Pro-Trucker Magazine April 2017

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ALBERTA BIG RIG WEEKEND SHOW ‘N SHINE & TRADE SHOW July 14th to 16th Blackjacks Roadhouse Nisku, Alberta

April 2017

Alberta Big Rig Weekend July 14-16 in Nisku, Alberta

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From the Editor’s desk... by John White

VOlUME 19, iSSUE 03 of 11 PUBLISHER/EDITOR John White john@ptmag.ca PRODUCTION/CIRCULATION Tori Proudley tori@ptmag.ca ADMINISTRATION Donna White donna@ptmag.ca ADVERTISING/MARKETING John White john@ptmag.ca Tori Proudley tori@ptmag.ca CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dave Madill • Ben Proudley Scott Casey • Mel McConaghy Ed Murdoch • Colin Black Bill Weatherstone Lane Kranenburg PHOTOGRAPHY David Benjatschek wowtrucks.com Ben Proudley • Brad Demelo HEAD OFFICE Ph: 604-580-2092 Toll Free / Fax: 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-TrUCKEr MAGAZiNEe

My name is John White and I have an addiction. This addiction itself will not necessarily kill me although my loving wife may if I am not rehabilitated soon. The addiction that I speak of is to the TV reality show known as, “The Donald Trump Presidency.” First thing every morning and last thing every night, I watch the latest episode of this hilarious off the wall lesson in subterfuge and misdirection. The lead character, Donald Trump, is John White described by his critics as a lying, delusional sociopath with Narcissistic Personality Disorder and they have vowed to bring him down. His supporters on the other hand see him as a shining light who will cure all their ills (although not with health care – sorry couldn’t resist) and bring them out of the darkness that is their life. He has vowed to build walls to keep the world out and impose tariffs to keep jobs in.

The plot thickens as his critics strongly suspect that he and members of his group have formed an alliance with the devil, to get and to stay in power. The devil they speak of is the sworn enemy of their country with which they say he and many of his entourage have strong financial ties.

One of the highest ranking of his group, his Secretary of State, has had the dubious honour of receiving their enemies highest civilian medal, another, his Minister of Finance, is the largest shareholder in the Bank of Cyprus, that is said to have laundered billions of dollars of their enemies money.

The president of said bank, who was supposedly hired at the suggestion of this Minister, had resigned in disgrace from the Deutsche Bank after a combined UK and U.S. fine of 650 million dollars was imposed for laundering over 10 billion dollars in Russian money, allowing it to be taken out of Russia by those close to and possibly for Vladimir Putin himself.

My defense for continuing this morbid addiction, besides the sick voyeuristic entertainment value that is akin to watching a train wreck, is that within the many twists and turns of the plot, a large part of our Canadian economy, and many trucking jobs, hang in the balance.

On one hand the, the result so far has been the creation of many Canadian jobs due to the approval of the Keystone Pipeline that will open a route for Alberta oil to reach the oil refineries of the Gulf Coast. Hopefully the building of the pipeline and eventual flow of oil south will rejuvenate Alberta’s faltering economy which has had drastic repercussions throughout the Canadian trucking industry.

On the other hand Mr. Trump is a protectionist and has talked about “tweaking” the Canadian side of NAFTA which could take a toll in Canadian jobs in other areas. The largest of which to affect Canadian truckers would .... Editorial continued on page 18

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Alberta Big Rig Weekend July 14-16 in Nisku, Alberta

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LETTERS to the EDITOR

PrO-TrUCKEr MAGAZiNEe

of young trucking families such as yours grow up through the years. Gone forever? As they say, never say never. Who knows what tomorrow may bring.

e Whit e John agazin

ker M Truc Prote

Hello John, What ever happened to Rud Kendal and Barney Gears?

John Whi r Magazine Pro-Trucke

John, I’m sorry to hear that BC Big Rig Weekend will not be happening this year. It has been a highlight of our summer for a few years now. I can understand that after 17 years you and your family need a much earned rest as we have watched the work that you people do and how busy you are from morning to night. Then you were always the first one up Sunday morning picking up any garbage that had been left about the grounds from Saturday night’s festivities. I just want to say thank you for all you and your family have done for the industry by bringing back truck shows. Your show has always been a class act, a real family affair where we could feel comfortable bring the kids. I hope it is not gone forever.

Sincerely, Tom and Fran

Editor’s note: Rud was our Associate editor from 1999 up until October of 2002 after which he retired and unfortunately passed away a few years later. He was quite the character. As far as I know he was the first truck driver to have his stories published while still driving a truck.

This was back in the early 70’s. As you mentioned he wrote Barney Gears which were stories told by an old driver who always managed to put a lesson into each story. He also wrote Tucker the Trucker and this was where his amazing sense of humour and insight into life in general would really shine. He penned one of the most famous trucking stories every written when he wrote, “The Trucker’s Last Letter.”

He was a great talent.

Hi John.

Just read Feb 2017 mag over lunch. Is every poem Dave pens a lamentation? It sounds like he always pens loneliEditor’s note: Thank you Tom the shows are a tremendous ness. A lot of us aren’t lonely! A lot of us have good times amount of work but very rewarding. We have made a lot of and fun on the road. I look forward to my trips. Ask Dave to friends and we have had the satisfaction of watching a lot come up with a rollicking sarcastic ditty that reflects enjoy-

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Alberta Big Rig Weekend July 14-16 in Nisku, Alberta

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ment instead of despair.

Regards, Brian

FROM

Editor’s note: No not all Dave’s poems are lamentations but I’m sure that he was in his bunk and very much missing home when he wrote some of them. In reality he has a great sense of humour as you have probably seen by some of his stories. You will like this month’s poem on page 38 but before you go looking for it, here is one of my favourite poems of his.

The Rookie We heard him top that mountain pass; the brakes began to squeal He headed down that six percent, hands clenched upon the wheel Smoke was coming from the back by the time he hit the level The colour of his brake drums would have even pleased the devil.

Sweat was pouring from his brow when he pulled off to the side, He shook his head in wonder and said, “Man, what a ride!”

His trainer said, “You did OK; you kept it on the road, But the next time we come over here, we have to pull a load.”

