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From the Editor’s desk... VOLuME 17, ISSuE 05 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 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
Déjà vu; from French, literally meaning “already seen,” is the phenomenon of having the strong sensation that an event or experience currently being experienced has been experienced in the past. Sixteen years ago in our April/May issue, the second ProTrucker Magazine to be published, I wrote my first editorial. In it I mentioned CRASH, (Canadians for Responsible and Safe Highways) a non-profit organization whose focus was, “Trucking safety issues including truck driver fatigue and working conditions, truck size and weight, trucking safety John White regulations including truck driver hours of service regulation, trucking safety enforcement, motor vehicle transport act, environmental safety.” It sounded official but it had just been revealed that the lone group funding CRASH was a railroad association. Were the railroads just showing their community support for a non-profit organization? Possibly but not likely since CRASH’s only source of funding was also the trucking industries biggest competitor in the movement of freight. This obviously meant the railroads would profit from any disruption or over-regulation this organization could convince the government to put on the trucking industry. As it turned out once this information was made public CRASH slowly disappeared. Fast forward to July 30, 2014, and a news release by the American Trucking Association. Daniel Blower, an associate research scientist at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, and expert on truck safety and truck crash data, had been asked to critique a truck productivity report done by the Multimodal Transportation & Infrastructure Consortium. Blower subsequently found that the report, done on behalf of, yes you guess it, the Railway Supply Institute, was fatally flawed. Blower said of the report, “…the crash analysis suffered from numerous fatal errors. All of the numbers in the tables are seriously wrong. In the process of trying to understand how the authors could have gotten the numbers so wrong, I found fundamental errors of analysis and evaluation. In the end, I found errors and misconceptions serious enough to undermine any validity to the crash rate analysis.” American Trucking Association president Bill Graves said, “Dr. Blower’s analysis demonstrates what we have been saying for a long time. Trucking’s critics have no qualms about stretching, sometimes well past the breaking point, data and arguments to smear our industry.” On the other hand, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation’s latest report from 2012 shows that truck drivers are the safest drivers on the road. Large trucks and tractor-trailers represented a mere 4.5 % of the total number of vehicles involved in all collisions in Ontario and tractors and tractor-trailers represented only 2.4% of the total number of vehicles involved in all collisions in 2012. Concerning fatal collisions, the report found the driver of the large truck was driving properly 68% of the time versus 39% for the other driver in the same fatal collisions. Going back to 1993, despite a 79% increase in the number of large trucks registered in Ontario, the number of large truck fatalities decreased from 202 in 1993 to 100 in 2012.
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LETTERS to the EDITOR
e Whit John agazine
rM rucke Pro-T
John White agazine Pro-Trucker M
Hello John, This was the first time I have read Tamara’s column in Pro-Trucker. The part that caught my attention was when she related about the ‘old’ fellow and his truck. She really DOES get it. To many of us trucking is a way of life – much like a farmer. When I mailed you last I had taken on a position as Safety Coordinator for a smaller bulk fleet in central Alberta. Due to a warm winter and the price of oil dropping, I found myself going back on the road as a driver. This time not wishing to buy another truck. For 4 years I was in ‘oil patch’ work, trucking fluids for both production and Frac work. The driver mentality was all about “show me the money” and bragging about not owning a bolt in the equipment. Showing any ‘Give a damn” was usually frowned upon. After I sold my truck and tanker off, for the past year
I have been in the office – both as a operation supervisor and a ‘Safety’ guy. The latter position was not in the oil patch and the owners had handpicked a really good crew. Many of these fellows would be described as ‘Career’ drivers. When I went back on the road, I had to undergo extensive training on product handling for the commodities we handle. I am working with a group of 30 somethings who are all relatively new to trucking. Most of them think the ‘old guy’ is a bit different ( Been trucking just over 40 yrs ). I spend my layovers fussing with my assigned unit, not browsing my social network. They don’t quite understand why I fuss with the equipment when I could be watching Tosh.O on the TV we have in the driver’s area. While the drivers all wash their units at the end of every trip, the attention to detailing and TLC for the interior is quite different. Since I am the new guy, I have the truck with the 30” bunk, while the rest have the 60” edition. Only 2 of us, out of 6 drivers, keep the interiors clean and spend any time giving TLC to the units – the other guy used to be an owner op as well. At times I try to mentor the younger drivers, if they show interest, but the response is usually less than enthusiastic – what would I know... I’m the new guy. My point is that from what Tamara observed, that trucking is a life style. For many it will never be anything
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but a ‘Job’ – until you embrace the business and learn about it you will never see trucking as a ‘career’ – one that has paid me well over the years, bought me houses and cars, helped put my kids through schools and allowed me to live a pretty decent life overall – with only 1 wife.... and she’s a keeper! Thanks for letting me rant. Ron Spring Calgary, Ab Editor’s note: You should come out to Big Rig Weekend Ron it will renew your faith in the industry. You will meet some young, “old school” drivers who take amazing care of their trucks and who think very much like you do concerning their trucking career. One of those young drivers is this issue’s Rig of the Month. Hi John I see Ben Proudly posting a lot of stuff on ProTrucker’s Facebook Page telling people to observe the, Slow Down and Move Over Law, and quite rightly too. I’m starting to think we should have a similar law over here in Scotland, especially after witnessing a “professional” driver the other night. I was northbound heading back to bonnie Scotland when up ahead in the distance I could see a couple of sets of blue lights on the hard shoulder. There was another
