Pro-Trucker Driver's Choice - September - October 2021 (Find your Trucking Job)

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FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

BY JOHN WHITE

Big Rig Weekends I am often asked if and when Alberta Big Rig Weekends will start up again.

As we all know, in 2020, the start of Covid-19 put a damper on many indoor and outdoor activities, including the various big rig truck shows and trade shows across the country. I do not mention this in judgement – Covid-19 is what it is. It is a foregone conclusion (or at least mine) that people will never change their own, or anyone else’s mind, on the various subjects that covid-19 has given birth to, no matter where they get their personal “facts,” so I will not bore you with my opinion.

No matter what side you are on, you have already heard everything the “other” side has had to say. I trust that history will sort it all out in the end.

If there were no, or very few, outdoor restrictions in place, some scheduled truck shows were able to go ahead. These were most often shows hosted by hometown people, so, if necessary, they could be confirmed or cancelled on short notice. Alberta Big Rig Weekend needs more time to plan and execute because it is organized in BC and held over 1100 kilometres away in Nisku, Alberta. But distance is not the only factor; half our volunteers come from BC, the other half from Alberta, and quite often, volunteers and truckers schedule holidays and or time off around the show. So last-minute cancellations due to changing restrictions can make it very dificult for both families and companies.

We cancelled BC Big Rig Weekend two years before the Pandemic, due to local shows that were available to truck show enthusiasts. The Chrome for Kids Show in Mission, hosted by ZZ Chrome, had already started raising money for the Vancouver Children’s Hospital, so drivers still had a great local show to go to in BC. And to be quite honest, after 17 years, we, our family, and our volunteers were getting burned out.

Companies host most shows, but there are also others put on by truckers who love truck shows. Truckers like Chester “Nacho” De Raspe who has just completed another successful show. It was held in Prince George this time, and over 60 trucks were in attendance. Nacho is a log hauler who has always had beautiful trucks and is very well known at truck shows. Incidently Chester has also been featured as Rig of the Month for Pro-Trucker Magazine. His enthusiasm for truck shows, and trucking in general, is contagious and always ensures a great show.

The Lesco Show at the Race Track south of Edmonton, incidentally the same place where the first Alberta Big Rig Weekend was first held 19 years ago, is a great laid-back show with a large turnout of trucks that always gets rave reviews from the truckers.

Pro-Trucker is a different type of show. It is no better - just different. My anal (so I have been told…) layout of the grounds for truck parking and insistence on the large number of categories requiring 57 or so trophies takes a lot of planning.

Finding outside unbiased judges is also always a challenge. Bottom line - will there be an Alberta Big Rig Weekend in 2022? Sorry, but with all the variables, I won’t be able to answer that until January 2022.

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RIG OF THE MONTH by John White Trent Lalonde from Saskatoon is our Sept/Oct Rig of the Month Driver. I became aware of Trent through good friend Kim Wylie when discussing the “Driving is a Trade” Facebook page.

Trent and Kim are the driving force behind the page. The intention is to raise public awareness and hopefully convince politicians of the need to elevate the status of Truck Driver to a professional level. The point is that an apprenticeship-type education will drastically increase road safety while bringing consistency to the quality of new drivers entering the industry.

MELT programs were intended to do this, but they fall far short of the training needed and are failing miserably. This is Trent’s story:

D

riving truck was something I decided to do for one year as an adventure. That was 28 years ago.

However, the adventures have never ended.

I stumbled into trucking. In my 20’s I was working construction and often found myself unemployed. My parents had a few trucks hauling logs, so I got my license and started driving for them between construction jobs. My mother had always told me that my uncle Jim had his license at a young age and was never out of a job again.

Hauling logs was a good job, but the run to the mill was never more than a

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few hours, and it wasn’t long before I wanted to try the open road. Just for a year, I told myself, “just to see what it was like.” So I answered an ad for a driver, and in July of 1993, I found myself hauling a triaxle reefer across Canada and into the Western U.S. What a steep learning curve that was.

Fortunately, I was smart enough to know that I knew very little, and as the saying goes, “when the pupil is ready, the teacher will appear.”

In the early 1990s, there was a horrible truck wreck in Kamloops, B.C. A young driver, I believe he was only 18 years old, had stopped at the

brake check on top of the hill and backed his manual slack adjusters off instead of setting them up. He then proceeded down the hill. The results were catastrophic.

So as a young 25-year-old driver showing up a brake check in B.C. I had every experienced driver coming over to check on me, see what I was doing, and making sure I was doing it correctly. As they didn’t want another tragedy on the highway.

“Hey young fella, you know what you’re doing there?” was the common refrain I would hear. Many of the drivers would go so far as to crawl SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2021

www.driverschoice.ca under the truck and trailer to make sure I was adjusting the brakes correctly. I never took offence to this. Perhaps it was my time as an apprentice carpenter, or perhaps it was my realization I was in over my head, but whenever I heard “Hey young fella,” I knew it was an experienced driver willing to help.

an owner-operator was a great move for so many reasons. No longer was I given an old truck that hadn’t been properly cleaned or maintained for months only to have it taken away once I got it up to par, now I was able to keep the truck maintained. I wasn’t switching trucks every few weeks,

My employer at the time, Dale, had of course, made sure I knew how to set up brakes before he sent me out on the road, he was also extremely helpful, supportive and tolerant, but he couldn’t always be there. So, whenever a driver offering advice approached me, I took full advantage of their experience by asking numerous questions. I even kept a list of questions in the truck to ask the next driver, who greeted me with “Hey young fella.” I received advice on everything from chaining up to load securement to dealing with dispatch.

The amount of time spent and patience shown by so many complete strangers still amazes me to this day.

