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FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK... BY JOHN WHITE
VOLUME 21, 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 • Scott Casey • Cyn Tobin Greg Evasiuk • Dale Howard Ed Murdoch • Colin Black • David Rusk Bill Weatherstone • Lane Kranenburg PHOTOGRAPHY Ben Proudley David Benjatschek wowtrucks.com HEAD OFFICE Phone: 604-580-2092 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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As a truck driver, you have no choice but to sleep in your truck when on the road but finding a place to park has always been a problem in Canada. The lack of truck parking isn’t going away anytime soon, as a matter of fact it is only going to get worse once e-logs become mandatory. Gone will be the days when you had the luxury of going a little further to find a parking spot. So there you are. You’re out of hours but you can’t find a place to park - what are you supposed to do? For some reason only known to the desk jockeys who make these decisions, you can’t park overnight in Canadian rest stops. And unless you are there early it is not unusual for the few truck stops that we do have to be full. In and around our major cities it is even worse. The distance between truck stops only compounds the issue. For years now truck parking has taken the back seat to tourism in Canada as can be seen by the use of the old toll booth area on the Coquihalla. The perfect spot for truck parking because of the visibility, lanes, and extended parking area is now restricted to washroom facilities for 4 wheelers. Other areas that were once used by trucks are also now restricted to 4-wheelers. Something is go-ing to have to give and it should be sooner rather than later because once the real crunch comes it will be too late. That is why, as Dale Howard explains in his article on page 24, it is conceivable that reserved paid parking may soon become the norm in Canada. It will be a new industry where safe paid parking spots with onsite security are reserved for truckers. Blackjacks Roadhouse in Nisku is a good example where they charge $10 a night, have great facilities with showers, a restaurant/pub, weigh scales and store. They even give you $5 back as a credit for food. South of the border in the U.S. reserved paid parking is already common. On top of that, to re-lieve the pressure, some states are also more lenient concerning overnight parking in rest stops. But that is rather hit or miss as the vast majority of states do not allow it. Just to be on the safe side it is best to check with the DOT in each state to see what the parking restrictions are. Some states that do allow rest stop parking have minor restrictions like Washington, California, Kansas and Nebraska. These states restrict truck parking to 8 hours in rest stops. Other states like Arizona, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Utah have few if any restrictions. All the rest have various rules that can range from absolutely no parking, to parking at rest stops on certain highways only, or they limit your parking from 3 to 6 hours at a time. In reality, if you have the option of staying overnight in a truck stop or a rest area the truck stop is the safest and most convenient. You have security, you can buy fuel, have a shower, have a good meal and quite often you can even wash your truck. None of these can be done at a rest stop. r
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LETTERS to the EDITOR
e Whit John azine
g r Ma ucke r T o Pr
John White Magazine Pro-Trucker
On FaceBook… Here’s my rant today!!! I’m so sick of all the Humboldt deal. Yes it’s a horrible accident. And no I’m not making light of it or being insensitive toward it or the deceased. My heart goes out to the victims and families. Here’s the rant part. The truck driver got handed a 8 year sentence and all the whining that’s coming from the gallery over it. Yes this man is a new Canadian. Probably didn’t have a right to be on his own in a truck didn’t have training so on and so forth. I’m not debating the facts of that. Nor am I siding with him either. What got me pissed off is everyone saying 8 years isn’t enough. Maybe not but let’s step back and ask what is enough. First. This guy has not and did not run like a coward could have. He could have jumped on a plane and been safe in his native country. He did not. He did not get in that truck with the intent to go harm people. Second. He has not used the Canadian taxpayers money to drag out a long costly trial. He didn’t even opt for a trial. Would any of good old white people do that if it was us????
Would any one of us in a similar position not hire the best lawyers money can buy to get us off. Or a more lenient sentence??? Would any one of us say to hell with a trial. Convict me for my actions??? Third. He was distracted. Not paying attention so on and so forth. We have the facts from the investigation. Now. Before we judge him lets judge ourselves. Are any of us totally innocent. Has any one of us ever texted. Called. Took a pic. Social mediated etc. while driving??? I’m guilty. We all are, so we share this guilt with this person and are just as bad and evil. We just haven’t been caught. Yet!!! Fourth. He got 8 years. What do we want him to have for a sentence. Life in jail??? We pay that bill. Send him back home. What’s that prove. Out sight outta mind??? So what is a sentence that will give everyone including families closure??? Maybe we should just have a public execution. Would that be satisfactory enough??? Fifth. With the actions with man has displayed. He’s no different than us white folk. He has to live with what he’s done for the rest of his life. Till his last breath. Honestly. I would have swallowed a bullet already. What about you??? Sixth. I know. This is going to ruffle feathers and no disrespect to the dead. If the bus driver was doing his job 100% with lives in his possession he should have been paying attention as well. He is not exempt from guilt and his part in this fiasco either. That’s my opinion!!! Seventh. Why don’t we all take a step back and do some
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thinking. Unless we are 100% perfect, done no wrong, broke zero laws, then we should not be throwing stones in glass houses. Call me whatever you want. Unfriend me. Bash me. I don’t care. Call me a sympathizer or any other name you want. But remember this. What I’ve said is now in your head. Eight. Our whole society is flawed. Our systems are flawed. There should be proper measures in place to not let the unqualified be on the road. This includes cars and trucks. There’s as many or more in those that shouldn’t be as there is semi-trucks. While we convict this man, the system also let him down. He came here to better his life and now his life is ruined!!! As are the victims. Yes he’s breathing but is he really alive??? In completion. Rip to the victims. Prayers thought and condolences to the affected of this accident. So why don’t we try to make something positive come from all this to prevent more like it and more loss of lives!!! Sorry but not Sorry!!! RANT OVER!!! Chris Rauch
present band wagon. The law is colour blind and we should be too.
John Yesterday I was getting fuel at Flying J in Red Deer. So I’m fueling and this guy pulls up beside me to get fuel. Like usual I mind my business and don’t pay attention to this guy. When all of a sudden out of nowhere he starts chatting it up with me like we’ve been friends for years. Well after talking to him for 5 minutes he tells me that 3 weeks ago his wife passed and the only way he can carry on is by trucking. So I sat at the fuel pump and talked with this man for probably 20 minutes after I was already done getting fuel. So I said so long, he said see ya, and I carried on to finish up my Friday and go home. On my way after I left I was thinking to myself that we’re not just a bunch of guys that like trucks. I realized that we are a family and together we keep moving forward and when need be we can talk to any fellow driver about anything that’s bugging us and carry on with our days. I don’t know his name or where he is but sir you’ve changed Editor’s note: Chris ran this on his Facebook page and he my view on being a driver and I hope that in some small way was gracious enough to let us print it. “He did not get in I helped you carry on with your day. that truck with the intent to go harm people.” Is a powerful Nate Stanley statement that I am sure even the trolls can agree on. Mind you there are some who are so self-righteous that they can’t Editor’s note: Listening is the great healer. bear to look inward. Hopefully statements like this will make Empathy: (noun) the ability to understand and share the them realize how weak they look by climbing on the ever- feelings of another.