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By Ben Proudley Ben has been a Class 1 driver for 20 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

Well as March madness has come to an end, things will slowly get back to normal. No I do not mean college basketball; I am referring to the CVSE officers. In order for them to maintain CVSA certification they must do a minimum 32 level ones from March to March, and file the paperwork before March 31. So if you have ever wondered why it seems that every March the CVSE are doing more inspections than usual, you are probably right. Most officers are good about doing them year round, but sometimes things do not go as planned. Add to that the crop of new officers that were just hired at Kamloops, Hope scales, Pacific, Nordel and on Vancouver Island, well now things are even more interesting. Now you have veteran officers trying to make sure they keep their certification up as well as trying to teach the new officers how to do the job.

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As a new officer you should do your best to not allow the veterans prejudice towards us affect your ability to use some common sense and to develop your own professional way to deal with things. Over the years they have had many interactions with many drivers, some of which have been anything but pleasant. As well, many of us drivers have had some unpleasant dealings with officers. What you need to do is ask yourself why that might be. The answer maybe more simple than you realize, it boils down to two main things that really at the end of it are almost one in the same. The two things I am referring to are respect, and attitude, that is it in a nut shell.

Like I said it goes both ways. I will use myself as a

good example. My level of respect for you will change based on two things. Your professionalism as well as your respect level towards me. If you are polite to me as I walk into the scale house, or if we are road side when you approach me, I will do the same in return. Likewise if you have a bad attitude towards me right from the start from dealing with a grumpy trucker before me, my attitude will reflect that back towards you. As a personal experience, I have walked out of a scale house telling the officer I will be back in five minutes and we can try this again with a little bit of respect both ways. The officer was rude right of the start and I had given him no reason for it. The threats were pretty bad as I walked out, but once I returned he apologized and we had a great

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Alberta Big Rig Weekend July 14-16 in Nisku, Alberta

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interaction. I even got a notice and order out of it for a minor infraction, (no daytime running lights) the whole reason he had stopped me in the first place. No big deal, he explained why I was getting it and life went on. There was no reason that it had to be that way. I walked in with no chip on my shoulder, was polite even when he was condescending and rude. Let’s say I had not chosen that approach and had returned the bad attitude. Now we are off to a bad start. You are mad because you feel you should be respected at all times. I am mad because you have no right to be an ass without even talking to me first. I do not care if you deal with 1 or 100 drivers who were asses right off the hop, we are not all like that. Some of us are, like you, professionals. That means we will give you some respect right off the hop, and continue to as long as you return the favor to us. In spite of what some veterans may tell you. Again maybe look at how they approach the drivers right from hello. Now if you were raised like I was, your parents taught you to respect others, especially your elders, whether it is a driver or your training officer. For some of us “older guys and gals” to be disrespected by a young officer is tough to swallow since some of us will have gone backwards more than you have gone forwards. Kind of crude I know but it does get the point across - I hope.

We may be on opposite sides of the counter, but nothing says you cannot learn a thing or two from us,

and we cannot learn a thing or two from you. We, as professional drivers. do our best to be just that professional. We try to learn the rules and do our best to follow them. Yes we may stretch them a bit, but that does not make it wrong. The world is not black and white in spite of what your training officers tell you. Common sense must play a part in your job. Remember, just like us if you are unsure, look it up in the regulations. Some of us have and do have a pretty good grasp on them, so if we question you, it is because we read it one way, and you may have read it another. Does not mean we are wrong just because you say so. Does not mean either of us has read it right either. We both may be off the mark. Try to be open minded enough to help bridge the gap between us and you. We can all play nice in the sand box if we want. Let’s face it nobody likes a bully, or an ass.

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REFLECTIONS THRU MY WINDSHIELD

By Dave Madill Dave was Pro-Trucker Magazine’s Rig of the Month in June of 2001 Jury Rigging I was sitting in the Calgary yard when the dispatcher came out and asked if I\ “would do him a favour” and take a short run up to Lloydminster with a rush load. Now I usually pass on these ones but the pay was pretty fair and it was only one piece of cement pipe six feet long but it weighed 32,000 pounds. Dispatch gave me a trailer number and I found I was pulling a double drop that looked in good condition so away I went to load.

Into the pipe yard and here is this huge piece of pipe, six feet long, ten feet in diameter and about a foot thick all over.

The yard wanted to load it lengthwise but I talked them out of that because of safety concerns, and had it loaded crosswise on the trailer and proceeded to chain it down using just about every piece of iron I had. Well the thing was on the trailer but because of its spot weight the trailer had a sag in the middle and only had about two inches ground clearance. Now I knew why this paid so well because just

APril 2017

by looking at it I could tell that secondary highways were definitely off the travel list and I was going to have to take the long way around through Edmonton and then to the Yellowhead otherwise I would scrape bottom and possibly get high centered on the back roads.

Away we go and my old F Model Mack was pulling fine and my log book was good to go. Plugged in a Merle Haggard tape, cranked up the sound and away I went. Calgary scales pulled me in for an inspection, just in case, but checked me over and gave me the green light and it was hammer down.

Now this was a rush so I didn’t dally around and the only stops I made were to do load and tire checks and a stop at the Edmonton Husky for a quick coffee and a sandwich.

Coming up on about 2 am and I was about thirty miles outside Lloyd when I topped a small hill and had 3 deer, (does) cross right in front of me. Gave a little sigh of relief that I had missed them when out of nowhere appeared about the nicest 4 point buck I had ever seen and he slammed right dead centre into my cab and hung there just below the windshield before slipping out of sight and going under the truck. Now there was a pickup truck about fifty yards behind me and when that deer went under the trailer, as low as it was, it came out as hamburger and plastered the front of his truck. At the same time as he went under I heard a clunk, swoosh and now I had steam coming from under my truck so I quickly pulled to the side and shut my truck down but left the flashers on and turned on my rotators.

Alberta Big Rig Weekend July 14-16 in Nisku, Alberta

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My first check was to see if the pickup driver was ok and except for blood, guts and hamburger he had no problems but the swoosh was my lower rad hose letting go and it was ripped right in half. I crawled underneath and removed both pieces and since I didn’t have any way to fix it we put out flares and I hitched a ride into Lloyd and waited until the garage opened in the morning.