Over my first four years of driving, I tried a few different jobs from dry van to super B flat decks to fuel and then in the spring of 1997, I bought my first truck. Going on the advice of many experienced owner-operators, I opted to buy a brand-new truck rather than a used truck as I was told a new truck is cheaper in the long run. The advice proved correct. I purchased a 1997 Freightliner Century Class with a Series 60 Detroit and a 13-speed transmission. I owned that truck for the next seven years, and It was very good to me.

so my stuff could stay in my truck, and no one was driving my truck or lying in the bunk with their dirty work boots on. This truck was mine, all mine. I was also struck with the realization that I was now responsible for EVERYTHING. Coming from a family of small business owners I knew the importance of the business end of trucking, so once again I turned to those who had gone before me for advice and once again the advice was abundant and invaluable. From fuel costs to tire rotation to major repairs, no one ever tired of my questions, or at least they didn’t let on that my constant questions were annoying.

As much as I enjoyed owning my own truck, it wasn’t long before I realized the company was taking the lion’s share and then some. It doesn’t matter how much you enjoy working for a company, the people you work with or the places you go, in the end, trucking is a business, and I was in it to make money. Looking for how I could get a bigger share of the pie, I started thinking about going out on my own, running independently. I did what I always did and asked a ton of questions of every independent operator I met.

They all told me the same thing - Go for it.

Still, I was newly married with a

Go from being a company driver to SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2021

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baby on the way, not a good time to take risks. What made the final decision for me was an over-dimensional load going from Saskatoon to Long Island, NY. With several drops along the way.

Once loaded up and secure, I went into the dispatch office to get my permits.

I was told, “When you get to each state, pull over, and we will begin the permitting process, not before.”

(I knew that would take forever.)

Furthermore, you can’t enter a state or province with an oversize load without a valid permit. I lost it. In defence of the company, so did the manager, Ray. Ray got directly involved, and we worked things out, but nonetheless, I was done. I wasn’t going to fight with a company to do my job. I called my wife and told her that I was going on my own, she was five months pregnant at the time, but she saw what I was going through, so she too said go for it. That was April of 2001, and on July 1st, 2001, T.A. Lalonde Transport was on the road. My oldest daughter was born on August 15th, 2001.

Running independently was a whole new adventure, and one I highly recommend. If you’re thinking of doing it, my advice is to go for it. I learned a million things running independently, but some of the biggest surprises were how many customers loved dealing with a small, one-truck operation. The first load was often difficult to get, several customers took me years to get the first load, but once I had proven myself, I soon moved to the preferred carrier list. You see, the customers need their freight delivered undamaged and on time to service/supply their customers. The large carriers with high driver turnover rates can not guarantee such service. Large steel companies, lumber companies and equipment manufacturers, to name just a few, will give loads to their independent carriers first, their “quality carriers” as one steel company executive called them, and then they would call their “quantity carriers” for what’s left.

Running independently taught me a lot of things, like the value of a customer. Earning a customer’s trust is a very difficult thing to do, and Pro-Trucker Driver’s Choice Magazine

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once you have it, you must work even harder to keep it. For this reason, I am dumbfounded as to why large trucking companies make little to no effort to keep their best drivers, for without good drivers you’ll never keep your customers. Customers prefer to have the same drivers as they get to know the customers specific needs and time isn’t wasted instructing new drivers. I will never understand the disposable attitude so many trucking companies have towards their key people.

Soon after into running independent, the 1997 Freightliner gave way to a 2003 Peterbilt. I had an English Springer Spaniel at the time named Jake, and he would travel with me across North America. One time I was on top of a load of lumber throwing the tarps, and I turned around to see Jake behind me. He had jumped up on the deck, then the first lift of lumber, then the second. Hence the “Springer” in Springer Spaniel.” Jake always stuck close to me. Some of my best memories of trucking were during this time. Being independent, I was able to make trucking work around my life instead of the other way around. At this time, I also learned it’s not a good idea to call your wife from sunny Texas in January when she’s stuck at home with two small children in -40°C. Old Jake and I weren’t too popular that day.

It was also during my time as an independent that I worked hauling on the ice roads out of Yellowknife, NWT. It was another adventure. I was hired on with Robinson Trucking for the 2005 season and ended up working the 2006 & 2007 seasons as well. What an incredible experience.

I had been trucking for over 13 years at this point and thought I knew a lot.

Well, I discovered there was so much more to know. I met some of the finest people I know while working up there, and many are still good friends to this day. As hard as everyone worked and as gruelling as the job was, it was an absolute pleasure to work with a group that took the job seriously and performed the job at an amazing level.

I am a far better driver and a better Pro-Trucker Driver’s Choice Magazine

person for my time working in the territories.

As much fun as running independent was, and it was profitable, it was also a lot of work.

I was doing it back in the days before smartphones and wireless internet at every truck stop. I would have to stop at truck stops to fax paperwork back and forth with customers. Getting onto the internet involved plugging my laptop into dialup service via a phone jack in a truck stop. So when the opportunity came up to haul oil in Alberta back in 2009, I took it. The money was good, and it was closer to home. Looking back, I’m not sure I made the right decision, but then again, the oil patch has been good to me.

It’s been an interesting career so far, and the challenges never end.

Just recently, I quit a job as an ownero p e r a t o r.

I checked my pay statement and noticed $1,500 was missing. Every statement I had from this company was short, and I was tired of fighting with them, so I sent in my notice. Interestingly, I had more trouble collecting money from that employer than I did in the entire seven years I ran independently. In business, you must be prepared to walk away

from a deal at any moment. I know my worth as a truck driver, and I found

another job immediately. My mother was right; a good driver is never out of work. Hopefully, my next job will last until I retire, which isn’t that far away anymore, but it might not. I’m prepared either way.

