Today's Trucking October 2018

Testing our Metal

Rugged Comfort rt

The high costs of tariffs PG. 12

Driving Kenworth’s T880S PG. G. 50

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The Business Magazine of Canada’s Trucking Industry

CHANGE Welcome to the Trucking Industry’s Demographic Shift PG. 33 October 2018

www.todaystrucking.com

Independentt tests prove Internat International ernattional LT SERIES POWERED BY A26 BEATS THE COMPETITION BY OVER 4% ON average* ®

®

International Truck commissioned the PIT Group to conduct industry-recognized TMC Type IV fuel economy tests comparing the International LT Series powered by A26 with competitive 12-13L powered tractors of similar specifications. All vehicles were tested on a 300+ mile route with hills and flatlands. In the end, International beat all others in the test, proving that LT Series delivers tangible fuel savings over the competition.

VISIT INTERNATIONALTRUCKS.COM TO READ THE COMPLETE REPORT.

© 2018

, Inc. All rights reserved. All marks are trademarks of their respective owners.

* Based on averaging the third-party testing results for fuel economy comparing the International LT with A26 engine against the (a) 2018 Freightliner Cascadia CA126SLP with DD13, (b) 2018 Kenworth T680 with Paccar MX-13 and (c) 2018 Volvo VNL670 with Volvo D13. Actual customer results for fuel economy may vary.

The “category” tested consisted of Class 8 trucks with North American 12-13L engines.

Contents

October 2018 | VOLUME 32, NO.10 5 7 10 31

Letters John G. Smith Rolf Lockwood Mike McCarron

NEWS & NOTES

Dispatches

33

36

40

62

17 Champion Checker Ontario’s Sarasin top Canadian at inspection championships

21 22 23 24 25 27 28 62

Truck Sales Heard on the Street Logbook Pulse Survey Stat Pack Trucks of the Month Trending Faces

In Gear

Features 33 Change Welcome to the trucking industry’s demographic shift

By John G. Smith

36 Temporary Measures 45 Galvanized Support The battle against corrosion embraces a new layer

By Jim Park

Facing a labor crisis? Experienced drivers are available for those who look a lot further afield.

By John G. Smith

40 Trailer Terms Leasing, renting offer lasting benefits as hot trailer market continues

By Elizabeth Bate

50 Rugged Comfort Test driving a Kenworth T880S with Canadian spec’s

59 Product Watch 60 Guess the Location, Win a Hat

62 Shining Light Estevan truck driver honors Humboldt victims in the stars

By Elizabeth Bate

For more visit www.todaystrucking.com OCTOBER 2018

3

YOUR TRUCK IS TOUGH BUT WHAT’S INSIDE IS TOUGHER Being a trucker requires an internal toughness that goes unseen by many.

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© Shell Canada Products 2018. All rights reserved.

Letters The Business Magazine of Canada’s Trucking Industry

PUBLISHER Joe Glionna joe@newcom.ca • 416/614-5805 VICE PRESIDENT, EDITORIAL Rolf Lockwood, MCILT rolf@newcom.ca • 416/614-5825 EDITOR John G. Smith johng@newcom.ca • 416/614-5812 ASSOCIATE EDITOR Elizabeth Bate elizabeth@newcom.ca • 416/614-5828 CONTRIBUTORS: Steve Bouchard, James Manson, Mike McCarron, Jim Park, Nicolas Trepanier DESIGN / LAYOUT Tim Norton, Frank Scatozza production@todaystrucking.com • 416/614-5818 SALES AND MARKETING CONSULTANT Anthony Buttino anthonyb@newcom.ca • 514/292-2297 SALES AND MARKETING CONSULTANT Nickisha Rashid nickisha@newcom.ca • 416/614-5824 QUÉBEC ACCOUNTS MANAGER Denis Arsenault denis@newcom.ca • 514/947-7228 CIRCULATION MANAGER Pat Glionna 416/614-2200 • 416/614-8861 (fax) PRODUCTION MANAGER Kimberly Collins kim@newcom.ca • 416/510-6779

Kenneth R. Wilson Award Winner

Mixed messages are frustrating Re: Defend the Driver (August 2018) We cover all of Ontario with our fleet and find the application of the Highway Traffic Act by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) and Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) to be completely frustrating.

The MTO in Windsor will tell drivers one thing about recording daily logs, while officers in Sault Ste. Marie will give quite different instructions. This is especially aggravating when fines or charges are involved.

I am just wondering if anyone has a solution.

— Phil Champion Staalduinen Floral Stoney Creek, Ont.

Legal

Defend the Driver , Defend the Operato r

By Alan S. Cofman

A

ll of Canada’s provinces require some form of commercia complete a required l task. vehicle registration In this circumstan , such as ce, Ontario’s Commercia the operator and l Vehicle driver Operator’s Registratio would have adverse n interests (CVOR), and each and couldn’t have province a joint has some form of safetydefence. rating scheme to monitor If this problem arises, the offences, collisions services of a lawyer and mainor paratenance. Consequen legal would be particularl ces of a y poor safety rating valuable. range from higher insurance premiums to the outright loss Assessing options of an operating registration Generally speaking, . it’s Such ratings can also worthwhile be to challenge a affected by more than charge that carries the demerdemerit points associated it points. Although the legal defence, particularly with an operator’s challenge may theoretical own traffic pay incurred fines, where both the operator ly this can violations, including increase the potential and those discourage them from the driver were charged. fine relating to dangerous reportabove the ticket amount, So too goods ing such issues when might it want to agree they regulations. to cover prosecutors rarely arise. Moreover, it seek more any eventual fine issued encourages Convictions against than that, if ever, to the drivers to enter into unless the driver, to ensure they plea individual employees coopermatter proceeds the – even bargains that result whole ate in the defence rather in lower independent contractors way through trial. than fines, but may not who negotiating a reduced address are not operating the fine.

Once the charge is under their operator’s exposure chalto higher own registration – lenged, a request are also demerit points. can be Plead down charges counted against the made for full disclosure operator.

Some drivers, with In many jurisdiction of no This is why an operator s, the prosecution’s stomach for litigation, file. Once prosecutors are open should maintain an to disclosure is made, open may imprudently the negotiating a plea resolve a line of communic bargain, decision to plead ation with charge simply to “guilty” including a reduced make it go drivers, so it can learn fine. or “not guilty” can away, without any about be based However, generally regard to any charges as soon speaking, on a better assessmen as posthe negative the t consequence to amount of the fine sible. (Ideally, the should of the likelihood of operator the operator’s safety a convicnot be an operator’s rating. would actually require primary tion. Even if a conviction the An operator’s concern. It may make is deciprompt reports.) more likely, the disclosure sion to help employees material sense to negotiate or It may even make an amendmay assist in plea sense independent operators bargaining ed charge that carries to defend individual may fewer the charge down to drivers be further complicate somedemerit points. or independent operators d thing that carries where the business fewer The services of a lawyer wants who face such charges. demerit points or to make a “due diligence” at least a or a knowledgeable After all, if the driver paralegal reduced fine. TT pleads defence, arguing that may be particularly guilty, or plea bargains it valuable did everything reasonably for here. a reduced fine, the Alan demerit S. Cofman is an associate required by the legislation, points will still count with Fernandes Hearn against when the driver wants Independent LLP in the operator. to Toronto, and can be argue the contrary. reached operator fines y nes The operator perator may even at 416-203-9500. This For example, the driver article While carriers often want to pay for the require is intended for information person’s might want to argue independent operators that he purposes only and to was not properly trained does not to constitute legal advice.

AUGUST 2018 TT August 2018.indd

29

29

Bus driver’s actions should be scrutinized

Email: johng@newcom.ca

Re: Humboldt crash leads to training review No one talks about the actions of the bus driver [involved in the Humboldt Broncos crash]. It’s all about the truck driver’s training. From where I sit behind my steering wheel, everybody is in such a rush to get nowhere. Nobody seems to drive defensively anymore, just offensively.

Did the bus driver try to brake? From the pictures I saw, the bus hit the truck. Did the bus driver try to avoid the collision?

— Bryan Corner Lindsay, Ont.