Now this hose was about eight inches long but had a complete S in it so might be a bit of a problem. Checked all over town and finally the mechanic at the Case dealer came up with the solution. Two ninety degree hoses with about six inches of steel pipe that they had lying around and a bunch of heavy gear clamps. The mechanic was great and had me hop in his truck and drove me back to my rig then helped me install our jury rig fix and we filled up the rad with plain water for the duration of the trip.

The load eventually did get delivered on time and I dead headed back to Calgary and went home for the weekend where I drained my rad and refilled it with antifreeze mixture. I went into Mack Monday morning and ordered a new hose and then went back to the yard where they were complaining about the stench in the trailer yard. I never said a word, I just grabbed another load and went back on the road. I don’t know if anyone ever cleaned out under that drop deck but by the time I got back it was long gone.

That jury rig setup on my rad was still there a year later when I sold my truck and it wasn’t until about six months

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“Great,” she said. “Can you watch my dog?”

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APril 2017

Alberta Big Rig Weekend July 14-16 in Nisku, Alberta

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IDLE TIME

By Scott Casey Scott, our Rig of The Month for May 2003 has written “Ghostkeepers” a book about his years as a gun toting truck driver while serving as a Canadian Peacekeeper in the former Yugoslavia.

A Sandy View I have always been an advocate of safety, whether I’m working around the house, driving my truck, or shooting at the range. So why is it that being safety conscious is so difficult for some? When it comes to safety, at what point do you throw your hands up in despair? Is it when the realization hits, that some people who are as intelligent as most, just don’t get the point? Or do you continue the path of due diligence and keep hammering the message home?

During a recent safety discussion, the point of how an increased speed culture was being fostered, and its nature is leading to imminent incidents. The proponents for enforcing speed limits and professionalism tabled their opinions to the group. To which nods of approval were noticed in every line of seated individuals at the meeting. It seemed, that safety for all on the job site was received well.

But then it happened.

“Why does everyone single out and pick on the fast drivers? How many speed related incidents have there been? None. So why make speed an issue?”

Initially, I was stunned by the comment/questions, but that was immediately replaced by a mounting anger.

It was magnified by the fact that the fellow is also a competent driver - a once faster driver - but had since slowed down, citing that it just wasn’t smart to go that fast. Yet, here he was, being very vocal defending those few individuals who just haven’t quite figured it out that speeding is dangerous. Not speed like you might encounter on the highway, slower, speeds combined with colossal weights. 800,000lbs of colossal weight.

If speed is not a factor, then why are there a multitude of work safe posters blazoned with the adages, “Don’t Rush the Task,” or “Rushing Leads to Spills.” If speed is not an issue, then why do we not push trainees to do everything at an accelerated pace?

The most important aspect of stopping is traction.

Tires and road conditions play pivotal roles in stopping.

A vehicle can have a brand new braking system with the best driver behind the wheel; put them on a solid sheet of ice, and watch how it plays out. Speed, weight, and the law of physics, follow behind traction. When the weight is doubled, the stopping distance is doubled.

When the speed is doubled, the stopping distance is four times the stopping distance, and when both speed and weight are doubled, the stopping distance is eight times PAGE 12

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Many war stories are told from an officer’s point of view. In this 100,582 word true account I, Corporal Scott Casey, expose the truth that was Operation Harmony. I dare you to feel my feelings and to see the Balkans War through my eyes at the ground level frontline perspective. Follow me, a member of November Company, The Royal Canadian Regiment into the depths of Hell. It will be a challenge not to change the way you look at humanity. Whether you are a Canadian or not, this gripping tale of GHOSTKEEPERS, will give you a new respect for the soldiers who put their lives on the line “In the Service of Peace.”

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PRO-TRUCKER MAGAZINEe

april 2017

Alberta Big Rig Weekend July 14-16 in Nisku, Alberta

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PRO-TRUCKER MAGAZINEe

longer than normal. The reason for this is simple physics.

The equation for it looks like this, Ek=1/2mv2 (Kinetic Energy = 1/2 mass x velocity squared). Energy must be displaced somehow and in this case, it’s displaced through distance. Combine these factors with road conditions and reaction time, (also known as thinking distance) which if the driver is paying 100% attention and is not suffering from illness or fatigue, sees an average 1.5-2.0 second delay from the time that a stop is acknowledged to the actual moment the brakes are applied, by then the vehicle has already eaten up some of the crucial stopping distance.

Motor vehicle collision/fatality statistics have been posted for years and tell a chilling story. Those statistics can be applied to any driving platform with ease, whether it’s highway or off highway applications.

Equipment damage is also a factor regarding speed.

Logically speaking, rough roads combined with speed and gross weights, equal an increase in stress and eventual metal fatigue. These conditions can and often do lead to catastrophic equipment failure, which in turn creates the possibility for an incident. At the time of writing this article a truck suffered a catastrophic equipment failure and lost a wheel.

The above points have all been raised at past safety meetings. Still, there are those, who drive with little or no regard for the laws of physics or of the safety of their

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Alberta Big Rig Weekend July 14-16 in Nisku, Alberta

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THE DIESEL GYPSY

By Bill Weatherstone This is an excerpt from Bill’s book, “The Life and Times of William John Weatherstone.”

Embarrassing Moment During this period, I had a very embarrassing trip. It was an extremely busy year. You had to fight for a day off, and the only real way, was to get someone to run a trip for you.

Well this time you could not even buy a driver. There were none available. This particular company was a team-driver operation. My partner at the time was BILL G. he was also the proud owner of this sleek new cab over HAYES tractor.

He was also hungry for the miles. He wanted to get it paid off as soon as possible. At this time, we were on about the sixth or seventh trip in a row, (from Alberta to Ontario) without a day off.

My girlfriend was upset with me, for not being around enough. I told her that I would phone on Sunday morning from wherever I was at the time. Well it was in the first part of October and was pretty dark and frosty at 6:00am, local time. It was an hour later at home.