I have thought about going independent again, and I even went so far as to price out a trailer. My years

hauling oil were mostly done under my own operating authority, so it wouldn’t be difficult to reinstate them, but honestly, I’m looking more to wrapping up than to expand. I enjoy time at the lake and working on old cars more than worrying about business. But you never know.

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2021

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Letters to the Editor Hi John, I was just surfing the net - bored and can’t sleep. So I googled my name. I came across your page about rigs and a guy named Joe Sinclair, born in Lethbridge, and he drove truck. It particularly got my attention because my name is also Joe Sinclair, and I was born in Lethbridge. The even more amusing part is I am a licenced Red Seal Truck Transport\Heavy Equipment Technician. The fancy way of saying I have full meal Red Seal and can fix anything with wheels or tracks. The big difference is he was born in 1985, and I was born in 1960. But it’s funny from an ironic sense. One from the same place becomes a Mechanic and the other born years later, drives what the first fixes. God really does have a warped sense of humour.

I thought I would share this and hopefully give someone else a laugh too.

The original Joe Sinclair, Lethbridge, Alberta.

Editors note: Well Joe, maybe you and Joe should get together for a cup of Joe? Who knows Joe, Joe just may be the kind of Joe who gets along well with other Joes.

(My wife said, “Don’t you dare write that.”…but she won’t know until we are in print.)

John, Industry v Government - Canada The industry operates in the here and now, requiring answers and solutions as situations arise.

Government thrives in theoretical solutions based on academics, which creates reports to be returned for further study, resulting in months, years, and even decades before decisions are made. These decisions then take years for politicians to act.

The end result, companies and individuals go bankrupt, unemployment rises, disparity and poverty grip society while the government turns to importing foreign labour and third world workers who are given privilege over citizens.

Final solutions result in citizens turning to crime and conflict to resolve situations caused by extremely poor governmental management as society and technology outrun the political agenda.

Pro-Trucker Driver’s Choice Magazine

cker azine Pro-Tru Choice Mag s Driver’

Most politicians and civil servants belong in a zoo. Among them are those who outlived their usefulness belonging in museums of natural history. At the same time, incompetent academics should be given shovels, minimum wage and forced to work for a living if none other than to see how they will survive on incomes far below the provincial poverty lines.

It’s 2021 today as we continue living in the 17th century politically and economically.

“You can’t fix stupid,” but you can manage it with careful consideration!

Name with-held to protect employment.

John, So sorry to hear about Mel McConaghy’s passing. He was a great storyteller who never let a storytelling opportunity go by. Mel and a cup of coffee was never something to be rushed. That was a great letter by Colin Black. I believe he did a great job of expressing how a lot of us felt about Mel. Bob Freemont.

John, I was very sad to hear the passing of Mel McConaghy. I drove for the same company as him back in the 70s and always loved to hear his stories. He was right. If there is a place for old truckers, he will have them all laughing by now. I was a new driver when I met Mel and he was always ready to help me out and answer my questions. He affectionately (I hope) called me the rookie and always said there was no stupid question.

He would often give his advice in the form of a story that helped me remember it and, more importantly, helped me understand its reasoning. I have been off the road for about 15 years now, but Mel was definitely a bright spot in my driving career. He was one of those guys you could never forget.

The Rookie Saskatoon, Sask.

Editor’s note: Mel was a one-of-a-kind Canadian to the core truck driver who loved what he did and was very well-liked and respected in the industry.

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2021

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A night to remember

By Dennis Sova I was always interested in the big rigs, so when a chance to retire early from my lifetime career came up, I took the gold watch, got my class 1 and hit the road. For the next ten years, I hauled everything from potatoes to Zambonis in Western Canada and the U.S., acquiring many (mostly) happy memories along the way.

I

t was late afternoon, and I was about to depart on the nightly trip to Seattle. Out in the yard I ran into one of the city drivers I knew, and being a new driver, I always had plenty of questions. He pointed out a couple of drivers who had just arrived to start work. “Those guys do the Sicamous switch,” he said with a mixture of awe and “you won’t catch me doing it” in his voice.

“The all-time record for doing that run is two years,” he added ominously.

I knew that I wasn’t going anywhere but Seattle for a while and filed the information for future reference. About a year later, having graduated to winter trips to Alberta, the highway dispatcher called me at home. “Can you do a Sicamous switch for us tonight - one of the guys needs the night off.”

It was the middle of winter, and the forecast was for snow in the mountains. I showed up at 5 PM as requested, slightly apprehensive.

Although no longer than a trip to Calgary mileage-wise, it involved two rush hours, two ascents of the “Highway Through Hell,” in the wintertime, and the driving was almost entirely in darkness.

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I fought my way through the evening rush hour in the pouring rain.

The traffic petered out past Chilliwack, but the temperature gauge showed a steady drop. The rain turned to wet snow as I started up the Coquihalla, and the chain-up sign was flashing at Box Canyon.

The difference between chaining up in a driving school parking lot and a dark sloping roadside in a snowstorm is simply amazing! I was soaked and freezing by the time I had the jewelry in place but made the summit without problems – those chains really do work!

Once over the top, everyone stopped to unchain. I was relieved that everything was still nicely in place and got to work under the trailer as a passing truck went out of its way to shower me with slush. The snowstorm was really hitting its stride now, with flakes the size of toonies obliterating the highway. I got in behind a couple of foolhardy souls as we passed the long line of slow traffic in the righthand lane. At 60 km/h, I felt that I was pushing my luck, and by now, it was obvious that I was going to be quite late.

Fortunately the snow let up near

Merritt, and I arrived in Sicamous in one piece but well past the midnight target. The Calgary guy was pacing in front of his rig like a caged tiger.

He was not interested in my weather report and, although we’d never met, informed me that I was a disgrace to the profession. Heck, I already knew that! Like the kids say, whatever...

