and cruise control weren’t working. I didn’t have cell service at that point either. Visions of flaming brakes and runaway lanes flashed through my head and panic set in. I remembered someone mentioning that the engine fan can help slow a truck down, so I tried the theory, and indeed, it did help. Once I was back in cell service, I frantically phoned Greg, and he explained that the clutch pedal was sticky and I had to pull up on it to have the Jake and cruise function work. There was my first lesson of the trip. Lesson two? Apparently the 97C and highway 97 are two different highways. I had no GPS at this point, just a Rand McNally Motor Carrier road atlas and a sheet of paper with all the highways I needed to take. Once my detour was over and I was loaded, I headed across the border at Osoyoos, BC, and set forth into uncharted territory. My third lesson I learned was at a Flying J, waiting for my first shower at a truck stop. Nobody had explained the procedure to have one, so I saw an open door, and headed in to wash up. I wondered why the shower looked like it could use some cleaning, but I ignored the thought and went about my business. It wasn’t until a few days later
that I found out I was using dirty showers that were waiting to be cleaned, and to this day, I still cringe when I think about it. Maybe this should be added to the driving school repertoire… Lesson four: map out your route, and understand it thoroughly before heading through a major city. I miraculously made it all the way to the outskirts of Denver, CO with minimal issues, however, I was about to encounter my first ring road around a city. As I scanned my paper with my route on it, I missed the highway exit I needed to take. Now I was stuck juggling my giant road atlas and directions, while steering through traffic. I decided to bite the bullet and take an exit to try and backtrack to the exit I needed. Well, after eight hours of driving through non-truck routes, being detoured through construction, receiving incorrect directions, and getting stuck in front of a gated community roundabout, where the only option was to back through the major intersection of a US route, I finally called the Denver police, sobbing. Maybe I bit off more than I could chew. The police, thankfully, came to my rescue, and blocked off the entire highway so I could back through it and continue on my maiden voyage. Back on my correct route, I got the heck out of Denver, and bought myself a Garmin truck GPS when I parked that night in Limon, CO. After countless learning lessons, many helpful drivers,
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and a few trips under my belt, I finally was getting the hang of this trucking thing. At that point, I also realized how much I loved it. I began coordinating my resets with fun places I wanted to visit, and spent my layovers meeting locals and exploring new places. New Orleans, bobtailing to Mt. Rushmore, Disneyland (which, in fact, does have truck parking), Roswell, NM, New York, NY, Route 66, even a wedding reception in rural Montana. This was the freedom and adventure I had been craving. I was no longer just a driver, I was a professional tourist! As I was long hauling, I discovered the Instagram app, and found it to be the perfect resource for documenting photos of my travels. I thought of the name “TheTinyTrucker” for my Instagram account, and at my 5’0 stature, the name stuck. Now it’s used even in my everyday life. I long hauled for almost a year and a half, and decided that I wanted to spend more time at home. I still miss the incredible opportunity I was given with Whiskey River, but at 24 years old, I needed more than 4-5 days at home each month. I drove for Ranger Transport for a few months after I quit my OTR job, where I learned how to operate and haul small equipment. I learned how to do deck work and operate a small winch truck, picking up forklifts and skid steers around town. I moved on to Davey Cartage after leaving Ranger, and set my sights for bigger things. After less than two years of driving, I was thrown into the crazy world of heavy haul and steering dollies with Davey Cartage, and I absolutely loved it. Despite my
PAGE 26
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I’ll never be as strong as the guys out here, but I can still handle my own well enough, and persevere through whatever the job throws at me. At Davey Cartage, I was assigned truck 46, which was a 2011 Freightliner Argosy cabover. Quite a change from the longnose Pete I first drove. It took a bit, but the truck definitely grew on me. The 600 ISX with 2050 ft/lbs of torque and 4:10 gearing didn’t hurt much either. One annoying thing with cabovers, however, is sitting on the steer axle. Not the smoothest of rides, and when hauling certain loads, the situation can be made a lot worse. I was heading out of town with a load of 110ft treated fir poles for the Kearl Lake oil sands’ transmission line project, north of Fort McMurray, and was pulling them with a single axle jeep and steering dolly. The combination of a short jeep, bouncy telephone poles, and highway 63 in Alberta, made driving rather uncomfortable. I probably wore more coffee than I actually managed to drink, and I discovered during the trip, that the shelf above my dash was probably not the best location for storing my steel toed gum boots. As I went over one of the countless potholes on the highway, my boots decided they no longer wanted to stay in their assigned spot, and fell on me as I was driving. That’s right, I legitimately was kicked in the head by my own boots. I learned so much with this company. Prior to this, I had only driven tandem axle trailers, so it was quite the