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Hello John, First let me say I always enjoy reading Pro-Trucker magazine. As a relatively new trucker it’s great to have news, information, and tales from the road to read every month. It helps me learn more about this vast and dynamic industry I find myself working in. In the February 2019 edition of PT magazine however, I noticed an error that I think should be clarified for other fellow drivers who, like myself, may be using your magazine for accurate industry information and if not corrected may lead to some unnecessary annoyances. You stated that the 14 hour clock could not be stopped for rest breaks and that driving is prohibited 14 hours after your work shift starts regardless of rest breaks. But actually you CAN extend your 14 hour clock up to 16 hours. You can deduct any breaks of 30 minutes or more from your 14 hour work day. So if you take an hour lunch and 2 half hour breaks you subtract those 2 hours from your day. Therefore you can technically stop your clock to have a nap. I do it often. Had my books checked 2 weeks ago with no issues. Straight from the HOS guidelines: “13(3) No motor carrier shall request, require or allow a driver to drive and no driver shall drive after 16 hours of time have elapsed between the conclusion of the most recent period of 8 or more consecutive hours of off-duty time and the beginning of the next period of 8 or more april 2019
consecutive hours of off-duty time.” Just thought it may be worth correcting in a future issue to help fellow truckers understand better. Thanks. All the best. -Colin Tucker Café Editor’s note: Thank you for your email Colin and sorry for the confusion. As mentioned in the editorial I was quoting a study that was done in the U.S. The title of the article is “Should Hours of Service Really be Hours of Sleep.” It was to emphasize the problems many drivers have when someone sitting behind a desk decides to mess with their inner clock. Quote: “A commercial truck driver can be 100 percent compliant with the HOS regulations, yet sound asleep at the wheel at the same time. This means safety and compliance aren’t mutually exclusive, with one study showing drivers on paper logs recorded a 30 percent lower U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT) Recordable Accident rate compared to drivers using electronic logs. The difference is because paper logs afforded drivers a degree of flexibility that allowed them to schedule work and rest periods around their preferred sleep preference and sleep personality (but record something different in the log). Many safety experts say that this non-compliance is unsafe when in reality it’s the opposite from a driver’s perspective (because they actually sleep when they are tired).” r
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NORTH KINGSTOWN, RI - Howes is rolling out a brand new look! For nearly a century, Howes has provided its customers with the highest quality additives that always keep up with changing fuels, engines, and injector systems. Now, they are updating their look to match. The new brand look is centered around clarity and improved messaging, making it easier for customers to quickly grab the Howes
experience.” Best known for its flagship product - Howes Diesel Treat, the nation’s number one selling anti-gel, Howes offers a complete line of additives and lubricants for diesel fuel, gasoline, and even oil. “We want our customers to know that we are more than just a winter additive company and that we offer the best performing products for all of your additive needs,” stated Robert Howes, President. “Products that work in trucks, tractors, RV’s and even home heating oil. Plus, we still carry my great grandfather’s original secret formula; a Multi-Purpose Lubricating and Penetrating Oil that, to this day, surpasses all other products in its class. In short, we
product that best suits their needs. Unique and creative, the Howes brand platform will flow from the packaging on shelf all the way through to its new, easy to navigate website that will be launching in early March. The new brand initiative has been spearheaded by a new Howes employee, VP of Marketing, Phil Colacchio. “The Howes family was ready to shake things up. Joining the team and helping to improve customer satisfaction has been a wonderful opportunity, and an effort that we are intent on continually improving. We’re thrilled with our new brand look and how it clearly identifies each individual product and communicates what each product does and how to use them,” said Phil. “By using distinct colors to differentiate the products and helpful icons to point out their features and benefits, the new branding offers a very simple purchasing
make the most reliable performance fluids for moving parts and vehicles and we want to help you easily find the one that you need when you need it.” The new branding effort brings more than just a new visual identity for Howes. It highlights the family’s core values and culture. For many years, Howes has used the tagline, “Professional Grade Performance Since 1920.” While its products continue to hold true to this sentiment, the company is now aiming to streamline the message of who they are and share their core values by which they operate. With its new tagline, “Tested. Trusted. Guaranteed.”, they’ve done just that, speaking to the family’s steadfast commitment to make the absolute highest performing products that customers can confidently rely on. Accompanying the new brand effort, Howes has chosen to help portray its identity through a new
HOWES LAUNCHES NEW BRAND PLATFORM Tested. Trusted. Guaranteed.
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St. Bernard logo which will serve as the new brand mark and represent the strength, loyalty, dependability and trust that form the foundation of the company. Never releasing a product that they are not completely satisfied with, Howes tirelessly tests and tests again, until every product they make is proven safe and effective. “All of our products are safe to use and contain absolutely no alcohol or harmful solvents. Our products are tested in and out of the lab by experts, by us personally, as well as by our customers,” said Rob Howes II, VP of Strategic Development. “We refuse to release any product that is merely average, we strive for excellence. If it’s a Howes product, it’s a reliable product. We make sure of it. You don’t even have to take our word for it. Ask a friend, ask a colleague, ask anyone who has used it and they’ll tell you, this stuff works.” As a fifth generation, family owned and operated company, Howes is committed to providing its customers with not only the best products, but with the ultimate in industry knowledge and customer service. “This is not just a business to us. This is our legacy,” stated Deb Howes, company Co-Owner. “This is our family, and that extends beyond our office doors to our employees, our distributors, our customers - they are all family to us. Their success is our success and vice versa. That’s why we put 100% into every product we make, and why we stand behind each one whole heartedly.”
Howes earns trust not by just the superior products they put out, but by really being there when they are needed. “We answer our phones when someone calls, you aren’t greeted by machines and recordings,” commented Erika Howes, VP of Business Development. “We are out in the field, we are talking face to face with people and we listen to what they have to say. We are always looking to learn all we can about people’s needs. It’s one of the things that make this change so exciting. We saw that our customers needed more, and in our commitment to excellence, we’re dedicated to giving them just that.” One thing Howes has never strayed from are their iron clad guarantees. “When you offer the best products, you can offer the best guarantees as well,” added Rob Howes II. “We offer our Free Tow Guarantee when you use our Diesel Treat, because we are that sure it works each and every time. Our users know, You Go or We Pay the Tow.” In addition, Howes offers a no hassle, 100% money back guarantee on every product they release. Delivering maximum performance and efficiency to thousands of drivers and hard-working people everywhere is an unwavering goal at Howes, and it shows in its new brand platform. Be sure to look for the new Howes brand, being unveiled at the Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS), March 28th - 30th, at booth #14136. The Howes look may be changing, but Howes products continue to be Tested. Trusted. Guaranteed. r
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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.
