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From the Editor’s desk... VOLUME 17, ISSUE 01 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 Frank Cox • Ed Murdoch Colin Black • Dennis Ruttan PHOTOGRAPHY David Benjatschek • Ben Proudley 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
For many years ongoing labour unrest between Port Metro Vancouver, the largest Port in North America, and truck drivers has resulted in strikes and slowdowns. The main complaints being congestion that leaves drivers sitting in line for hours without pay and the constant undercutting of rates. Unfortunately Port Metro Vancouver’s ability to enforce the agreements made to end these strikes has been weak to non-existent. The biggest problem with enforcing the rate structure is the truckers don’t directly work for the John White port. They are independent contractors, sub-contractors or direct employees of shipping companies. Paul Johal, president of the Vancouver Container Trucking Association, has said enforcement of the rates is weak because the companies and owner operators that operate in Metro Vancouver are constantly bidding for jobs at lower than the minimum standard. In 2005 one thousand independent truckers walked off the job for six weeks which was estimated to cost the BC economy $75 million a day. The ripple effect of halting the freight that comes through the port from Asia also had a huge impact on local and long haul companies. Hundreds of people were also laid off in retail and forestry. An agreement to end the 2014 strike at the Port came in March shortly after 250 unionized trucks joined the 1,000 independents who had walked off the job in February. As part of the agreement the federal government said they would implement a 12 per-cent hike in round-trip rates and a $25.13 minimum rate for hourly drivers. Port Metro Vancouver also committed to consulting with the trucking industry on an overhaul of the current port licensing system in order “to create a more stable trucking industry.” The result being, on Friday January 24th, it was announced that approximately 600 drivers that work for companies whose trucks did not qualify to work at Port Metro Vancouver under a new licensing deal, will be out of a job as of Sunday, Feb 1st. Just 68 firms out of the original 200 were retained. A total of 1450 trucks will now be allowed to haul from the port. This restructuring will most assuredly bring layoffs as well for shop and office staff of the companies who were not retained. Only time will tell if this new restructuring will solve the port problems or if it is simply retaliation for past strikes. On another note. Today’s Trucking publisher, Newcom Business Media, recently bought Truck News and Truck West magazines. They were part of a 19.65 million dollar group purchase of 18 magazines and 2 trade shows from Glacier Media Inc. Included in the purchase were magazines that cover automotive, construction & design, manufacturing, transportation, occupational health & safety, communications, dental, insurance, forestry and meetings and travel as well as Scott’s Directories. All operations are located in Toronto.
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LETTERS to the EDITOR
e Whit zine John aga
rM rucke Pro-T e
John Whit gazine Pro-Trucker Ma
John, Back in the the “inefficient” old days when we had to get overweight/oversize permits from the nearest weigh scale it took at LEAST 15 minutes to get a running number to get to the scales where we would confirm weights/ dimensions and waste another 10 to 15 minutes getting the permit printed. A terrible waste of time. The new system of calling the permit center in Dawson Creek then waiting 2 to 6 hrs for a call back is sooooo much better! Drivers, trucking companies, and their customers are THRILLED to have millions of dollars of investment sitting idly for hours waiting on a piece of paper! Drivers are MORE than happy to give up several hrs of pay every day for the convenience of this! After all losing 20 or 30 hrs of pay in a pay period is a small price to pay for this government efficiency! Keep up the good work! Colin Adams, Telkwa BC
Hi John, I have been trying to find the issue that has Scott Casey’s article about using 4 way flashers as I have gotten into a tussle with our safety dept. about the use of emergency flashers. It seem MB Insurance is telling everyone that when the snow blows they should put on their emergency flashers. Now you see cars whipping down the highway with the four ways on with a wisp of snow blowing across the road. I would really like to use his article to show I’m not the only one that is a little miffed about this. Thanks - love the magazine. Darrell Harder Okotoks, Alberta. Editor’s note: My mother-in-law, a wonderful lady who is no longer with us, often said that, “Sarcasm is the lowEditor’s note: You can find Scott’s article on the use est form of humour.” Over the years she playfully sent of 4-way flashers on our website www.pro-truckerma- that comment in my direction more times than I care to gazine.com under “Back Issues” on page 19 of our remember. (My lovely wife Donna has since taken up the September 2014 issue. torch and sternly reminds me now and then.) That is prob-
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ably why I enjoyed your email so much. Thank you for brightening my day. John, After putting it off for months now at the suggestion of one of your articles I finally watched “Section Sarajevo” on YouTube.com. It was shocking. I have since forwarded it to many of my family and friends. It is incredible what truck driver Scott Casey and his group went through during that “Peace Keeping” mission and how their hands were tied by regulations that put them at tremendous personal risk. It was nothing like what the government of the time was telling us and I think it should be seen by every Canadian. Thankfully they did what was necessary in spite of the rules and guidelines they were given to work with. The government should stop spending money on TV advertising whose sole purpose is to convince us how much they are helping veterans and instead actually spend that money on the veterans who so desperately need it. The over $700,000 that they have spent on fighting veterans in court who are trying to have the disability pensions brought back instead of the new ‘one time’ compensation could also go a long way in helping the people who defend our country on the front lines - not from a cosy office in Ottawa, while marking time until their full pension kicks in. Kelly Philips, Calgary, AB.