SEND YOUR LETTERS TO: Newcom Media Inc., 5353 Dundas Street West, Suite 400, Toronto, Ontario M9B 6H8

NEWCOM MEDIA INC. 5353 Dundas Street West, Suite 400, Toronto, Ontario M9B 6H8 416/614-2200 • 416/614-8861 (fax) CHAIRMAN AND FOUNDER Jim Glionna PRESIDENT Joe Glionna VICE PRESIDENT, OPERATIONS Melissa Summerfield CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Peter Fryters DIRECTOR OF CIRCULATION Pat Glionna

Today’s Trucking is published monthly by NEWCOM MEDIA INC., 5353 Dundas Street West, Suite 400, Toronto, Ontario M9B 6H8. It is produced expressly for owners and/or operators of one or more straight trucks or tractor-trailers with gross weights of at least 19,500 pounds, and for truck/trailer dealers and heavy-duty parts distributors. Subscriptions are free to those who meet the criteria. For others: single-copy price: $5 plus applicable taxes; one-year subscription: $50 plus applicable taxes; one-year subscription in U.S: $90 US; one-year subscription foreign: $120 US. Copyright 2018. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without prior written consent of the publisher. The advertiser agrees to protect the publisher against legal action based upon libelous or inaccurate statements, unauthorized use of photographs, or other material in connection with advertisements placed in Today’s Trucking. The publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising that in his opinion is misleading or in poor taste. Postmaster: Address changes to Today’s Trucking, 5353 Dundas Street West, Suite 400, Toronto, Ont., M9B 6H8.

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ISSN No. 0837-1512. Printed in Canada.

Member

Get back to the safety basics Back in June 2017, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation said truck collisions were down by 73%, which they attributed to the implementation of speed limiters in Ontario.

I did not believe the statistic then and I certainly don’t today.

The legislation passed in June 2008 required that all commercial motor vehicles have and use a speed limiter: “A speed limiting system is functioning properly if it prevents a driver from accelerating to, or maintaining a speed greater than 105 km/h on level ground”.

So here we are in 2018, and OPP stats tell us truck collisions are increasing at an alarming rate. We all know speed is one of the major contributing factors to vehicle collisions and severity. I trust many of your readers will agree and have noticed there are a large number of commercial trucks operating on our highways well above the speed limiter maximum setting of 105 km/h. I myself was passed on Highway 401 at Ayr this past weekend by a well-known Ontario-based carrier operating at approximately 124 km/h.

An OPP website posting regarding “Operation Corridor” showed speeding charges surpassed all other charge categories during a focused enforcement period on commercial vehicles. One key statistic to their blitz was the fact that they laid a large number of speed limiter charges.

We need to get back to the basics of safety and ensure that speed limiters are in place and working.

— Raymond Mercuri Energi of Canada Mississauga, Ont.

OCTOBER 2018

5

© 2018 Penske. All Rights Reserved.

Editorial

By John G. Smith

Our Changing Face The image of a truck driver is changing, and it must

I

f asked to paint the picture of a typical truck driver, the image that first comes to my mind would look remarkably like Jerry Reed. I imagine that would be the case for many people who soaked in the story of Smokey and the Bandit at an early age.

He was the Snowman to Burt Reynold’s Bandit. (Rest in peace, Bandit.) A straight-talking, hard-working, blue-collar hero if ever there was one.

He would certainly be wearing the all-important trucker cap as well. No self-respecting trucker would be without one. Not then. In many cases, not today.

But this image is changing. Rapidly. New hires in recent years have increasingly included people who cross borders to get here. A massive share of those who turn wheels for a living now wear turbans rather than trucker caps.

It was obvious that such a shift was happening, of course.

Anyone who visits a truck stop or trade show would be blind not to notice the growth of drivers and fleet owners with a South Asian heritage. But we at Newcom Media decided it was time to determine the true extent of the change. In an era of an intensifying driver shortage, fleets, trainers and recruiters need to know where new drivers can be found. It’s the only way they can prepare for the future.

With that goal in mind, our team of data analysts and journalists have in recent months poured over a quarter century of data from Statistics Canada’s Household Survey, measuring everything about drivers that we could – generating what is arguably the most exhaustive profile of Canadian truck drivers ever produced. We looked at age, gender, incomes and language.

In particular, we focused on countries of origin.

We call the end result the Changing Face of Trucking.

The numbers reflect nothing short of a seismic shift. More than half the drivers working in Vancouver and Toronto trace their roots to South Asia. One in four Canadian drivers count themselves as immigrants, and almost half of those are from India – particularly the state of Punjab. In 2016, the most recent data available, the number of immigrant truck drivers from India outnumbered the overall total number of immigrant drivers recorded in 2001.

To put this in perspective, only 3.5% of drivers were considered a visible minority in 1996. Visible minorities now account for one in every four.

It’s a big change, but things must change in a demographic sense. As the shortage of truck drivers continues to intensify, and employers look for the people who will fill the gaps left by retiring workers, recruiters need to look beyond traditional labor pools.

Unless a new generation and diverse demographic groups are drawn to jobs with truck keys, our industry will grind to a halt.

Unless we find a way to look past the ideas of “us” and “them”, we will fail to answer some of trucking’s greatest challenges.

Indeed, there are challenges.

Not everyone welcomes the idea of drivers who are new to Canada. The mere picture of a driver in a turban will often generate angry letters and calls alike. Even those who want to attract immigrant drivers don’t know where to turn, or how to address the red tape of immigration rules.

It’s why we’ll be exploring the topic from every angle. In this edition and the coming months, our editorial teams at Today’s Trucking, Truck News, Truck West, Transport Routier, and Road Today will highlight the different trends that emerged. Our goal is to shine a light on the related topics and spark conversations.

But we won’t lose sight of the most important thing. While the appearance of a typical driver might change, we will be the first to sing the praises of all the people who keep Canada’s economy on the move. We welcome these straight-talking, hard-working, blue-collar heroes. TT

“A massive share of those who turn wheels for a living now wear turbans rather than the traditional trucker cap.”

John G. Smith is editor of Today’s Trucking.

You can reach him at 416-614-5812 or johng@newcom.ca.

OCTOBER 2018

7

Introducing the Kenworth W990.

When the open road called, we answered.

Lockwood

By Rolf Lockwood

The Autonomous Job Killer?

California researchers take an in-depth look at the potential impact of ‘driverless’ trucks

T

housands of words have been written about autonomous trucks since Daimler showed off its first semi-autonomous Actros tractor in 2014. The press almost universally called it a truck that drives itself. They were wrong.

That Future Truck 2025 had fascinating capabilities but it also had limitations, and there was lots it couldn’t do. Still, it was labelled a driverless truck, and the folks who earn their living hauling stuff down the highway immediately cried en masse, “There goes our livelihood.”

They were wrong, too, I wrote at the time, saying that such a huge transformation wouldn’t happen any time soon. But the popular press hasn’t stopped writing that millions of truck-driving jobs are soon to be toast, and even some misguided government reports have said more or less the same thing. What’s been lacking is a real understanding of the trucking industry. The thing is, it’s a complex game.

Finally, a new report out of the University of California, Berkeley, offers an in-depth look at the potential impact of autonomous trucks. Jointly commissioned by the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education and Working Partnerships USA, its title is Driverless? Autonomous Trucks and the Future of the American Trucker. It’s demonstrably pro-labor, but the most cogent look at trucking that I’ve seen in a long time, maybe ever. It’s also very American, but most definitely worth your time and can be found at http://driverlessreport.org.

Written by Dr. Steve Viscelli, a sociologist and “trucking expert” at the University of Pennsylvania, it suggests that driverless trucks could replace many of the best long-distance trucking jobs, while shifting the industry toward more low-wage “gig” jobs.

Viscelli says that without the right public policy decisions, eroding job quality should be as serious a concern as job loss.

“The most likely scenario for widespread adoption involves local human drivers bringing trailers from factories or warehouses to ‘autonomous truck ports’ [ATPs] located on the outskirts of cities next to major interstate exits,” writes Viscelli. “Here, they will swap the trailers over to autonomous tractors for long stretches of highway driving. At the other end, the process will

happen in reverse: a human driver will pick up the trailer at an ATP and take it to the final destination.”

Autonomous trucks could replace as many as 294,000 American long-distance driving jobs, Viscelli suggests, but that’s a small fraction of the 2.1 million total.

While new local driving and delivery jobs (with humans at the wheel) would be created, data suggests these jobs could pay about half as much as those lost through automation.

And how soon will any of this happen?

“Even the most optimistic developers believe we are still at least several years away from autonomous trucks operating even in limited highway operations in anything other than testing programs with drivers still behind the wheel,” writes Viscelli.

“The cost of components, including some very expensive sensors, must drop significantly before autonomous trucks will be economical. Some potential self-driving technology may require improved infrastructure maintenance or new infrastructure, ranging from better lane markings to more robust wireless communications networks. Once autonomous trucks are demonstrably safe, there may also be important regulatory debates to ensure safety.”

Those debates will likely take years, too, he says.

“Then, before autonomous trucks can be adopted on a widespread basis, they will need to demonstrate reliability and feasibility within the operations of actual trucking firms... Trucking equipment, both tractors and trailers, are used in harsh conditions for hundreds of thousands, even millions of miles.