G N I R HI
truck in front of me and as we got nearer the incident I moved out to lane two as usual. I expected the truck ahead of me to do the same, but he just kept going. As we got nearer to what turned out to be an accident, I could see a cop standing at the side waiting for a break in the traffic so he could clear some debris off the road. In the dark all I could make out for sure was a piece of red clothing lying on the road, my hero just kept the pedal to the metal and ran over whatever was there. When he passed over it he must’ve taken the red thing with him snagged under his truck, because it disappeared, just like him, into the night. So maybe it’s time we had the Move Over Law, then the cop at the side of the road could’ve got that idiots number and booked him. tata the noo Colin Black Scotland Editor’s note: From what I have witnessed most professional drivers over here are aware of the law and the majority of them do their best to abide by it. This is probably because they know that there have been too many times that drivers have been hit while broken down at the side of the highway. A lot of car drivers on the other hand are either unaware of the law or just don’t care. I recently moved
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over and slowed down for a tow truck only to have a car speed up and fly past me in the inside lane just as we got to the tow truck. Hello John, My name is Chris Koutroubas and my brother-in-law Tasos Baladanis and I have a Scania drag truck that we race here in Greece. We don’t have a championship here so we only get to race other trucks about twice a year. The reason I am writing is I would like to tell you and your readers about my communications with Gord Cooper from Calgary Alberta. I saw a video of Gord and his “Smokin’ Gun” on YouTube, and then I managed to find his email address,
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NEW Extended Hours Mon-Fri 8 am- Midnight • Sat 8 am- 5pm so I emailed him asking for help to make our truck faster. To be honest I didn’t expect him to take the time to help us. Not only did he return my email, almost two years ago now, offering very good suggestions but he is still helping us today, Every time he has suggested something to us we turned it into our next project. Each time we finished a project our ET’s got better and better. We are now close to 13 second ET’s and with our new top secret project, that we just got from Gord, we will definitely make it happen. We don’t know our race schedule yet but our last race was now on 9-10 of May and it was a great victory. We ran 14.028 seconds @ 105mph without a NOS injection. So far I have only had email communications with Gord, we have never even spoke on the phone, but I hope one day to be able to meet him. He and the Smokin’ Gun are a legend for me!!!! Thank you Chris Koutroubas
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Editor’s note: I emailed Chris back and asked him to send me some pictures of his truck (below) and then called Gord to ask him about Chris. This is what Gord told me: “Chris politely asked me almost two years ago if I would help the Greek Scania Truck Drag Racing Team be faster. Of course I was pleased to assist! I suggested an Allison automatic transmission, weight redistribution of their cab-forward Scania truck, lower rear tire pressure, better smoky burn outs to warm the rear tires, and a couple things. Chris & Crew have been very attentive and are now close to 13 second ET’s - without NOS injection. Well done, and second to none in Greece, possibly Europe too!” Gord Cooper Calgary, Alberta
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mY LiFe throUGh a BroKeN WiNDshieLD
PRO-TRuCKER MAGAZInEe
By Mel McConaghy
Mel is a retired veteran driver who has spent 40 years on the road.
TRIDEM SERVICES LTD. We are pleased to announce that we have opened a 2nd Truck & Trailer Repair and Designated Inspection Facility in Kelowna BC.
The Evolution of a BC Teamster
So you think you don’t have enough Horse Power! Or maybe the swamper (grease monkey) isn’t putting enough grease on the log rails to make the Skidding frame slide easier. At any rate, consider yourself lucky that you weren’t a teamster when the picture on the next page was taken back in the twenties. Now while I wasn’t a part of this logging operation, when I was a young man horses were still being used to skid logs in some of the smaller operations. As a matter of fact in my very first job, back in the fifties, I was a “Teamster,” and I actually did skid logs with a horse. To be completely honest with you, all I had to do during the day was hook up the logs to the horse’s harness using either a chain, for two small logs, or a set of tongs for big ones. Once that was done she would head off to the mill. She would do this all by herself, pulling the logs along the skid way until she reached the mill where she would wait patiently for the guy working there to unhook her.
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Once unhooked she would come right back to me unless it was lunch or dinner time that is. At those times she would head straight to the barn. I didn’t know for the longest time how she knew when to head to the barn and then someone told me that she listened for the big diesel engine that ran the mill. When it shut down she knew she was finished for the day. The next of my job was most important of all as once we were back at the barn I would remove her harness, feed her, and then give her a good rub down. Looking back, the similarities to trucking is uncanny. Secure the load, transport, unload, repeat if necessary and at the end of the day, fuel up and do your maintenance. Horses were a lot like trucks in the fact that they needed a lot of maintenance to keep them working properly, the difference being, you formed a bond, almost an affection with them, you became friends and on top of that horses were a lot smarter than a
The
truck – even one with a computer. This is the first in a series of articles where I would like to lead you through the evolution of the “Teamster” in the logging industry, with pictures and stories as we went from horses to trucks,.
