Dave brings 40 years of valuable and interesting experience in transportation, management, safety, business and compliance. Dave has driven in every condition across North America and overseas as military, policeman,company driver to an owner operator to transportation management. Now Publisher Editor of Canadian Trucking Magazine bringing you articles and entertainment in print and on the web. Join Dave on Face Book for real time updates. Meet Dave at the Truck Shows.
Front cover this month is Angie, the brains of CTM and Marc Springer of Snortn’ Boar Transport and on the show Shipping Wars with uShip. What a load of you may not know is Marc is a real Truck Driver working daily as an O/O with his own Truck, Deck and Company. So when you see Marc on Shipping Wars, good on him, and I enjoy the entertainment I get from the show. Marc, Angie and I took in the MATS in Louisville KY and again it was not disappointing. You can see more about it and pictures in the expanded Web Edition on the CTM web site. Worth going to. Marc met thousands of Fans and signed copies of the March Edition of CTM on which he was featured on the cover.
We have a bunch of great truck shows headed our way in Canada & the USA. I urge you to take some of these in, if you are in transport or not. It’s a great break and awesome if you have kids or grandkids. I will keep you posted on the web site and FaceBook page on dates and times. Page 29 a must read this month as this is a product I have tried out in the CTM Cruiser. Everyone is going to dashcams, in fact overseas, the four wheelers and big trucks have them. Seaforth has one that works, won’t melt in the windshield like cheap copies and will have the video for playback when you need it! Happy Trails...see ya at the truck stops! Dave
GET MORE CONTENT MORE ARTICLES & ENTERTAINMENT ON LINE @ CTM ! Visit the Canadian Trucking Magazine on the Web to view the expanded web edition and LIKE us on Face Book.
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Marc Springer is on the Pet Page this month and for a great reason! Many of us spend far to much time in the truck and need to take a good break every day or couple of days. Even if it is for a good Walmart walk or a dinner in a place other than a truck stop or your truck. Trust me Driver it will make your time on the road a much better experience. Marc took some time off in Texas, mounted here on Peppy's Kinda Cat, and enjoyed a birth experience that was awesome. Here is what Marc had to say about itSince I am working with two Austin, Texas based company's I tend to spend a fairly large amount of time in the great State of Texas and am finding that I really enjoy Texas and enjoy and the people who live there. Since my family heritage from the early 1900's was Texan, it is only natural I am finding myself gravitating towards Texas as a place I intend to spend a great deal of my time. Not too mention the winter weather is great and the driving can not be beat. Super Hiways with speed limits of 75 - 85 MPH. That is what I call making some time. At any rate I have met some great people who own C&H Arena a 50,000 square foot horse facility near Lib-
erty Hill, Tx . The trainer Kelly Hemphill is a world class champion with cutting horses. She has a way with horses that I have never seen. She is amazingly skilled and it is a pleasure to watch her work with these fine Horses. I have always enjoyed watching people that are very good at what they do at work! Several days ago I received a phone call at 1:00am from Kelly saying the next world champion had just arrived. I scrambled out of my sleeper and stumbled into the barn and over to the corral where figuring out how to, was our new friend, learning to stand and imprinting with her momma and her soon to been best friend Kelly. Great Story Marc, Thanks! Dave
Danica Patrick, driving the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet, and Kasey Kahne, driving the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, turn laps at Daytona International Speedway during Goodyear Tire testing on April 17, 2013.
See more NASCAR in the Web Expanded Edition of CTM @ www.canadiantruckingmagazine.ca
Danica Patrick speaks to media during the Goodyear Tire Test at Daytona International Speedway on April 17, 2013.
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A group of cars turns laps at Daytona International Spee
edway during Goodyear Tire testing on April 17, 2013.
Danica Patrick speaks to media during the Goodyear Tire T
Test at Daytona International Speedway on April 17, 2013
Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway on Ap
LIKE CANADIAN TRUCKING MAGAZINE O
, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR ril 13, 2013 in Fort Worth, Texas.
ON FACE BOOK FOR MORE NASCAR!
U.S. President Barack Obama (R) talks with Sprint Cup Champion Brad Keselowsk House April 16, 2013 in Washington, DC. President Obama is hosted an event to h
ki, driver of Penske Racing #2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion, on the driveway at the White honor the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion.
I do 5 sit-ups each morning May not sound like much! But how many times do you hit the snoozw button before you have to get up!