Equipment critical to the safety and reliability of these systems, such as computers, sensors, wiring, etc., will need to withstand cold temperatures, near constant vibration, ice, salt, and more, over long periods.”

So, like I’ve always said, think decades before jobs are at risk. TT

“They will need to demonstrate reliability and feasibility within the operations of actual trucking firms.”

10

TODAY’S TRUCKING

Rolf Lockwood is vice-president, editorial, at Newcom Media Inc. You can reach him at 416-614-5825 or rolf@todaystrucking.com.

Designed with the world’s best drivers in mind, the new Kenworth W990 combines our classic grille and chrome details with modern features like a well-appointed, special edition interior, improved “view over the hood” visibility and lighting, plus the state-of-the-art powertrain choices that will get your heart pounding. No other truck offers the performance and comfort your drivers deserve, along with rugged Kenworth styling that simply can’t be ignored. The W990: it’s what you’d expect from—and for—The World’s Best®.

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Testing Our Metal Canada’s specialty equipment makers hit hard by tariffs, rising metal prices

By John G. Smith

Much of the steel and aluminum used by Canada’s trailer makers is not available domestically. It’s why Jacques Tremblay, president of Quebec-headquartered Tremcar, still has to turn to the U.S.

12

TODAY’S TRUCKING

Falcon Equipment had eight to nine months of orders on the books as a July 1 deadline for steel and aluminum tariffs approached. The B.C.-based manufacturer waited as long as it could. But eventually there was no choice.

“We bought as much steel as we could find,” says company vice-president Blair Norberg, referring to actions

taken ahead of Canada’s 25% counter-tariffs on American steel, and the extra 10% on the price of aluminum.

“We typically buy steel for on-time manufacturing because we don’t necessarily have the storage. To just have steel sit out in the back lot and rust for six months while we wait for production doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

Champion Checker PG. 17

Manac and Alutrec PG. 18

Mack’s Top Dog PG. 20

A trade war between Canada and the U.S. doesn’t make sense to him, either, but the extra carrying costs and storage fees couldn’t be avoided. Manufacturers that import large volumes of metals to produce goods such as specialty trailers have seen material costs soar.

“While we support the idea of defending Canadian interests, the tariffs imposed by the Canadian government are also having a negative impact on the economy,” says Don Moore, director of government and industry relations at the Canadian Transportation Equipment Association (CTEA), whose members include such manufacturers.

The cost increases have not been limited to Canadian tariffs alone. Steel and aluminum prices have been pushing skyward since U.S. President Donald Trump announced the first round of tariffs on China in March.

Combined with the higher demand that comes with a robust economy, the prices of the all-important metals are up 20-40% since January, Moore says.

“We started to see the inflation of the aluminum in April. It was very, very quick,” says Tony Roberts, president

Canadian-based specialty trailer manufacturers like Tremcar have faced significant cost increases because of tariffs.

and CEO of Platinum Tank Group, which makes products such as aluminum B trains. “The dynamite had already been lit. Adding the [Canadian] tariff just added a little bit of injury that was already a significant pain.”

He’s still waiting for metal suppliers to issue costs for the fourth quarter of this year.

That’s left him to estimate 2019 trailer prices rather than offering firm numbers when taking orders. The details now need to be confirmed 120 days before deliveries.

Limited options To compound matters, many of the materials used

by Canada’s trailer makers are only available in the U.S. It’s why Jacques Tremblay, president of Quebecheadquartered Tremcar Technologies, was relieved when Canada removed stainless steel from the proposed list of counter-tariffs.

“There’s no mill producing the material in Canada,” he said, referring to his last domestic supplier that closed in 2002.

But the business still faces 10% counter-tariffs on the aluminum used to manufacture tankers that haul goods like plastic pellets. Even after absorbing some of the cost, Tremcar still had to add a couple of thousand dollars to the price of that equipment.

While some industries may be able to source metal from Asia or Europe, the option isn’t really available for businesses like these. Those who export trailers to the U.S. need to remain conscious about the share of foreign OCTOBER 2018

13

Dispatches content allowed under NAFTA. There are differences in metals to consider as well. Aluminum sourced from Greece might technically meet requirements, but it’s not identical, explains Roberts. “It doesn’t manipulate in the same manner.

It doesn’t bend as well.” Even the coloring is different.

“It’s not as easy as people would like to

think. You don’t wake up in the morning and start buying metal from Greece and other sources,” he adds.

As small or mid-sized businesses, manufacturers also source their metal through distributors, who were quick to increase prices and capitalize on higher demand in the time leading up to counter-tariffs, Moore says.

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14

TODAY’S TRUCKING

They weren’t the only suppliers to increase costs.

“Companies are using this as a bit of an excuse to raise their prices if they have a little steel component,” Falcon’s Norberg says, referring to the example of tarping systems that were suddenly 10% more expensive – even though only a fraction of the products are made with metal. Roberts has also seen the price of finished aluminum components rise 8%, even though about 40% of such a product’s price might realistically be linked to raw aluminum costs.

While there is talk of a refund or rebate program to offset the tariff-related increases, it has yet to be fully defined, Roberts says. “We’re not 100% certain we’ll get 100% of those duties back.”

Announcements about tariff-related relief have largely focused on the metal suppliers themselves.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau, for example, recently referenced the need for “exceptional” safeguards to counter a surge in foreign steel products coming into Canada. Among those products is the steel plate used in heavy machinery and transportation manufacturing.

Hot-rolled sheet used in the automotive sector is there as well, as is the stainless steel wire used in springs, and wire rods used in making several automotive and industrial components.

“The government will always stand up for Canadian workers and Canadian businesses, and that means taking action to counter unfair trade practices when merited. International trade unquestionably strengthens Canada’s economy, but it must be fair and open, and it must result in growth that works for everyone,” he said.

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Moore openly wonders whether some steel and aluminum suppliers are raising prices on top of accepting relief available through the federal government. It’s especially “irksome” when steel makers talk of the positive results, he said. Lakshmi Mittal, chairman of ArcelorMittal, recently credited the tariffs for helping the company to realize record profits in the second quarter of this year.

Dispatches “Hopefully these manufacturers of steel and aluminum are not going to take all this profit and also say they want [part] of the $1.7 billion,” Moore says, referring to the federal relief.

In the meantime, the specialty trailer makers wonder when the higher prices might begin to cool sales.

Current economic conditions have buffered Tremcar somewhat. “The economy is booming like never before, and the backlog is long,” Tremblay says. “We have a backlog today 12 months ahead.

People may not have many choices in the market.” The danger comes if the general economy begins to slow. “If the business slows down, they [U.S. trailer makers] are going to ship stuff into Canada,” he explains.

Since trailers tend to be in service for 10-20 years, someone who sees the price of a B-train rise from $200,000 to $220,000 might eventually decide to skip a year to wait for the costs to even out, Roberts adds.

Moore now wonders if some smaller companies have the financial means to survive if the trade dispute drags into 2019.

“A lot of people like to lump trucks into automotive,” he says. “We’re not the big auto industry.”

“The programs that are offered to most of our members are pretty useless,” he adds, referring to such things as duty drawbacks and the recuperation of tariffs.

The trailer makers also scoff at broad discussions about finding new markets for their products. The trailers made for Canada and the U.S. are dramatically different from those sold in Europe, for example. Looking at the brakes alone, North America’s regulators focus on hard stops, while their European counterparts tend to focus on the way individual brakes handle their share of the load, Moore says. “For us to adjust is not that easy.”

Even if answers to the differences can be found, trailers are more conducive to moving freight than being viewed as freight.

“You can’t imagine how much it costs to ship air on a boat,” Roberts says, referring to the realities of moving massive empty containers. Besides that, breaking

into a mature market is no small matter.

“They’re not going to let you just walk into their marketplace.”

There’s simply no replacing the export opportunities to the U.S. “We product four to five trailers per day,” Tremblay says. “Without [the] U.S. we would have to fire half of our people.”

Even once tariffs are removed, there

are questions about how much the price of steel and aluminum would actually drop. Norberg points to fuel costs as proof. How much did the price of gasoline or diesel drop when the cost of a barrel of oil plunged?

“It’s not easy to be a manufacturer in Canada,” he said. “It’s got more expensive to be a Canadian.” TT

OCTOBER 2018

15

There’s nothing easy about being away from home for days at a time. You have to do what you have to do.

It’s not like the world is going to do you any favors. That’s why we build the trucks to keep you on the road with the comfort, ergonomics and safety features to make sure you get home. It’s time you win. Settle for nothing less. YOU CAN FIND YOURS AT WESTERNSTAR.COM

The world is tough.

Be tougher.