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Celadon Canada to Be Merged Into Hyndman Operations Celadon Group Inc., one of North America’s premier transportation and logistics companies, has announced the merger of their Celadon Canada operations into the Hyndman brand. While the official effective date for the merger is July 1, 2015, the companies are currently in the process of taking the necessary step to become one entity. “We have come to realize the strength of the Hyndman name in Canada,” commented Paul Will, president and CEO of the Celadon Group. “Hyndman has always promoted and supported a family atmosphere for their drivers and staff. This merger reinforces that core value of the company.” The Celadon Group first established its operations in Canada with the purchase of Gerth Transport Ltd. in May of 1998. In 2000, the name was changed to Celadon Canada. Two years ago, Celadon acquired Hyndman Transport (1972) Limited and operated Hyndman as an entity separated from Celadon Canada. Later in 2013, the Celadon Groups
acquired both Hoss Cartage and Yanke Transfer and merged these companies into its operations in Canada. “Our success over the years stems from the strong loyalty and dedicated service of our driver fleet,” stated Mike Campbell, president of Hyndman. “In addition, we have always been fortunate to have great relationships established with our many customers throughout Canada.” Hyndman will continue to operate one of the newest company trucking fleets in Canada. In addition, Hyndman owner operators will continue to have access to the newest trucks and second-to-none leasing packages. We will remain focused on providing each and every one of our customers with unparalleled service,” added Campbell. “And our drivers will continue to benefit from our unrelenting focus on technology and safety.” Celadon Group, Inc. (www.celadongroup.com), through its subsidiaries, provides long-haul, regional, local, dedicated, intermodal, temperature-controlled, flatbed and expedited freight service across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Celadon also owns Celadon Logistics Services, which provides freight brokerage services, freight management, as well as supply chain management solutions, including warehousing and distribution. Advertorial
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From
the
Drivers Seat
By Ben Proudley Ben has been a Class 1 driver for 16 years. He started out driving wreckers and currently heavy hauls for Hertz Equipment Rentals. Ben was our Rig of the Month in March of 2008
In late April I received a call from Tim McGee at Harbor Link Container Services inviting me to come down and check out their in-house CVSE style blitz, which was conducted by members of the Delta Police traffic department’s truck division. He said that this is the third year in a row they have voluntarily invited the Delta Police to do an inspection. My first thoughts were, “that is nuts,” but after speaking with Tim I realized what a great idea it was. snap shot of what kind of shape their owner operators are keeping their equipment in and how their own company maintenance program is working. I spoke with the officers doing the inspections and they said that they enjoyed coming to these inspections because it is a more relaxed atmosphere for both drivers and inspectors. This they said also helps to promote good relations between both truckers and law enforcement. It gives them a chance to chat with the drivers and show them that the CVSE are not bad guys and if you treat them with respect that they will give it right back to you. They say the program has been a huge success in that the overall numbers have been improving each year and they find very few if any major things wrong with the trucks – just minor items like lights etc. Hats off to Tim and all the staff and drivers at Harbor link for all they do to ensure safe equipment rolls up and When I arrived at their facility in Delta, Tim told me down the road every day. the idea had come from when he worked for Berry & Smith Trucking. They had a truck that had to make a daily run delivering donuts from Delta to Seattle and he knew if the unit was stopped in a random inspection, and there was a problem, the load would be late, which was not an option. Since he had a good working relationship with both the Delta Police and the CVSE he made a call and set up an inspection for the truck. He did this randomly several more times with other trucks and then he started to notice that when they ran a blitz on trucks, or when they went through the scales, their trucks were not called in as often. This got Tim thinking so when he started at Harbor link he decided to take it to the next level and have all the trucks that hauled for them inspected. Unlike the North American blitz week, which is well publicized so that everyone knows when it is going to happen, these inspections are done without notice. This insures a clear PAGE 14
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welcome to the big league
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From the Patch By Tamara Weston
Tamara and her husband Eric, were the Rig of the Month drivers in our October 2014 issue.
As a woman in a male dominated industry, I know, I know, no one really wants to hear it – but I promise, this one isn’t about complaining or whining. As I was saying, as a woman in a male dominated industry, I have often had to think on my feet and become a problem solver to get the job done. As a woman, I do not have the same upper body strength as a man so I have had to adapt. For instance we use 4 inch load hoses on the job and mine is 13ft long. I call it an Anaconda. Its heavy and awkward, so I’ve adapted, I use my legs as another set of hands so that it doesn’t slip off the hose rack while I adjust my arms and hands so I can get the control I need to heave it up onto to the rack. I solved the problem, while looking ridiculous I’m sure, but you have to do whatever it takes to get the job done. I never want to appear like a busy body so I rarely advise anyone on how to do anything because in my eyes I’m still very new, and don’t know half of what the guys I work with know. For this reason I usually just keep to
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myself and just go about my business. The oil we haul has a very high density, it is heavy and thick, and is pretty much like black strap molasses. The plant where we load it from heats it to help keep it moving and we use insulated trailers to help maintain the warmth. This works great in the summer, but winter can be another beast. Most people would think this oil wouldn’t freeze, and although it may not freeze rock hard in the time it takes to get to our offload location, it will and has in the past thickened to the point of immobilizing our pumps. The veterans have learned a few tricks through trial and error on how to minimize this from happening and most are willing to share this knowledge with us newcomers. This past winter was my second season hauling this oil and I had learned to keep my pump moving through trial and error, and thankfully from the tips and tricks I have learned from the veterans. One exceptionally cold night I ran down with Matt, a good friend of ours. He started with us in the spring so this was his first winter with this crazy oil but he had picked up on how to keep it moving. We offloaded pretty much at the same time and had headed out to meet Eric for the night when he called out on the radio that he had to go help empty a trailer. Apparently one of the new guys was having trouble with his pump. Matt headed out ahead of me so I told him to just wait till I got there because from what I could gather it sounded like his pump was frozen, not broken. It was
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1:00 am, and it would have taken a good hour to pump the oil from the one trailer to the other then another hour to offload. Did I mention it was minus 20ish? When I got there, the two of them were looking at the belly valves on the trailers, sorting out how to get the one unloaded. I jumped out and had a listen to the pump and sure enough it was frozen, back into my truck I went and fired up my Keurig - that’s right, my coffee maker. We poured a few cups of hot water slowly over the pump, all the while the newer driver kept asking Matt, “what do you think?” obviously unsure of the girl truck driver and her coffee machine. Even though he had only just started to haul oil, he had been trucking for over 20 years and had way more experience than I did so I totally understood his lack of confidence. What he didn’t know was I have been very lucky to work with a great bunch of guys who have been more than willing to teach the ‘rookie’ some of the tricks of the trade. One of those lessons came on a cold night during my first winter of hauling oil. My dispatcher at the time, Emile, had to come rescue me when I had the same problem with a pump. He arrived with a bucket of hot water that he poured over the pump. This time it was my Keurig coffee maker that saved the day. Twenty minutes later the driver was off to offload with his truck and trailer and Matt didn’t have to spend two more hours in the freezing cold.
