May 2009 Volume 29, Issue 5 Delivering daily news to Canada’s trucking industry at www.trucknews.com
Fuel theft A dirty little secret thieves would like to keep that way By Carroll McCormick CAMBRIDGE,Ont. – On March 17, an employee interrupted thieves in the act of stealing 30,000 litres of diesel fuel from Penske Truck Rentals in Cambridge, Ont. They abandoned a cube van outfitted with plastic tanks, electric pump and generator, according to staff sergeant Frank Sinko, Kitchener Detective Office of the Waterloo Regional Police. Earlier thefts in the area netted hauls such as 12,000, 20,000 and 34,000 litres of diesel, and $18,000, $27,000 and $50,000 worth of diesel. “In the last few months we are seeing large-scale theft from underground storage containers,” Sinko says. “It is an organized, well-planned criminal activity. We are seeing a trend between here and the Greater Toronto Area.” Continued on page 10
BREAKING POINT: Norman Moore, shown the day before his 65th birthday, recently failed his practical air brake test conducted by DriveTest, despite 46 years of safe driving. He feels it was an arbitrary failure that didn’t reflect his abilities as a professional driver. Moore was planning to attempt the test one more time before downgrading. Pictured at his side is a cherished photo of Moore with his former truck, taken in 1979. Photo by Adam Ledlow
Turning up the heat OTA launches campaign against senior driver testing policy By James Menzies TORONTO, Ont. – The Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) has renewed calls for the province to revisit its annual road test requirements for senior drivers. It has set up a Web site on its home page (www.ontruck.org)
Has the Cat come back? See pg. 38
that allows drivers to make their views known to their MPPs. The page can be accessed by clicking the Help end discrimination against older truck drivers button on the right-hand side of the page. Included on the page is a form letter, contact information
for all MPPs and OTA’s policy on the issue. The controversial issue of mandatory road testing of all drivers aged 65 and older has been simmering since 2006, when the province abolished its mandaContinued on page 18
Inside This Issue... • Credit crunch: Fleets are reporting trouble getting credit. Has lending criteria changed?
Page 24
• Slick savings: An in-depth look at how you can reduce oil and
See our ad page 50
lube costs, while still enjoying the benefits of a premium brand name product. Page 26
• MATS Report:
The great 2010 engine debate dominated discussion at the Mid-America Trucking Show. We report on all the Mid-America engine news this month. Pages 35-39
• Thou shunt not kill: The economic slowdown forces Mark to take on a shunting job – and a new mystery.
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