Editor’s note: After receiving your letter I watched “Section Sarajevo” again and I couldn’t agree with you more. The more cynical among us might suggest that there is a good chance that the $700,000 that has been reported as being spent on fighting the veterans is just a drop in the bucket compared to the actual cost if all expenses were reported. John, I attended BC Big Rig last year in Chilliwack and was very impressed. Moving the show indoors made a huge difference. I though it was very clean and professional. I brought the grandkids this year and they had a great time with the mini golf and giant slide. The truck colouring books stay at grandma’s house and they work on them when
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they come over. Do you have the dates for this year’s show? Brian Thomas, Coquitlam, BC
Overheard at the Truck Stop
• The last thing I remembers was saying was, “Sure I’d Editor’s note: BC Big Rig will be held July 4-5 at Chilliwack like another honeymoon…Who with?” Heritage Park and once again it will be held indoors. • My wife’s female intuition is so highly developed, she Alberta Big Rig Weekend tentatively will be held Aug 15-17 sometimes knows that I am wrong before I even open my mouth. at Westerner Park in Red Deer. At the suggestion of some of the drivers there will be a • My people skills are just fine. It’s my tolerance to idiots few changes this year. One of them being that we hope to that needs work. present some of the trophies on Saturday night right after • I’m going to retire and live off of my savings. Not sure the driver’s barbecue. This will reduce the time needed for what I’ll do that second week. the final presentation on Sunday so that those who have to get back home, or have to load for Monday morning, can • Even duct tape can’t fix stupid. But it can muffle the sound! get away a little earlier.
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Wanted: • O/Ops & Company Drivers for Canada and the U.S.
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
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Houdini & the Swamp Donkey The fog had moved in and blanketed the road with a seemingly impenetrable wall. It was just before midnight and as dark as the ace of spades with an outside temperature of minus two. Which only made matters worse, because the fog immediately froze to the windshield even though I had already turned the defroster to “high.” The soupy weather combined with the icy road condition had me slowing down to 40km per hour. Even the slightest shift in throttle had my drive tires breaking loose. At least the late hour had afforded me with a virtually empty highway. Fifteen kilometres behind me and the illusion of thick fog only got thicker. I registered 20kms per hour on my speedo and quickly rolled my window down and leaned my head out to pick up the centre line. After what seemed like an eternity of wandering all over the place I finally found the yellow solid lines and took my place
and
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directly at me, eye to eye. Then, like a carefully orchestrated magic trick the swamp donkey disappeared as deftly as he had appeared. Five minutes passed and I drove out of the freezing fog. I resumed my trip wondering if the moose had been real or an illusion. Much like the saw through the box trick with all its suspense and possible horror I had escaped without a scratch. The lesson in this is that sometimes no matter your skill, how much you wish or how hard you try, luck has everything to do with making it through another day unscathed. *****
Bridging The Gap By Heather LILBURN Emissions Enforcement Officer Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure Believe it or not, a large part of my department’s mandate is to minimize delays in the movement of goods in BC while focusing on violators and keeping the legal trucks moving. I don’t know of many officers who don’t follow that path. But how do you know who’s legal and
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Terry 604-882-7623 who’s not if you don’t check? Over the years I’ve seen a few screening tools to help in the selection process such as infra-red systems to check heat contrasts on brakes and tires as well as automatic license plate readers. These are just a couple that come to mind to provide information about a vehicle and whether or not it’s worth stopping. Accepted formula estimates on the cost of fuel consumption, time and delays when reporting to inspection (scale) sites are about $8.30 per report. Depending on your route, that is a significant savings to a company’s bottom line. Marketing ploys and promises of getting better value or free merchandise are rampant in society. I’m very
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susceptible to some cynicism about these claims, but recently I spoke to the Weigh2GoBC manager and it turns out there is some free, no obligation stuff to be had for the trucking community. Transport Canada has provided a number of free transponders to Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement as an incentive for carriers to join the program. I had my usual thoughts about lengthy obligations and ‘what’s the catch’ type questions and really I couldn’t see any reason a carrier running legally would not jump at the chance to use their newly issued free transponder to bypass inspection (scale) sites and carry on down the road helping themselves to that $8.30 per report savings. In fact, a ‘good-to-go’ signal on your transponder may clear you to continue on for the next 24 hours, subject to random reports, as the W2G equipped sites all talk to each other. I took a moment to ask about some of the merits of the program with drivers from industry. There were some ‘big brother is watching’ theories, but my response remained consistent, ‘if you’re legal, you don’t have any concerns’. In fact, if you’re in the program and running without issue for a period of time, then have one bad day, your history in W2G might even work in your favour providing evidence you’re not a chronic offender. Further to that, for all the drivers out there wondering why they are being checked when they’ve seen firsthand offences far greater than anything to be found on their
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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.