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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.
BiKers aND trUCKers Well there I was way down in the southern states empty, on a Friday afternoon at a small truck stop. I was waiting for a load that was not scheduled to be ready until noon on Monday. I phoned the company but there was no way they could, (or would), load me any earlier as they said the product was not off their lines yet. Looking around for something to keep me occupied I noticed a small amusement park about a block away so I strolled down there and played a couple games of mini golf and then went back to the truck stop for an early meal. On the way back out to the truck I noticed a couple bikes parked at a small bar across the street so I decided to wander over and maybe play a game of pool or something. Now I am not one to drink much, specially when driving, but as I was down for the weekend I figured one or two cold beer would not hurt. I grabbed my old leather jacket, with a Lone Wolf
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604-580-3512 good southern breakfast. They gave me a ride back to my truck and then actually lent me a sporty similar to mine on the basis of if you break it you buy it and I had a great time riding with them all weekend. Monday finally came and I reloaded and headed for Vernon where I unloaded and headed home for a weekend with my family. My son was just a little shocked when I turned down his offer to go for a bike ride to unwind the next morning and I had to explain that I had spent all last weekend on a bike and was all biked out for a while. As truckers we go many different places and meet many different people but every once in a while we do make friends in low places.
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him a Canadian five. The bartender wanted to know what the heck that was, (not his exact words), and I told him sorry I made a mistake and got some of my Canadian money mixed up with the US stuff. I asked for it back and gave him a US bill. He asked where the heck I was from and I told him Kelowna, British Columbia. He wanted to know what state that was in and I explained I was from Canada. The whole bar started breathing again and conversations resumed back to what I assumed was semi normal. Just as I was taking about my third sip of my beer two big dudes moved in on each side and proceeded to ask about my patch and what I was doing there. Explained my patch meant I rode with no club and that I was also a trucker and was parked across the street and things got much better after that. I had about four to six beer and was not allowed to pay for any of them and then later was asked if I would like to see the back parking lot where most of the guys were parked. I went out back with more than a little apprehension but was relieved when I realized they just wanted to show me some of nicest looking Harleys I have ever seen. When they realized I was not just talking but actually knew something about bikes I was invited back to the club and later to a members house where I actually got to sleep in a real bed, have a decent shower in the morning and was fed a very
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Rig of the Month by John White
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Photo’s by David Benjatschek Wowtrucks.com Our June 2015 Rig of the Month driver is Doug in Red Deer for Alberta Big Rig Weekend. It was a Ruddick from Calgary Alberta. Heads definitley turned pleasant surprise to find out that he is the nephew of our last summer when he pulled his rig into Westerner Park December 2008 Rig of the Month driver Ron Ruddick.
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Darren: 604-599-7368 dmcewen@hertz.com PAGE 22
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This is his story. I was born in Maple Ridge, BC and raised around that area. My grandparents had a company, RD&M Trucking, that my grandpa started when he was quite young. He owned log loaders and trucks that worked all over the Fraser Valley from Horseshoe Bay to Hope. Most of the logging that I saw when I was young was up the mountain behind Stave Lake. He also bought a commercial building at Webster’s Corners in Maple Ridge and opened RD&M Truck Parts and Industrial Supplies where they sold parts and did chain saw and small engine repairs. We were a very close family which was a good thing because the whole family worked together, logging and in the store. The store was right across the street from my school so I would go over there when I got out. Life was great, if we weren’t doing truck stuff I would be in the barn with mom’s horses. That is pretty well what my younger years consisted of school, trucks and mom’s horses. I really enjoyed the horses and even showed them myself - with lots of help from my mom. But given the choice I would do anything back then to be in a truck with my dad. I can still remember getting up around 3:00am and dad making me some tea and a lunch to take with us. Then we would jump in the truck and head for the bush. Most people never get to see the wonderful sights you see when you are back in
june 2015
the bush working at the top of a mountain at the end of the road. The trees, the smell of the bush, the lakes, and the view from some of the roads and landings up in the mountains are amazing! You could get out of the truck and there would be absolutely no one else around – if you shut off the machines the silence could be deafening. In the late 80’s our family got out of the logging business and my uncle Ron turned my favourite logging truck into a gravel truck. Grandpa usually only bought R model Macks but this one was a 1982 Mack Superliner, with a 8v92 silver Detroit Engine. The truck was painted our red and white company colours and had 5 axels like logging truck used to have – and should have - not 27 like they have today. I’m sure that was the truck that made me fall in love with trucks and trucking. Like all the trucks Uncle Ron drove, he kept that old Mack in top shape and shiny as new. A few years later Dad picked up a 77 Western Star with a 8v92 and I loved it. Dad always had to put up with me bugging him in the shop while he was working on the trucks but that was his own fault. He told me, “You can’t drive a truck until you know how to fix one.” Since all I wanted was to do was drive I spent all the time I could hanging out with him and learning as much as possible. Logging is tough on equipment so there was never a shortage of work on both the trucks
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and equipment. Looking back on it now I realize that it was the best thing he could have done for me. When I was about 10 years old I got a job washing and cleaning trucks for Davies Sand & Gravel in Mission BC. That was great because my Dad and my uncle Ron both hauled gravel for them and working there gave me an opportunity to learn about other equipment besides trucks. They had six gravel pits up behind Mission and as time went on I learned how to operate the rock crusher, wash plant, screeners, and loader. By the time I was 13, I was driving the trucks between the 6 pits. This didn’t all happen overnight. I would start out playing with a piece of equipment and figuring them out one after another. After a bit of time in them I got to know how to run them. Late one Friday afternoon, almost at the end of the day, my uncle Ron rolled in for a load driving one of his Peterbilt’s. I had loaded him many times before but the old 1974 cat 980B loader I was using wasn’t 100% although it was fine once you got used to it. Anyway I ended up hitting the sideboard on his truck and bent it out. Now anyone that knows my uncle Ron also knows the way he keeps his trucks so you can fully understand how bad this was. Uncle Ron got out of that truck so fast I thought I was going to get it but he never even looked in my direction. He just had a look at the damage, spoke some words to himself (loudly I might add) and then