I was just motoring along US # 2 Highway, about 30 to

PAGE 16

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GREAT, it was working. I made my call, and she was upset with me, and telling me that I did not love her, that if I did, I would be with her now. When I finished, I headed over to the truck and deep in thought, I jumped in and took off.

I was flying down the road when, about 20 minutes later, a set of headlights came barreling up behind me. It was the first car I had seen in 4 hrs and all of a sudden the lights were flashing on and off and a siren started wailing. What in hell did I do now? I pulled over onto the shoulder and the cop came running up to me, yelling, “Where is your partner?” I said he was sleeping in the bunk. He said, “Get him up, I want to see him.”

“Okay, Okay,” I said, don’t get your shorts in an uproar.”

I climbed up into the cab and yelled at Bill to get up.

He did not answer, so I pulled up the curtain, and the bunk was empty. Well I guess the look on my face was a sight of horror. It was then that the trooper started laughing and could not stop.

It seems that a couple of State Troopers were cruising down old # 2 on an early Sunday morning, not expecting anything out in nowhere, when they came across, what they thought, was a pervert standing on the side of a deserted highway, dressed only in a pair of jockey shorts and cowboy boots. He was cold and shivering, and had no ID of any kind.( except for a tattoo) They threw him in the cruiser and were about to take him in, when he finally convinced them that he was a team driver. Apparently he had woke up to natures call, slipped on his boots and jumped down closing the door behind him. He then went around the back of the trailer to do his thing. He was completely out of sight when I finished my phone call. I pulled away, leaving him standing there (in the middle of nowhere) still doing his thing.

The cops finally gave in and called for another, to look for and stop an eastbound speeding truck. When they caught me and told me what happened, I wheeled around and headed back to pick up my lost partner. After I picked

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PrO-TrUCKEr MAGAZiNEe

him up, and for another day or so, the conversation between us was limited.

Why did it happen? He broke an unwritten law. When running two drivers and one climbs out of the bunk for any reason, or amount of time, you leave the curtain open. When I climbed back into the cab, I could not have missed seeing an open curtain, thus knowing he was out of the truck.

For years afterward whenever we went out for a beer with the boys, that embarrassing incident always seemed to creep into the conversation. *****

From the Editor’s Desk - Continued from page 3 likely be the softwood lumber agreement. This, for lack of a better term, trade war, has been ongoing since the early 1980’s. The dispute itself is over the U.S. Lumber Coalition’s claim that the Canadian lumber industry is unfairly subsidized as most lumber in Canada is owned by the provincial governments while U.S. timber is privately owned. Past practice has been for the U.S. to impose tariffs and then have Canada fight them down over a series of ruling and appeals that can take up to 5 years. Since 1982 there have been 5 separate rounds of litigation and Canada has won them all. At the same time, while the litigation was going on, the U.S. Lumber Coalition accomplishes its ultimate goal of driving up prices for their members.

Why is this agreement so important to Canada’s economy? The forest industry directly accounts for approximately 232,700 Canadian jobs as well as 289,000 indirect Canadian jobs in other sectors.

The opposition to tariffs that the U.S. coalition faces in their own country is from the U.S. National Association of Home Builders, who estimate a 25 per cent duty on Canadian lumber would result in about 8,000 American jobs lost due to the rise in lumber costs.

By the way, softwood tariffs would not bring in more jobs in the U.S. as they do not have the capacity to meet their own needs. At this time they are threatening to increase the amount of lumber they bring in from Brazil which, although the amount is small, is the second largest exporter of lumber to the U.S. I doubt this would make a big difference to the amount that Canadian exports as the U.S. Lumber Coalition would still insist on keeping the price of Brazilian lumber as high as Canadian Lumber. Canada on the other hand has made good progress in exporting lumber to China as well as other Asian countries.

This whole scenario puts the Trump administration in a precarious position. He campaigned on creating jobs for Americans but he is already facing a revolt within the Republican ranks on some of his policies.

Putting American jobs at risk would only divide his party more.

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PAGE 19

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Rig of the Month

by John White

My name is Aaron Perreault, and I grew up just south years old our stepdad died so those early years weren’t of Stony Plain, Alberta. My mother, Brenda, was a single easy for her. I attended Graminia School through my mom to my younger sister Amy and me. When I was 10 younger years and then went on to High School in Spruce

PAGE 20

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Grove. During the years that I was in high school we had a neighbour, Cliff Schultz, who had a trucking company, C. Schultz Enterprises. Every chance I got I would ride with his son Clayton, while he delivered milk and ice cream for Dairyland. I soon learned what it was like to be a trucker as we had to get up in the middle of the night so that we could get to the stores early enough that they could stock their shelves for morning.

Cliff’s trucks were beautiful and he kept them inside his shop so they were always in showroom condition. As a 16 year old life didn’t get much better than riding shot gun in that shiny old Kenworth with a 400 Cat engine. I’m pretty sure that by the time I had got back from that first ride I knew exactly what I wanted to do for a living. Cliff still has trucks and as always, he keeps them in great shape.

The years just seemed to fly by when I was growing up.

We lived in a mobile home beside the family riding arena on the same ½ section of land as our five cousins, who were just a 2 minute quad ride across the field from us. There were four boys and one girl in their family and we were all around the same age. It was great growing up on the farm with them so close. We did pretty much everything together - right up until I started to drive.

My mom and my aunt and uncle and all my cousins were heavily into horses and they all trained in the arena and competed in Team Penning. Not me though, the only thing I was interested in on the farm was the trucks and equipment.

APril 2017

Aaron Perreault I worked on at Haarsma Farms while in high school and did everything from running a sprayer to an air seeder and the combine. Once I got my class 3 license I hauled potatoes for them. It was kind of funny how I got my class 3. Norm from Haarsma Farms drove the truck in to town for me so

Alberta Big Rig Weekend July 14-16 in Nisku, Alberta

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PrO-TrUCKEr MAGAZiNEe

I could get my license. He just dropped me and the truck off and told me to do my test and then drive the truck back whether I passed the test or not. I passed.