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5 ACRE LOT CALL TERRY 604-580-1234 learning curve when I had to operate and back up jeep/ dolly/booster and jeep/lowbed/booster combos. It took a bit of time, but one day I had, what I call, an “ah-ha!” moment, and suddenly it made sense. Some of the sites that I hauled to definitely tested my skills, but I actually enjoyed it, as it helped me hone my skills as a driver. After a year and a half of heavy hauling, I set my sights to lowbedding. I had a small taste of it when I was working at Ranger, and I couldn’t get the thought of operating and hauling equipment out of my head. I started working for Triton Transport last June, and fell in love with the world of hauling equipment. I learned so much from the drivers, and am forever grateful for the mentoring they gave me. I was given a Kenworth daycab and kept as a town driver, however, and that wasn’t the kind of driving I was hoping to do. I still missed long hauling, but I didn’t necessarily want to be out for weeks at a time any more. I moved from Triton to Pacific Central Carriers this past December, and now I’m finally doing the kind of driving that I enjoy most. It’s a balance between having home time and being able to get out on the highway. My trips are usually 3-5 days long, and I haul around western Canada and WA, driving a 2013 Kenworth T800. These past nine months at PCC have been awesome. Firing up a machine and loading it on my deck is incredibly fun, and I get a sense of satisfaction every time I haul something different. I basically get paid to play in the sandbox. Every day is a new and exciting challenge,
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especially when I head over to a Ritchie Bros. and am told to pick up a machine that I haven’t even heard of before. I love the challenge of figuring out how to operate something, load it properly, and tie it down safely. Rock trucks, excavators, dozers, loaders, the variety is endless. Looking back on these last four years, I’m still amazed at how much I’ve learned. People have taken a chance with me, regardless of how green I was, and for that, I’m forever grateful. I have had the opportunity to haul incredibly oversized and heavy loads, travel all across the US and Canada, and have been a part of massive infrastructure projects around Western Canada. I don’t have one specific mentor or role model in the industry, I have many everyone who believed in me, and shaped me into ‘the tiny trucker’ I am today.
Tyres Across The Pond Colin Black lives in Bellshill, Lanarkshire, Scotland and has been driving truck for over 40 years. His story shows us once again that the problems drivers face are universal.
Continental Haulage I’ve never been that interested in trucking into Europe but my pal Tam went on a couple of trips though, riding
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2311 Emmett Hall Road Regina, SK S4N 2Y3 306-721-3330 shotgun with a buddy of his. He came back with a very different view of trucking into foreign countries. Some drivers thought it was akin to taking a holiday driving through all those sunny places. Throw in big wages and the newest most powerful trucks that are replaced on a regular basis and it was luxury or so they thought. The reality was, there was very little time for enjoying the sights and sounds of Spain or Italy or where-ever. And now on top of everything else the drivers have to contend with, there are also hordes of immigrants at all the ports trying to get into any truck that is coming to the UK. It’s been going on for quite a few years now, albeit on a smaller scale. I have to say that you must be really desperate to pay somebody to lock you and your family in a 40 foot container with no idea when you’ll get out. The UK governments answer to the problem then, was to slap a large fine on drivers and companies if any stowaways were found in their trailers. That is a great example of typical government thinking at its best. Yes that’s the very thing to do, make sure drivers and companies don’t make any profit from their business. Because it’s obviously their fault when they hook onto a loaded, sealed trailer that, in amongst other things they know absolutely nothing about, there are also unauthorised stowaways. Now the problem has escalated to epic proportions and because of the hold ups on the European side, drivers from the UK can’t get across the channel to make their deliver-
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ies. So there are miles of trucks parked by the side of the motorway just waiting for their turn to board a ferry or get on the cross channel train. They even have a name for it now, Operation Stack. It got so bad a week or so ago that drivers were sitting for days in the summer heat and had to be supplied with bottled water and food when their own meagre supplies ran out. While it’s bad enough for UK drivers stuck in that queue, at least they’re still in their own country. What if you’re Italian or German and on the homeward leg of your trip, thinking you’ll stock up with the cheaper supplies from a French hypermarket to get you home. Then you get parked up with only half a mouldy loaf and some dried pasta to keep you alive. There’s even talk on the news about small companies who export fish and other fresh produce going out of business. What’s the UK governments answer to this new uprated threat to our economy? Build a bigger and better fence around the terminal in France, as if a fence is going to keep out migrants who’ve travelled thousands of miles to get there. Unlike the few families who were attempting to get into the UK years ago, according to the news there are 2000 migrants per night trying to get on, or under, trucks or trains or even walk the 20 odd miles through the tunnel if they can get in undetected. So while I don’t begrudge people from other countries
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the chance of a better life, let’s face it, the UK, Australia and Canada is full of Scots, Irish, Indians, Italians and many other nationalities. But when it starts to affect our own drivers and the economy of the country something needs to be done. Unfortunately, all the decisions are down to the elected representatives in our government, so I don’t hold out much hope for a speedy resolution to the problem.