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By; Dawn Truell CBS
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April 11, 2013, Border officers say they found n e a r l y $ 11 , 0 0 0 stuffed into the shoes of a Phoenix man trying to walk into Mexico at the Lukeville port of entry. The 22year-old man was arrested Wednesday when U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers searched him and found $10,744 stuffed into his sneakers. The cash was seized and the man arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. Anyone who's been through an airport or crossed national borders has seen detection dogs, noses diligently sniffing for illegal drugs or banned produce and invasive insects. There are even dogs trained to detect wildlife or wildlife parts, like rhino horns and ivory that smugglers try to sneak across borders. In February 2013, CBSA officers at the Sault Ste. Marie port of entry processed 88,523 travelers in 59,696 vehicles, representing an 11 percent decrease in travelers and an eight percent decrease in vehicles compared to February 2012. There were also 3,131 commercial importations, representing a six percent decrease compared to the same period last year, and more than 300 international travelers by bus.
It’s not always easy to get into Canada as many think; our Canadian Immigration is on the Job! On February 7, 2013 a U.S. resident was seeking entry into Canada. He was sent to immigration for a secondary examination. After completing a criminal record check, officers discovered that he was convicted of Reckless Driving, Retail Fraud as well as three offences of Driving Under the Influence. He was deemed inadmissible to Canada due to criminality and officers informed him that he would have to apply for criminal rehabilitation in order to enter Canada in the future. He was returned to the United States. Another instance: On February 9, 2013 a U.S. resident was seeking entry into Canada. He was sent to immigration for further questioning and it was determined that he was in fact living in Canada and working in the United States. He was advised that proper procedures must be followed. He must prove that he has a residence in the United States, has ties to his home country and is not intending to live in Canada. He was allowed to withdraw his application to enter Canada and was advised to come back when the requirements were met. On February 5, 2013 three returning Canadian residents declared US$173 in groceries. During a secondary examination, officers found four undeclared parcels in the back seat as well as a large box in the trunk where two trumpets in cases were located. The driver admitted that she did not declare the parcels and the two trumpets. The total value of the undeclared goods was $290.88.
Prosecutions and Seizures
The goods were then seized for the offence of non-report and released back to the traveler after a monetary penalty of $183.20 was paid. The driver was also a NEXUS member and due to this offence, her NEXUS card was revoked. Had the traveler properly declared the goods, she would have paid approximately $37 in taxes and maintained her NEXUS membership. On February 10, 2013 a returning Canadian resident was asked to provide a breath sample after an officer detected the odor of alcohol on the driver's breath. The officer gave the driver three opportunities to provide a sample. After the third attempt, the driver was arrested for failure to provide a breath sample and was handed over to the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service. On March 28, 2013, CBSA officers seized 48.5 kg of cocaine at the Port of Montréal, Quebec. The cocaine was discovered in two sports bags that had been placed inside a container. Upon opening the container doors, border services officers noticed the two sports bags on top of merchandise boxes. Officers searched the suspicious bags and found a total of 39 packages of white bricks wrapped inside several layers of packaging. Tests determined that it was cocaine. Pictures below: Upon opening the container doors, border services officers noticed two sports bags on top of merchandise boxes.
Officers searched the two suspicious bags and found a total of 39 packages of white bricks.
The bricks were wrapped inside several layers of packaging. Tests determined that it was cocaine.
The bricks were stamped with a scorpion logo.
For further information on the fight against smuggling, terrorism, CTPAT, FAST, PIP please contact:
Dawn Truell, President, Cross Border Services www.c-tpat-certified.com www.crossborderservices.org 905-973-9136.
Note from Dave! If you see suspicious activity,persons asking you for a ride across the border in your truck, a loose lipped driver talking about smuggling loads of weapons or drugs, do us all a favour and contact authorities. Try to get as much information as possible without becoming involved and shut these bad guys down!
CALL BORDER WATCH
1.888.502.9060
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AYR Motor Express Inc. hon
Woodstock New Brunswick – February 27, 2013 AYR Motor Express Inc. is very honored and pleased to be recognized by Purolator Inc. as “2012 Long-haul Carrier of the Year”. This prestigious award established in 1996 is based on a carrier’s ontime performance, peak season performance and customer service. In addition, a carrier is evaluated on their carrier fitness which includes fuel efficiency, security, contingency plans and safety and standards performance. Freight movement by tractor-trailer is a very competitive business that requires total focus on the customer needs and requirements. In 2012, AYR Motor Express Inc. moved over 2600 loads on behalf of Purolator with the customer philosophy "The Best Is The Least We Can Do".