In or Oot (Out) In a few days, the citizens of our great country will find out if we will be leaving the European Union with a deal or if we will even be leaving at all. What effect this will have on our trucking industry is anybody’s guess. I would like to think if we leave, it will help the drivers going across the channel exporting and importing freight. At the time of the vote, the politicians didn’t seem to be doing anything to help drivers stuck in the middle of the chaos at Calais. I voted to leave the EU, although at the time we didn’t have all the information we needed to make an informed decision. It was more a gut reaction for me going by the way drivers were being treated crossing the channel. They and their companies were being hit with big fines if immigrants were discovered in their trailers yet they had little protection. The pictures on the news of crowds of immigrants opening and climbing into moving trailers bound for the UK and heading for the ferries or the channel tunnel was horrendous. There were even reports of drivers being attacked by armed immigrants and objects being thrown at windscreens to slow them down. I think there’s a big fence built now over on the French side on the run-up to Calais, so at least the trucks can maybe keep up a good speed going down to the port. Driving on the continent is hard enough with all the stress and the risk of being gassed in your sleep, only to
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NEW Extended Hours Mon-Fri 8 am- Midnight • Sat 8 am- 5pm wake up in the morning to find your cab open and empty of all valuables, including your passport. These modernday immigrants don’t seem to have a thought for the drivers and companies who are being fined thousands of pounds for all these stowaways. All they see is the UK, a land of milk and honey, at the end of the line. I don’t want you to think I’m against immigration, where would we be without all the Italians in Glasgow, where would our bus services be without all the people from India, Pakistan and the like. They did all the awkward shifts nobody else wanted, and the Italians kept my father’s generation fed with great ice cream and hoata pea specials. (A plate of boiled peas with vinegar) It was really just hot peas but using the Italian / Glasgow accent used at the time by most of the café owners it came out hoata. It’s amazing how something as simple as a plate of hot boiled peas and vinegar could mean so much to, what would’ve been my grandparents at the time, maybe a night at the cinema rounded off with a hot pea special. But there was not as much money to spare back then. But I digress. It seems to me, an ordinary old truck driver, if you listen to our politicians we’re doomed if we stay and doomed if we leave. But I can’t see all those Chinese and Japanese who love our whisky going back to their rice wine if we leave. When I was a young trucker working for Archibald Brechin, all they did was transport whisky, the bulk of it was containers for
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abroad, but every now and again a boat would berth in Ayr harbour. It was usually a weekend so it was a lucrative two days at double time running from a distillery in Airdrie with tanker trailers till the boat was full. I always thought that they were shooting themselves in the foot just a wee bit. The bulk tanker went to China or Japan to get bottled over there, whereas I think they could’ve made more money bottling it here. And that’s only one product, we’ve also got the tweeds and tartans that the ex-pat Americans and Canadians love to buy, not to mention our technology. You might be thinking at this point that I’m for leaving the EU and going it alone, but I’m undecided. I’m so old I can remember back in my young days when our driving hours were cut by the EU. Then the Germans discovered that they couldn’t get a good a day’s work done in the reduced hours so the hours were put back to almost what they had been in the first place. That whole situation smacks of the blind leading the blind. We’ve got enough people of our own who think they know what’s best for drivers and other people’s jobs. They couldn’t do our jobs but they pass laws that affect us. So I’m thinking we’ve got enough faceless desk jockeys to contend with without more unelected lawmakers. Although, as usual, our politicians are making a pig’s ear of the whole process, they had two years to leave smoothly, now we’re down to the wire and we don’t know if we’re leaving with a deal or without. r
Justin Trudeau went into a bank and said, “Good morning, Ma’am, could you please cash this cheque for me?” Cashier: “It would be my pleasure. Could you please show me some ID?” Trudeau: “I didn’t bring any ‘ID’ as I didn’t think there would be any reason. I’m the leader of the Liberal Party, I am the Prime Minister of Canada …” Cashier: “Yes Sir, I know who you are, but with the regulations because of all the imposters and forgers and requirements of the FCAC legislation, I must see your ID.” Trudeau: “Just ask anyone here at the bank who I am and they will tell you. Everybody knows who I am.” Cashier: “I am sorry Sir, but these are the rules.” Trudeau: “I am urging you, please, cash this cheque.” Cashier: “Look Sir, here is an example of what we have done. One day, Mike Weir came into the bank without ID. To prove he was Mike Weir he pulled out his putter and made a beautiful shot across the bank into a cup. So we knew he was Mike Weir and cashed his cheque. Another time, Wayne Gretzky came in without ID. He pulled out his hockey stick and made a fabulous shot that landed in an over turned trash can at the other end of the bank. So we cashed his cheque. So, Sir, what can you do to prove that it is really you?” Trudeau stands there thinking, and thinking, and finally says, “ummmm, Honestly, my mind is totally blank, I have absolutely no idea what to do, I don’t have a clue. I really don’t have a clue.” Cashier says, “OK thanks. Will that be large or small bills, Mr. Trudeau?” Sent in by Elias Wipf, Drumheller Colony.