drIVInG ThroUGh My MeMorIes
By Ed Murdoch
Ed has held a commercial drivers license for 63 years and has spent the better part of 50 years on the road. You can get Ed’s new book at www.drivingthroughmymemories.ca If we Canucks had nothing else to talk about we’d still have the weather. It is often the number one topic of discussion wherever two or three people are gathered together, especially this time of year. Let’s face it, our country ‘enjoys’ as many climactic characteristics as it does ethnic backgrounds. If it were an Olympic event we’d win gold every time. Of the three weather networks worldwide two are in Canada. The weather gives us common ground. No matter where you live, the climate provides an ‘ice-breaker’, (pardon the pun) a subject for the water cooler or CB chat-
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OctObEr 2015
ter. “We’re going camping this weekend, waddyathink the weather’ll be like?” or “I have to drive to Calgary tomorrow. Do you think it’s going to snow?” This last comment, as we just saw in mid-August, is always a valid concern. Together we celebrate great weather and when Mother Nature gets mad and deals us a bad hand we commiserate with each other, offering a helping hand where possible and staging money raising events to assist those who have experienced disaster. We depend on the weather to feed our families and when there is a drought or flood, we all suffer. A spectacular weather calamity also affects trends in the transportation industry. When there is a significant event new construction requires the movement of supplies to meet demands and often the best and only way to move large shipments of material is by truck. Truck drivers also witness more changes in weather conditions in a 24 hour period than any other occupation except possibly air traffic One blistering August day 15 years ago, after unloading a load of newsprint from Port Alberni in Chino, California, I was ‘urgently’ dispatched to Tempe, Arizona (just south of Phoenix, about 350 miles away) for 9:30 next morning, to pick up a load of styrofoam forms for a construction project in Alberta. I stopped overnight at the truck stop in Buckeye and phoned the shipper early in the morning. He said, “Oh, you weren’t supposed to be here
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until tomorrow morning.” So much for the ‘urgent’ part of the mission. However, the shipper, being a practical man, offered to load my trailer just as the product came off the line, although he said it would take pretty much all day, which it did. Now on that particular day it was 125 F (51 C) in the shade in Tempe, and as most of you are aware there isn’t any shade in Arizona, well southern Arizona anyway, so yes, it was warm enough for me! Once loaded I found a degree of relief, literally a degree, in the shadow of a building down the street, and waited until after evening rush hour when it would be safe to pass through Phoenix and head north to Flagstaff. With the trailer totally cubed out, the entire cargo weighed in at a staggering 1,700 pounds or 772 kg. (Doesn’t 1,700 lb
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sound more impressive?) Hauling a load that was mostly air, it didn’t take my CAT engine very long to get from Tempe which sits at 1,100 ft. above sea level to Flagstaff at almost 7,000 ft. It was also noticeably much cooler there at my favourite truck stop in the whole world, Little America. This part of Arizona, within shouting distance of the Grand Canyon, is very beautiful. After fuelling, followed by a very satisfying shower and a nutritious dinner in the dining room, including a chocolate fudge sundae for dessert, I pointed the Eagle north on Hwy 89 for Navajo Country, found a beckoning turnout to accommodate my rig and settled down for a few zzz’s. When I awoke the next morning there was a noticeable chill in the air and, lo and behold a dusting of snow on the hood. From 125°F (51°C) to 28°F (-2°C) in less than 24 hours! Years ago while pulling reefer doubles from Belleville, Ontario to Vancouver, to conserve fuel, the company we worked for put us under strict orders as to how much fuel you were allowed to take on, at each stop, in each province. One trip in February, with my eldest son running shotgun, the rig sputtered and died 25 miles east of Regina which, as per the company direction, was my next refuel location. It was -37°C, with a strong crosswind while I lay on my back on the frozen shoulder of the road, under one of the diesel reefer fuel tanks, without gloves, alternately filling two 4 litre plastic jugs. My son would
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IDLE TIME
By Scott Casey Scott, our Rig of The Month for May 2003 has written “In the Devil’s Courthouse” a book about his years as a gun toting truck driver while serving as a Canadian Peacekeeper in the former Yugoslavia
The Decision As many drivers know, the road can be a long and winding one, filled with solitude and loneliness. More than a few miles have been trucked without meeting a single other motorist let alone another trucker. During those times we often find ourselves drifting off and contemplating life, and generally solving the world’s problems. All too often we find ourselves in the middle of complete conversations with (looks around) well, ourselves. Miles have forced our odometers to tick the digits without our slightest recollection of them passing.
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then run back and forth to the low side tractor tank until we had transferred sufficient fuel to restart the engine. Fortunately it was a Cummins so it purged itself and did not require priming in order to run, an action which would have required jacking up the cab. Shortly after that the ‘strict orders’ on the amount of fuel we were allowed to carry became the ‘driver’s choice’.