Personal Safety
I read in a magazine about a company who’d been fined over £8000 ($15,000 Canadian) for a breach of health and safety regulations. They allowed drivers to stand on top of trailers without safety measures in place. The Health and Safety Executive found employees were put at risk of falling up to 4 metres. We all know there are some firms who need to be told to keep machinery covered with guards and to make sure rules are being followed. Human nature being what it is, we all look for short cuts to make jobs easier and quicker, and that’s usually when accidents happen. In a tyre factory a man was killed when a fellow employee closed the door on the tyre curing oven without checking to see if anyone was inside, he should’ve walked around a machine that the open door was up against and looked inside to see if the oven was empty. Instead, he assumed the previous shift had gone home, pushed the door shut as he passed and fired it up. Rather than walk an extra ten feet he made an
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assumption and cost a man his life. But surely being on top of a trailer is part and parcel of a driver’s job? As there was no mention of an accident in the article, £8000 seems a lot to me. With common sense and a heathy regard for your own safety there should be no need for health and safety regulations at all. Truck driving is a dangerous job, but if you go about your business with a thought for yourself and the others around you it should only be the unforeseen things that catch you out. Back in the days when we were all running with flatbed trailers, if I was in and around the Leeds area, empty whisky bottles were a regular back load for me because they were light and the pallets were always double stacked. This resulted in quite a high load, so care had to be taken when you were up there spreading the tarps. Usually I did it on my hands and knees to spread my weight over a bigger area than the size of my boots. But without the forklift to put me and my tarps on top of the load and get me down again, the job wouldn’t get done. I’m sure that standing on tarps on the forks while holding on to the guard would be frowned on today by the health and safety police. I did fall off a load once though, I was sheeting a back load home from a dock in Wales, to make sure it was kept dry I put my two tarps on and then a shiny top cover we call a skin. As I was opening up the skin the rain came
on, with the rain on the shiny surface it was almost like a sheet of ice, I slipped and rolled off the front of the trailer. Luckily it was a low load so I didn’t fall too far, and as it was the front of the trailer, I fell onto the Suzies and landed on the catwalk. I don’t see how health and safety could have prevented me from slipping on that load. Wait till the rain quit and the skin dried off? Curtain sided trailers have taken a lot of the risk of falling off loads away, only to be replaced with the risk of being hit in the face with buckles and poles in windy weather. Driving and loading a truck is a risky job, but with a little common sense and some luck, I’ve made it almost to retirement age with no broken bones or permanent damage. This is despite using forklifts and all the other mechanical aids in transport, without the benefit of instruction or health and safety regulation. Look after yourselves, keep one hand for the load and one hand for yourself. *****
More Chatter
• Lord grant me the strength to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the friends to post my bail when I finally snap! • At my age “Getting lucky” means walking into a room and remembering what I came in there for.
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M T AND T ACCOUNTING
The Bear’s View
Constable Tim Schewe (Retired)
Specializing in the Transportation Industry: Bookkeeping - GST - Payroll Corporate & Personal Tax Planning and Filing
Impaired Operation of a Motor Vehicle With all the advertising in the media about impaired driving everyone knows not to drive their car or truck while under the influence. But what about other conveyances? There are quite a few ways to run afoul of the impaired legislation. Section 253 of the Criminal Code starts out with “Every one commits an offence who operates a motor vehicle, or vessel, or operates or assists in the operation of an aircraft...while...impaired by alcohol or a drug.” Lets examine the motor vehicle portion of that. A motor vehicle is defined as a vehicle that is drawn, propelled or driven by any means other than muscular power, but does not include a vehicle of a railway that operates on rails. A moment of thought can come up with all sorts of motor vehicles. Forklifts, snowmobiles, golf carts, mopeds, earthmovers, skidders, backhoes, lawn mowers, tractors, combines, electric wheelchairs and more. The list is only limited by our ability to put a motor on it.
The
Visit our website at mtandtaccounting.com or give us a call at 403-398-2476 A person might be tempted to comment that most of the examples in the previous paragraph don’t normally operate on a highway. Well, neither do vessels or aircraft and it is an offence to operate them while impaired. In fact, being on a highway doesn’t even enter into the picture. It is possible to be convicted for doing circles in your backyard on a snowmobile in January or zooming down the fairway in a golf cart in June if you are impaired. A closer reading of the section will even show that a person can be convicted of impaired operation with a blood alcohol content less than .08! If you are going to consume alcohol or take prescription or non-prescription drugs consider carefully before you operate any conveyance with a motor.