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coMMunicATion By Greg Evasiuk Greg is a third generation trucker with over a million miles and 20 plus years in trucking. Time flies they say and with every year that passes I agree with that statement more and more. I sat down not long ago with an old friend and his son and I was recounting the story of how I got my license. While I can remember it like yesterday, it was over 20 years ago. My story was much like many of us who’ve been in the industry for a long time, I worked around trucks for a few years and drove body jobs while spending any time I could moving trailers around the yard. It was kind of a non accredited apprenticeship which I would argue gave me great training. The nice thing was there was no age barrier and no financial barrier. My friend’s son is 21 and really considering trucking as a career, he didn’t grow up around it but I know he would make a good operator. Quite honestly I think his mom may have been hoping I would talk him out of it and his dad may have wanted to go trucking right alongside him! My belief is that this is what we need, good young people who are excited to get into trucking. I would say the same of my friend who is my age and looking into a second career, he’s the type of smart entrepreneurial spirit I want in this industry. Twenty years ago there would be no need
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to write this article. They would both be well on their way to a new job, I would have vouched for them to someone who would be training them and helping them get their licenses. Of course that’s not happening. Today at 21 or 43 you can’t look at a driving job in Alberta without mandatory entry-level training (MELT for short). Yes I’m an advocate of this program but there are several problems with it that are currently keeping new drivers from trucking. MELT is something that has been in the works for several years but always got pushed to the back burner, Humboldt changed that. It’s awful to think these innocent lives had to be lost to get this legislation rolling. What bothers me more is that it was rammed through fast to beat the election. That’s what caused the majority of the problems. By fast-tracking the legislation through, the truck driving schools have been left with a curriculum that is all but unusable. I was at a recent meeting with the AMTA who is trying to rectify this by building a universal delivery system that meets the new requirements. That room was full of frustration as many of the owners of driving schools have seen their enrollment all but dry up because they are unable to deliver the course. Some of the schools are printing the text from the AB transportation website and working around it to try to deliver the requirements and it shouldn’t be that way. While I applaud the government for getting rid of some of the fly-by-night schools and working to get rid of chameleon carriers, this training is a Band-Aid. It’s a Band-Aid to appease the public outcry in an election year. The story in the headlines is that MELT training is implemented when in reality it’s far from complete. I know this training is only to address the entry-level guys in the industry but I think we can do better. We need to do better. My friends have had quotes of anywhere from 8700 to 12000 dollars for MELT and a class 1. To be fair those are probably legitimate costs from reputable schools. The issue is funding that training and it is another place we’re falling down. You can apply for loans, grants and scholarships for training in most any other profession but not trucking. That’s a huge barrier that we need to address. I strongly believe that if we can structure the training to go beyond entry level and make trucking a designation we would be able to get public funding to help train our drivers properly. If you were able to write the class one after your MELT training and then apprentice for a period of time before testing at a higher level, much like the graduated licensing system used for 4-wheelers, the end result would produce better drivers with real road experience. Further training for more advanced segments like trains, dangerous goods, or other specialized equipment should include an endorsement for each level…there needs to be a progression. While I know there are good people working on this I really feel we need to all get the word out. Let people know we want to be recognized as professionals. Call out those who mark the industry by cutting corners. Publicize the good we do in the community. All of these things will help us raise awareness that we are not a last resort career. Be proud to be in trucking and let’s help make it the desirable career choice that it should be. r
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freezing rain and it just kept getting colder. Up across Hwy24 to 395 we went and then up to the interstate and by that time By Dave Madill the rain had changed to snow. By the time we pulled in for Dave Madill was Pro-Trucker Magazine’s fuel at the Hook in Post Falls, it had turned into a full-scale Rig of the Month in June of 2001 and he blizzard. The weather didn’t look like it was going to let up has been entertaining us with his poetry ever since. Dave has published three books and since we weren’t about to stretch the log books too badly, of poems that are available by special order we decided to park for the night and see what the morning through Chapters Book Stores. would bring. The morning was a disaster as overnight the storm had Winter Flatbedding gotten even worse. All road reports were horrible and the It was the middle of the afternoon when I pulled into the police asked all traffic to stay off all roads. We phoned into truck-stop in Yakima, Washington. I was empty and ended up dispatch and told them the problem and we also told them that, parking right beside my son’s truck which was also empty. I despite Alexandria’s rush on our loads, we were not moving. I wandered on inside and plunked myself down beside him in spent most of the day with a good book and talking to my son. the diner and told him, “You’re paying.” Well we had a good We did what little maintenance we could handle in that weather meal and a good time getting caught up to date on all the latest and then generally just took it easy for a change. Next morning news. We found out we were both loading in the morning at and the storm had blown itself out and away we went. We had the moulding plant in town with both our loads headed for to tippy-toe over the passes as they were still as slippery as Alexandria, Ontario. We finished off the night with a barley a wet eel and several times we had to stop for accidents but pop each, said our good nights, and then hit the sack. We were somehow we made it through to Billings, Montana. It turned up early the next morning, cleaned up, ate breakfast, and then out that what was normally just a day’s run had this time taken headed over to the plant. us over 24 hours of some really rough sledding. Now for those who have never done it, loading moulding on We shut down at Billings and crawled into the bunk for a flat deck is a chore. It takes more straps than you can count on your fingers and your toes and then it all has to be tarped a solid eight hours and then we were back on the road and tight. Well it was after dinner time by the time we got out of somehow managed to get into Fargo the next night. We finally there and as we left it started to rain which soon turned into found a couple of places to park and then the weather turned heavy rain. By the time we passed Hanford, it had changed to bad again. We were up early in the morning and even though travel was not recommended we headed out as these were rush loads. From Fargo to the Sault crossing took us another 24 hours and by now both John and I were struggling but after a few hours’ sleep we were back on the road. That day turned out pretty good and we made fair time getting into North Bay at a decent time. We fueled up, ate and hit the sack, only to wake up and find ourselves shut down again by another storm. It was about 30 hours later that we finally were able to get back on the road and we made it into Alexandria and parked on the receivers lot for next morning delivery. A trip that should have taken four days ended up taking us nine and we are not unloaded yet. Morning came and neither John or I could move our tarps as they are frozen solid as were all our straps including all the ones under the tarps as it was now minus 30 degrees centigrade. A lift truck helped us un-tarp and they took our tarps inside so they could thaw enough that we could roll them. Every strap winch had to be attacked with a hammer to break the ice enough to remove the straps and unload. What would normally have taken about an hour for our two trucks ended up taking us over three hours. Later while cleaning up and getting bills signed I apologized for taking so long with their RUSH load and hoping it did not inconvenience them. Shipper looked at me and said, “Rush load? Hell, I’ve got a whole warehouse full of that stuff. Ya could have taken another two weeks and it would still have been on time”. I love trucking in the winter and I really really love rush loads. r
Reflections Thru My Windshield
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from high school. My earliest memory of the trucking industry was back when I was about 8 years old. My dad worked for Hugh Munro Construction and used to work out in Ontario at times. In the summer months my mom would pack us up and we would spend some of our summer vacations there with him. He was driving a Ford 9000 day cab and he set up a milk crate with a throw pillow on it between the seats and that’s where I would sit with my parents proudly looking out the windshield. This was back in the day when your parents used their arm as a seatbelt and that was a totally legit restraining device. I used to love going on road trips. Our family didn’t take a lot of big vacations but we would hop in the car and go on day trips on weekends or holidays. We would drive to random towns in Manitoba just to sightsee. As long as I had my Walkman and cassettes with me, I was a happy camper. I could listen to music and stare out the window for hours. Hence, the makings of a truck driver. It didn’t matter where we were going, I had to tag along. My mom always told me that if there was a road to the moon, I’d be on it. I don’t recall exactly when I first thought I wanted to become a truck driver. My brother, Cory, is a truck driver and when I heard him tell stories of the road I had always thought it seemed pretty cool. I was fairly good at math and the sciences in high school so when it was time for career planning my mom handed me the Red River College course guide and told me to pick something. I decided on Chemical and Biosciences Technology. I enrolled in 1999 and graduated with a course diploma in 2001. I worked at a generic pharmaceutical company, Apotex Fermentation Inc. for 7 years in various departments. I worked as a Laboratory Technologist, Process Support Technician and Quality Control Microbiologist. I had taken a few trips with my brother to New York City during this time
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when he worked for Tr a p p e r s Transpor t. I loved to ride along and ask questions and see the different sights. I thought to myself that I could really see me doing this, so one day I went and got the books to study for my Class 1 beginners. I didn’t tell anyone I was writing the test until I wrote it and passed. Once I had passed I told my mom what I had done and that I wanted to be a long haul truck driver. She didn’t seem too pleased about the choice as I already had a good job and it paid the bills. I couldn’t carry on at a job when I felt I owed it to myself to at least give trucking a shot. I would never truly know if it was for me or not if I didn’t actually attempt it. Eventually my mom came around and supported my decision. I know it wasn’t that she was trying to hold me back. I don’t think she was ready to let the baby of the family fly the coop. It’s a dangerous world out there and I think having me move to the big city of Winnipeg after graduation was a big step already. She called me every day from the day I moved to the city to the day she got too sick to talk. And if I missed the call and didn’t call back right away she always said, “Thank heavens you called back. I didn’t hear from you so I thought you could have been hit over the head in the back lane.” Now I had never thought about that before but for darn sure I will worry about that now!