We quickly swapped the trailers and happily parted company. By the time I got back to Salmon Arm, I was starting to feel a little tired and consoled myself with the thought that with the streets completely deserted I just might hit all the darn traffic lights green for a change. A lone figure appeared at the next intersection, and of course, the law-abiding insomniac felt obliged to push the button - it just wasn’t my night!

Just past Merritt the skies cleared, and concerned about black ice, I slowed down. This did not make the two trucks following me very happy.

Having spent my callow youth going skiing at every opportunity, I had a healthy respect for the white stuff.

Entering the blind right-hand curve near Comstock Road, several people appeared, frantically waving their arms at us to slow down. A southbound truck, travelling a little too fast, had crashed through the concrete divider and was now laying on its side and in pieces in the northbound lanes as well as the adjacent hillside. The road was so icy that the good Samaritans had difficulty walking on it. That sure woke me up!

Fortunately, the highway crews had caught up with the plowing and the sanding near the summit, and there SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2021

www.driverschoice.ca 17 was only the morning rush hour in the valley to contend with.

neck,” and she was right! I was asked to do this run again several times and managed to return on time and in a reasonably coherent state. However, the weather was never as bad, my Calgary counterparts were much more amiable, and my mind and body knew what to expect. But four times a week like the regular drivers? You wouldn’t catch me doing it!

I arrived at the terminal back in Delta on autopilot. The dispatcher took one look at me and said, “just put it in door three, and you can go home to bed.”

He might as well have asked me to stand on one foot and touch the tip of my nose with my forefinger. I’m sure the building shook as I missed the door the first couple of times.

proprietor brought our bratwurst and eggs, and when he asked about my occupation, I proudly showed him the pictures on my phone. He then moved on to our neighbours’ table, switching effortlessly to French. All eyes were on us, and I heard the words “camion” and “Canada”. Suddenly, the whole family stood up and, clapping their hands, chanted, “ice road trucker, ice road trucker!”

A couple of years later, my wife and I were on vacation and staying the night at a B&B in a small medieval town on the Czech-Austrian border.

At breakfast the next morning, we were joined by a large family from Singapore. They spoke no English, so we all nodded and smiled. The

My great aunt, who was a bit of a macabre armchair philosopher, once told me: “One can get used to anything, even a noose around their

Well, not quite, but I shamelessly took a bow anyway, perhaps subconsciously remembering my first Sicamous switch. In this business, you take appreciation wherever you can get it!

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Loading Heavy Equipment D

ad and I delivered a load of machinery to the Vancouver docks, and the next morning I was sitting down to a good breakfast, contemplating a couple of days off on the West Coast. But no such luck.

Dad came into the Cafe and told me to hurry up as he had just found a load going back home. So I hopped in the truck and headed to an Auction yard just below the Patullo Bridge in Surrey. It seems a company in North Bay had bought two used Grapple Loaders and wanted them delivered.

Now, these are fairly tall pieces of equipment, and after we walked them on the flatbed, I put a tape on them and found they were 13 foot 2 inches (legal but still fairly big ), but I had ways around that.

Dad went off to do the paperwork and left me to tie down. (He was good at that). I spread out all my chains and binders, and then I proceeded to let almost all the air out of the tires and just barely snugged the binders down. I had just finished doing this when this big older dude came running up and told me that I couldn’t haul the equipment like that as I would ruin the tires. I just told him that I knew what I was doing, and to leave me alone and let me

finish. He tore off towards the Office while I went and got the stinger out and proceeded to air up the tires.

Guess he went in ranting and raving about smart-assed kids wrecking equipment, and Dad told him that his kid knew what he was doing and to leave me alone.

Dad, the dude, and the sales manager got out to the truck just as I finished airing up and was safety wiring all the binders. The tires had plenty of air now, the load was down to 12 foot 11 inches, and all my chains were bar tight. The manager looked over everything and then told the dude that he should have waited until I was done. He then told me that it was one of the best jobs of tying down he had seen in a while.

After the papers were all signed, Dad and I took off and headed East. Dad drove until we passed the Chilliwack scales, and then I took over while he climbed in the bunk.

OK, so it wasn’t legal, but I did have a farm truck license, and I had been

By Dave Madill Dave Madill was Pro-Trucker Magazine’s Rig of the Month in June of 2001 and he has been entertaining us with his poetry ever since. Dave has published three books of poems that are available by special order through Chapters Book Stores.

driving semis for five years by then.

We kept this up all across Canada, never had a problem, and delivered in North Bay two days earlier than they expected. The company owner came out and looked the load over very carefully as he said his friend (the dude) had told him that some wet behind the ears smart ass had tied down the load, and he should check closely for any damage. He said the load looked great, and he was impressed that I had even removed the antenna off the roof and taped the holes in case of rain.

It was only a few hours home from the yard in North Bay, and it sure felt nice to fall into my own bed that night. I loved taking trips with Dad, seeing new places and meeting new people, but I still haven’t figured out how it was that I always got to do most of the manual labour.

The Big Bucks A mechanic was removing a cylinder head from the motor of a Harley motorcycle when he spotted a well-known heart surgeon in his shop. The surgeon was there waiting for the service manager to come take a look at his bike. The mechanic shouted across the garage, “Hey, Doc, can I ask you a question? Look at this engine. I open its heart, take the valves out, fix ‘em, put ‘em back in, and it works just like new. So how come I get paid so much less than you do when we’re basically doing the same work?”

The surgeon leaned over, and whispered to the mechanic, “Try doing it with the engine running.”

