February 2014 Volume 34, Issue 2
TRUCK NEWS Radar love
Manitoulin thought it had a deal to buy Vitran. Then someone came along and swept it out from under them.
Save on tires
Delivering daily news at trucknews.com
How do you generate savings out of thin air? Easy. You pay attention to how much air is in your tires.
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J.E. Fortin in Quebec celebrates its 90th birthday with the purchase of a specially-decorated truck.
Not so fast
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Happy 90th!
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Canada’s Trucking Newspaper Since 1981
Shedding the pounds
Volvo has a weight-reducing resolution that won’t be broken by the time you read this. James Menzies reports.
MTO plans to arm officers with radar to help with speed limiter enforcement
By James Menzies TORONTO, Ont. • The Ontario Ministry of Transportation is equipping its vehicles with radar, to help officers better enforce the province’s speed limiter legislation, Truck News has learned. Officers will also be able to enforce moving violations committed by commercial vehicle operators, once the radar systems have been installed and officers are trained on its use. Ontario and Quebec require nearly all heavy trucks operating in the provinces to have a functioning speed limiter that restricts the vehicle’s speed to 105 km/h. Until now, the MTO has had to connect an electronic reader to the engine’s ECU to determine whether or not the speed limiter was activated, or observe a vehicle travelling above 115 km/h. (The law allows for charges to be laid against truckers driving faster than 115 km/h, as it’s presumed at that speed that a functioning speed limiter was absent). Once MTO cars are equipped with radar, they’ll be able to officially clock commercial vehicles – and better support fines against drivers – travelling over 115 km/h. “MTO is considering utilizing radar units to assist officers in the enforceContinued on page 14
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Craig McPhee walks among the wreathadorned graves at Beechwood National Cemetery. Trucking companies have volunteered transportation services for the cause.
A fitting tribute Trucking industry looks to help bring popular Wreaths Across America tribute to Canadian veterans By Daniela Piteo OTTAWA, Ont. • Wreaths were gently laid across many tomb-
stones at the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia and it was a sight so remarkable that it was hard to forget. Craig McPhee, a retired warrant officer with the Royal Canadian Air Force, was so moved by the display honouring American veterans, he immediately went to the office at Arlington and asked how each wreath found its way to the cemetery. McPhee learned that Morrill Worcester was responsible for the wreaths he saw, and after acquiring his address, McPhee drove from his home in Ottawa to Maine so he could talk to Worcester. McPhee discovered Worcester, owner of Worcester Wreath Company, had a surplus of wreaths toward the end of the season and he decided to donate them to the cemetery – a tradition that he and a number of volunteers have kept alive for over two decades. “I told Morrill that I would take care of the north, from British Columbia to Newfoundland,” said McPhee, and so
far, he has been true to his word, taking small steps with Wreaths Across Canada – joining the Newfoundland branch that just had its fifth ceremony. On the first Sunday of December, McPhee and a number of volunteers gather at the Beechwood National Cemetery in Ottawa to lay wreaths on tombstones – a practice that has been slowly growing in numbers since the first ceremony was held in 2011. “We tend to zero in on the veterans buried overseas, but we don’t do a lot to honour the memory of veterans buried in Canada beyond November 11,” McPhee said. This year, 2,900 wreaths were laid in Beechwood National Cemetery. “It will take time for people to hear about what we are doing,” said McPhee, who stressed that each year the organization hopes to expand and reach each of the 235,000 veterans buried in Canada. Continued on page 10
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