Myrna Chartrand
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In July 2008 I enrolled in the Arnold Bros Training Academy. I had never been behind the wheel of a big truck before and had never even driven a standard transmission vehicle. I was a total greenhorn to this. It was terribly frustrating trying to learn how to double clutch and shift gears. So frustrating to a point I thought I might just give up and maybe it wasn’t for me after all. My brother convinced me to keep at it and in time it would come to me. I was also thinking about what kind of life was I going to have, what friends am I going to make? Am I going to have a little “posse” that I hang out with? Cory had introduced me to a few of his friends so I thought at least I will have a solid start to this life because he and his friends I’m sure, would be there to help with any questions I may have, and I had a lot! I had also heard of these two guys, Smiley and Bear, and they seemed to be staples of the trucking industry from what people said. I could only imagine maybe one day seeing them on the road somewhere and maybe they would say hi. Well turns out Smiley works at Portage Transport along with his brother, Dave, who has since passed away. They helped me so much along the way and I couldn’t be more thankful for all the help I received from them. Dave even treated me like one of his own kids. I was introduced to Bear through Smiley and he has become one of my closest friends. I felt like I made the big leagues just knowing these two guys! Anyhow, I’m glad I decided to stay on track of this new lifestyle because 6 weeks later I passed my Class 1 road test on the first try. Now was PAGE 18
FOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITES PLEASE EMAIL JOHN@PTMAG.CA OR CALL 604-581-7773 FOR UPDATES, FIND US ON FACEBOOK. the hardest part, trying to find employment. The day I got my license Cory was working at Lee River Transport and put me in touch with his friend, whose name is also Corey, (different spelling) who was also working there. The day I got my license, Corey agreed to take me along for a few weeks for training as long as the owner was ok with that. We joked that the ink wasn’t even dry on my license when I got my first trucking job. I was so grateful for this opportunity. So I set out on my new journey of flatbedding. It was a scary thought as our first couple of trips were to British Columbia, Oregon and to Las Vegas. Mountain driving right off the bat seemed like such a feat to take on but Corey never lost hope in me even when I thought I lost hope in myself. It wasn’t until many years later he admitted that quitting smoking the week he decided to take me on for training was probably not the best idea. We trained for about 6 weeks and then I was put out on my own in a Freightliner FLD112. I had to inquire about the model of this truck the other day as I didn’t think to keep this stuff in my memory. I didn’t think I was ever going to need to know this and be tested on this in the future. I mostly went to Minneapolis, MN as I never truly felt confident to expand my horizons yet. One trip I made to Virginia though, I followed a fellow driver to the delivery destination and then was all alone to get to my reload. I reloaded in South Carolina back to Selkirk, MB with a driver from DeckX. I had no idea how to navigate the route home so I asked him for a bit of help. We scoped out the route on my atlas and I was still
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quite apprehensive about the whole thing so I kindly asked if he wouldn’t mind if I followed him all the way home. He was gracious enough to allow me to do so and I will never forget that kindness. He must have thought I was a total lost cause. They say that in your first few months of driving you are going to make all kinds of mistakes and they were not wrong. I had a few of those, “ Did I do that?” moments. (Please insert your best Steve Urkel voice here.) I skidded off a set of trailer tires, backed into a hydro pole and went in the ditch after someone whited me out. At this point, I still wasn’t sure if trucking was really for me. My mom had been diagnosed with colon cancer in 2007 and in December 2008 we received the bad news that there was nothing more the doctors could do for her. I couldn’t carry on driving truck at that point as I wanted to be home when the day came to say she had passed away. I knew there was going to be a lot of paperwork and stuff to take care of afterwards and wanted to be around to help out my dad. So I left Lee River Transport and took a job with Ger-Ed Transport where I reviewed logsheets and trip envelopes. My mom passed away February 2009 and as I was going through her laptop to find some necessary letters and such, I came across some of her emails to her friends and she was telling them how proud she was of me for getting through the mountain driving and giving it my best shot. She was amazed at the kind of loads I was hauling and that I wasn’t letting flatbedding get the best of me. It really made my heart swell because I knew her hesitations
about me venturing into truck driving and I knew that I had made the right decision. I have always wanted to make my parents proud and in that one moment, I had the proof. It’s unfortunate that she is not here today to see all the progress I have made and that I have been able to take this career path or lifestyle choice as I like to call it, to a whole new level that I had never imagined. I have always felt that she has been riding shotgun with me all these years. In September 2009, my brother, Cory, was working for Portage Transport and convinced me it was time to get back on the horse and give trucking a go again. He put in a good word for me with Bernie Driedger, the owner. I called them up one afternoon and they said if I wanted a job they had a truck available for me so I gave Ger-Ed Transport my two weeks’ notice and prepared to embark on another journey. I showed up at Portage Transport one Sunday and they handed me the keys to this little Peterbilt 386 flat top and showed me to the flatbed that had freight for three different drops on it. I was totally new to the world of LTL but I made it to Edmonton safely and called in to say I had all the freight delivered. All I remember them saying is, “I guess you passed your road test.” I was only working with Portage Transport about a month when they said they had a load heading to Maine with three other drops along the way. I was excited to see some new country but at the same time totally terrified. I mean, here I was, the person who had to follow someone home from South
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Carolina because I panicked. My dispatcher seemed to have faith in me so I thought well, I’m sure glad someone does. I also had a new awareness about me as to what fear and strength was. I had just watched my mom’s life be taken from her too soon and it was as if I had this whole new strength and confidence about me. If I can see someone fight for their life with every ounce of strength they have, surely I can make it across the country. It was an opportunity I did not want to pass up so I set out on my first big solo journey. A few months later the company announced that they were doing away with all of the flat decks and doing solely reefer and dry van work. All I could think of at this point was, I’m finally going to have to learn to back up. Backing up had not been a strong point in my career thus far so this was going to be quite entertaining, to say the least. I was told by another driver one time that what I lack in backing skills, I make up for it with personality. I guess that was open to interpretation as either a compliment or insult. Once I transferred over to vans I was upgraded to a short hood Peterbilt 379. I drove that for a few years and when the 2010 Peterbilt 389 flat top became available I jumped at the chance. Bernie had told me if I could get my stuff out of one truck and be in the next that afternoon, it was mine. You have never seen anyone toss around their belongings like they were on fire. I drove that truck for a few years and one day I thought it would be nice to add a bit of a girl’s touch to it. So I asked Bernie if he wouldn’t mind changing the company decal on the door from