Dispatches Samantha Sarasin

Champion Checker Ontario’ Sarasin is top Canadian at North American inspection championships

By John G. Smith Samantha Sarasin, an inspector with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, is a national champion. She outperformed all other Canadians during the recent Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) North American Inspectors Championship, and had just found out that she came less than six points shy of North America’s grand champion title.

“It sucks,” the latest holder of the Sean McAlister High Points Canada Award says with a wide grin on her face. But for a couple of unanswered questions on the written exam, and falling a bit short on the inspection of a motor coach, the top of the podium would have been hers. Instead, that title went to Jeremy Usener of the Texas Department of Public Safety. He was also the one who edged ahead of her in the North American Standard Hazardous Materials/Dangerous Goods and Cargo Tank/Bulk Packaging inspection that covered such things as labeling, placarding and identification.

“It was really exciting. It was a lot of pressure because in Ontario we have had four grand champions, which is more than any other jurisdiction in the [competition’s] 26-year history,” Sarasin says of the experience. “Seventeen years ago, the first female champion was from Ontario, and there hasn’t been a female champion since Kerri Wirachowsky.”

The competition is run over several

days, featuring a timed 80-question exam, hazardous materials inspections, Level 1 inspection, and motor coach inspection. All the while, the 52 competitors from across North America need to keep a close eye out for planted defects.

“It was awesome. Best experience of my career by far,” Sarasin says.

“Spending a week with 51 like-minded individuals who are passionate about road safety, and go out there day to day and make a difference on the road, was incredible.”

Her only disappointment is that Ontario – unlike many other jurisdictions – only offers its provincial champions a single shot at the North American title. “If I could go back, I would win it,” the competitor adds.

Sarasin made the championships after first being hired about a decade ago, attracted to the job after witnessing an inspection blitz on taxis in Port Perry, Ont. “I thought that was a cool job,” she said. Still does. “You get to do enforcement, but you get to get dirty at the same time. It’s kind of cool, being outside and being able to crawl vehicles and identify defects and get crappy vehicles off the road.”

The only difficult thing about the role is negative feedback from those who scrutinize the role, she says. “They don’t see the lives saved. They just see the punitive measures.” TT OCTOBER 2018

17

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Dispatches

Kriska acquires BTC Express Kriska Transportation Group (KTG) has acquired BTC Express of Brantford, Ont., which will continue to operate under general manager Jacob Bicz.

Brothers Jacob and Han Bicz have owned and operated BTC for the past 10 years. The second-generation family

business is an asset-based truckload fleet specializing in refrigerated freight. It has 65 power units and 150 trailers, serving

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TODAY’S TRUCKING

lanes across Canada and the U.S. Kriska Transportation Group was founded in 2014. Its brands include Kriska Holdings, Mill Creek Motor Freight, JMF Transport (1992), Transpro Freight Systems, Service Freight Systems, and BTC Express.

Dicom sold to General Logistics Dicom Canada has been sold to General Logistics Systems, a subsidiary of Royal Mail, for $360 million.

Dicom Canada focuses on groundbased parcel, freight, and logistics services in Canada, focusing on Ontario and Quebec. It was owned by Wind Point, which acquired the company in 2014 from founder and majority owner Peter Overing.

Wind Point and its shareholder will retain the Dicom Transportation Group’s U.S. subsidiary, Dicom USA.

Manac acquiring Alutrec flatdecks Manac acquired Alutrec, an aluminum flatdeck trailer manufacturer based in Laurier-Station, Que. “Alutrec has a great range of products in the aluminum platform segment which are complementary to those of Manac,” said Charles Dutil, president and CEO of Manac. “Alutrec and Manac will work together to further develop the significant potential that Alutrec’s assets represent – whether it pertains to the strategic location of the Laurier-Station 200,000 sq.-ft. site, the experienced workforce which makes up the Alutrec team, or the innovative intellectual property that it owns.”

Alutrec will continue to operate independently out of its Laurier Station location, while Manac will support it through component purchasing, manufacturing processes, and marketing strategies.

Pride expands southward Pride Truck Sales, a Canadian-based retailer of used trucks and trailers, has expanded into Toledo, Ohio, as well as Fontana and Stockton, Calif.

Dispatches The new locations build on established locations in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, and a head office in Mississauga, Ont. The company says it plans to continue expanding into the U.S., with more facilities scheduled to open in the “near future.”

plants in Chillicothe, Ohio, and Renton, Wash., have also been certified.

Trans East Trailers acquires CF Jabbco Trans East Trailers has acquired CD Jabbco, Canada’s exclusive distributor of Cottrell car hauling trailers.

CD Jabbco is a supplier of parts and services to the car hauling industry and is based in Iroquois, Ont., about 45 minutes south of Ottawa.

Trans East is one of Canada’s largest highway trailer dealers, representing 11 manufacturers, with locations in Burlington, Ont.; Drummondville, Que.; and Moncton, N.B.

Alberta drivers wanted for health study The University of Saskatchewan’s School of Public Health is looking at the health and wellness of Alberta truck drivers, with a study exploring everything from lifestyles to working conditions.

The study is also evaluating working environments, such as where truck drivers stop for fuel, food, showers, Internet access, and other services.

Data was collected up to Sept. 16, and researchers were hoping to gather information on about 400 drivers as this edition went to press.

Isaac Instruments coming to Calgary Isaac Instruments has announced it’s opening a new office in Calgary, expanding its presence westward.

“This new office strengthens our presence in Alberta to meet the growing demand for telemetry and telematics,” said president Jacques DeLarochellière.

“With Canadian regulations on electronic logging devices expected to come into effect by 2020, we want to provide first-class service to our customers in Western Canada.”

Isaac Instruments designs and manufactures technology solutions for truck fleets to help improve performance, productivity, compliance and safety.

Kenworth plants seen as green Three Kenworth assembly plants – including the company’s medium-duty facility in Ste-Therese, Que. – have now been ISO14001:2015 certified.

The certification supports the production of trucks in an environmentally responsible manner. Heavy-duty truck OCTOBER 2018

19

Dispatches

Top Dog Mack’s new president discusses truck market and his ‘dream job’

By John G. Smith Martin Weissburg has not been the top dog at Mack Trucks for very long. He was named president June 1, succeeding Dennis Slagle who had been in the role since 2008. But Volvo Group’s seniormost executive in North America is no stranger to boardroom tables in the trucking industry.

Weissburg served as president of Volvo Construction Equipment from 2014 to 2017, based in Europe. Prior to that he was president and CEO of Volvo Financial Services from 2010 to 2013, and he joined Volvo Group in 2005 as president of Volvo Financial Services Americas. There was time spent at Caterpillar and Great Dane Financial, too.

The current role, though, is special. He grew up in Maryland, just hours from Mack’s Pennsylvania headquarters. “To me,” he says, “it’s the dream job.”

At the very least, it’s a good time to lead a truck manufacturer. Industry sales and the economy at large are booming. Mack’s vehicle lineup is now spearheaded by the Anthem – an offering for the on-highway segment that has not traditionally been a company strength. Before that truck was introduced, the manufacturer accounted for about 2% of such trucks in North America. “We have gained share in the highway segment, and we’ll continue to gain share,” he says. Year-to-date, orders for models with 70-inch sleepers have more than doubled last year’s numbers.

While Mack has traditionally enjoyed its strongest presence in small and midsized fleets, even larger fleets are looking at the Anthem, sometimes as reward trucks to support recruiting and retention efforts.

“It couldn’t have come at a better time,” Weissburg says. “The highway segment is just smoking.” And there’s little indication of a slowdown.

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TODAY’S TRUCKING

Production at the company’s Lehigh Valley Operations facility is now at an alltime high, with 2,400 employees including 400 personnel added since last year. Even though unemployment in the surrounding area is extremely low, employee turnover is not a number-one concern, Weissburg stresses. “I’ve been impressed how well we have attracted and retained employees at all of our factories in North America.”

The booming economy presents its own challenges, though, as it has with other manufacturers.

“Generally speaking we’re in an environment where costs are up,” he agrees,

“We have our share of challenges in the supply chain as well,” Weissburg says, referring to constraints that keep build rates from growing at a faster rate. “There’s no single, major point of pain. Just right when you fix one, there’s another one.”

Ongoing investments

It isn’t the only thing that Mack has focused on fixing. The company and dealers alike continue to make new investments to help keep their bulldog-adorned trucks rolling.

“We view any truck down as a crisis,” Weissburg says of the importance of assets including Certified Uptime Centers – the dealerships that meet specific standards. “Uptime is only a word unless you have a strong dealer network.” The certifications are not guaranteed, either.

Some dealers who initially earned it have had it revoked.