#2-19349 94th Ave, Surrey • 604-888-4670 or 604-376-1189 www.xtremepolishing.net We aren’t out of control or sleeping at the wheel, we are just at a place of comfort in our jobs. Everything becomes second nature; like that moment when your right hand subconsciously raises from the shifter to the dash and flips the engine brake switch to the “On” position. The other day while I was working, a pickup truck passed me in a very dangerous place. He chose to pass through an unseen intersection which was not only just beyond the apex of a corner but also at the crest of a hill. It’s one of those places where a culmination of almost every conceivable negative condition came together at one point. I say that because in addition to the afore mentioned, the driver also had to contend with the blazing sun on the horizon and another trucker going in
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ARE YOU A CURRENT OR FORMER EMPLOYEE OF CANADA CARTAGE?
READ THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY. IT MAY AFFECT YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS The Ontario Superior Court has certified a class action regarding unpaid overtime against Canada Cartage Diversified GP Inc., Direct General Partner Corporation and Canada Cartage System, Limited (“Canada Cartage”). What is the Case About? The representative Plaintiff Marc-Oliver Baroch is a former Canada Cartage shunter. Mr. Baroch has sued Canada Cartage on his own behalf and on behalf of the “class members” described below for breach of contract, negligence and unjust enrichment. The core of Mr. Baroch’s claim is an allegation that Canada Cartage had a policy or practice of avoiding or disregarding its obligations to pay overtime to class members in accordance with their contractual entitlements. The claim seeks $100 million in general and punitive damages. The court has not taken any position as to the truth or merits of the claims or defences asserted by Mr. Baroch or by Canada Cartage, which will be determined at a trial of the common issues. In the event that the claim is successful, class members could be entitled to receive financial compensation from Canada Cartage. The lawyers for Mr. Baroch have entered into an agreement that provides they will only be paid in the event of success in the case and will receive a percentage of any recovery, subject to approval of the Court. Who is Included in the Class Action? If you were employed by Canada Cartage at any time between March 1, 2006 and January 30, 2015 and were entitled to receive overtime compensation under Canadian laws and regulations, then you are included in this class action as a “class member” unless you choose to take steps to “opt-out” of the class action by following the procedures set out below. What Do I Need to Do? If you are a class member and you want to continue to participate in this class action, no further action is required from you at this time. Depending on the outcome of the action, you may be bound by a judgment of the Court, whether favourable or not. However, if you do not opt-out of the class action, you may not be able to start a lawsuit against Canada Cartage in respect of the same issues and the same claims raised in this lawsuit. If you want to “opt-out” of the proceeding, you will not be eligible to participate in the class action, including any settlement or court award in the event of success. To opt-out from this lawsuit, you must do so by December 31, 2015 by sending a note with your name, address, signature, date and a statement that you want to opt-out to: Lax O’Sullivan Scott Lisus LLP, 145 King St. W., Suite 2750, Toronto, ON M5H 1J8. What if I Have Questions? Visit www.canadacartageclassaction.com or email info@canadacartageclassaction.com
Advitorial
OctObEr 2015
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the opposite direction. As he swiftly cranked his wheel cutting me off he narrowly avoided a head on collision with the oncoming rig, who thankfully, had locked up his brakes. Without any hesitation the pickup driver contacted me by two way radio apologizing for his miscalculation. I do not bring issue with the pickup drivers very poor driving choice. I do not know if he was paying attention, if he was zoned out or just completely reckless. He definitely was not solving all of the world’s problems. He realized within a fraction of a second, and slightly behind my knowing, that he had made a terrible error. These sorts of driving antics happen every day around the world. What I draw issue with is the fact that people who drive make choices without thinking of the person sitting beside them or around them. The pickup driver had a passenger. The driver made the choice to pass me in a very dangerous location. He had to do it at a speed well in excess of the speed limit to do it. The pass happened without a single thought given to the person riding in the passenger seat. The pickup driver risked the lives of four people in that moment. Had the incident turned into a collision he would have also involved police, first responders, other motorists, and hospital personnel. You want to endanger yourself, go ahead; in essence he involved and risked the lives of three who were never given the opportunity to make the decision.
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Northern Lights
Standing by the roadside I watch the Northern Lights, Darkness folds around me, above me; a lovely sight I watch in silent wonder a light show in the sky, I do not even notice the time that passes by. In silence still I stand there; I hear a different sound: A hissing, crackling type of noise that comes from all around. My mind is full of wonder, yet if I should die tonight, I have seen the greatest show – I have heard the Northern Lights.
Dave Madill
Dave Madill was Pro-Trucker Magazine’s Rig of the Month in June of 2001 and he has been entertaining us with his poetry ever since. Dave has published three books of poems that are available by special order through Chapters Book Stores or amazon.com
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