From that point on it just seemed to spiral. I ended up going to work in Fort Nelson for Al Bumstead Water Services. After my first winter there, just a year after I got my class 3, I went in and got my Class 1. I worked in Fort Nelson for four winters and started out driving a water truck, delivering fresh water to camps and rig shacks that were in the middle of nowhere. I then moved up to a truck and water tanker and then a lowboy moving shacks and various other things.

My boss, Doug Mould, was awesome. He had a lot of faith in me and much needed patience as I learned the different aspects of the job while working alongside his sons, Kevin and Derek. I had a blast up there and I met some really good people who taught me a lot – or at least as much as you can teach an 18 year old, who thinks he already knows everything.

Old Archie Morrison was another part of the crew and a well-known familiar face up there. We worked together for a few years and we became quite close before he retired back to Manitoba. He was a crazy old boy and the stories he would tell would have you laughing so hard you would be in tears most of the time. He was the type of guy that once you met him you could never forget him. He was a good friend and we kept in touch right up until he died in

January of this year.

From the time I was 18 to 25 I bounced around a lot. I worked for a number of different companies and drove a lot of different trucks but for some reason most of them were Kenworths. Yes there were a few companies that had different trucks but as far as I can recall a good 90% of the ones I worked for had Kenworths.

In April 2007 I lost my mom to cancer and it was a huge shock. She was a big part of my life and I took it pretty hard. I had to grow up fast at that point not having her to help me with a lot of the stuff. After she passed I got a job working for Thompson Bros. Construction in Spruce Grove.

I worked there moving equipment for two years and pretty much called that place my home. To this day I am still really good friends with some of the people that work there. I don’t want to lose touch with any of them as they taught me a lot and helped me grow through some tough times. I started out hauling smaller loads and then, as they could see that I was catching on, I moved to the bigger stuff.

One of the guys that I really looked up to and I guess you could call my mentor was Neville Bentz. He was the one who got me going on bigger equipment like the 48 wheeler. After that I never looked back, I drove a 2001 T800 with C16 and it had all kinds of power. It was an awesome truck and it worked great for what I had to do with the 48 wheeler. I moved anything from our 850 hoes to triple 777 rock trucks. Charlie Westfall was a mechanic at Thompson

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PRO-TRUCKER MAGAZINEe

Bros. He had been there forever and he also took the time to teach me many things. I take great pride in being on time and doing my job to the best of my ability. I never had any complaints so I got along great with my superintendents.

In the fall of 2011 I decided that it was time to stay home and focus on working around here. I had been gone so much that I had lost touch with many of my friends and everything that was going on around home. But instead of working for someone else I decided to start a custom crop spraying business. I bought a 1992 Kenworth w900b with a 425 cat and a 15 speed and called my company AP Custom Contracting. I struggled a bit with the name as I did not want to limit myself to any one aspect of the industry and settled on this because it pretty well covers anything I want to do in trucking or farming.

Spraying crops is not as easy as it sounds, Mother Nature is a big player in the game. There are a number of things you have to consider not the least of which is applying the herbicide at the right time for the crop. I found it a challenge but I absolutely loved it. I had to go to school to get my applicators license which took me a few times but I did get it which is something I was proud of because I really sucked in school. I worked for Sturgeon Valley fertilizers the very first year I own Sprayer and then continued on from there, eventually expanding with a fertilizer floater as well. A floater spreads dry fertilizer that the farmer works into the ground himself.

I had found that truck on Kijiji during harvest time so I wasn’t able to get away but the guy that owned it in Clearwater, BC, told me that he would hold it for a while.

As soon as we had time my good friend Brian and I ran over to look at it and when we got there we found it was full of green moss. It obviously hadn’t been used for a while but it was definitely the one I was looking for. We took it for a spin and it stalled the first time I used the Jake so I had to get it boosted as the batteries were toast from sitting so long. That didn’t stop me though, I went to the bank got a certified check and an in-transit permit and drove it home.

It has come a long way since then. I polished it, put on new rims and rubber, new exhaust and all kinds of other little things to make the truck look the way it does now. I still have this truck and will forever keep it and hold it dear to my heart. I now keep it in the shed during the winter time and use it as a spare in the summertime.

I ended up buying a used set of grain trailers in Saskatchewan and decided to haul some grain. There is not a lot of money to be made doing that but I loved doing it and it was a good fit to fill in my time between my other jobs. I drove the 92 Kenworth and sprayed and hauled grain with it up until I bought a beautiful candy apple red 2001 Kenworth W 900 with a C16 cat engine. It was on consignment with Regina Custom Truck Sales and Lou Nogue, the original owner, had bought it new and kept it in mint condition.

Talking to him was what convinced me, so I drove it home from Regina and loved every minute of it.

PAGE 24

In the fall of 2013 I bought a new set a grain trailers to match the truck and everything was going along great, business was steady and I was pretty proud of what I had managed to accomplish. Then on December 19, 2013 a kid crossed the centreline on the bridge in Fort Saskatchewan and I hit them head-on with a full load of grain behind me.

The truck, the trailers, and two pickups were totaled in the accident. Fortunately everyone survived but it shut down traffic for about three hours while we cleaned up the mess.

Doug from DRM Recovery came to the rescue and we moved the truck and trailer out of the way and then split everything and hauled the truck home to the shed. I ended up selling the truck later on to a guy in Plamondon Alberta.

I’ve been in some pretty hairy situations over the years but that accident by far scared me the most. It took me a while to drive again but three months later I went out and bought a new trailer and started hauling grain again.

I’ve been pretty fortunate with the law-enforcement. I haven’t had many problems with them. I do my job and I make sure everything looks good when I go across the scales which I’m sure has had a lot to do with the fact that they treat me well. If you look good they seem to have a different attitude and I’ve learned that if you treat people the way you want to be treated, you usually don’t have too many problems. They have a job to do and if you go in with an attitude they are just as likely to give one back. I believe strongly in the whole yes sir no sir thing and no question is ever a dumb question. Live and let live, we’re all in this together.

I bought a 2006 Kenworth tri drive in August of 2014.

It had a stainless tank on it and I hauled water locally with it for a few winters in between the crop spraying and grain hauling. I also used it to cater to the sprayer in the summertime but with the oilfield slowing down and the future uncertain I decided to sell it after just a few years.