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Quotes on Government
• I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle. ~ Winston Churchill • What this country needs are more unemployed politicians. ~ Edward Langley • Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries. ~ Douglas Casey • I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts. ~ Will Rogers
Reflections Thru My Windshield
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.
Me and the Boy
BOOKMARK
Way back when, while my wife was nearing the tail end of her pregnancy with our daughter, she informed me that she needed some help looking after our son. I phoned my mother up and she said she would hop a plane in the next week or so but until she got here we were on our own. I then phoned my dispatcher and explained the problem. He said he would keep me running back and
forth Calgary to Winnipeg, which would keep me close to home, and I could take my son with me. Well now I bundled up a bunch of his clothes, some stuffed toys and a few of his favorite things and threw them into the sleeper of my old cab over Bulldog and away we went. Have you ever tried to keep a 2 ½ year old occupied and drive a semi at the same time? After what seemed like forever we pulled into the Husky at the Hat and after a bathroom break it was time for lunch. The waitress fell all over herself looking after the “little trucker” but I managed to convince him to have a bowl of soup despite hints from the waitress that what he really needed was a hamburger and fries. He had just finished his soup when she showed up with a big bowl of ice cream which he just had to have and this set me back at least a half an hour and, despite not being ordered, was added on my bill. The rest of the day proceeded about the same and it was getting dark when we pulled into the Regina yard. I crawled back into the sleeper with my son and after removing 20 toys from my bunk finally managed to crawl under the covers and go to sleep for a while. Did I mention it was spring and still a little cool on the prairies? About 4 am I felt something moving that should not be moving and woke to find myself alone in the bunk. Peeking through the curtains I could see my son sitting in my seat and inserting the ignition key into the switch. Now this was not an insert and turn to start
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like todays trucks but had several steps so I sat back to watch and see what would happen. He inserted the key, turned the switch and then paused. Next I was surprised to see him reach down and with both little hands pull the decompression button up to its start position, remove one hand and reach for the starter button. He did not have enough reach so he almost laid down in the seat, grabbed the decompression with both hands and with one foot reached up and hit the starter button. The big old Detroit, (8/92 Silver), made about half a turn and fired and he quickly shoved the decompression switch back down as the engine rumbled to life. Next he sat up in the seat and grabbed the throttle and started turning and brought the old girl up to about 1200 RPM and then turned the two heaters on full. About this time he turned and noticed me watching and said, “I was cold Daddy so I started the heaters”. Reaching out I ruffled his hair and then lifted him back into the sleeper and climbed out myself to ensure he had all the switches in the right position and that everything was kosher with my engine. Ten minutes later I crawled back into the sleeper and went back to sleep wondering how in the world he had memorized the start procedure when I think he had only seen it two or three times. Needless to say the next three weeks were more of the same with every waitress in the country spoiling my kid and him walking around like he was 10 feet tall and
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pretending to be a Big Rigger and getting into everything. Never in my entire life have I seen a kid get so dirty so fast and love it. He literally stole my CB mike away and had to talk to everyone on the road. Almost everyone responded to him which helped keep him in great spirits and they soon had him convinced that Daddy needed his help to drive and load. Time past quickly and I was almost sorry when my Mom arrived and the boy went back home to be with her and my wife. Almost 21 years later he was back in one of my trucks but this time as a driver chasing his Dad down the open road. My son died 2 ½ years ago but I have his memories which will never die, and now you have one of them also. r
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CALLING ALL
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Rig of the Month
Our February, 2015 Rig of the Month driver, Ian Fleury, was presented with the Ontario Trucking Association’s 2014 Bridgestone Canadian Truck Hero Award for helping at two separate accident scenes in as many weeks. Ian does
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by John White
not consider himself to be any kind of a hero, he says he just did what any other person would have done. He went on to say, “My Dad always said that if you see someone in trouble give them a hand, because it could just as easily be
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you out there one day and all alone.” This is Ian’s story: I was born in Hamilton Ontario and raised in Brampton. My Dad, John, started driving truck when he was 14 years old and one of the most important things he instilled in me was loyalty. He always said that if you are loyal to a company they will take care of you. Unfortunately by the time he retired most of the old school management people from the company, where he had worked for over 30 years, had also retired, putting it under new management so all he got for his loyalty was a handshake. That did not change his mind though, he still said, and I agree with him, if you are fortunate enough to find a company that treats you right, stick with them. When Dad retired, he and my mom, Diane, bought a motor home and went south for the winters returning to spend the summers with us kids, spending time at each of our homes. I have two younger sisters, Tara, the youngest - we nicknamed her toady because she was the smallest of the family - and my other sister, Lisa. Mom and Dad had been married over 50 years when he passed away from cancer a year ago. Dad’s nick name was “Wrong Way”. For some strange reason, all through his life if someone told him to turn left he would automatically flip on his right turn signal and prepare to turn right until someone corrected him. Being a driver, Dad was gone all week so whenever I had the chance I would be with him. A lot of that time was
