July 2015 Volume 35, Issue 7
TRUCK NEWS
S P E CI A L RE P O R T RD:
R WA FA S T F O side look
An in re of at the futu trucking
More money, fewer miles
AMTs come of age
We drive an International PayStar with automated transmission to determine how heavy is too heavy.
Delivering daily news at trucknews.com
A new Cat truck
Caterpillar has rounded out its line of vocational trucks with the CT680 and we were among the first to drive it.
Page 45
Restless nights, loud snoring and constant fatigue could be signs of sleep apnea. What are you doing about it?
Page 32
A waking nightmare
Page 28
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Canada’s Trucking Newspaper Since 1981
Take a seat
Truck seats are an important – but often overlooked – spec’ and maintenance item, Steve Sturgess reports.
Those driving for the Best Fleets to Drive For are making more and driving less. But why? By James Menzies TORONTO, ONTARIO Professional drivers working for the Best Fleets to Drive For made more money on fewer miles last year. That’s one of the trends identified through the evaluation process conducted by CarriersEdge while administering the Truckload Carriers Association’s Best Fleets to Drive For competition. Company drivers working for the 2014 Best Fleets winners earned an average of $54,897 (all figures US) and drove an average of 115,946 miles. This worked out to an average rate of 47.34 cents per mile. When surveying the 2015 Best Fleets drivers, organizers found they earned an average income of $56,330 while running an average of 111,784 miles Continued on page 15
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Shawn Pietracupa is congratulated by colleagues after a first place run in the single-single division.
A trucking showdown Top Toronto-area professional drivers faced off at the regional truck driving championships May 30
By James Menzies BRAMPTON, ONTARIO
W
ith the exception of the occasional nervous glance skyward, all eyes at the Powerade Centre in Brampton, Ont. May 30 were trained on nearly 50 of the most skilled professional truck drivers in the Greater Toronto Area. They were competing in the Toronto Regional Truck Driving Championships, with hopes of advancing to the Provincials in July and from there, to the Nationals. The competition this year was moved to the Powerade Centre, where a large section of the parking lot was cordoned off for championship activities. Supportive family members, colleagues and curious onlookers lined the course and cheered on the drivers as they navigated the challenging obstacle course that mimicked some of the most difficult scenarios a driver could be expected to encounter. One of the trickiest of these, drivers in attendance told Truck News, was the alley dock, which requires a blindside 90-degree backup between two tightly positioned barriers. In addition to demonstrating their skills on the obstacle course, drivers were also required to complete a knowledge test and a pre-trip inspection, during which they had
to locate planted defects within an eight-minute timeframe while a Ministry of Transportation transport enforcement officer looked over their shoulder. No pressure! The planted defects were intended to replicate commonly overlooked items MTO enforcement officers see in the field. “We try to take items that are required to be checked by drivers as part of the pre-trip inspection report and simulate those defects here, so that makes it a real-world competition,” explained Mark Bonner, transportation enforcement officer with the MTO. “These are things we hope you don’t find (during pre-trips), but you should be looking for.” A couple of examples from the Toronto Regionals included a significantly underinflated tire and a wheel bearing leak on the out-of-sight inside dual. Drivers must also indicate verbally what they’re examining as they circle the vehicle, covering all the items that require attention during a regular pre-trip inspection. Bonner said he was impressed by the performance of the drivers on May 30. “The drivers who come to these events really are the cream of the crop,” he said. “We put a lot of pressure on them and follow them around. It’s designed to fail. A tracContinued on page 12
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