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CLIMATE CHANGE & TRUCKING I

s climate change/global warming a hoax? The short answer: NO, it is not! The United Nations recently released its latest report on the topic and issued a ground-breaking code-red alarm for humanity. Address the issues now or face extinction in one hundred years. Don’t get me wrong; humanity will “face” extinction in a century, not be extinct in that short period of around six generations. However, GHG emissions coupled with diminishing rain forest is putting humanity at a level of risk never before experienced in the history of the world.

malfunctions and so on. Many large cities such as Vancouver and Seattle that have enjoyed moderate summer ambient temperatures now require air-conditioning where it was not needed in the past. As a result, people are suffering, especially the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.

Like it or not, the transportation industry is one of the largest Global warming has affected every contributors to climate change in North aspect of life on Earth, from shrinking America, with its petroleum gulping glaciers and disappearing arctic ice behemoths increasing in numbers to increased violent weather events, as supply attempts to stay ahead of life-threatening heat domes, increased demand. The future looks grim as infrastructure stress and damage, freight movements are expected to droughts in some regions, and floods double by mid-century. However, in others. You can add your own ideas, new technologies and engineering in which might include an increase in manufacturing are slowly doing what tire wear on hot asphalt, more wear they can to overcome the problem. and tear on overheated moving Electronic vehicles are surging ahead automotive (truck) parts, increased at almost breakneck speed. Large tire use of air-conditioning causing more manufacturers are discovering ways to eliminate rolling resistance and produce more heat-resistant Drivers 70-80 CENTS PER MILE! rubber.

Parts manufacturers are doing their part by producing Super B & tridem step heat-resistant, 2 yrs exp & acceptable abstract longer-lasting Western Canada & USA components, Some dedicated runs especially those involved in

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Pro-Trucker Driver’s Choice Magazine

By Ed Murdoch

Ed has held a commercial drivers license for 65 years and has spent the better part of 50 years on the road.

You can get Ed’s new book at www.drivingthroughmymemories.ca

motion and the use of friction. Truck manufacturers are already introducing ways to keep cabin temperatures at healthy, comfortable levels without running the big engine and compromising start-up capabilities.

Jurisdictions are doing what they can to enact legislation limiting global warming emissions. California has introduced the Advanced Clean Truck act … the ACT act if you like, lol … which requires manufacturers to produce some alternative to emissionproducing vehicles by 2024, less than three years from now. Other backpedalling administrations will be required to follow the leadership of the once-proud Land of Milk and Honey, now a whimpering shadow of itself due to wildfires and drought caused by global warming and climate change.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Cleaner Trucks initiative will save 530 million barrels of oil per annum.

There are well over 200 bridges in the US of A alone requiring overhauls, many with reduced load and speed limits and tarmacs deteriorating at rapid velocity. Construction companies are inventing new technologies to increase endurance, such as a new self-healing asphalt procedure - which SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2021

www.driverschoice.ca 23 I don’t know a lot about, but it’s in the works.

Provincial and State Departments of Transportation will have to rethink the number of axles, pounds, and kilograms on those axles to reduce the wear and tear of their precious highway systems.

Super-single truck tires may become more common as their load capacity, heat resistance, endurance, and rolling resistance improve even further.

to survive. The current federal election is an irresponsibly planned event that will cost taxpayers millions, which could be better used to combat the harm caused by big government and big business. And while I’m seething, the quadrillions the toy-boy billionaires are spending on space travel, looking for another earth-like planet to destroy could also be better put toward making this planet, our only home, more consumer-friendly. Sheesh!

Many changes are coming IF the general public demands it, and the politicians take heed and turn up their hearing aids. The alarm bells are ringing at well over 90 decibels, the upper limits of acceptable noise assault.

It’s got to happen if humanity is going

What can you and I do? I know it hurts, but we can purchase fewer consumer goods that contribute to the problem. More efficient truck engines would help a lot. First up the hill is not a necessary requirement. We can drive more economically and slower

in both our personal and commercial conveyances. If one still operates a manual transmission, learn how to progressive shift … low RPMs in lower gears. Better choices extrapolate to less waste and reduced harmful emissions. Purchase products that are not forest/tree-based. There are many building materials made from hemp.

As demand increases, accessibility will also increase, and costs will decrease.

Think before acting. Is this something that will add to or limit the problem?

That’s enough to digest on our plates this month. Behave accordingly … get vaxxed … be well and be safe.

The Birddawg said it … 10-4!

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The woman grinned and said, “That’s what you think….

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Truck Routes T

here is a long-contested piece of highway in British Columbia known for its scenic 95km stretch between the town of Merritt and the city of Kamloops. The highway meanders through a valley of lakes and windswept cattle ranches. With the exception of the 2km long, 8% grade of Cardew Hill just ten minutes from Kamloops, Hwy 5A is relatively flat. Just before the city limits of Kamloops, there is the Knoff Lake Brake Check. Then it’s down the hill and off to points east.

When leaving Merritt, the two and three-lane Coquihalla, unlike its little two-lane sister, begins with a thirtyfive-minute pull up a 7% grade to the summit at Helmer road. That uphill beginning is followed by the infamous Moose Alley in the hollow north of Surrey Lake summit. Then fifteen minutes further, there is the 6% decent leaving the Inks Lake Brake Check down to yet another brake check and the government weigh scales. From there, it’s another long hill and all points east.

This story has conflicting arguments that find Hwy 5A in the middle of a

No Truck Route dispute.

The Coquihalla was built with the direction of streamlining all traffic between Vancouver and the East.

This includes commercial vehicles.

The argument by many truckers is that Hwy 5A is easier on fuel and tires because of the single short hill than the long steep grades of the Coquihalla.

The cross debate is made with the knowledge that to get to Merritt from either Hope or Kelowna, there are two major mountain ranges to climb before arriving in Merritt. So what’s one more hill that isn’t nearly as extreme as the preceding routes?