Mack also continues to invest in the future, including the promise of electrified vehicles. It has already “These are very good times.” announced plans to deploy an Martin Weissburg, president, electrified Mack LR refuse truck Mack Trucks. for a demonstration with the New York City Department of Sanitation in 2019. “This is coming,” Weissburg says of electrification, referring to how some of the earliest adopters will be those in start-stop applications like refuse collection. The energy source may even have a role on vocational job sites. Enclosed environments offer the controlled ecosystems for charging stations and related technologies to support such referring to the prices of raw materials things as dumps, loaders, crushers, and like steel and aluminum as an examconveyors, he said. “We can envision a ple. Some of those increases are also fully electric site in the future.” independent of tariffs imposed by U.S. In the shorter term, the question President Donald Trump. The tariffs have is how long the good times will roll. just created an environment that has Business cycles are a reality that can’t be seemingly given every supplier permisescaped. Weissburg has lived through sion to raise prices. them before.

Labor demands are adding price pres“We haven’t given our forecast for 2019 sures of their own, with industrial jobs at yet, but every indication is 2019 will be a 17-year high and more open jobs than another strong year – and we’re planning there are applicants. “Logistics costs are accordingly,” he says, suggesting that up for everyone,” he adds. Even those there are a few strong fiscal quarters to who make the trucks are paying more for come. “I remain impressed … these are those services. very good times.” TT

Dispatches

Class 8 orders hit record ... again Class 8 truck orders continue to break records in 2018, with August numbers hitting an all-time high of 52,400 units – 300 more than the previous month, FTR reports.

Across North America, Class 8 orders over the past 12 months have now totaled 477,000 units.

“It appears the supplier shortage issues that significantly slowed production earlier this year have been largely abated for now,” says Don Ake, FTR’s vice-president of commercial vehicles. “However, the supply chain remains tight, and fleets and dealers continue to place large orders to lock down build slots in 2019.”

In terms of Class 8 sales this July, Freightliner held 29.2% of the Canadian market with 886 units. International led the way in Class 7 with 29.9% of July sales, representing 174 trucks. Freightliner accounted for 36.3% of the month’s Class 6 market, at 37 units. And Ford continued to dominate monthly Class 5 numbers with 310 sales, representing 55.8% of the market.

Canada – July 2018 SALES CLASS 8

U.S. – July 2018

MARKET SHARES

SALES

July

YTD

July %

YTD %

CLASS 8

Freightliner Kenworth Volvo Truck Peterbilt International Western Star Mack Other Total CLASS 7

886 475 463 376 357 282 200 0 3,039 July

6,164 3,023 2,852 2,369 2,259 1,737 1,107 0 19,511 YTD

29.2 15.6 15.2 12.4 11.7 9.3 6.6 0.0 100.0 July %

31.6 15.5 14.6 12.1 11.6 8.9 5.7 0.0 100.0 YTD %

International Freightliner Peterbilt Hino Kenworth Ford Total CLASS 6

174 95 145 98 40 29 581 July

1,026 799 721 675 342 61 3,624 YTD

29.9 16.4 25.0 16.9 6.9 5.0 100.0 July %

Freightliner Hino International Peterbilt Ford Isuzu Kenworth GM Total CLASS 5

37 36 21 2 2 4 0 0 102 July

314 298 193 70 31 16 10 0 932 YTD

Ford Hino Dodge/Ram Isuzu Freightliner Mitsubishi Fuso International GM Kenworth Peterbilt Total

310 86 73 78 2 4 3 0 0 0 556

2,504 904 720 706 21 19 8 0 2 2 4,886

Source: WardsAuto

www.total-canada.ca

MARKET SHARES

July

YTD

July %

YTD %

Freightliner Peterbilt Kenworth International Volvo Truck Mack Western Star Other Total CLASS 7

7,438 3,112 3,266 2,701 2,325 1,300 507 0 20,649 July

46,595 20,001 19,031 16,996 14,770 9,905 3,331 9 130,638 YTD

36.0 15.1 15.8 13.1 11.3 6.3 2.5 0.0 100.0 July %

35.7 15.3 14.6 13.0 11.3 7.6 2.5 0.0 100.0 YTD %

28.3 22.0 19.9 18.6 9.4 1.7 100.0 YTD %

Freightliner International Peterbilt Kenworth Hino Ford Total CLASS 6

2,367 2,285 646 488 153 192 6,131 July

17,410 8,746 4,488 2,561 1,125 1,038 35,368 YTD

38.6 37.3 10.5 8.0 2.5 3.1 100.0 July %

49.2 24.7 12.7 7.2 3.2 2.9 100.0 YTD %

36.3 35.3 20.6 2.0 2.0 3.9 0.0 0.0 100.0 July %

33.7 32.0 20.7 7.5 3.3 1.7 1.1 0.0 100.0 YTD %

Freightliner Ford International Hino Kenworth Isuzu Peterbilt GM Total CLASS 5

1,848 2,005 1,095 583 256 94 15 2 5,898 July

13,752 12,015 10,046 4,612 1,523 649 82 29 42,708 YTD

31.3 34.0 18.6 9.9 4.3 1.6 0.3 0.0 100.0 July %

32.2 28.1 23.5 10.8 3.6 1.5 0.2 0.0 100.0 YTD %

55.8 15.5 13.1 14.0 0.4 0.7 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0

51.2 18.5 14.7 14.4 0.4 0.4 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0

Ford Dodge/Ram Isuzu Freightliner Hino GM Mitsubishi Fuso Kenworth International Peterbilt Total

3,946 1,257 476 268 130 23 12 4 3 1 6,120

29,828 8,869 3,239 2,494 1,403 175 98 20 15 6 46,147

64.5 20.5 7.8 4.4 2.1 0.4 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.0 100.0

64.6 19.2 7.0 5.4 3.0 0.4 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0

OCTOBER 2018

21

Dispatches

Heard Street on the

Christian Schulz

Giroux heads to Navistar David Giroux has been named chief communications officer at Navistar. He spent nearly seven years with Daimler Trucks North America, with most of his time spent as director – corporate communications and corporate marketing, and was responsible for corporate positioning, communications strategy, executive communications, employee communications, media relations, and digital and social media strategy. Before joining Daimler, Giroux was director of marketing and communications for Peterbilt. He also spent nearly seven years at Meritor.

David Giroux

Schulz joins Navistar International board Navistar International recently named Christian Schulz to

Corso leads communications at DTNA Andrea Corso has been named the new head of communications at Daimler Trucks North America

Andrea Corso

(DTNA). She will handle internal and external corporate communications as well as product communications for the Freightliner, Western Star, Detroit, and Thomas Built Buses brands. Corso has more than 20 years of communications experience with brands including Nike, Adidas and Levi’s. She succeeds Katja Bott, who moves on to head global communications for Mercedes-Benz Cars in Stuttgart, Germany, effective Oct. 1.

its board of directors, replacing Matthias Gründler who resigned from the board after serving more than a year as a director. Schulz has also been appointed to the board’s finance committee. He is currently the chief financial officer of Volkswagen Truck and Bus, soon to be rebranded as Traton AG.

Hammond assumes maintenance role at GoRight GoRight – a supplier of trailer maintenance and repair solutions – has named Bob Hammond to the newly created role of senior director of fleet maintenance. Hammond brings more than 35 years of industry knowledge and experience to the GoRight team, offering expertise in fleet management and parts sales, the company says.

Bilyea top Canadian in Ryder competition

Higgs named Bridgestone president Bridgestone Americas has named Eric Higgs, formerly the vice-president of marketing - commercial group at Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO), as the new president – truck, bus and retread tires, U.S. and Canada, BATO. Higgs joined Bridgestone in 2016 and had previously held roles with KimberlyClark Corporation and Procter and Gamble. He succeeds Joseph Saoud, who recently assumed the position of president, BATO Latin America.

Eric Higgs

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TODAY’S TRUCKING

Chris Barnett of Kentucky secured the $50,000 grand prize in Ryder’s recent Top Tech Recognition Program, while Ken Bilyea was the lone Canadian among the top eight finalists. The competition included three rounds of written and handson tests, and was hosted in San Antonio, Texas.

Dispatches

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Dispatches

Pu se Reader Survey Tell us your thoughts on ... Towing and Recovery Towing and recovery operations provide a valuable service, but have some of their prices spun out of control?

This month we asked about your experiences at the side of the road – the good, the bad, and the over-priced.

Have you or your fleet needed to use towing or recovery services in the last 12 months?

YES

Do you feel you were ever over-charged or taken advantage of by a towing and recovery service?

YES

52

NO

61 % 39 %

NO %

48 %

What is the most you’ve ever paid for towing and recovery services?