jumped in his truck and was gone! I felt terrible! The whole rest of the day all I could think of was that he was going to be mad at me for the rest of my life! Our family is really close and I even stayed at Uncle Ron’s on and off so I think that really helped because after a couple days he told me that ‘things happen’ but I better not let it happen again. That was the end of it - it was done and in the past. Apparently he spent hours that night trying to fix it but never did get it exactly right. It’s lessons like that one that always stick with you. It taught me not to get too comfortable or over familiar with a job. You have to stay focussed at all times because bad things can happen in an instant. When Dad sold his Western Star he started driving a 1988 Kenworth T800 for Davies. Once he got it he and I got together and went to work cleaning up the company truck they gave him. There wasn’t a lot of chrome to polish as they were pretty plain trucks but we polished the whole thing inside and out and even painted the frame. It took us a full weekend the first time but after that we only had to touch it up once a month. It was great spending that time with him again doing something that we both enjoyed. After a few years of working in the shop, running equipment in the pits and driving truck, I turned 19 and, like any kid that age, I already knew everything so off I
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went to Calgary, Alberta chasing the big money. I got a job right away running equipment and then one day the company that I worked for bought a truck. The owner came to me and asked if I wanted to get my class 1 and I said yes. The next day I took the written test and failed. I had never even looked at the book. I asked if I could write it again that day and they said I had to wait 24 hours. I came back the next day and passed it – again without reading the book.
close friends. Alberta was booming but I really missed home and my family so my girlfriend Kerianne and I moved back to BC and I went to work for my Dad. He had started a small excavating company that was getting busy and I thought it would be great to be back home again. After a summer of doing custom landscaping I found out I was going to be a father. Scared and thinking I wasn’t making enough money to raise a family, we
Doug Ruddick with his daughter, Alexis I wanted to do my road test right away but they said I needed to go out and practice first. I told them I was very confident and if necessary I would pay for the test myself. They said okay and sent me out with an experienced old truck driver turned inspector. I’d never hauled a 53 foot trailer before but I hopped in and just started driving down the road – no clutch – no seatbelt – one hand on the wheel. He looked at me and said, “You’ve been driving for a while haven’t you?” I said, “Yes,” and he said, “Well you are on a road test so you at least have to show me that you know how to use the clutch.” He then directed me to a loading dock that I back into and he said, “We might just as well cut this short and head back - this is a waste of both our time.” Not long after that I got a job running equipment, driving gravel truck and low bedding for Fish Creek Excavating in Calgary. We were mainly doing residential subdivisions in Calgary with a bit of commercial work on the side. I worked there for almost 5 years and met a lot of really good people and some of them have become PAGE 26
moved back to Calgary where I went straight back to work. That is where my little girl Alexis was born and I came to the conclusion that this was now our home. A few years later the chase for the “big money” finally caught up with me and I found out the hard way that working all the time wasn’t all that great for a new family. It was hard times - I had lost my job and was going through a separation. I needed to work but it was spring time and slow for gravel haulers so I started talking to people and making phone calls. That’s when I met Sam the owner of Atlas trucking. He had work and an empty 2006 Kenworth T800 gravel truck that I agreed to drive. I spent hours alone shining up that truck as it helped clear my head and reminded me of the times I spent with my dad back home. I spent my weekends with my little girl and for the longest time, if I wasn’t with her, I was hauling gravel day and night all over Alberta. I still work for Atlas today. As time went on, Lexi and I would go do stuff on the truck together. It sure took me back to when I was a
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little kid spending time with Dad, Uncle and Grandpa. She loves trucks, going for rides, and helping me clean and wash the truck. I feel very lucky to have her in my life, she keeps me on the right path. It took me a long time to realize that money in the bank isn’t what life is all about. It’s the times that you hear things like, “You’re the best daddy in the world and I love you,” that really matter. In January of 2014 I found the truck that I wanted and now drive. It’s a 2007 Kenworth W900B with a C-15 cat, 18spd and 46 full lockers. It was originally a logging truck working out of Sundry Alberta but it needed some work done to change over to gravel. I started out by having the frame shortened by 30” then I had a custom hydrologic tank built to look like a factory step so that I could keep the big fuel tanks. I wanted to keep them because the only thing I don’t like about trucking is fueling up. The C-15 was also in need of a little work so we decided to have M&M Mechanical in Calgary completely rebuild it. They took off the twin turbo’s to simplify the engine and didn’t want a tower for the controls so we put them all on the factory dash switches. While we had it apart we changed all the hoses, fuel lines and then of course came the chrome and polish. I have to admit that it’s a real nice feeling to get thumbs up from random people on the road and its
priceless to see the looks on little kids’ faces as I see them point at the truck when I go by. I always give them a big wave, and of course what they are really looking for - a honk of the air horn! I’ve learnt that you can’t just let a small problem slide or it can end up a major problem real fast. One time I was working in Fort Mac hauling limestone to oil sites when I thought I could hear my compressor getting a little noisy. It was only 3 days to my shift change so I decided to leave it until then. I was 15km up in the bush and it was -42 degrees outside when it packed it in. I opened the hood and there was oil everywhere courtesy of a piston hanging out the bottom of the compressor. There was no cell service so I relayed a message through the truck radios for someone to come get me. It only took about an hour but man was it cold in that cab by the time they got there. Then of course there were no parts in Fort Mac so I had to have them sent up from Calgary. I’ve always wanted to be like my father, he never gave up on me and did his best to teach me the “old school” ways I needed to make it in trucking. I might have never had the chances I’ve had if not for him and his ability to stay calm...well, let’s just say his ability to stay calm-ish… I tried his patience I don’t know how many times. One time when I was young I got stuck in a gravel pit
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on pretty much flat ground. He was pretty good about stuff like that and a great teacher. He would stand back and tell you what to do. He wouldn’t help you too much and he only told you as much as he had to and then let you figure the rest out. That way it made sense to you and would stick with you. Trucking is a big part of my life. It is not only my job but it is like having a therapist. I can get in my truck and in a very short time, drive away my stress. It has taken me all over BC and Alberta and I have made many new friends along the way - some that I even call family now. If I could do it all over again I think I might have been a little easier on my Dad when I was younger but all in all I wouldn’t give up this life for anything.