There is also the factor of the government weigh station. Hwy 5A doesn’t have a permanent weigh scale.

So it’s believed many truckers go that route to avoid the scrutiny of CVSE. Then there is the collision factor.

Both highways see several commercial vehicle collisions each year. But here

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.

is where the gap in splitting hairs narrows. Because the Coquihalla is a four-lane highway, with sections that are three lanes in one direction, there are fewer collisions, fewer fatalities, and fewer highway closures.

The 5A, in contrast, with its narrow winding two lanes, is often torn asunder by commercial vehicle rollovers that close the highway for hours at a time, even without the unfortunate loss of life in a fatality collision. In almost all cases, commercial vehicle collisions on Hwy 5A are predominately driver error.

So at what point is it a matter of public safety to close a highway to commercial vehicles?

The Blanket A man and a woman who have never met before, find themselves assigned to the same sleeping room on a transcontinental train. Although initially embarrassed and uneasy over sharing a room, the two are tired and fall asleep quickly he in the upper bunk and she in the lower.

At 2:00 a.m., he leans over and gently wakes the woman, saying, “Ma’am, I’m sorry to bother you, but would you be willing to reach into the closet to get me a second blanket? I’m awfully cold.”

“I have a better idea,” she replies. “Just for tonight, let’s pretend that we’re married.”

“Wow! That’s a great idea!!” he exclaims.

“Good,” she replies. “Get your own damn blanket.”

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Then and Now A

fter five decades of learning to be a professional truck driver, I can look back and see how the early years are very similar to what new people go through today. We all started with no idea of what we were doing but were eager to do a good job and to learn as we went along.

The only real difference that I see is that there were fewer roads, a smaller population, less communication, and less of a game plan back then.

Also, there were lots of small truck companies that had under ten trucks.

Each driver was assigned a truck, and nobody touched your truck unless you said it was okay. There was also fierce company pride. Your company was the best right up until the day you told them where they could shove their job.

Today the companies have hundreds of trucks, with several companies running over 1000. A driver is just a number, and there are few assigned trucks. Also, drivers are paid by the mile. If the truck is not moving, the driver is not getting paid. Then, of course, the government has its fingers in governing the hours of service, telling you when to sleep and when to wake up - often making drivers drive when tired and trying to sleep when wide awake. Their regulations also limit the amount of money that can be made in a day.

In the early days, the highways were not asphalt. They mainly were gravel washboards without shoulders and one lane each way. We didn’t need speed limiters. I dare anyone to go over 80 – 90kph, with no load, on

Pro-Trucker Driver’s Choice Magazine

those old roads.

By Glen Millard

Glen “The Duck” was born in As the years went Saskatchewan. He has driven trucks by, the gravel slowly for 50 years, mostly long hauling. turned to asphalt.

He’s now retired, that is until Then you started to another adventure comes along. see strange things like four long black airline, or anything else that would marks here and there allow you to limp into the next on the highway. I was always told it town. Now, in some instances, you was just a Swift driver that had run don’t even have to think. There is out of hours. satellite tracking, interior and exterior cameras and GPS so that you don’t Since then, the equipment and tires even have to know how to read a map. have changed from re-tread tube tires Big brother in the office is aware of on Dayton wheels (Chicago wobblers) where you are and what you are doing to Budds and now radial tubeless tires at all times. on hub pilot wheels. This has really

improved the tire maintenance time.

No more rubber alligators lying on the road. The equipment also improved with more power, longer trailers, bigger loads, auto shifts, air conditioners and radios that allowed communication with other trucks and home terminals. At one time, you had to have a pocket full of change as you searched for a payphone to make a call.

The better companies back then supplied uniforms and coveralls that had to be kept clean. Unfortunately, the knowledge of equipment for a lot of drivers today is limited, and the uniforms can be anything from clean and presentable to jogging pants coupled with a week-old t-shirt with graffiti on it and even flip flops.

Back then, you, the driver, had to look after and take care of the load, the truck and trailer and yourself. Are you stuck in the middle of nowhere?

You better know how to fix a tire, an

The culture has changed also.

Nowadays, few old, grizzled, tobacco smoking, beer-drinking drivers are left who know how to maintain their truck.

Don’t get me wrong, back then, there were good drivers and, of course, roster fillers too. Along with that, there were good and bad, wealthy and poor companies too. A company out of Winnipeg ran Astro GMC cab overs that later changed over to blue Peterbilt cab overs. He hauled from Winnipeg to Vancouver, and man, was he cheap! His weather fronts were cardboard boxes flattened out with a hole cut in the centre.

Also if we are going to compare times, we have to take into consideration the customers. They have changed too. In the early years, the customers were happy just to get their goods in the same condition they had bought, new and not broken.

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2021

www.driverschoice.ca 31 Today some freight companies want tomorrow’s orders delivered yesterday, and it doesn’t matter if it gets damaged because insurance will cover it.

Now there is a higher population, advancements in technologies, more customers, more roads, more of everything. On the downside, there is less driver appreciation –

few companies still have a driver of the month, and even fewer have company picnics in the summers. In addition, the bonuses are often less attainable, which creates less pride in the company, the equipment, and selfpride in how you present yourself to others.

I have no idea of what the next 50 years will bring. I’m sure that I will

not be around, but I remember the past and would not change anything - neither the low or the high points. I am happy to have had a life as a longhaul truck driver. I was away from home a lot, but now I’m retired. I’m at home all the time, and the part that I don’t like about retirement is, there are no days off.

Good Magician: A magician worked on a cruise ship. The audience was different each week, so he did the same tricks over and over again. One problem: The captain’s parrot saw the shows each week and began to figure out how the magician did every trick. Once he understood, he started shouting in the middle of the show: “Look, it’s not the same hat!”