34% 23% 11% 32%

Under $1000 $1000 - $2000 $2000 - $3000 $3000+

What kind of changes would you like to see, if any, to regulations regarding towing and recovery services? (Check all that apply) 76% Those involved in the incident should be able to use their preferred towing company 52% A cap on service prices 51% A cap on how many hours can be billed as a minimum 50% A cap on the price per kilometer towed 47% Tow trucks can’t show up to an incident unless called 9% Other 7% No new regulations are needed 3% Drivers must take the first towing company on scene

Tell us your towing and recovery stories in 100 characters or less.

Tractor and trailer broke down at the bottom of an off-ramp and the OPP ordered it towed, which is understandable. But it was a regular tow with no special equipment and we were charged $5000 to go 5 km to our yard, and then they didn’t reinstall the drive shaft.

I had a plugged up fuel filter. I was pulled aside trying to drain it/dump it and a tow truck came by. I hitched a ride to the parts dealer and then he gave me a ride back.

Would not take any $. Very nice and helpful.

Today’s Trucking Pulse surveys are conducted once per month, covering a variety of industry issues. To share your voice in future surveys, email johng@newcom.ca.

24

TODAY’S TRUCKING

Next month: The Economy

Dispatches

U.S. $700 billion

StatPack

IN REVENUE

85% CITE PARKING STRESS The number of parking spaces increased in the U.S. last year, but finding a parking spot is the top cause of stress among 85% of professional drivers, according to Trucker Path’s 2018 Truck Parking Report. Seventy per cent of surveyed drivers admitted they violated hours-of-service rules because they couldn’t find a spot, and 96% admitted to parking in areas not designated for trucks. Also, 48% of drivers said they have spent an hour or more looking for safe truck parking.

The U.S. trucking industry generated more than $700 billion in revenue in 2017, according to the American Trucking Associations (ATA). Trucks moved more than 57% of freight between Canada and the U.S., and about 69% trade between the U.S. and Mexico last year. About 3.5 million drivers moved more than 10 billion tons of freight – representing about 70% of all U.S. freight tonnage.

$600 million saved FUEL Twenty fleets surveyed by the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) saved more than a collective US $600 million last year thanks to the use of fuel-saving technologies, according to the council’s 2018 Fleet Fuel Study. The performance was compared to what the council expects from an average truck. The participating fleets’ average fuel economy of 32.3 l/100 km bettered the typical 39.8 l/100 km.

$5,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS Three students received a combined $5,000 through the Saskatchewan Trucking Association’s annual scholarship program this year. The recipients must have a family member who owns or is employed by a Saskatchewan trucking company.

Emily Galey of Swift Current was awarded $3,000, while Liam Kerr of Moose Jaw and Zoe Selimos of Regina both received $1,000.

50,000 NEW CASCADIAS Freightliner has delivered 50,000 new Cascadias since the model entered production in January 2017. The truck was delivered to Claremont, N.C.-based Cargo Transporters.

100,000 ELECTRIC VEHICLES More than 100,000 electric commercial vehicles will be sold by 2035, according to a report from ACT Research. Commercial Vehicle Electrification: To Charge or Not To Charge concludes that commercial electric vehicles will grow to a significant share of the Class 4-8 market by 2035.

OCTOBER 2018

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Dispatches

Trucks of the Month

Century of Classics Athens features 100 years of functioning trucks

By Jim Park For the third year in a row, the truck show that just might be the best kept secret in Canada brought the eastern Ontario town of Athens to life. The local fairground was crammed with trucks, new and old, with some dating back to the earliest years of the 20th century.

Hosted by the Upper Canada Chapter of the Antique Truck Club of America, the Athens Truck Show takes over the Athens Fairground during the second weekend in August.

Athens, located about 20 minutes northwest of Brockville, Ont., is also the hometown of legendary truck and equipment collector Charlie Tackaberry of G. Tackaberry and Sons Construction. He has amassed a collection of hundreds of classic and contemporary trucks, many of which find their way into the Athens Truck Show each year.

There was something particularly special this year, though.

The show featured 100 years of commercial transportation,

ranging from a 1919 Ford Model T 1-ton truck to a 2019 Kenworth T880.

There were on display dozens of World War 2 vintage trucks from Autocar and GMC to Ford, Chevrolet and Diamond T, and lots of highway trucks from the ’50s and ’60s. Those were the days when a big engine meant 250 hp and air conditioning involved leaving two windows wide open on the highway.

It’s amazing to walk through such a collection, stopping to take note of the year of the truck you’re gazing at and comparing it to older and newer models. It’s hard not to notice the glacial pace of change over the decades, from the ’40s to the ’80s. Beyond that, things began to heat up, but we still had manual everything. Air conditioners were more popular but still optional, and advanced driver safety systems really referred to front-wheel brakes (optional until the mid-1980s) and power steering. TT

Do you have an unusual, antique, or long-service truck to be profiled?

Send your Truck of the Month ideas or photos to johng@newcom.ca, or mail Today’s Trucking Magazine, 5353 Dundas Street West, Suite 400, Toronto, Ont., M9B 6H8 OCTOBER 2018

27

Dispatches

Trendingg on Kodiak pursues, Uber parks autonomous truck dream Don Burnette and Paz Eshel.

Uber may have shelved plans to develop an autonomous longhaul truck, but Kodiak Robotics has emerged with US $40 million in financing to pursue the dream.

Founded by Otto co-founder Don Burnette and former venture capitalist Paz Eshel, Kodiak says its business is dedicated to developing “autonomous technology for longhaul trucking”. And the company says its founders have assembled a team of engineers with “experience in actually shipping self-driving vehicles on public roads.”

Uber, more widely known for its ride-sharing app, set out on the goal of developing autonomous trucks when it acquired Otto in 2016. And its truck-focused initiative gained notoriety by delivering a trailer loaded with Budweiser beer about 200 km down a Colorado highway.

But the company also became entangled in a lawsuit with

@todaystrucking Your go-to social media source

.com

Waymo, a company that had been spun off from Google’s autonomous car research, around claims of patent infringement and stealing trade secrets – particularly those that involved the use of LiDAR. Otto co-founder Anthony Levandowski had worked on Google’s self-driving car project, while fellow co-founder Lior Ron worked on Google Maps.

A settlement reached this February banned Uber from incorporating Waymo secrets in hardware and software, and also awarded Waymo 0.34% in Uber equity.

Uber’s autonomous vehicle plans took a further hit this March when one of its test vehicles – a car – was involved in a fatal collision in Tempe, Ariz. Before the company’s tests were temporarily halted, it had been researching the tech on public roads in Toronto, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and the Arizona community. A new Toronto lab will play a role in the recently renewed car research, but the interest in autonomous trucks has ended.

“We didn’t feel we needed to be investing in self-driving trucks to be competitive in logistics,” said a spokeswoman for Uber, referring to the U.S.-focused freight-brokering app known as Uber Freight, now run as an independent business unit.

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If you’re not following us on Twitter, you’re missing out on some interesting discussions in the world of trucking. From regulations to product news, we have you covered.

HERE ARE A FEW EXAMPLES OF TWEETS POSTED BY TODAY’S TRUCKING THIS MONTH

KEEP IN TOUCH facebook.com/ TodaysTrucking

@todaystrucking . @Sam_Sarasin, an @ONtransport enforcement officer, scored higher than any other Canadian during @CVSA’s recent North American Inspectors Championship – and was just edged out of the grand champion title. www.todaystrucking.com/ sarasin-named-canadas-championinspector/ … #trucking

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TODAY’S TRUCKING

@todaystrucking @todaystrucking Photo gallery: Classic #trucks come to life in Athens.

Thinking about switching to a glider kit #truck as a way to avoid trouble-prone #emissions technology? It could be harder to register than you think. www.todaystrucking.com/switchin-to-glide-registering-glider-kits-can-be-a-problem/ …

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TodaysTrucking1

Legal

Towing Tips for Truckers

By James Manson

W

e sometimes hear from drivers who have been gouged by unscrupulous tow truck operators. Unfortunately for commercial vehicle drivers, the towing industry is still largely unregulated.

While consumer protection legislation may apply to the towing industry – as it does in Ontario – the legislation itself only protects individual consumers. Not businesses. Some municipalities also regulate the maximum amount that an operator may charge for a tow and related services, but such regulations usually only apply to passenger vehicles.

So what should drivers do when dealing with an unscrupulous tow truck operator?

Here are a few tips.

First, remain calm. As frustrating as the situation is, getting angry is not helpful.

In fact, it might even make matters worse. Instead, focus on the goal of getting your vehicle safely off the road.

Second, before agreeing to anything, collect as much information from the operator as you can. Operators in your jurisdiction may or may not be required to provide certain information before they can start the tow. Either way, the operator will likely have it available. Helpful information may include: the operator’s name and/or business name; business address and other contact information; municipal licence number; driver’s name;

driver’s ID number; truck licence plate number; details about all prices to be charged for all services to be rendered; the location where the vehicle will be towed; whether the operator has a financial interest in taking your vehicle to a given facility.