Joe Keenan and his family have been offering for-hire truckload dry-van carrier services throughout North America for almost 25 years with terminals located in Woodstock NB, Mississauga ON and Winnipeg MB. “At AYR Motor we are very intent on meeting our customer service levels and are very serious about our business” says Mr. Keenan. “We work harder and the result is a strong partnership such as the one we have with Purolator Inc. In a business to business relationship when a customer has confidence in the service provider it is to the benefit of both." Mr. Keenan feels that stable business partnerships result in a strong economy for us all. "Consumers and the business community know the importance of receiving goods in quality condition in
nored by Purolator
a timely manner, AYR Motor is that service provider and our business operates 7/24/365. The customer is never disappointed so this results in repeat business." The Keenan family… Joe, Sandy and their two sons Seth, and Tom manage the business with a staff of 430 skilled professionals of the trucking industry who are able and willing to meet their customers’ demands in a much regulated environment. AYR Motor Express Inc. is very proud to be one of the “Top 100 Trucking Companies in Canada” and its rising profile within the industry.
Contact: Seth Keenan, Director of Operations seth.keenan@ayrmotor.com 46 Poplar Street, Woodstock, New Brunswick E7M 4G2 Phone: 506-325-2205 Toll Free: 1-800-668-0099
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Do You Know Your Cost-Per-Mile? You S
Last month I spent a few days at the Mid-America Trucking Show with uShip. MATS is the world’s largest trucking industry event and it’s simply huge – 70,000 people and 1,000 exhibitors displaying everything from load boards to lubricants (yes, for your truck).
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I had a blast connecting with hundreds of owner-operators and company drivers (even met some from Canada), but was surprised – ok, shocked – at how many drivers didn’t know their costper-mile to operate their truck. Either they haven’t taken the time to figure it out or simply don’t know how to calculate it. Remember, driving your truck IS a business; it goes well beyond just getting stuff from A to B.
So, why is this important? When you don’t know your CPM, you simply don’t know the minimum you need to charge for loads to be profitable. It’s like Starbucks not calculating the cost of EVERYTHING (plus their profit) that goes into that cup of coffee. Trust me, they do, and that’s why they charge over $5 for that double mocha chino frappe thing. Without this knowledge in your own business, you’ll likely just be thrilled to get cash at delivery, thinking you really scored, but in reality, you may have just broken even, at best. But once you have a firm grip on your overhead costs and expenses, it becomes easy to say yes or no to loads that do or don’t match your minimum profit levels. Important to point out that no two drivers’ CPM is the same. A bunch of factors can impact your expenses, so here are some basic steps I’d recommend along with a killer graphic from TheTruckersReport.com below that nicely breaks out the categories:
www.snortnboartranspor
Should. By Marc Springer of Snortn’ Boar Transport Steps to figuring out your CPM:
1. Hard costs. Calculate fixed/hard costs (i.e., truck payments, insurance, computer, cell phone, Internet, average food costs, etc.) 2. Repair, maintenance, tires. Keep this up or you’ll get some nasty surprises on the backend 3. Dues, fees. Know your annual licensing costs broken out by month 4. Fuel. This is your biggest ongoing expense; know this one well. 5. Marketing, load acquisition. Load board subscriptions, uShip fees, etc.
Three final points. First, establishing a reliable CPM takes some time so you can see trends in your operations and maintenance. Second, you can predict surprises along the way. Be prepared. Last, nothing is easy. This does take some work to make money – that’s why they call it work. Loads just won’t start jumping onto your truck. So turn off the stereo, ignore your texts, send calls to voicemail. Turn driving time into thinking time to strategize and consider your next steps.
All the Best and be Safe and profitable out there!