“Look, he’s hiding the flowers under the table!”

“Hey, why are all the cards the ace of spades?”

The magician was furious but couldn’t do anything. It was, after all, the captain’s parrot. Then, during a fierce storm, the ship sank. The magician found himself on a piece of wood in the middle of the sea with, as fate would have it, the parrot.

They stared at each other with hatred but didn’t utter a word. This went on for a day, and then another and then another.

Finally on the fourth day, the parrot couldn’t hold back: “OK, I give up. Where’s the damn ship?”

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Endless Highway

Dave Madill

Thirty years of driving on a highway without end Another lonely truck stop is waiting around the bend I’ll joke and tease the waitress and talk to the other guys We’ll talk about conditions and tell a couple lies Then it’s back to this old truck, the highway looms ahead Sometime before tomorrow I’ll spend some time in bed.

The highway never seems to stop, it goes on around the bend, From east to west and north to south, it never seems to end.

Could there be a highway that leads to heaven’s gates?

And maybe one that runs to hell, where the Devil sits and waits…

Let me take the right road, when it’s time to make that ride, And have lots of room for parking, when I reach the other side.

Thirty years of driving on this highway with no end Could there be a better truck stop somewhere around the bend.

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Attitude & Altitude I

f you read my last article about learning how to drive, you will relate to how I started. You may think that some of what you are about to read is a little far-fetched. I’m here to tell you that it is all true. I’m always a little reluctant to use names, but in this case, I will, as I am proud of these two people and grateful for their confidence in me and their help.

In the early Spring of 1958, I lived in Campbell River on Vancouver Island. The people I boarded with also owned an Auto Court. One day a guy came in with a big gravel truck and rented a cabin – he was to be there for about three weeks, so I got to know him. His name was Martin Lagemaat (Dutchie), and he drove for J.S. Brock Trucking Ltd. out of Alberni (now Port Alberni). I remarked that the truck was pretty big, and he replied that it was the biggest gravel truck in B.C. It was an H.D. Hayes and had a 14 ¼ yard box, and it weighed 34,000 lbs. empty. It could only haul about 4 yards to be legal on the highway, so it was an off-road truck. Martin said his boss had only one truck before, but he had ordered two Hayes trucks – the other one was to be delivered shortly, and his boss, Jerry Brock, would drive it. The truck numbers were #5 and #6, as those were his call-out seniority positions with MacMillan & Bloedel. When they needed trucks to build logging roads, many people thought he had four trucks – not so.

I was on shiftwork, and some of my days were free, so I asked Dutchie if I could go with him, and he said sure. I was 20, and Dutchie was about three years older than me. The

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passenger seat was just a metal toolbox with an upholstered lid.

The first thing I noticed was the truck had two gear shift levers, and there were two plaques on the dashboard showing the position of each gear. One had five gears and reverse, and the other had four gears. Naturally, I thought I would know, by watching, which gear he was in – but forget it, this guy was slick at shifting both at the same time. After two days with him, he knew I was taking a real interest in the truck, so he asked me if I wanted to have a go at it. The first thing he showed me was how to shift the gears the proper way – one at a time, not the show-off way!!

There I was behind the steering wheel of the biggest gravel truck in B.C. I still remember that first load.

I stopped at the top of a small hill, turned around, and backed down about 100 yards. I got to the bottom and then had to do a 90-degree turn to cross a one-lane bridge. Actually, it was a 4-foot steel culvert covered with gravel and about 15 feet wide in total. With some instructions from Dutchie, I made it to the other side and dumped the load. I drove for about an hour that day. Then a couple of days later, another hour. Total driving time was about 5 hours when the project ended, and Dutchie returned to Port Alberni.

A little later that Spring, I had time off, and I went to Port Alberni on the pretense of visiting Dutchie, but in reality, I wanted to drive that big red truck again. So I had phoned ahead, and everything was good to

By Frank Milne

Retired Driver, Lease operator and company owner

go. His boss Jerry had picked up the second Hayes, and both were working building logging roads for MacMillan & Bloedel.

I was introduced to Jerry when he came to pick us up in the morning.

One of the first things that came to mind was I thought he was quite young (about 30) to be owning these two big trucks. We drove about 15 miles to where the trucks were parked.

However, they were working at two different locations. Being at the first location, Jerry got out of the pick-up and said for me to come with him. I said I would rather go with Dutchie.

That way, I could drive the big red truck. He replied that if I had time in the afternoon, I could go and visit Dutchie. Well, we got to the truck, and he asked me if I knew which side of the hood to lift to check the oil, and I said, “yes,” as I had seen Dutchie do it. Well, you’d better do it and check the water, then you can get in and start it – which I did. Then he looked up at me and said, “Don’t move it until the engine oil temperature needle starts to move – if you get into any trouble, I’ll be making coffee for the loader operator,” and then he walked away.

Still to this day, I can close my eyes and see that long red hood in front of me and the radiator cap away out there.

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A Girl Just Wants to Have Fun… In the words of Cyndi Lauper, "That's all they really want, Is some fun, When the workin' day is done."

A

m I the only one or does anyone else ever book time off from work then do work-related things? I booked eight days off and ended up actually working two of them and doing truckrelated things for another three. Don’t get me wrong, The Brain (my truck) and I are quite content spending time together but a little more of a break would have been nice. This is partly my own fault though. I tend to pack on all the things that need to get done all in the same week since it’s so rare that I actually take time off. I would have liked to have taken an actual vacation away and then not have to think about truck stuff at all but with all the restrictions and rules changing daily for travel, it almost seems too overwhelming to even think of trying to book a vacation.

One of the priorities that I made for the week was getting my hair done. I tried a new salon this time as they were able to get me in for a last-minute appointment. They did not disappoint and I have some fresh pink locks again! While I was there I spoke to one of the stylists and I mentioned that I drove a pink and black truck.