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TRUCKER’S FAMILY WEEKEND!
Pro-Trucker Magazine’s 15th Annual
BC Big Rig Weekend July 4/5 Chilliwack Heritage Park, Chilliwack, BC
70,000 SQ.FT. OF INDOOR TRADEBOOTH DISPLAY & TRUCK PARKING (BC ONLY)
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13th Annual Alberta Big Rig Weekend August 15/16 Westener Park, Red Deer, Alberta PAGE 32
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Pro-Trucker Magazine’s 13th Annual
Big Rig Weekend
August 15/16 Westener Park, Red Deer, Alberta
BIG RIG SHOW ‘N SHINE • TOW TRUCK SHOW’N SHINE INDUSTRY TRADE BOOTHS • ON-SITE CAMPING • DOOR PRIZES SATURDAY NIGHT BEST LIGHTS COMPETITION STEAK DINNER FOR TWO WITH EACH TRUCK ENTRY
Face Painting • Balloons• Mini Golf • Roving Entertainers
Special Guest - Jamie Davis
TRUCKER’S FAMILY WEEKEND!
For More Info Call 604-580-2092 www.protruckermagazine.com 15th Annual BC Big Rig Weekend July 4/5 Chilliwack Heritage Park, Chilliwack, BC junE 2015
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DriviNG throUGh mY memories
By Ed Murdoch
Ed has held a commercial drivers license for 60 years and has spent the better part of 50 years on the road. You can get Ed’s new book at www.drivingthroughmymemories.ca There was a very popular TV sit-com that had a six year run from 1998 to 2004. It was set in New York City and focused on the romantic shenanigans of four career women in The Big Apple, who despite their differences remained close to each other over the duration. You remember, it was called “Sex and the City” and was really an animated essay on the changing social mores the general public experiences in a modern urban center. Just as easily a TV series might have been written and produced using the trucking life as its background. Legends abound concerning the road knight and his many exploits on the move. While some of them possess a shred of truth my approach to the topic was always, “I believe nothing of what I hear and only half of what I see.” Way back in the early ‘60s I had the privilege of hauling regularly into the bowels of New York City to deliver my cargo of various Canadian fruits and
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Give Moe Batlawala a call today at: 780-886-5617 or 780-414-1302 604-982-3008 or Email mbatlawala@leaselink.ca vegetables and fresh fish packed in ice in wooden boxes from the Great Lakes and as far away as Lake Winnipeg….but not in the same trailer! There was a bar near the old Fulton Fish Market that was open 23 hours a day, closing only from, if I remember correctly 4 to 5 a.m. for clean-up and shift change. It catered to blue collar patrons from the area and one young woman I remember who was a ‘lady of the night’. She was well educated and had a young son who meant the world to her and she was able to rationalize her ‘work’ ethic because of her desire to offer the young lad a ‘better’ life. I was not then in a position to accept a business offer from her but we often went for long walks along the docks on the East River discussing philosophical topics and exchanging ideas regarding the difficulties of raising a family in those times. Yes…..really….I was a dedicated husband and father of three! The opportunity to pick up young women hitchhiking was more common back in the good old days and often they traveled in pairs for protection and company. On one summer’s occasion as I was leaving Calgary bound for the interior of BC I offered a ride to a pair who were goggle-eyed at the panorama of rock and ice and snow which lay before them through the windshield. We stopped somewhere in Banff Park for a picnic. One of them I remember lived just outside of Barrie, Ontario which was coincidentally where I called home at the time.
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I think I dropped them off in Kamloops, but years later in the cabin I had built on an island on a pristine lake in northern Ontario we were entertaining some locals and one of them was a woman who was a friend of the conservation officer. When she heard that I was a trucker she told the story about how one day she and her friend had been picked up in western Canada and driven into the mountains by this nice driver. She happened to say the name of the company to which the vehicle was registered and to both my surprise, and that of my wife, it was the company I had been driving for. She was the young woman from our home town, now older and I did not recognize her or she me. Yes I was able to live another day and enjoy another adventure. In the ‘80s while on the move across the prairies with a load of beer from Vancouver going to Toronto with my second son on board as a passenger, we came across a friend of mine who was sleeping in a turnout in a small park in Saskatchewan. I stopped to wake him, and his tale of woe and how tired he was, etc. inspired me to offer the services of my boy, who was a heavy-duty tow truck operator while going to school, to drive his unit to Winnipeg. He accepted the offer with gratitude and off we went. Hours later between Portage la Prairie and Winnipeg, it was now night-time, a pickup pulled up
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along side me, the interior light came on and a rather pretty young redhead in the passenger seat began to disrobe. It was quite a performance and I was the sole member of the audience for what purpose I could not imagine, but I was in no position to ask questions. My son, who was following in my friend’s Freightliner and I had been chatting on the CB on a random channel but on a hunch I said we should go to the trucker’s channel, which was 19, and just listen and see what might happen. I had noticed that the pickup had a CB aerial. Following the strip tease the truck pulled ahead, the radio crackled and a sweet voice said, “Did you like the show? Wouldn’t you like to see more?” We were nearing the Husky at Headingly and I got into the left turn lane and pulled in with my son right behind and we parked at the back beside each other. The pickup had also pulled into the second entrance and parked off in a corner waiting, I guess, to see what we’d do. What we did was go inside and while my son got a table in the restaurant I called the RCMP and reported the incident, suggesting that a distraction of this type might just cause a dramatic and even a possible fatal incident. Such a spoilsport I was! And speaking of fruits and vegetables and keeping an eye on things did you ever think that maintaining a healthy diet including fresh fruits & veggies, limiting your intake of coffee and getting adequate exercise would help you maintain healthy eyes? It’s true. Too much coffee increases pressure in the eyes. Glaucoma is a gradual disease and by the time symptoms are recognized the disease may be significantly advanced. Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in North America. If you do a lot of driving then knowing the early symptoms could be of great benefit in receiving adequate treatment at the early onset. Any chronic eye pain, blurred vision, halos around lights, loss of peripheral vision and tunnel vision might be symptoms so if you experience any of them you should seek medical attention. The best way to avoid eye problems is of course to submit to regular eye examinations with a reputable optometrist. Be safe and keep your eyes focused on the road ahead!