Marc Springer Owner / Operator Snortn’ Boar Transport Providing Quality Transportation Throughout the US and Canada
rt.com
http://www.thetruckersreport.com/infographics/costof-trucking/
www.facebook.com/Snortnboar
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Shame on You Driver! By Sandy Long
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99% of the time, I do not go along with all the finger pointing done towards truck drivers; not for most accidents, being fatigued from not sleeping, or most of anything else one can think of. However, in one area, I lay the blame directly on truckers; that is for damaging and trashing where we park. I am not talking about along the traveled part of the highways for the most part, but the truck stop parking lots, rest area truck parking areas, on ramps and other areas commonly used by truckers for parking. Recently, Werner Robbins Georgia banned trucks from parking over two hours on city lots, truckers stood up in force and the mayor and city council rethought their initial decision and rescinded the ban. However, when the story first broke about the ban, a city council member from Werner Robbins cited that trash left behind by truckers was one of the reasons for the ban. I can believe that. Brookfield Missouri’s Walmart allowed overnight parking for truckers for years. This was a good thing because there are no major truck parking areas from Cameron to Hannibal Missouri along Hwy 36, a matter of roughly 150 miles. The parking problem is so bad along this stretch that when on and off ramps were built at a couple of exits about midway along; they were built with shoulders wide enough for a semi to fit nicely to park. Within the last 6 months or so, Brookfield’s Walmart has put up signs saying ‘no overnight truck parking’. Why; because someone knocked down a light pole with their truck and then took off.
It does not stop there, towns and cities all over the country are putting truck bans in place, we see the stories time after time. Can you blame them? I have seen the residual left from trucks, both trash and damage done to asphalt and light poles. The damage done is sheer inconsiderate behavior or stupidity, someone not knowing not to turn too sharp in warm weather that causes a plowing effect on the asphalt, or how to turn wide enough to get around a pole. The trash is just shear laziness or not caring. The trash problem is not limited to public places either; it has traveled to terminals and drop yards. The company I work for has instituted a $100 fine for anyone seen throwing trash on the ground at either our office/car/bobtail parking lot or our drop yard. Both places have dumpsters provided by the company yet, our office staff had to go out and pick up 12 pee bottles from one place in the office lot, it was obvious that it was one driver who left them there.
At our drop yard, the poo bags got so bad that the trailer mechanic was starting to get worried about getting under a trailer. While there are no facilities at our drop yard, the Quik Trip with truck parking is Ÿ mile from the lot and again, there is a dumpster at the lot itself. Being a 40+-year trucker/traveler I understand very well that sometimes Mother Nature calls and there is no place to stop and go, or one does not have time to find someplace. Anyone who has driven any time at all should know this too and figure out a way to take care of it in the truck when necessary. They also should know how to deal with the bottles or bags too without throwing them out the window. Triple bag the poo bags if you have to use that way, put a spritz of Lysol or window cleaner in it and tie each bag up tight, this will keep the smell down until one can find a trash dumpster. Bottles should be thrown away in the dumpster or trash can too‌yes, I can hear you now, both might be distasteful to do, but it is better to have these things contained in a trash reciprocal rather than laying in the ditch. Trash is easily gotten rid of, every truck stop/fuel stop/rest area has trash cans somewhere close by if not actual dumpsters. Trash includes sweeping your trailer out onto the ground or throwing blown tires or pallets in the ditch or back of the lot. Recently, I got nails in two tires due to someone sweeping their trailer out onto the staging area at a warehouse. While trash is easily gotten rid of, the blown tires cost money for the tire shop to take away, I understand that, yet, one can pile them neatly by a dumpster; same with pallets. The other scrap, dust, nails and dirt from the trailer should be put into bags or a can then put in the dumpster or trash can.
There is no call for the trashing of where we have to work and/or park. Not only does it create issues with our being allowed to park, but it also hurts our image. So what, you might ask, why should you worry about what John Q Public thinks of you? Who do you think is pushing for stronger regulations against us? Who do you think is pushing these truck parking bans? Who do you think makes up those safety advocate groups? John Q Public is who. If you have not figured that out yet, then shame on you driver for not only throwing your trash out on the side of the road and in truck parking lots, but also not paying attention to the industry. I for one am tired of looking at your trash, so is John Q Public.
ExpeditersOnline.com TrailerTruckinTech.com Street Smarts: A Guide to a Truck Driver's Personal Safety Arriving Alive: personal safety, driving and sharing the road with semis tips Just a Lady Driver blog Sandy Long's Faire personal website Sandy Long @ Facebook TrailerTruckinTech Life member OOIDA Women In Trucking Association
Do not cuss a trucker or a farmer with your mouth full!
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HURRY SALE ENDS APRIL 26th
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