The years flew by as I was looking after farmers doing custom spraying and running the fertilizer floater and hauling grain. It was awesome but in the spring of 2015 I needed new equipment but the prices had gone up so much that it didn’t make sense anymore so I decided to sell my custom spraying and floating business and just focus on trucking. I sold my sprayer and my custom built set of super b’s to a farmer in Saskatchewan and the fertilizer floater went to a local friend of mine.

After selling the sprayer business I bought a Muvall equipment trailer from the local John Deere dealership. I knew the trailer had been well looked after, with only a few guys pulling it, so I decided to take a chance and buy it and move some equipment. I haven’t looked back since - it’s been awesome.

I work for a lot of the local dealerships and farmers and I love every minute of it. It’s been a lot of fun moving different equipment and delivering equipment to farmers and other customers. My heart has always been in both farming and trucking so this combination is a great fit for

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Alberta Big Rig Weekend July 14-16 in Nisku, Alberta

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PrO-TrUCKEr MAGAZiNEe

a lot of that can be attributed to the many good people I’ve met along the way.

Editor’s note: It isn’t often I get the opportunity to talk to someone who personally knows our Rig of the Month driver but this time I got lucky. This is what Aaron’s Aunt Lorraine had to say about Aaron: From a toddler, Aaron was very meticulous about his toy trucks, cars and tractors. He would arrange his toys in a certain order and get extremely upset when his baby sister would walk in the carefully arranged rows of equipment and kick them about. He also had a collection of old keys, no longer needed for any vehicles and packed so many around in his pockets that his pants wouldn’t stay up. His mom had to carefully figure out how to downsize his collection without him knowing.

Aaron always had a fascination with anything with a motor and wheels. When his dad passed away in 1993 he and his sister continued to live on the farm with their mom.

He had many opportunities to work with horses or cattle, but he always leaned to the equipment. He did not share the love of horses that his mom had instead he loved and took such pride in driving any piece of equipment from his truck to farm equipment to heavy equipment.

Over the years Aaron had jobs helping out the local farmers with anything from seeding to harvest. With being very determined, Aaron always worked better for himself.

Working for others was frustrating for him as he was

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I had been looking for a new truck to replace the one I wrote off in the accident when my salesman at Peterbilt in Edmonton, Doyle Moncrieff, put me on to a local guy from the Stony Plain area, Devin Davidson. I knew Devin’s trucks and told the salesman that I would take it without even looking at it. Knowing that it was a big purchase didn’t bother me, I knew I could handle it if I kept my nose to the grindstone. The next weekend I went down and it was love at first sight and I bought it right away. It is a beautiful Burgundy 2014 Peterbilt 388 with a 48 inch bunk and a 232 wheel base and it’s got a PACCAR engine with super 40s and 390 gears.

The truck is awesome, it looks clean and I get a lot of compliments on it. I had Sheldon at Marcep Manufacturing build a rear hitch and a counterweight for it so I am now equipped to move pretty much anything. I also upgraded my trailer to a new 40 ton capacity double drop with a removable neck which allows me to haul a much wider variety of equipment than my old trailer.

April of this year will mark the 10th year that my mom is been gone and it’s been a tough chew but knowing she would be proud of me keeps my head held high and me moving forward . Life isn’t always easy but if you surround yourself with people that care, then it’s a breeze!

My work has taken me on many adventures some have been good and some bad but overall it’s been pretty cool and

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Alberta Big Rig Weekend July 14-16 in Nisku, Alberta

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PrO-TrUCKEr MAGAZiNEe

what boondoggle Mr. Trump has embroiled himself in and what outrageous “alternative facts” he and his cohorts have come up with. to justify their existence in the Oval Office, which is becoming less and less justifiable as the clock moves forward. Of course the bad court decisions, the detractors and his own party attempting to sabotage him plus the conspiring, lowly, dishonest out-of-control media disaster ... my goodness how could they? … are all attributed to other factions, none of it his fault … classic sociopathic behaviour. My opinion of course, however I am fairly certain it is somewhat widely shared.

I had to laugh at his take on uranium when attempting to explain that being friendly with Russia is a good thing.

“You know what uranium is, right? It’s this thing called nuclear weapons. And other things. Like lots of things are done with uranium. Including some bad things. But nobody talks about that.” Thank you Mr. President for RIVING HROUGH MY EMORIES explaining it so comprehensively.

By Ed Murdoch I hauled raw uranium ore from mines in northern Ed has held a commercial drivers Saskatchewan to the Blind River, Ontario Eldorado license for 65 years and has spent uranium refinery in the ‘80s. We had to wear hospital the better part of 50 years on the whites complete with gloves, goulashes and respiratory road. You can get Ed’s new book at protection when entering the plant and our persons and the www.drivingthroughmymemories.ca truck and trailer had to endure a deactivation bath when Two months into the new presidency and chaos still leaving the premises ... quite an adventure. My son asked a reigns south of the border. Last thing before bed and first lab technician for a rock sample for my wife who collected thing in the morning I turn on a major newscast to see into rocks and asked if there was a problem with him putting

meticulous with the operation and cleanliness of anything he drove. He always wanted to be his “own” boss.

When his mom passed away in 2007, he took on the responsibility of owning his own home and managing his own financial needs.

For Aaron, it only made sense to invest in his own equipment and start his own company. Spraying crops, hauling grain, fertilizer and water, he manages to keep extremely busy. Now hauling equipment from one end of the province to the other is another love of his.

Owning your own equipment and managing your own business comes with its share of problems, but Aaron was never known to let any grass grow under his feet. He knows how to work hard and takes very little time off for rest and relaxation.

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.com Enjoy Back issues of Pro-Trucker Magazine anywhere you are from the comfort of your smart phone!

Enjoy our Rig of The Month Archives on the go!

Stay up-to-date with Pro-Trucker news and events on our Facebook page & group! Cool truck pictures, jokes, contests and live chat with Pro-Trucker Magazine’s contributing writers! www.facebook.com/groups/7374383222/ and www.facebook.com/ProTruckerMagazine

APril 2017

Alberta Big Rig Weekend July 14-16 in Nisku, Alberta

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PrO-TrUCKEr MAGAZiNEe

it in his pocket. The techie said, “Depends if you want to have children or not!” Ha … a natural prophylactic!