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ONE CARRIER. ONE FAMILY. We are Hyndman, the new face of Celadon in Canada. The name might have changed, but the unbeatable driver support, exceptional customer service and friendly staff certainly haven’t. Join our growing family today!
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Hiring Qualified O/Ops & Drivers
IDLE TIME By Scott Casey
Drivers 70-90 CENTS PER MILE!
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 Dentist Ring At some point in our lives each of us has had the opportunity to visit the dentist’s office. Some experiences have been good with smiles beaming from one ear to the other. Of course there are those experiences that see the patient leaving with the slobbering mumbles and drool stains on their shirts for hours afterwards. That could also be recognised as regular conversation at dinner time within my house. Dentists must go to school for years to attain the license required to practice their trade. It can be said for the most part, dentists pride themselves on taking the utmost care with their customers so that they will continue to use their services again. Just like truckers. However, like any industry, there is good and bad, and we all know the ramifications of poor dentistry. There is a dark side of our professional driving trade that hides in the recesses like a cavity, and it is often too late for the tooth when it is discovered. I am writing about licenses
Super B & tridem step 2 yrs exp & acceptable abstract Western Canada & USA Some dedicated runs
Terry 604-882-7623 that are sold for profit or counterfeited. This is not a dilemma of epic proportions, none the less, it does exist. These cavity producers are as difficult to find as the cavity itself. Just look around, driving schools are much like peoples smiles. You cannot tell what is inside till you have a closer look. This is not new or specific to the commercial trucking industry, with automobile licenses being issued illegitimately as well, all over Canada. I have learned from a credible source within CVSE that the number of falsely licensed or completely unlicensed commercial drivers is astounding. In 2014, BC CVSE officers detained 93 commercial drivers who were found to be in possession of false Class 1 licenses. These drivers were nabbed at roadside inspections and at government inspection stations with the diligence of CVSE
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officers being attributed. The illegally operating drivers were discovered while in the act of driving an 80,000lb or more tractor-trailer on the same roads as you and our families. These perpetrators do this without a single regard for anyone else on the highway but themselves. As is the case with many colleges and universities, our driving schools should have their classes monitored more closely to ensure the integrity of our trade. Unfortunately they are currently allowed to print licenses virtually at will with little to no supervision. I would also like to make the point clear, that there are many very talented truck driving school practitioners out there acting with the highest level of integrity. There has to be more focus put on this issue for the safety of all motorists. No longer should it be as simple as showing up at the office, sit in a comfy chair and half an hour later you’re all done, pay your money, and your fake license is in hand as easy as a plastic dentists ring.
Is it Time?
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Just before the funeral services, the undertaker came up to the very elderly widow and asked, “How old was your husband when he passed away?” “He was 98,” she said, ‘just two years older than me’ ‘So you’re 96,’ the undertaker commented.. “Yes,” She responded, “hardly worth going home is it?”
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The Bear’s View
Sgt. Mark Whitworth
I’m certain some of you read the article under my name and picture suggesting it had originated with me. John brought my attention to this a week or so after publication, likely he needed some time to decide how best to notify me of the unintentional swapping of my article for another writer’s submission. It was a strange call I received as he is usually looking for my next article but this call was different and I sensed it right away. Over a minute or two John tactfully and gradually brought my attention to the error and waited for my response. I was quite surprised and realized the article was completely wrong - I don’t own or drive a commercial vehicle and my significant other is not named Eric. Anyway, we, along with most of the employees in my office, had a really good chuckle and I think John was a bit relieved that I wasn’t upset, not that I should be. This brought the idea for this month’s article to me
so I decided to write about ways I find to relax and take away some of the symptoms of stress brought on at work. I firmly believe that everyone’s reaction to stress is similar regardless of what they do. We all have many demands at work and often interact with people throughout our day whether it is drivers, customers, clients, or the public, and how we respond to stressful events largely depends on our state of mind. When I’m not at work, it is important for me to ensure time is set aside to participate in activities I enjoy, mostly with family, such as fishing and hiking. Oh, and yard work, that’s mandatory and keeps my wife happy – luckily she also likes fishing. My son and I have spent countless hours fishing both fresh and saltwater and really enjoy this time together. When I’m at work I can think about our previous outings and imagine our next trips, this often keeps me in a better mood and gives me the ability to cope with stressful events when things get really tough. My family participates in karate and I jog regularly with our dogs. This keeps us in better physical shape which is important, especially if our job has us sitting for long periods of time – mine does. Occasionally, it is difficult to find the time for all of these activities so it is alright to miss the occasional workout but I get back to it as soon as possible. A walk is also good and better than nothing at all.