The operator may be required by regulations to keep daily records of all performed work, including the rates charged for each tow.

Be sure to ask for a copy of this logbook. If the operator refuses, record the details of your request and the refusal.

Record all of this information in writing, too. Use your smartphone if there’s no paper handy.

Third, consider your options. Evaluate whether quoted prices are reasonable, and whether there is anything that you can realistically do under the circumstances. Is this operator the only option, or is there time to call for someone else and wait for another operator who you

know will charge reasonable prices? Can you call dispatch or someone else for assistance? Can you stall for time?

Fourth, if you must proceed with an operator who is taking advantage of the situation, don’t get mad. Instead, continue to record evidence.

Take as many pictures with your smartphone as you can. Important details will be found in shots of the tow truck and all identification, including the licence plate and both sides of any documents.

The phone’s video setting can also be used to record all conversations with the operator or any other noteworthy developments. Consider asking the operator, on the record, to charge a more reasonable price. If they refuse, ask why they believe the charged rate is reasonable.

The answer to such questions can be helpful later.

This can all be supplemented with written notes that include details about every conversation with the tow

truck operator. And record these details as soon as you can, along with the name and badge numbers of any police officers on the scene.

Be sure to get an itemized invoice for all services that are ultimately rendered, and read everything carefully before signing anything. Make a note of anything thought to be objectionable, and don’t hesitate to record the objections in writing or on video.

Ultimately, the incident may be serious enough to warrant a small claims action.

A tow truck operator may even assert a lien over your vehicle until all owing amounts have been paid. In cases such as these, it would be prudent to call a transportation lawyer to decide what to do next. TT

James Manson of Fernandes Hearn LLP can be reached 416-203-9820, or jmanson@fernandeshearn.com.

This column is intended for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

OCTOBER 2018

29

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Open Mike

Inked ‘Driver Inc.’ deals are leaving some incensed

By Mike McCarron

I

n my 36 years in trucking I’ve never seen an issue stir up emotions like the debate over Driver Inc., the practice of paying truck drivers like a corporation to avoid source deductions.

The issue is so divisive that two distinct trucking industries have emerged, separated by the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA).

On one side is Trucking Industry A – old-school truckers, where company drivers are paid as employees. Sick of losing to competitors who they believe are getting undeserved benefits with little or no consequences, these carriers want clarity and enforcement from the government to level the playing field. They think Driver Inc. is a tax cheat.

On the other side is Trucking Industry B – the new school, where drivers are paid as independent contractors.

When I questioned some of larger new-school truckers in the Greater Toronto Area over the practice, they laughed it off as prudent tax planning: “Since when is that a bad business strategy?”

One thing is certain. Driver Inc. is wreaking havoc on the industry.

New school is booming Ten years ago, I would have bragged that I knew every trucking company in Ontario.

Today, I haven’t heard of half the truckers who call me for a meeting. When I pull up to their small industrial unit

(not a truck in sight), I’m surprised to learn they operate 100-plus trucks. I’m even more surprised when I see their list of blue chip customers who obviously aren’t concerned about the employment status of their carriers’ drivers.

Acquisition versus organic growth Trucking Industry A and B have radically different growth strategies. Old-school truckers are on the prowl for acquisitions, but are only interested in buying fleets that “don’t cheat.” Several years ago, we were hired by a small newschool trucker who wanted to sell their company because of personal health issues. The message from the old-school gang was clear: They wouldn’t touch this company because the drivers were contractors.

On the other hand, oldschool truckers are growing organically like weeds. They’re interested in buying real estate and laying roots in the community. But many have expanded so quickly they don’t have the cash flow or access to capital to make acquisitions.

CTA gamble The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) is laser-focused on getting the government to clarify rules around Driver Inc. Representatives of the CRA will attend a fall CTA board meeting in Banff, and I’m sure that driver employment status will top the agenda.

I applaud the CTA for

demanding a level playing field. But I also think they’re rolling the dice.

Most new-school truckers are not members of a provincial association, and I don’t know how many will ever want to join a group that they think is working against their interests. As a passionate supporter of the CTA, the thought of a weakened lobby is very troubling to me.

Drivers in charge In B.C. and Ontario, when drivers apply for a job, their first question is often, “Will you pay me as an independent contractor?”

Several carriers in Toronto told me that, if the answer is no, there is zero chance of hiring them. I heard the same from driving schools and employment agencies.

Ironically, when you go through the classified ads, there is nary a mention of the business practice. I’m not sure what to make of that, but I do find it odd.

Employment agencies The role that driver employment agencies play in the Driver Inc. business model reeks of irony.

For years, old-school truckers have been hiding behind these agencies to perpetuate their own form of Driver Inc. Some of the oldschool truckers leading the charge against contracted drivers have entire divisions hiding behind employment agencies to reduce costs.

The real irony might lie in the idea that Driver Inc. could help to end the chronic driver shortage. More on that next month. TT Mike McCarron is the president of Left Lane Associates, a firm that specializes in growth strategies, both organic and through mergers and acquisitions.

A 33-year industry veteran, Mike founded MSM Transportation, which he sold in 2012. He can be reached at mike@leftlaneassociates.ca, 1-844-311-7335, or @AceMcC on Twitter.

OCTOBER 2018

31

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Change

Welcome to the new face of Canada’s trucking industry

By John G. Smith

be needed to secure some jobs, entry-level driving candidates can earn an AZ licence in Ontario with 103.5 hours of training.

In other provinces, there are no minimum limits for the training at all.

“Many educated people find this as a good option to get off the ground,” he adds.

It has clearly become more than an interim source of work, though. Many of the newcomers who turn to driving are sticking with the trucking industry. Gupta, who moved to Canada in 2002, was once one of a couple of truck salespeople in the Toronto area who spoke Punjabi. Now he can name dozens who are able to conduct business in the language. Many of the customers he once counted as owner-operators are now running successful fleets.

Vancouver and beyond Randeep Sandhu was working as a production supervisor for a Tier 1 automotive manufacturer when he and a friend began to discuss opportunities in trucking. There was work to be had and freight to be moved in 2005, and a clear need for drivers.

He pulled the AZ licence from his pocket, shifted gears, and never looked back. Their business became LSI (Load Solutions Inc.), which now has about 170 drivers plying the highways of Southern Ontario and crossing the border into the U.S. Most of those who work for the fleet are from South Asia as well.

Gupta They are hardly alone.

Immigrants from South Asia have accounted for a massive shift in the demographics of Canada’s truck drivers, according to an unprecedented research project conducted

by Newcom Media’s editorial teams, drawing on more than 25 years of Canada Census data.

“It’s Punjab in particular,” says LSI’s Sandhu, now the fleet’s vice-president of sales. India’s northern state has a rich agricultural tradition, giving many of the immigrants from there an early exposure to trucks and heavy equipment before they arrive in Canada, he says, suggesting that as a possible reason. And now the job applicants are more likely to see themselves reflected in workplace ranks.

Trucking also offers unique economic opportunities for newcomers from any country. While it can take years for an Indian doctor, engineer or accountant to be accredited to apply such skills in Canada, there is a relatively low barrier of entry to earning a truck licence – offering an immediate path to the all-important paycheques needed to establish a new life.

“This is a field you can get into with a minimum of education,” notes Vik Gupta, senior vice-president of sales and operations for Pride Group Enterprises, headquartered in Mississauga, Ont. Compared to the years of schooling that can

The demographic shift has been nothing short of dramatic.

Twenty years ago, just 1.8% of Canada’s truck drivers were from South Asia, and most of those were based in Vancouver.

They accounted for 18.7% of the drivers in the western city, and 6.2% of the drivers in and around Toronto. By 2016, almost one in five (17.8%) of Canada’s truck drivers had South Asian backgrounds. One in three drivers in B.C. (34.6%) were from the demographic group, as were one in four (25.6%) Ontario drivers.

Sandhu

The numbers are particularly striking in the metropolitan areas of Vancouver and Toronto. In Vancouver, South Asian immigrants now account for the majority (55.9%) of drivers.

The share in Toronto is not far behind at 53.9%.

Several factors could account for the connection between this demographic group and trucking. Gupta compares the South Asian immigration wave to the surge in Italian immigrants from the 1950s to 1970s. “Many Italian or Portuguese immigrants, they found their niche in construction businesses,” he says, referring to the post-war building boom that was happening during that era. The wave of South Asian immigration has simply coincided OCTOBER 2018

33

Change

This is the first in a series of articles – The Changing Face of Trucking – that will explore changing demographics in the trucking industry.