G N I R I H
Beckie and Ian Fleury spent in his truck. It wasn’t because I wanted to drive, as a matter of fact at that time I never thought I would be a trucker, it was just so that I could spend time with him. When I got tired I would sleep on the floor, right there between his feet, by the clutch. It was great. Dad never pressured me to learn how to drive he would just talk to me and explain what he was doing while he drove. He would put me on his lap and show me what the different buttons did. Then he would take my hand and put it on his while he shifted. He showed me how the splitter worked and then when the time came he would say, “Okay – now” and I would switch on the Jake. He was pretty
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smart too as by the time I was ten years old I would be the one to go out in the cold in the winter to warm the truck up and move it around front. Dad was very proud of what he did and often talked about how much the industry had changed since he started. He would often talk about how things were done in the “old days” like using ropes to tie his tarps down. He started out hauling shingles and from there he went on to LTL. At the end of his career he was doing demolition and we would kid him by saying he was hauling garbage. He would get quite indignant and correct us by saying it was not garbage it was construction demolition. He fell off the truck one time when he was in the states and as a result of the injuries he was in pain for many years. Multiple surgeries couldn’t ease the pain so he finally had to admit that his body was just wearing out and he grudgingly retired. When I left school I worked at various jobs like factories and the airport while trying to decide what I was going to do for the rest of my life. Then one day, when I was working for a food company, I realized I hated it. I needed income – but these were all dead end jobs. I really don’t remember how it came about but one day I decided to get my A license. I talked to a friend who worked for Adanac Driving School at the time and he told me to take my air course and write my learners exam and then we would go for a
test drive to see how much I knew. I did what he said and, when I got behind the wheel, all of a sudden everything I had learned from riding with my Dad just came flooding back. He was duly impressed and said that all I needed was about 3 classes and a touch up on my backing up and I’d be good to go. A week later I had my licence. I didn’t have a real close relationship with my father but I had a great deal of respect for him. He was a man of few words but when he spoke you listened. He was a big influence on me and was definitely my mentor. When I got my license I was just a smart-mouthed kid who thought he was good at everything. After a while I realized that those days of sitting there and watching Dad drive just kind of made things automatic for me and that was the real reason that I had passed so easily So there I was, like a thousand other guys, I had a license but no over the road experience. Lucky for me, Murray, a driving instructor, had a temp driving agency called Hammer Personnel. He was an old school guy who would look you over and give you a chance if he thought you had what it took. He told me there are three rules, if you can’t remember what is behind you when backing up then get out and look, there are no stupid questions, and last but not least, put your pride in your pocket. He said that pride was a male trait that as often as not would get you into trouble. I got my license and on the following Saturday, while
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still working for the food company, I drove a truck for Murray. He liked what he saw so I told him what I needed for wages and he agreed. Monday morning I called my boss and told them I would be in on Friday to get my cheque. It was burning a bridge but I knew I would never go back. My first jobs were in the greater Toronto area doing city pick up and deliveries. Murray kind of coddled me for a while finally having me do a switch to Kingston to build my confidence and I suspect his own as well. He then sent me to Winnipeg and I have to admit I was scared. Thank god it was the summer time. Our snow in Ontario is totally different than it is in Winnipeg - as is the cold. You can keep that 40 below stuff. Everything went well with Murray until he sent me to a customer who offered me a full time job. I really wanted the job but I felt torn because Murray had been good to me and had helped me get started. It was that old loyalty thing kicking in. I went back to Murray and told him about the offer and he graciously said that it was okay and I should take the job. I worked with the new company for 7 years before the trucking part of the business was bought out by Canada Cartage which turned out to be a great improvement over the old managers. Canada Cartage has been very fair with me. They have some top notch people who know how to treat drivers. Some people forget where they came from and when they get a little bit of power, they can’t handle it – it goes
g n i r i H
straight to their heads but that type of person wouldn’t last very long here. They treat all of us like individuals, not just a number. Every driver is different with their own personality and they get that. They know that some drivers need to be patted on the back while others just want to know what you want them to do and then be left alone to do their job. Like my father I stay in one place – I’ve been with Canada Cartage for six or seven years now and I have no intention of moving. As I said earlier I strongly believe in his philosophy - if a company is good to you then be good to the company. I enjoy the job and since I have a FAST card they keep me running back and forth to the States a lot. That’s good especially at this time of year. Driving through 25-30 degree weather in Texas has got Canadian winters beat by a long shot. One of the scariest loads I ever hauled was nitroglycerin up to Bruce Mines in northern Ontario. It was triple packed, shrink wrapped and bolted down. The size of the actual material was small - less than your hand but it was put into a 40”x40” package. Although I did not know at the time, you could probably have thrown the package off a bridge without it exploding. That knowledge sure would have helped beforehand as every time I felt an unexpected small bump on that trip I gripped the wheel a little tighter waiting for the boom.