The state of the US trucking industry is in flux, not chaos just yet but in flux, and it is already having an effect on Canadian truckers entering that divided country.

Currently the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has no director and is waiting for the president to appoint one, hopefully it will not be an incompetent yes man. He has promised to nix two proposed regulations for every new one adopted and that puts the speed limiter rule in jeopardy. This probably won’t evoke much shedding of tears since it is vastly unpopular with drivers and owneroperators. It has never been thoroughly researched and it will likely be a while yet before implementing as there has been no consensus on the speed limit. 60, 65 and 68 mph have all been suggested but apparently other options are also being considered. Speed limiters have not done well in Ontario and Quebec where they have been mandated since January 1, 2009.

The Electronic Logging Device legislation is likely to pass however, since it is to begin in December this year and it was originally put forward by the Republican majority in the house in 2012. But as we all know, he’s now at odds with his own party. The ELD topic is still controversial. While I and many other participants in the industry believe the legislation will be warmly accepted once the drivers and their supervisors catch onto them, there are those who feel that there will be a debilitating but temporary capacity shortage to haul the nation’s freight from points A to B. That is because unlike paper logs the electronic substitutes cannot be fudged to accommodate scheduling problems that occur on a daily basis in most operations. Many of these problems are caused when not enough time is allowed to cover the miles legally. In reality they are just unrealistic promises that are glibly made by dispatchers who then push drivers to the limits of compliance and beyond. But the reality is paperwork will be reduced to a minimum which ought to free up more revenue earning time for driving. Drivers will also be able to make a better case for receiving remuneration for ALL the work they accomplish in a 24 hour period on the job.

Perhaps this will also encourage Labour Canada to bump truck driver up from semi-skilled (pun not intended) to a skilled labour vocation. If all that were to happen then perhaps a career in the industry would be more attractive and Canada would not be looking at a shortage of the 33,000 drivers predicted to be needed by 2020.

One owner operator recently told me that he absolutely loves the electronic logging device in his truck as it removes a huge portion of paperwork allowing him more time behind the wheel. He says that using the extra freed up time he can now legally log up to 670 miles per day in the USA. He just gets into the cab punches a couple of buttons and away he goes. He says he can also occasionally complete fueling in 8 minutes so he doesn’t have to show PAGE 30

A

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a 15 minute increment as he would on a paper log. At the end of the day it all adds up to extra miles and extra $$$$.

This same owner operator asked me to spar with US Customs & Border Protection over an alleged cabotage attempt. He brought me a US Customs penalty of $1,000 for alleged fraud and cabotage or an illegal interstate movement picking up in the US for delivery in the US. His sealed load, to be picked up in the State of Washington, was going to Mexico and he was to have it inspected upon reaching the Mexican border at Nogales, AZ and then transfer it directly onto a Mexican carrier’s trailer. This is where the concern was. His trailer was to be unloaded on this side of the border with the freight transferred directly to a Mexican trailer. He had done it before with the blessings of a CBP officer at a different POE. That agent said it was perfectly within the ICC and INS parameters.

This time he was refused entry and turned back at the border so no violation was actually committed and I believe we will be successful in beating this one.

That other officer may have been under the impression that the trailer would be going into Mexico with a Mexican driver. It’s the load that would be okay but not the driver who does not carry a green card. If an American driver was to do the movement it would be fine so it is Immigration and not the DOT he was offending. These movements are in a bit of a grey area but with the tightening of the borders and everything else that’s going in the States nowadays no one knows for sure just what tomorrow will bring. Better

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to be safe than sorry and so be assured of your rights prior to making a move. Currently there is no shortage of freight crossing the border into the USA. Motor with care … 10-4!

The new car

Drivers 70-80 CENTS PER MILE!

*****

A retired older couple returned to a Mercedes dealership where the salesman has just sold the car they had been interested in to a beautiful, leggy, busty blonde in a mini skirt and a halter top.

The old man was visibly upset. He spoke to the salesman sharply, “Young man, I thought you said you would hold that car till we raised the $55,000 asking price.

Yet I just overheard you closed the deal for $45,000 to the lovely young lady there. And if I remember right, you had insisted there was no way you could discount this model.”

The salesman took a deep breath, cleared his throat and reached for a large glass of water. “Well, what can I tell you? She had the cash ready, didn’t need any financing help, and, Sir, just look at her, how could I resist?”, replied the grinning salesman sheepishly.

Just then the young woman approached the senior couple and gave the car keys to the old man.

“There you go,” she said. “I told you I could get that idiot to lower the price. See you later Dad, Happy Father’s day.”

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By Lane Kranenburg Lane is a former driver, fleet owner and former Executive Director of the AMTA The Fear And Facts About Carbon The federal and provincial governments have agreed that the citizens of our great country should be subject to a new tax. This tax is because we are responsible for letting C02 into our environment, and we are in fact doing just that.

However, the amount of CO2 we release is minimal, and the volume that is required by our northern forests, and for all trees is as follows.

This information was published by Edmonton Sun writer Mr. Bonokowski, and his article outlines the actual emission of co2 and the need for co2.

Per his sources, Canada has 990 million acres of forest, 370 million acres of wetlands and 167 million acres of crop yielding farmland. These are known as “carbon sinks”. Biologists tell us that trees absorb about 2.6 tones of carbon per acre. So, if you do the math: 36-trillion tones (the amount of world emissions) X 0.0167% equals 601.2 million tones, this is the amount that Canada contributes to the world emissions.

In the forests alone, Canada absorbs almost four times of carbon it emits. This means that the other three quarters of our forests are being sustained by carbon being emitted by the rest of the world. This calculation does not consider the wetland and farmland that also absorb carbon.

When you really think about these facts, Canada could not get any greener, so why are we being punished by our politicians with this “carbon tax”? What a complete and utter joke!

If the media were at all honest they would publish this information and give the Canadian citizens the real story. In fact, there is a good case for us to be given

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credit, given the fact that we contribute to the absorbing of carbon from other countries.

