March 2012 Volume 32, Issue 3 Delivering daily news to Canada’s trucking industry at www.trucknews.com
Faulty valve puts brakes on new truck deliveries
By James Menzies TORONTO, Ont. – In many jurisdictions across Canada, workers’ compensation premiums have continued to climb in recent years even as trucking’s on-road safety record has improved. The rise in premiums – sometimes in the double digits – have elicited howls of disapproval from within the industry, yet an analysis by Truck News has revealed there are legitimate cost drivers behind the increases. Across Canada, the trucking industry is among the worst, if not the worst, contributor of musculoskeletal-type injuries – sprains, strains, fractures and soft tissue injuries – and as the driver population ages, the trend has little chance of reversing itself unless trucking companies take a more proactive approach towards training and injury prevention. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and soft tissue injuries are easily dismissed by fleets and drivers, because they often appear as seemingly harmless injuries – annoyances, really – that can be worked through. However, these injuries nag and persist over time and have the potential to put a driver out of work for an extended duration, ultimately becoming one of the most costly types of injuries to workers’ compensation boards such as the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) in Ontario. Mark Skinner, research and development consultant with the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA), whose mission is to provide sector-specific support and injury prevention solutions that promote health and safety in the workplace, said there’s a troubling sense of complacency and lack of aware-
The trucking industry’s
By James Menzies LISLE, Ill. – Navistar International revealed during its Analyst Day Feb. 1, that it has halted deliveries of all new trucks due to a faulty valve in Bendix braking systems. Bendix has notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that its ATR6 valves manufactured between Dec. 2, 2010 and Jan. 18, 2012 could be faulty, possibly leading to intermittent or continuous brake application in cold weather. The problem can occur at temperatures below -18 C when internal leakage can potentially develop, resulting in pressure being delivered to the affected service brake circuit, Bendix indicated in a notice on its Web site. Jack Allen, president of the North America Truck Group for Navistar, told analysts the company has had to postpone new truck deliveries until the problem is fixed. And A.J. Cederoth, executive vice-president and chief financial officer, said the company will have to retrofit many of its existing trucks, the cost of which is not yet known. Allen later told a small group of trade press journalists that the notification to investors was required because many of Navistar’s deliveries scheduled for the first quarter will now be pushed back to the second quarter. “It’s an unfortunate deal,” Allen told trucking journalists.
musculoskeleton in the closet
Your workers’ compensation premiums are going up. Again.
THis could be the reason.
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Inside This Issue...
• Cargo crime 101: Cargo theft is a growing concern in Ontario.
We provide some pointers on how to avoid becoming a victim, as told during a Toronto Trucking Association seminar. Page 14
• The big challenge:
An in-depth discussion with Dan Einwechter, CEO of Challenger Motor Freight. How did the company survive losing $25 million in revenue? Page 32
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• A new oil:
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• Man and Moose on the Loose: Mark Dalton grabs a bite to eat and finds himself in trouble.
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