February 2011 Volume 31, Issue 2 Delivering daily news to Canada’s trucking industry at www.trucknews.com
Give us a break!
Photo by Shawn Jeffords – Sun Media
US trucking industry says HoS changes are too restrictive
SNOW s l e ng
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Proposed changes to the US hours-of-service rules announced Dec. 23 may have been less drastic than many in the industry had feared, but they still met with much criticism. The rules, which may – or may not – reduce driving time to 10 hours per day (the FMCSA expressed its preference for the reduction, but said it would first consult with the public), add stipulations to the 34-hour restart and allow extensions to the 14hour workday in some situations, sparked mixed reaction. But the American Trucking Associations (ATA), which had been sounding warnings of a potential loss of driving time, reacted strongly to the announcement. “When viewed against trucking’s sterling safety record,” said ATA president Bill Graves, “it’s plain that the Obama Administration’s willingness to break something that’s not broken likely has everything to do with politics and little or nothing to do with highway safety or driver health.” Highway safety records would seem to bear truth to that contention. Since the current hours-of-
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Truck drivers offer shelter, warmth during blizzard By James Menzies SARNIA, Ont. – A major winter snowstorm hammered southwestern Ontario in mid-December, stranding more than 300 motorists overnight in frigid, blustery conditions and leaving one truck driver dead. Many professional drivers who were stuck in the storm opened their doors to other motorists, sharing the warmth and amenities of their truck cabs and living up to their reputations as Knights of the Road.
David Virgin, a 40-year driving veteran with D&J Transportation was running empty to Sarnia when he got caught in the storm near Exit 57 on Hwy. 402. Virgin, who often runs northern B.C., is no stranger to snow, but he said conditions deteriorated rapidly as visibility was reduced. “We were three or four wide on a two-lane highway, going the same way,” he recalled. “Nobody could see nothing. It was bad.” Soon, traffic came to a dead stop and the waiting began. As
the day dragged on, it became clear traffic wouldn’t be moving any time soon. That’s when Virgin heard a knock at the door. It was a young couple with a baby, who were travelling by car and were quickly running low on gas. “I told them to shut the car off and to get in here,” Virgin said. The grateful young couple thanked him for his offer and said they’d try to stick it out in their car for the time being. But at around 8 p.m. when the prosContinued on page 16
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Road Test: Navistar’s newest Star See pg. 40
Inside This Issue...
• Road test: Much has been made about International’s EPA2010
solution. We got our hands on a production model unit and put it through its paces. Page 30
• Snow removal solution: We visit Erb Group in Baden, Ont.
to check out a clever homemade solution for trailer top snow and ice removal. Page 60
Our mufflers are stronger, last longer and save you $$$!
• Exec view: Fred Zweep of Vedder Transport outlines the fleet’s ambitious plan to transition to liquefied natural gas.
• Eye for an eye:
Page 66
When Mark Dalton learns of an innocent driver getting jumped, he decides to investigate. Page 68
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