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It amazes me sometimes when I watch what other drivers are doing on the road. I’ve seen some pretty strange things, from drivers texting to women putting on makeup and even a guy using a lap top. It’s no wonder we see so many accidents. People have no idea how fast they can happen. Like most other drivers who spend so much time on the road, I have seen some terrible accidents. Stupid things cause carnage. Too often someone who can’t wait another 10 seconds, does something without thinking and causes an accident where innocent people get hurt or killed. It’s sometimes hard to keep your mind on the road so I have a few things that helps me stay focussed on what is going on around me. One of the things that I do is to consciously see the colour and try to identify the make of the other vehicles around me when going down the road. It may sound funny but it keeps me alert and I always know if someone is sitting in my blind spot. I love the police – they have a job to do just like I have. But I think at times it must feel like a pretty thankless job. One time I was getting my tires changed in a shop when a guy and girl – both obviously drunk – walked by. They were arguing when suddenly he pushed her down and started beating on her. I went out and pulled him off and called the police. I was subpoenaed to go to court so I took the time off work to attend. It ended up with him getting off and he was out the courthouse door and long gone by the time I collected my whopping $11 for travel time from
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the court clerk. The officer just looked at me and shook his head and went back to work. Not all police officers are the same though. One time I was running Michigan with a b-train. I use 5 axles in Canada and then we have drop axles that we have to use in Michigan. When I came to the border I dropped the axles and 1 worked but one didn’t so as soon as I got through the border I stopped at a rest stop and dropped the other. There was a police officer right behind me who told me to put the axel back up and then scaled me. Then he gave me a $750 ticket for not having the other one down when I left the border and smiling said, “Welcome to Michigan.” I wrote an impact statement and explained exactly what had happened and that I had pulled over at the very first opportunity to correct the situation. The Judge dropped all charges and apparently chewed out the police officer for giving it to me in the first place. I never finished high school but it wasn’t because of trucking. I often think that if I had of finished high school I may have ended up with another career but trucking works great for me. I love and I hate my job – but overall I like it as I am the type of person who sees a job and just goes ahead and gets it done. As you have guessed by now winter driving is not my favourite time of year. My wife Becky, (AKA, Lady With an Attitude) is from Miami and she is the only one in the family who still thinks snow is beautiful. The good thing
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is she supports me in everything I do. Trucking can be a tough job but it is even tougher if you don’t have that support at home. I have been in the right place at the right time for a couple of accidents. In the late fall of 2013, I was driving through the Poconos Mountains, in northeastern Pennsylvania, following another Canadian truck owned by Meyers Transport. Suddenly a pickup, merging onto the highway, hit the truck in front of me, forcing both vehicles into the guardrail and causing the transport to roll on its side. The amazing thing was that no one was stopping – not cars or trucks. They just kept on flying by. I pulled over and saw that neither driver was too badly injured so I tried to open the door to get the truck driver out but it was jammed. I could see through the windshield that he was visibly shaken. He was bleeding from some cuts and looked to be in shock so I went back to my truck and got my load bar. Motioning for him to cover himself I smashed the front window and pulled him out. I called 911 and then used a towel to help stop the bleeding. After that I called Meyers dispatch to let them know what happened and stayed with the driver until the emergency response team arrived. The truck driver was a real hero in that situation because he could easily have saved himself and wiped the pickup out. Instead he chose to turn into the guardrail where in reality anything could have happened to him.
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When I pulled into my yard I parked the truck and went in the office and everyone was coming up and patting me on the back. Apparently Meyers had phoned our office and told them what had happened. It was no big deal to me I was not in danger. I just did what anyone would have done. The second incident occurred just a couple weeks later in early 2014. I was traveling down the 401 when I saw in the distance there was a stalled car that was smoking. As I got closer I could see smoke coming from the hood and flames coming out from under the car. Again no one was stopping or even slowing down so I swung out and blocked the two right hand lanes leaving one lane open for traffic to get by. I ran to the car and opened the door and the old gentleman inside didn’t even seem to know that his car was on fire. I told him to get out and as I walked him back to my truck all his tires blew out and the car was suddenly completely engulfed in flames. That was a close one. Sometimes you think that you can’t really make a difference but just picking up the phone or stopping to see if people are okay – those things do make a difference. Just that once could be the make or break for someone. We as drivers need to look out for one another and for the people who surround us every day – whether it is people in cars, or simply the people we encounter day-to-day. You never know when you are going to need each other. We all have the same goals: make a decent living for our family, and return home safe and sound to the ones we love.
