July 2008 Volume 28, Issue 7 Delivering daily news to Canada’s trucking industry at www.trucknews.com
Speed limiter discussions heat up Proponents and opponents square off at Queen’s Park
Cushing was presented with the award during the Canadian Fleet Maintenance Seminar. Just before Ryder’s director of maintenance learned of his win, Don Coldwell of Volvo Trucks Canada read off a list of Cushing’s accolades, saying he was “well-respected by his peers in the industry” and that “his knowledge has both breadth and depth.”
By James Menzies TORONTO, Ont. – Mistake. Unsafe. Incredulous. Those were some of the words used to describe Ontario’s speed limiter legislation during public hearings June 5 at Queen’s Park. However, a well-oiled PR machine led by the Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) was also onhand to present some compelling arguments of its own as the two sides sparred all day over Bill 41, which would mechanically limit truck speeds in Ontario to 105 km/h. Their audience was the Standing Committee on Justice Policy, consisting of MPPs from the governing Liberals as well as Opposition parties. Representing the pro-speed limiter crowd were: the OTA; Canadian Trucking Alliance; Brian Taylor of Liberty Linehaul; the Ontario Safety League; the Insurance Bureau of Canada; the American Trucking Associations; and Jeff Bryan of Jeff Bryan Transport.They insisted speed limiters would improve road safety and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Countering, from the anti-speed limiter corner, were: the Owner/
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PASSIONATE: Dan Cushing is photographed with his award before he hustled back to the shop to continue with his duties. The Ryder Canada maintenance manager was named this year’s Maintenance Manager of the Year.
Ryder maintenance exec wins national award By Adam Ledlow TORONTO, Ont. – It was business as usual by 3 p.m. on May 29 for Dan Cushing, director of maintenance for Ryder Canada, who found himself sitting at his desk in Mississauga, prepping for a meeting after one heckuva whirlwind afternoon. Not two hours before, Cushing had become the 20th recipient of Volvo’s Canadian Fleet Maintenance Manager of the Year award, one of the
most coveted awards in the field. After being swept away by trade media for pictures and interviews and shaking hand after hand in congratulations, Cushing hopped into his black pick-up and was on his way back to work. No beers with the guys from the shop. No long weekend taken to celebrate. No, any celebration Cushing had planned would have to wait until after hours, when the job was done.
Return of the spring? Why some fleets are taking a fresh look at spring suspensions.
Inside This Issue... • Fuel scam: An apparent fuel tax scam is costing Canadian trucking companies.
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• Seeing the light: Non-compliant lights continue to flood the
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North American market. A look at the risks involved in buying based on price only. Page 32
• Road test: Test driving the Freightliner Cascadia and Detroit Diesel DD15 engine, a combination that’s garnering a lot of attention here in Canada. Page 34
• Dalton and the Bandit: A fuel thief has Mark Dalton all fired
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up and looking for revenge.
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