a black decal to a pink one. He had no problems with that. As time went on some drivers had suggested that it would look kind of cool if the fenders, tanks and roof matched the decals. I thought in no way was my boss going to change the whole look of the truck. Much to my surprise, he did it! Bernie had attended the truck show in Louisville, KY and spotted another pink and white Peterbilt flat top that was done up for Breast Cancer Awareness. When he got home he asked if that was something I would be interested in having on the truck. I didn’t even think twice about it and said it would be an honour. This is how Pinky 1 was born. I started getting into events such as truck shows, Wowtrucks photo shoots and some Breast Cancer Foundation fundraisers such as the CIBC Run for the Cure, the Alberta Convoy for the Cure, the Breast Cancer Pledge Ride and also the World’s Largest Convoy for Manitoba Special Olympics. I’ve even taken in a few events in the US including the Big Iron Classic in Kasson, MN and the 18 Wheels for Bubba truck party in Janesville, WI. Once Pinky 1 reached the one million kilometre mark it was said she was going to become a local truck and I was going to be getting a new one. I jokingly made a threat to my boss that if I couldn’t have another pink and white flat top that I was going to quit. It was an empty threat mind you but one day Bernie asked what I would like to be different or stay the same on a new 2017 Peterbilt 389. I was so shocked to hear this! I was pretty pumped to hear I was going to get a new Pinky which I was going to name Pinky 2.0. I had
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caught wind from a fellow driver that he had seen a pink and white flat top headed northbound on Interstate 35 in Oklahoma and thought maybe that was my new one on route to Winnipeg. A couple of days later I went to the Peterbilt dealer in Winnipeg and sure enough there she was in all her glory. Pinky 2.0 has a PACCAR MX13 with 435 horsepower and an 18-speed transmission. The decal scheme stayed with the Breast Cancer Awareness theme but they added a few different colour dimensions to it and I was just “tickled pink” when I caught my first glance. I was jumping up and down and clapping my hands like a little kid. I get so many smiles, waves, compliments and people asking to take pictures of it on a daily basis. It brings a smile to my face to receive all this positive attention. Last year I decided to dye my hair all sorts of rainbow colours and in June I decided to dye my hair pink to match my truck. The feedback I have received on that has been pretty uplifting. The lovely folks at Del Monte Fresh Produce in Galveston, TX keep telling me I look like Penelope from the show Criminal Minds and if trucking ever falls through for me, I should take myself to Hollywood to be her stunt double. I’m a girly girl with a pinch of tomboy. I like to get my hair done and put pretty bows or flowers in it but yet I can sit back and shoot the breeze with the guys at truck shows laughing at fart jokes. The inside of my truck is any 5-year-old little girl’s dream. I have pink from front to back with pink shag carpet rugs and My Little Pony bedding. This all works to
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my advantage because when I take time off there is very little chance one of the guys would feel comfortable enough to spend that much time in “Barbie’s Dream Truck.” Our customers love seeing me bring Pinky 2.0 around which I think helped lead to this next event. Last spring I was told that my boss was sending a nomination package to the Manitoba Trucking Association for some awards. This was so great to hear and I know it sounds cliche but I was honoured just to be nominated even if I didn’t win. All said and done and much to my surprise, I was awarded the Kenworth Award of Excellence and the Volvo Trucks MB Driver of the Year Award. (Shhh…no one tell the award sponsors I drive a Peterbilt.) I was totally shocked and was so glad I was able to share this experience with my dad, who accompanied me to the banquet. Sometimes in this industry, we think we are just a number but to have my boss single me out, for something positive, was pretty darn humbling. This was quite a rush for me because never in a million years did I think my career was ever going to take me to this whole new high. Often I get asked if being a female driver has ever made me a target for strange behaviour. I remember a couple instances at truck stops that stood out to me. This one guy at the Flying J in Wisconsin was about six trucks down from me and looking at me through binoculars. I thought that was so creepy because I could totally see him doing it. All I thought was, “Hey there Inspector Gadget, you better sharpen your discretion skills before you take your show on the road fighting crime.” I was only into trucking a few months by myself when this next instance happened. I was coming out of a Pilot in Texas with my shower bag over my shoulder and this guy outside says, “It’s nice to see a ‘working girl’ keeping herself clean.” I was shocked! I thought I knew what he was implying but for the life of me I could not come up with any witty response. So I quietly walked past the guy selling pirated movies and other suspected stolen goods out of the trunk of his car and made my way back to the truck. I’m thinking this whole time, “And I’m the one being judged?” This kind of stuff doesn’t happen very often but remembering it now kind of gives me a chuckle. As I’m writing this I think back to where it all started and how I didn’t even know if I was going to make it out of the training academy never mind having a custom truck ordered for me to winning awards. It has been quite nostalgic to say the least. I’m so fortunate that I’ve had such a great circle of friends, family, coworkers, fellow drivers and customers etc. that have always been there to brighten my day and get me to the point I’m at today. As anyone in the industry knows, this can be a totally thankless job at times but we still need to find the positives in a world that focuses so much on the negatives. It has been a real wild ride these last eleven years and I wouldn’t change a single thing about them! Here’s to many more good years ahead of me. In the words of Matthew Wilder, “ain’t nothin’ gonna break-a my stride, nobody gonna slow me down, oh no, I got to keep on movin’” r
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driVinG ThrouGh My MeMories
By Dale Howard Dale Howard has been a Truck Driver, Armoured Truck Driver, and Alberta CVSE. He returned to driving truck and now drives, “The Great Pumpkin.”
Transport Canada has still not finalized a date for the implementation of electronic logs. The timeline floated for industry input in 2017 was for soft enforcement to start July 1st, 2019 with full implementation by the end of the year. Since then there has been nothing but silence. That being said there is no doubt that it is coming. Now before everybody goes bat s#*t crazy we need to remember that the hours of service rules are not changing only how we record them so this should really be an easy transition. Please don’t raise the argument and make the case for the other side that e-logs take away your flexibility, there was no flexibility on paper, we just lied and made fraudulent entries. In reality, it is just way too easy to get caught with a false log. When I retired, I retired undefeated on hours of service charges. I never lost a case and my sergeant will vouch for me that I was not the smartest officer to ever put on a uniform…lol I went through the perceived horror of e logs in the US and I can say the sun rises every morning the earth did not fall off its axis and for the most part it has had a positive effect.