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What To Do If You Receive A Traffic Ticket
People asking for assistance in preparing their defence when fighting a ticket in traffic court often feel that in their case the officer should have given them a warning instead of a ticket. Sometimes I agree with them and sometimes I don’t. This topic often comes up among
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police officers discussing the issuing of tickets. We all have our own opinions, based on our experiences, about what should and should not be done. We also have to live with the decisions that we make afterward. I regret some tickets that I wrote when I was still on the force and I regret not writing some as well. I expect that we all try to do our best under the circumstances. A driver may have performed a particular behaviour many times in the past and nothing bad had come of it. The officer however may have seen where this behaviour has resulted in significant consequences. Because of this experience, they tend to write the ticket instead of giving the warning. I have been retired for a few years now but drawing from my knowledge as a police officer who has issued many tickets and attended traffic court many times, this is what I suggest you do if you receive a ticket. When you see the lights behind you pull over and stop immediately. Produce all documents as requested and listen carefully to what the officer has to say. If you have a comment or a question ask politely. Being impolite or argumentative may prevent you from hearing things that could be important to your defense. When the officer goes back to the police vehicle to prepare the ticket, make notes and prepare any questions that come to mind. When the officer returns, listen carefully to what is said and if the ticket is offered to you
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to sign, do so if you wish. If not, politely decline. If you choose not to sign, being antagonistic at this point could convince the officer to add to the ticket before serving it to you. Ask your questions before you hand the ticket back. Once you have asked your questions, try not to make remarks like “I’ll see you in court!” It may feel good to let off a little steam but it may also make he/she less likely to agree to alternate dispositions later on and he/she may even choose to oppose fine reductions if you go to trial and are found guilty. There is no point in demanding name and badge number, as it is already on the ticket itself. You could ask politely for a business card in case you want to contact the officer later for clarification. Make notes, record witness details, take pictures, make a sketch, whatever, so that you will be able to recall all the details at a trial that could be a year down the road. Read all the papers issued to you and make sure you understand what it says and what is required of you. Read the section of the statute that you are charged under. If you don’t understand it, request help. At this point you should have a fairly good idea what you are up against. If not, you could consider lawyer referral and/ or some research. You now have to make one of four decisions: 1) If you feel you cannot successfully fight the ticket you can pay it within the time allotted and get a discount for early payment. 2) If you decide that you did what the ticket says, but want to dispute the penalty shown on the front you can follow the instructions on the back. In the case where the penalty cannot be reduced, such as speeding you can ask for a length of time to pay. In some provinces, if the incident did not happen locally, you can have the penalty dispute heard at the court nearest to you. You can make these arrangements at your local court registry office. As of July 1, 2003 penalty disputes in BC may be made in writing rather than attending court. The forms to do this with are available on line. 3) If you can show that you did not do what the ticket
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says you can contact the issuing officer or their supervisor and explain. They may choose to withdraw the ticket. 4) Plead not guilty and attend for trial at the address shown on your ticket. How to prepare ahead of time for your trial: • Request disclosure by writing to the officer asking for everything he/she will be presenting as evidence at trial. Allow lots of time for the notice to reach the police and for them to return the answer to you. • Make notes ahead of time on the items that you wish to bring to the court’s attention that will show you are not guilty. • Subpoena witnesses by attending at the court registry
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with the names and addresses of the people. • Consider attending traffic court to become familiar with what will happen. • At the courthouse on trial day, if at this point you don’t think you will win, it is a good time to play “let’s make a deal” with the officer. Talk to them outside the courtroom and make your offer. Things like offering to plead guilty to speeding at $138 instead of $196 might be accepted. You have nothing to lose by asking. Can’t find the officer and still want to try? When your case is called, ask the judge for a brief adjournment to speak with the officer. • Dress neatly, don’t chew gum, turn off your pager/cell phone, take off your hat. • If you have witnesses have them leave the courtroom before your trial starts. If they sit and listen to part of the trial, their evidence is tainted and cannot be given as much weight by the court. • Listen carefully to the evidence given by the officer and take notes. • On cross examination ask questions that highlight any evidence given by the officer that is to your advantage and ask if anything needs to be clarified so that you understand and can respond to it. • Be careful about choosing to give evidence on your own behalf. If you do, you are open to cross examination from the officer and must answer. Gaps in the officer’s
testimony can be filled in this way. This is not the time to complain about police treatment. The court is only interested in the evidence. Complaints about police misconduct are for the public complaints commission, not the traffic court. • Both sides will be given a chance to summarize. This is your chance to highlight important parts of the evidence from both the officer and yourself (if you chose to testify) that show you are not guilty. • The verdict will be given and the judge will explain the reasons. If you are found not guilty, that’s it. The ticket goes in the garbage and you are free to go. If guilty, the trial moves to the penalty phase. The officer may choose to show the court your driving record (if you have one) and suggest that the penalty not be lowered if this is an offence without a minimum or a statutory amount. You have the chance to explain why the penalty should be different for your circumstances or failing that you can ask for a reasonable length of time to pay. If the justice asks how long you need, be prepared with an answer. Don’t leave it up to them. • If you think the guilty verdict is improper, it isn’t necessary to say so. Stop by the court registry on your way out and ask about an appeal. You will likely be wise to seek advice from a lawyer before proceeding. Appeals take place in Supreme Court and it is very formal with all the i’s dotted and t’s crossed before you get there.