She mentioned that she had seat belts that matched the color of her pickup. I had never even thought of changing the color of the seat belts as an interior modification. It’s nice when you get to network with people and can swap ideas. She gave me the name of the company and I quickly emailed them to see if they could put hot pink seat belts in a 389 Peterbilt. I got a quick response saying that they absolutely could so I booked it in for the end of that week. Safe and Smart Drive Canada in Winnipeg, MB was the company that did the installation

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and also provided a certificate to prove that they had been tested and met all the safety standards. They were the absolute nicest and most accommodating people to work with and were so thrilled to be able to work on my truck. Getting in and out of their shop was a bit of a challenge but their guiding skills were outstanding!!! They even provided a photo shoot after their installation by Rave Photo and I couldn’t have been happier with the service both companies provided. First off, the hot pink seat belts stood out so well and really added that extra pop of color to the interior. Secondly, the photos that they sent me the next day were breathtaking!! Definitely cover of a magazine material! All in all, I give these guys five stars and some! So for those that didn’t know you could customize your seat belts to your vehicle….you’re welcome!!

Another thing that I had booked for the week was a different photo shoot that took place at night time. I know you’re probably all thinking that sounds shifty! It’s called Art in the Dark by Impact Photographic Design. Again, I ended up making connections with Bruce through a friend of the family.

He had photographed some tractors at their farm and they told Bruce about The Brain and I. I contacted him and we were able to set up a session on my time off because I knew I was for sure going to be available. The concept of Art in the Dark is really neat. Once the sun goes down, different light sources are shone upon the truck in different spots and shots taken. There was about three hours of work into lighting up the truck and the background so that he can piece it all together in the editing

By Myrna Chartrand Myrna was born and raised in Oak Point, Manitoba and was our April 2019 Rig of the Month driver.

process to make a really classy photo.

I’m super excited to see the end result of this shoot!

Although I was busy doing fun truck stuff, I did make some time in the course of my time off to rest and relax and catch up with friends and family.

One of the days I slept in until 5pm.

You know you’re exhausted when….

I know that I need to make more time for myself but I guess I feel like I’m always chasing that mighty dollar.

Plus being in my truck is my own little comfort zone. I feel cozy in my truck because it’s very much my personality and I was able to do my own interior design. Don’t get me wrong, I love actually being at home so that I get to visit with my roomie and my dog nieces. Plus using the same bathroom and shower for multiple days in a row can never be taken for granted.

I still need to make time for a truck show this year as well. The Brain hasn’t been able to make his big debut yet. Again...partly my fault for not making time in addition to the fact that I think my boss would prefer that I turned a few miles before I started hitting the show circuit. I definitely feel 100,000 kilometres in the first five months warrants a show now.

So as to not let Cyndi Lauper down, it’s time for this girl to have some fun!

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INDEX Berry & Smith ..................................................................................................... 09

TRUCKING SERVICES

Centurion Trucking Inc. .................................................................................. 19 DeckX ....................................................................................................................... 47 Golden Express Trucking Inc. ......................................................................... 15 Grant Transport Inc. ......................................................................................... 22

Big Rig Power ....................................................................................... 03 B & W Insurance ............................................................................. 02 & 06 Cool Heat Truck Parts .......................................................................... 20 Diamond Insurance ............................................................................ 23

Jagged Edge ........................................................................................................ 05

Howes Lubricator ......................................................................... 24 & 25

Kindersley Transport ...................................................................................... 46

Hutch Systems ......................................................................................... 48

Key West Express Ltd. ..................................................................................... 33

Michel’s Ultralift Technologies ...................................................... 29

Light Speed Logistics Inc. ................................................................... 13 & 45 North Coast Trucking Ltd. ............................................................................. 08

Mobalign Services Inc. ......................................................................... 09 Norris & Co. .............................................................................................. 21 Ocean Trailer ......................................................................................... 37

Preferred Carriers Inc. ..................................................................................... 36

The Gear Centre ..................................................................................... 29

Royal City Trucking ........................................................................................... 38

Traction Heavy Duty Parts ............................................................... 27

Select Classic Carriers ..................................................................................... 34

Trucking App .......................................................................................... 41

Transam Carriers Inc. .................................................................................... 35 Van Kam Freightways ...................................................................................... 04 Watt & Stewart Trucking Inc. ........................................................................ 28

16

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

Trucker’s Pages ....................................................................................... 32 Trucker’s Together Fuel Services ................................................... 39 Truck West Collision .............................................................................. 31 Ultrack Systems Inc. ............................................................................. 43

26

TRUCK ROUTES Scott Casey

Dennis Sova

18

LOADING HEAVY EQUIPMENT

42

A GIRL JUST WANTS TO HAVE FUN… Myrna Chartrand

30

THEN AND NOW

10

Glen Millard

Dave Madill

22

CLIMATE CHANGE & TRUCKING Ed Murdoch

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40

ATTITUDE & ALTITUDE Frank Milne

RIG OF THE MONTH Trent Lalonde

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2021

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2021

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thank you to those who make the miles count

In honour of National Trucking Week, we are celebrating Drivers, Dispatchers, Mechanics, Dockworkers, and all of the people behind the scenes that keep the trucking industry moving.

A salute to the Trucking Industry!

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Introducing Hutch electronic logging devices-trucking companies will be able to complete the audit process easily and efficiently.

These devices help eliminate inaccurate reporting, collect necessary data required for recording keeping and helps the driver keep track and operate within the HOS regulations.

Features such as live tracking, real-time alerts, monitoring HOS regulations, Driver Coaching/Behavior, generation of reports such as IFTA ensure that there is no room for non-compliance.

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