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The e-logs tightened up capacity and along with a strong US economy, the rates have gone up. If you have never used an e-log you can test drive some that are out there and find the one that is going to work for you. Personally, I run the “Keep Trucking” phone app and I am very happy with it. The cost is reasonable and I haven’t had any issues. Big Road is another phone app that I tested and was pleased with it but for me, it just came down to a couple of features. That doesn’t mean any of the many devices on the market are that much better or worse than the other. It just comes down to personal preference. I strongly suggest that while trying them out you make sure whatever solution you choose will be approved for the Canadian market. By getting on board early it becomes an easy transition and you should not feel too much pain. Leaving it until the last minute may put you in the position of finding out too late that the one you have is not the best one for you. Like the Boy Scouts preach, “Be Prepared.” The implementation of e-logs is going to highlight the parking problem we have in Canada but hopefully it will also bring about a solution to this problem. The US fix to the parking problem has been to have paid reserved parking, and before we go crazy again – just think about that. As it stands now, nobody makes anything off parking, it is just an expense. Imagine the cost of taxes on the land not to mention the maintenance which includes picking up all the garbage that some drivers insist on leaving behind. I personally like reserved parking. To start with it is much safer and you know that, when you are going to an area where parking is scarce, you can book ahead and your spot will be waiting for you. I also find this makes it much easier for me to manage my hours. Parking fees are something that you would have to negotiate with your carrier but I would think most will be more than willing to reimburse you since it allows you to be more efficient with your time. The government will also have to come to the table and open up parking at scales and more rest areas. Now is a good time to start calling your provincial representatives and voice your concerns with the lack of safe truck parking. There are drivers who are hesitant about the change to e-logs but “FEAR” has two meanings: “forget everything and run” OR, “Face everything and rise” the choice is ours. Stay safe and compliant and see you next month. ***** A lady went to her pharmacist and said, “I would like to buy some cyanide.” “Why in the world do you need cyanide?” The lady replied, “I need it to poison my husband.” The pharmacist’s exclaimed, “I can’t give you cyanide to kill your husband. Absolutely not!” The lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacist’s wife. The pharmacist looked and said, “You didn’t tell me you had a prescription.”
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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.
Carbon Copy It never ceases to amaze me how elected officials, acting in the best interests of the people, can so effectively do the opposite. It is as blatantly obvious as us saying the sky is blue and they pass a bill saying it is potatoes. Trucking companies and the driving world already pay an overly high level of tax. Revenue that is supposed to be earmarked for rehabilitation of existing roads and production of new ones. Take a drive down any secondary highway and you will all know that that does not happen. Roads have been deteriorating, with only Band-Aid style repairs being performed where major surgery is required. Some of the long-needed 21st-century road construction projects, such as the multiple lanes for the Trans-Canada Highway in the lower mainland of BC should have been completed “before” Transportation Expo 86. Three decades later we are finally seeing that expansion happen. It became known --we all knew-- that the toll revenue from the Coquihalla never went towards repairs or upgrades. Twenty-five years after it was erected, the toll booths were torn down. And another dozen years after that the Box Canyon chain up area is, “almost,” big enough. It now fits 30 tractortrailers. Of course, there was little, if any, visionary outlook for future expansion there. A visionary note: chains that go on, must come off. The chain off area still only fits 4 tractor-trailers. We have more commercial vehicles on the road today than ever, and there are fewer rest areas of adequate size for truckers. However, there are some very advanced pullouts for tourists and the average motorist, all of which are prohibited areas for commercial drivers and their rigs. Just another example of fuel tax revenue falling short of the intended target. This leads to my final point of money mismanagement at the expense of the taxpayer. We have a fuel tax which also provides revenue for environmental practices. So why does the government feel we can be duped into paying another tax that bears no proven science, no fund implementation, or direction as to how they intend to combat, carbon emissions? A tax that only serves to fill general government coffers is nothing more than a carbon copy.
Mile AfTer Mile By Cyn Tobin Cyn has been driving trucks for 34 years. She has hauled loads all across North America and specializes in expedited perishable freight.
As I am sure you all know, I’m a truck driver. I have had more than my share of lot lizard stories. I figure I could probably write a book if I could recall them all.... but none stick out more than the one time in Osoyoos, British Columbia. I had one of these people, aka a hooker, climb into my truck one night while I was sleeping. My truck’s passenger’s side door wasn’t locked, as I never locked my doors back In the day. The only time my locks ever were engaged was anywhere in Mexico, Miami or Los Angeles. Even there lot hounds were not my concern, hell I doubt I ever even gave ‘em a thought other than to give them a wtf kinda nod. Well as I slept I started dreaming...I dreamt I’d been hit in a parking lot by another truck and it bent the door in a little. So I tested the lock and it seemed to lock and unlock fine. That’s about when reality and my dream decided to join forces. It was around one in the morning and in my sleep, I sort of vaguely heard my door open, so I was already starting to wake up, then someone shook me by the shoulder. “Hey Jim, you get the stuff?” Asked a frantic female voice as I jumped up and hit her in the face with my aluminum log sheet folder. We got in this all out weird hairpulling, slapping fight, and finally, I physically pushed or kicked her over the passenger’s seat and out the door onto the pavement. Not even sure how it all went down in that 30 or so seconds. I stood there half awake, half naked, with my shirt ripped and missing a few handfuls of hair, blinking at her through the windshield. She jumped up, flashed me her ***** boobs, flipped me off, and ran away. I shook my head in A wife got so mad at her husband that she packed his bags utter disbelief as I reached out and locked my doors vowing and told him to get out. As he walked out the door she yelled “I to make sure they were locked from here on in. I fell into bed hope you die a long and slow painful death!” He turned around and almost went back to sleep. and said, “So now you want me to stay?” Was woke up an hour or so later with someone knocking