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Another stress release technique is talking with a co-worker, family member, or friend, someone who perhaps can relate to the stress brought on by work or is simply a good listener. Police officers chat amongst each other quite often, as I’m sure most of you talk to others in your profession. Most importantly, take a vacation once in a while, even a short one. Some of our officers are known for accumulating leave over the years and this is not good – I firmly believe that you should use it when you have it. I understand the many demands a job can place on a person but that’s all the more reason to plan a vacation away from work. Aside from the stress of getting John an article by deadline, most stress can be mitigated with a few simple activities. If you were around me long enough you’d find that I see humour in many things and I like to make it known– though I have to ensure it is appropriate which sometimes isn’t the case, but hey, I’m not perfect. Back to April’s article, this did bring a smile to the faces of a number or my co-workers and lightened up the day – keeping in mind it was a great article, just misplaced with a bad picture. I welcome anyone to give me a call to discuss our shared interests anytime and at the very least put the right face to a name, or should I say article.
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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.
Palm Couplings
I read a post on Facebook where a Canadian driver was asking if anybody else had been brought to an abrupt halt when, as he put it, a glad hand had come off. I assumed he was talking about the palm coupling. We don’t have that type of coupling over here anymore,
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To learn more call Darren 1-800-663-1421 www.shadowlinecareers.com
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YOU DON’T WORK 9 TO 5, THAT’S WHY THERE’S AN OIL THAT WORKS 24/7. Long hours. Overnight hauls. To you, that’s standard procedure. And that’s why we created an oil that works overtime. Shell Rotella T6 Full Synthetic engine oil is our hardest working oil yet. It delivers the engine cleanliness and wear protection you expect from Shell Rotella, improved protection in extreme temperatures and up to 1.5% in fuel economy savings.* In fact, Shell Rotella T6 never stops giving you its best every day. Kinda like you. Learn more at www.shell.ca/rotella ®
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but in the early days of my trucking career I have been stopped, usually in the most awkward of places, when a palm coupling has come off. The good thing with that type of coupling was the valve, you put them on and then turned the air on, if you burst a Susie, or one slipped off, you could simply shut the air off. Being able to build up a full tank of air again meant you could maybe bring yourself back from the brink of disaster or at least you had options. But with the modern male/female connections the air valve is opened when you pull the spring loaded collar back and push the coupling on, if you rip a Susie off, especially a red line, bang goes your tank of air. And I can’t remember the palm couplings leaking air as much as the modern couplings when they were connected. Quite a few of the trailers I pick up leak air from the footbrake coupling. Maybe not surprising as the seal depends on a small internal o ring unlike the more substantial palm seals. When we had the palm couplings we had three line air into the trailer, red, yellow and blue. The blue line was trailer brakes only and very handy to check how effective the brakes were on a strange trailer you’d just picked up. Of course you have to remember to turn the air valve on if you want the brakes to work. At one time I was working for a firm where the yard was not too far from a steep hill that led down to the main north/south highway, the M74. This meant I usually didn’t have to
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Phone: 403.278.1129 • Fax: 403.278.8307 Email: marilynt@diamondinsurance.ca touch the brakes too much before I was going down the hill. Once or twice when I was halfway down it started to dawn on me that the brakes weren’t as good as they should be, I’d forgotten to turn on the yellow line valve. All it takes is some distraction when you’re going through the hook up procedure and an important part of the routine might get missed. Today, to be safe, if somebody talks to me when I am halfway through hooking up I will usually start over again. The blue line was very handy in these situations, you could brake the trailer and give a wee jab on the footbrake now and again, so disaster was avoided. One time my buddy had a lucky escape when he was hooking up to a trailer. He was on the catwalk when his cab phone rang. (Remember the big Motorola’s that were the size of a house brick?) He knew it would be the boss with some instructions, so he swung into the cab and answered it. On the way out of the cab again, to complete the hook up, the sleeve of his jacket caught on the handbrake and pulled it off. He was thrown offbalance and he fell in a heap beside the cab and could only watch as the outfit took off down the slope it was on. Luckily the truck didn’t get up too much speed and a thick hedge at the bottom of the slope stopped the truck with the minimum of damage. But it goes to show how interrupting your routine can have serious results.
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We are Hiring A-Z drivers (singles and teams), Owner Operators and D-Z Owner Operators 2000 Sign-On Bonus Competitive Pay Packages Incentive Programs & Bonuses
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junE 2015
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Daddy was a Trucker
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Daddy was a trucker; he loved the gypsy life, Momma was a lady, but she was a trucker’s wife. Daddy, he would phone each night and we waited for his call, Then Momma would tuck us into bed and go back up the hall. No, Momma never cheated, she never even tried. But I often heard her cuss that truck, and many times she cried. She would sit there in her easy chair, and maybe watch a show, Worried about my daddy; then off to bed she’d go. She’d sit there on her lonely bed with our old dog and cat, Then Momma and the good Lord would have a little chat. She’d tell him about Daddy on the road there, all alone, Like she was talking to an old friend, long distance on the phone. She’d ask him to protect him out there on the road, As he went along the highways, delivering his load. When Daddy would come home, at night he’d tell us where he’d been, All the people he had met and the places he had seen. He’d tell about the troubles that he’d had out on the road, He’d swear sometimes that the hand of God had helped him with his load. Momma would just sit and nod, but I sometimes saw her smile, And she knew our Saviour Jesus Christ was with him every mile. Yeah, Daddy was a trucker and Momma was a trucker’s wife, And she and Daddy built their life around their faith in Jesus Christ.
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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OWNER OPERATORS
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Up to .53/mile To Start Paid Load, Unload & Wait Time at $30/hr Medical/Dental Benefits & RRSP Program Safety + Performance Bonus up to .04/mile Paid by Direct Deposit
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