If the government wants to tax the people, the government should look closer at spending and then consider a tax, but quit coloring it as a carbon tax, call it what it is, a provincial or federal tax. Our federal and provincial debt currently sits at approximately 1.23 trillion dollars, so that may be an indicator of the responsibility that should be placed on the shoulders of our political persons both present and past! By the way should you wonder what 1.23 trillion-dollar debt is, it is that every Canadian citizen owes approximately $36,000.00 if we were to repay that debt.

These facts should also be given to the protesters that continue to get false and misleading information from our press. It may be that the 45th President of the United States of America has a point about the so-called press.

Why does the CBC, a taxpayer funded news network not tell the Canadian people the truth, we as taxpayers give the CBC more than a BILLION dollars, and they continue to cater to the reigning government, probably to continue to receive this massive amount of taxpayer money!

And with regards to our government leaders, continuing to use scare tactics on the environment, and climate change, they can use these issues to collect more taxes, shame on our provincial and federal government

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And again, it is very important to remember that a professional driver must undergo a great deal of training to qualify him or her to drive a transport truck, while political people require no training whatsoever to sit our government houses. It shows very clearly when our prime minister makes statements like “the budget will balance itself”.

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.

Class 1 License I love reading the tales from the other old drivers in Pro-Trucker Magazine, but the story from Ed Murdoch, in the October issue, got me thinking. He wrote that he got a letter telling him his (DMER) Driver Medical Examination Report, had not been scheduled for a number of years. Things must be different over there, because on our wee lump of rock your class 1 license renewal comes in every 5 years up until you’re 65 and there’s a medical form included.

It must be filled in by your doctor, or one of the places that specialise in driver medicals, but either way it’s going to cost you money. My own doctor charged me £170 the last time, not too bad a return for 30 minutes’ work.That, and all the other charges drivers have to pay on a regular basis, i.e. renewing your drivers card, that’s the one that goes in the e-log machine, CPC card, ADR card for hazardous goods. The CPC card requires drivers to complete 35 hours of training every 5 years, most companies pay for that, but if you’re an owner operator that’s a lost week of earnings. For me, along with the deteriorating standard of driving, cars and trucks included, it made the choice not to renew my class 1 very easy.

Ed admitted it was mostly an ego thing, wanting to hang onto his CDL, which he’d had for 65 years. I, on the

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other hand, had no doubts. I reckon I’ve had the best the job can give, it was time to move on. It just so happened not long after my 65th birthday my licence renewal came in the post, I never hesitated putting the form through the shredder. My company asked when I came in on the morning of my last shift if I would like any part time work - not a chance.

A couple of my buddies stayed on an extra year and worked till they were 66, one fell off the back of a trailer and had a bad head injury and he was off for 10 weeks.

Another landed in hospital with a recurring leg problem.

I like the old school way of things, where old guys retire and make way for the younger generation. Unfortunately, the younger generation don’t seem to be filling the gap, not surprising really with all the technology in a truck cab nowadays. Most of it designed to pinpoint the driver and the truck, any unauthorised stops or uneconomical driving technique. So if you can’t stop for a quick toilet break without the office asking why the truck isn’t moving, it’s not surprising jobs are slow to fill.

Dashcams are a great idea though, as we’ve all seen on social media clips, they can show the kind of driving truckers have to deal with on a daily basis.

If you read my story in Pro-Trucker called, Canadian Trip, you might get a hint that my good lady wife is not very comfortable traveling in busy traffic. The other day we were coming home from visiting relatives in Melton

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Mowbray, a six-hour drive from bonnie Scotland, we were sitting in three north bound lanes of solid, slow moving traffic. I looked in the mirror to see a young guy in a Mitsubishi 4x4 right up my tail pipe, his face was right up at the windshield, shaking his head, a gap opened in the lane to his right and he yanked the wheel over. I think he was intending to get in the gap in front of me, but the gap closed when the all the traffic slowed, he braked hard, came around behind me with the horn blaring as if it was my fault.

And that was his standard of driving. My excited wife gasped every time he zig-zagged up the highway across the three lanes of slow traffic. He had his wife and kids in the car, how would a trucker feel if that idiot jumped in front of him and the traffic suddenly stopped?

Just one more reason I’m glad to be a retired trucker.

The Pitch

OWNER OPERATORS WANTED

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*****

Ole, the smoothest-talking Norske in the Minnesota National Guard and a natural born salesman, got called up to active duty.

Ole’s first assignment was in a military induction center. Because he was a good talker, they assigned him the duty of advising new recruits about government benefits, especially the GI life insurance, to which they were entitled.

The officer in charge soon noticed that Ole was getting a 99% sign-up rate for the more expensive supplemental form of GI insurance. This was remarkable, because it cost these low-income recruits $30 per month for the higher coverage, compared to what the government was already providing at no charge.

The officer decided he’d sit in the back of the room at the next briefing and observe Ole’s sales pitch. Ole stood up before the latest group of inductees and said, “If you haf da normal GI insurans an’ yoo go to Afghanistan an’ get yourself killed, da governmen’ pays yer beneficiary $20,000. If yoo take out da supplemental insurans, vich cost you only t’irty dollars a mont, den da governmen’ got ta pay yer beneficiary $200,000! Now, Ole concluded...

“Vich bunch you tink dey gonna send ta Afghanistan

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Big Rig Thunder From Vancouver to Halifax and wherever they may roam Millions of miles of highways that the big rigs call their home Come stand beside that highway anytime of night or day Hear the mighty roll of thunder as they pass along the way Across the snow capped mountains and over hill and plain No matter what the weather be it sun or snow or rain They travel every highway and haul every type of load You know they would drive thru hell if the devil built a road Lights shine in the darkness, see the shine of chrome and steel And a special breed of driver that sits behind the wheel The rhythm of the engine and the whining of the tires It sets their blood to pumping and sets their souls on fire This highway is a special place, come listen to the song The sound of rolling thunder as the big rig moves along Come stand beside the highway anytime of night or day Hear the mighty roll of thunder as they pass along their way

by 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 PAGE 38

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