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on my door. Incredibly upset thinking it was this lot hoe...I downed my window. Well, she was there alright but she brought her friends. It was the police. She called them and told them she was my girlfriend and I’d beat her up and thrown her out at a truck stop. I believe they were getting ready to handcuff me when a few drivers from other trucks Open 6:00 am to 7:30 pm Mon to Fri came over to explain she’d been knocking on truck doors 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Saturdays all night. They said she was there most weekends either knocking on doors or trying to climb into unlocked trucks. Canyon Cable 1988 Ltd. The cops didn’t really say anything else to me, they just 930-6th Ave., Hope, BC handcuffed her and drove away with her in the back. 604-869-9036 Man I laughed. Well couldn’t sleep now so onward I went Toll Free 1-800-588-8868 with a little chuckle in my day Mile after Mile. Plot twist: I’m female. Pine Tree, National Defence Line. It was a military outpost Fate Shows when Least Expected staffed by a few Canadian and American personnel. The new road construction has not come this far yet and the road past this place had no roadbed. It was floating on muskeg. When a loaded truck drove past it would start to sink a bit By Bill Weatherstone and bog down. You would sometimes have to drop a couple Bill is a true pioneer of the trucking of gears to keep going through. Other locations of this sort industry. This is an excerpt from had to be dug up for about 10 to 15 feet deep and then filled his book, “The Life and Times of in with roadbed material, to give it a base. William John Weatherstone” It had been raining for the last couple of days when I came upon it, and it made the road even spongier. I could see a tanker stopped and leaning hard over to the right. It was Sinking Truck Chester and I were running along together hauling Chester. I stopped and asked what happened? Apparently, tankers for about a day and a half and I was getting pretty he was in the need to relieve himself, so he pulled over to tired so I had to pull off and grab some sleep. It was about the edge of the roadway while it was still dark out. When he midnight and we were just coming up to Klotz Lake where finished, the truck had sunk down to the right wheel hubs. there was a fishing camp with a clearing on the water’s edge. All the trying to get out only made it worse. It just started There was room enough there for a couple of tractor-trailers to sink deeper and deeper into the muskeg. He had sent a and a few cars and pick-up trucks. We pulled off for a short message with another trucker going to Kapuskasing to send break and I told Chester that this was it for me, I was parking back a tow truck. In the meantime, a couple of other drivers for the night. He said that he was going to carry on as far as tried to pull him back with their chains but couldn’t move him. The truck just kept sinking deeper. A couple of hours he could and then he left. It was about 5:00 am when I woke up to the smell of later the wrecker came along and we tried for another three fish on a fire. One of the people from the fishing camp had hours - with no success. The final solution would be to get the tank unloaded first been out already and caught more than enough pickerel for two people to have a good feed. I crawled out of the cab, and get the weight off. After getting the dispatcher involved, half-crippled, and went down to the water’s edge to get my he called ahead to Cochrane and had a message left to send eyes splashed open and wake up. I commented to the angler the first truck that emptied out back as fast as possible. The about him torturing people by cooking fresh fish in front driver made it back and one of the construction companies of a starving man. He just laughed and invited me over to came up with an asphalt pump. They had to use a steam share in his breakfast. There was no way in the world that I jenny to heat up the valve and we had started to pump the was going to turn this invite down. He had a kettle of boiling load off when Chester yelled at us to shut it down. We were water with loose coffee in it, the way the old trapper’s all so engrossed in getting the load off that we forgot about made their coffee. After it had boiled long enough, you just venting the tank. By now the loading hatch was at right dropped a bit of cold water into the pot and all the grounds angles to vertical so we could not open it for venting. The construction company had a portable generator that they drop to the bottom. After having my fill and helping to clean up, I started out brought over to power an electric drill so that we could drill for Cochran. Between Hearst and Kapuskasing, Ontario, an air hole in the wall of the trailer. After the best part of a there is a little kink in the road called, Lowther. This place day, they finally had most of the load transferred, and on its had a few houses that the railroaders lived in. Just next to way to Cochrane. By this time, the truck had sunk completely over onto it about a mile off the road was a new radar station on the
THE DIESEL GYPSY
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its right side with all of the left wheels up off the ground and was in the process of sinking down and under the roadway. They said that if it was left long enough it could go completely under. The sinking slowed down dramatically, once we had the load removed but by now It was dark and there was nothing else that could be done until morning. They said they would have to bring in a backhoe and dig it out before any cables could be hooked on. The driver approached one of the American air force people that was standing around watching the goings on. He asked him if he had his own car, and would he mind sitting, and keep an eye on the truck all night, especially since the wheels that were off the ground? He just wanted to make sure that they are still there in the morning. He said he would throw in a few bucks, for his time. The guy readily agreed and said he would be back in an hour. He came in civvies, and with his girlfriend. We left him with $10 and a 40 oz. bottle of whisky. Then we all took off. I went on to Cochrane to finish delivering my load, and Chester hitched a ride to a small motel a couple of miles down the road. Flare pots were set out and the air force person with his girlfriend were now on guard. The next morning, the backhoe arrived about 6:00 am. The operator found the couple in the car, both passed out drunk but at least all the wheels were still on the truck. They dragged them out, moved the car and one of the crew drove them, in their car back to the radar station. It seems that they both had
a good time and it turned out to be cheap insurance. Together the backhoe, trenching around the truck, and with the wrecker working alongside, they finally got the truck up onto the road again. Other than the vent hole drilled in the side of the tank, there was no damage done to the truck. With the ground being so soft and no rock about, the resurrection was successful and Chester was able to drive it home. We finished out the construction season, just as the snow was starting to fly, and then we headed back to Sarnia. A week later, they laid us off for the winter. Once released, I was out of there and headed over to Hamilton for a visit with friends. *****
Stanley Cup
It’s late notice, but a friend of mine has two tickets for the final game of the Stanley Cup. They are box seats and he paid $3,500 per ticket, which includes a limo to and from the airport, lunch, dinner, a $400 bar tab and a pass to the winner’s locker room after the game. What he didn’t realize when he bought them last year was that it’s on the same day as his wedding. If you are interested, he is looking for someone to take his place. It’s at St. Paul’s Church at 3 p.m. Her name is Ashley. She’s 5’4”, about 115 pounds, a good cook, loves to fish and hunt and will clean your truck. She’ll be the one in the white dress.
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Jim He walked into the café, on his face a quiet smile; Only if you knew him, could you see the lonely miles. Jessie asked about his family and he said that they were fine. Me, I never said a word, but I knew that he was lying. You see, Jim was my brother, and I knew about his life, I knew all his troubles with his damned cheating wife. Jim sat down at our table, and we talked about our loads, I warned him about the canyon and the ice upon the roads. We talked for about an hour; then we got up to leave, Jim gave Jess and me a big old hug; whispered, “Promise not to grieve.” We watched his taillights disappear that cold and rainy night, I felt a chill come over me as he went out of sight. I guess Jess felt it too, ‘cause I heard her give a little moan. I turned, and she was crying; she said, “Jim is going home.” I knew I could not catch him; my truck was way too slow, We stood there in the parking lot as the rain turned into snow. We delivered in the morning; that’s when I called in, They told me then about the wreck, and how we lost my brother Jim. They blamed the wreck upon the road, all that ice and snow, Me, I say it was suicide; and I’m the only one who knows.
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 30
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