November 2012 Volume 32, Issue 11 Delivering daily news to Canada’s trucking industry at www.trucknews.com
It’s no April Fool’s joke Senior driver licensing changes to begin Apr. 1 TORONTO, Ont. – It took long enough, but Ontario’s senior drivers may soon get what they’ve long been asking for: fairness. The Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) is applauding the announcement from the province’s Minister of Transportation, Bob Chiarelli, that the government is moving forward with changes to its Senior Commercial Driver Licence Renewal Program for drivers 65-79 years old. The changes were recently posted to Ontario’s e-laws site and will be effective April 1. The changes include: • The annual road test requirement for senior commercial drivers has been replaced with a road test only in the event of an at-fault collision or the accumulation of three demerit points. • The written knowledge test renewal requirement has been changed from annual to every five years. • The written air brake test cycle will be aligned with the written knowledge test cycle and a practical air brake test will only be required when a road test is required. •These requirements will be extended to Class D drivers. However, the annual medical reporting requirements for senior Continued on page 28
Five provinces, 351 trucks, $191,000 raised.
Why Canadian truckers have
Hearts of
Gold
kickin’ up a storm: A volunteer directs trucks participating in the annual World’s Largest Truck Convoy for Special Olympics in Paris, Ont. Sept. 15. The convoy included 51 trucks and raised $42,000. Photo by Adam Ledlow
Global trucking report Pages 65-69
By Adam Ledlow PARIS, Ont. – A troupe of tractor-trailers, led by law enforcement and firefighters, navigated its way around the streets and highways of Paris, Ont. and surrounding area Sept. 15 to raise money for the Special Olympics. The event, dubbed the World’s Largest Truck Convoy, was back at the Paris Fairgrounds for its eighth installment, with other cities across Canada and the US taking part across North America. A total of 51 trucks took part in the Paris convoy, raising $42,000 for the cause. Topping the list of individual fundraisers for the second straight year was Drumbo Transport driver Don Poll with $4,050 in pledges. Forgoing his right to claim the position of “lead truck” at backto-back events, Poll graciously offered the honour to Home Hardware driver Mike Elchert, who amassed the second-highest total with $3,470. “It’s a great cause and you meet a lot of great people involved; these other drivers that donate a lot of their time,” Elchert told Truck News at the event. “It’s a pleasure to be with them and involved with this charity.” Claiming third position on the list of top earners was Yager Brothers driver Clarence Vanderhout, who raised a total of $1,690. Vanderhout was back for his seventh straight year at the Paris event, calling it “an awesome day.” “I like the camaraderie here,” he said. “I like seeing the trucks all rolling in. No matter where I am sitting in the (convoy) line, it’s impressive to see all of the drivers coming together. I see the Continued on page 32
Inside This Issue...
• Atlantic Canada report:
Comprehensive coverage from the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association’s recent Transportation Summit in Halifax, N.S. Pages 16-25
• Breaker, breaker:
Ontario has granted handheld CB radios a five-year reprieve. We take a look at how the CB has entrenched itself in trucking culture. Page 30
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• Talking trash trucks: Navistar is looking to revamp the trash truck industry with its acquisition of E-Z Pack.
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• Collision Course: Mark suspects there’s more than meets the eye when he’s involved in a collision.
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