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From the Patch By Tamara Weston
Tamara Works for Cen-Alta Oilfield Trucking and, along with her husband Eric, was the co-Rig of the Month driver in our October 2014 issue. Well it was a sad day for me the other day, I went to the shop for a service and saw my old truck was in all cleaned up. She was always a bit of a wreck, one of the oldest in the fleet, one that until I came along no one really looked after. I enquired what was wrong with the old girl and Sean let me know she was going to auction. My heart sank, I love that old truck. She is a 2006 Kenworth, tri-drive, body job, tank truck with a day cab. I was with Cenalta for 6 months or so before the dispatcher told me to get into unit 13 because the little body job I had been driving had some issues. When I found her, she was filthy. She had been up north on ice roads and the sites were so thick with mud that they needed to have chains on 24/7 just to get in and out. Before I left the shop, I had to clean it out. There was mud everywhere, I pretty much took a shovel to get the mud out of the cab. The mechanics all thought I was wacked but I didn’t care.
My buddy Catlynn was my first call, he drove a similar truck. The first thing he told me was that truck will go any where straight, in full lock up but because of the 425 tires on the front when it gets slick there is no steering - they are like ski’s. I spent the first few months puddle jumping, short little runs from tanks to the batteries in the Redwater area. I’m sure I drove the dispatcher crazy, because I would get my dispatch for the morning, 3 or 4 loads and more often than not be done all my loads and texting him before 8am (when he got in) looking for more. One after noon I got a call to go give another driver a hand. I was totally unsure what that meant, but went anyway. I arrived at the well to find Kevin had his tractor buried to the front fenders and his tri axle trailer was
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loaded. In my head I was thinking how in the world am I gonna give him a hand? He had me nose up to his truck, we hooked up a tow strap and he said just give’r backwards. I was the new girl, in a truck I was still sorting out, and was completely unsure of what I was doing. Sooooooo I called my husband Eric. I explained to him what was happening and he asked me point blank, “Have you ever pulled out anyone with your pick up? It’s no different, just make sure you have your truck in full lock up and give’r.” So that’s what I did, first tug didn’t move him at all, so I took a bit of a run at it, and he moved some so I tried again, and sure enough I got him out enough that he could move on his own. And so began my rescue truck career. During spring break up I pretty much had to pull out every truck in the infield fleet. The first time I had to rescue Eric I showed up with a smile on my face and took great joy in giving him a hand, he on the other hand had to tell the dispatcher it was hard on a man’s ego when his wife has to come pull him out. Made my day.
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I learned very quickly that my truck would go pretty much anywhere, straight. And what Catlynn had said about my front tires was absolutely true. One afternoon I headed up to a lease to float loads out of the tanks to the tractor tri axle combos that couldn’t make it up into the lease. It was a straight road but it had slimy mud covering hard pack and my passenger side front tire slid into the ditch. I was able to get myself out but I learned some stuff. I spent the rest of the day floating loads out to the others without any trouble. Unit 13 was the first truck I chained up, it was the worst only because I had no room to move under the fenders. I only had to chain up because it was a mandatory chain up lease road. As time went on I learned this truck inside and out and became very efficient in loading and unloading and I was moving more oil in a day than the guys with the tri axle trailers. It was more loads and more hose dragging and physically demanding but I happily took on the challenge each and every day. Things on the infield got busier and busier, and we were short drivers and we were putting in long hours with few days off, I would ask often, when can I get into a bigger truck? My dispatcher would always say the same thing, I need you in the body job, you get the most done, and the operators ask for you all the time. So I kept at it, puddle jumping and being the rescue truck. I was happy. To be continued…
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North and South Loaded up in Ontario in all that ice and snow, Awful hard to tarp a load when it’s thirty-five below. Down across the border, the road is white with snow, This pavement sure is slippery; but the load just has to go. South along the interstate, my truck is turning white The ice and snow begins to thaw, as I hammer through the night. Down across the Georgia line where warmer breezes blow, My toes have finally come to life as further south I go. Deliver down in Tampa, the sun is shining bright, Slowly crawl into the bunk; I will sleep warm tonight. Morning comes; I have to load, another run to make They say I’m headed north again: now where the heck’s Slave Lake…
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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