34

TODAY’S TRUCKING

1/3 of Canada’s truck drivers are now immigrants Total Drivers Immigrant Drivers 190,750

200,000

100,000

132,650 95,920 58,985 40,060

50,000 13,500

7,390

41,505

23,340

0

1991

1996

2001

2006

2011

2016

Source: Newcom Media and National Household Survey

Share of truck drivers as immigrants 32.5%

35

24.8%

30 — PERCENTAGE —

— DRIVERS —

150,000

181,330

167,035

158,960

21%

25 20

14.7%

15 10

7.7%

10.2%

5

1991

1996

2001

2006

2011

2016

Source: Newcom Media and National Household Survey

INDIA

More than 40% of immigrant drivers are from India 43.7%

50

33.4%

40 — PERCENTAGE —

with a demand for truck drivers. And when a newcomer knows others who have found success in trucking, they are more likely to consider the career path as well, he adds.

While the most significant demographic shift has involved immigration from South Asia, Canadian fleets are increasingly looking to countries around the world to offset an intensifying shortage of those who want to work behind the wheel. A 2016 report by the Conference Board of Canada predicts Canada will experience a shortage of 25,000 to 33,000 for-hire truck drivers by 2020. The rising age of an average truck driver – now at 48 – reflect an increasing share of existing drivers who are approaching retirement. Their replacements need to come from somewhere.

Increasingly, job candidates are coming from elsewhere. Canada had 181,330 truck drivers in 2016, according to the Census data – and 58,985 of those drivers reported that they came from other countries.

It represents a dramatic change in the past 25 years. A mere 7.7% of truck drivers were immigrants in 1991. Their numbers surged to 32.5% of the driver pool in 2016.

India has played the biggest role of all. In 1991, just 8.7% of the drivers who identified themselves as immigrants were from that country. By 2016, the share from India had swelled to 43.7%.

There will be more potential job candidates to come. The federal government has announced plans to expand overall immigration levels to 340,000 newcomers in 2020, up from the 310,000 expected this year. Against this backdrop, the Canadian Trucking Alliance has recently been asking the federal government to focus on matching the newcomers with industries like trucking that face severe labor shortages.

“It doesn’t look like it’s going to slow down,” Gupta says of the shifting demographics. “At least for a decade or so.” TT

IMMIGRATION

25.1%

30

13.6%

20 10

36.5%

8.7%

0

1991

1996

2001

2006

2011

2016

Source: Newcom Media and National Household Survey

Change

LANGUAGE

15% of Canada’s truck drivers speak Punjabi ▲

Truck driver languages other than English or French 1991 95,915 725 205 2,650 165 425

Total Punjabi Hindi German Russian Spanish

▲

1996 132,655 2,065 555 3,210 415 980

2001 158,960 6,220 2,145 4,090 1,295 1,460

2006 190,755 14,260 4,650 4,900 2,290 2,530

2011 167,035 15,785 4,385 4,470 2,440 2,565

2016 181,330 27,475 7,610 4,520 3,605 3,110

1996 2,065 615 1,165 210 25 55 0 0 0 0 0

2001 6,220 2,535 2,965 370 20 330 0 0 0 0 0

2006 14,260 7,540 4,785 1,150 125 650 0 10 0 0 0

2011 15,785 7,950 4,915 1,995 250 650 25 0 0 0 0

2016 27,480 13,295 7,240 3,985 1,455 1,200 295 10 0 0 0

Truck drivers who speak Punjabi 1991 725 180 465 65 10 10 0 0 0 0 0

Canada Ontario British Columbia Alberta Manitoba Quebec Saskatchewan Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador Prince Edward Island New Brunswick

Source: Newcom Media and National Household Survey

FACT CHECK In 1996, just 1.8% of Canada’s truck drivers were South Asian immigrants. They accounted for 7.9% of the drivers in B.C., and 18.7% in Vancouver. In the Toronto Area, they accounted for 6.2% of drivers.

In 2016, 17.8% of Canada’s truck drivers – almost one in every five – were South Asian immigrants. One in three B.C. drivers (34.6%) is from the region. One in four Ontario drivers (25.6%) is from the region.

More than half of truck drivers in the metro areas of Vancouver (55.9%) and Toronto (53.9%) are now South Asian immigrants.

VISIBLE MINORITIES 725 of Canada’s truck drivers reported they knew Punjabi in 1991. By 2016 there were 27,480.

44,490 of Canada’s truck drivers are visible minorities – the majority from South Asia 1996 2001 2006 2011 2016

Total

Visible Minority

South Asia

132,650 158,960 190,755 167,035 181,330

4,655 11,580 24,825 27,585 44,490

2,355 6,935 16,460 18,790 32,260

THE

CHANGING

FACE OF

TRUCKING

Source: Newcom Media and National Household Survey

1/4 truck drivers are now a visible minority

24.5%

— PERCENTAGE —

25 20

16.5% 13%

15

7.3%

10 5

Further coverage in the latest edition of

3.5% www.trucknews.com

0

1996

2001

2006

2011

2016

Source: Newcom Media and National Household Survey

OCTOBER 2018

35

Temporary Measures

Facing a labor crisis? Experienced employees are available — for those who look outside Canada

By John G. Smith

T

ry as they might, managers at Sutco Transportation Specialists couldn’t find the drivers they needed. A booming B.C. economy ensured of that. Job ads were answered with a deafening silence, and the pressure to find new personnel continued to mount.

“We kind of exhausted the options,” says Doug Sutherland, Sutco’s vicepresident and general manager. “We had trucks sitting that weren’t running, and then we had customers looking to grow and we couldn’t help them.”

36

TODAY’S TRUCKING

It was time to look further afield. A lot further afield.

Since 2012, the Salmo-headquartered operation with 135 employees has been welcoming temporary foreign workers under a program that allows foreign nationals to fill short-term labor shortages. To date it has sourced about 60 experienced drivers from Jamaica, Poland and Croatia. Forty are still with the fleet today.

British Columbia fleets like Sutco are the largest employers of such drivers these days, hiring 934 in 2017. Quebec

was the next-closest province with 166 approved drivers, while New Brunswick rounded out the top three jurisdictions with 108.

The numbers vary widely from one region to the next, but that’s by design.

Each opening is approved only after a successful Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) – a process used to prove there aren’t enough Canadians available to fill a specific job opening.

But Sutco has never seen the program as a “temporary” solution. Once one of the drivers has been with the fleet for nine months, they are led to B.C.’s Provincial Nominee Program to apply for permanent residency.

It isn’t the only fleet taking this approach in the face of an intensifying labor shortage.

Manitoba-based Arnold Bros.

Transport recruiters tell applicants right away that the fleet has no plan to renew work permits. Each “temporary” employee is expected to apply for permanent residency after six months. “We want you to work for us because they choose to work for us – not because our name is on [work] permits,” says Rob Wensel, director of driver services. It also helps with the related $2,500 application fee, spreading the cost over seven to eight months of payroll deductions.

“There’s not enough people in our country that want to be professional truck drivers,” says Stephanie Theede,

Temporary Measures vice-president of human resources at Westcan Group of Companies, which has successfully sourced drivers from more than 20 countries including the U.K., Germany, Romania and the Ukraine.

Sutherland puts the need for longer relationships another way: “The driver shortage isn’t ending two years from now.”

And these are all experienced drivers.

Sutco’s applicants have at least two years of experience in their home countries.

But they are still required to complete further training at Mountain Transport Institute before earning the licence needed to drive here.

Training needs can also vary depending on a driver’s country of origin. The drivers from Poland and Croatia have winter driving experience, but tend to need more language support than their counterparts from Jamaica, Sutherland explains. Those from the island nation tend to have stronger language skills, but require additional training after the first snowfall.

This is on top of the visas to secure and paperwork to process. The fleet also helps with the many “little things” needed when relocating to Canada, such as establishing a Social Insurance Number, bank account, finding a place to live, and getting a cell phone. “There’s a window when you come to Canada you don’t have a medical for about three months,” Sutherland adds as an example. “We bridge that gap.”

Controversies Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program hasn’t been without controversy.

Individual employers have been accused of abusing a process described as a “last and limited resort” to meet labor needs. In 2014, governing Conservatives tightened application processes and increased fees, and banned the use of the workers in regions where unemployment rates were above 6%.

“At the time, the political climate was such that they wanted to try to discourage some abuses of the program,” says Angela Splinter, the CEO of Trucking HR Canada. Some fast food outlets, for example, were using the program to find people to flip burgers.

Wensel says that has led to many misconceptions about how the program

has been used to meet trucking’s intense labor shortages. “Part of the perception, whether it’s your drivers or the general public, is [that temporary foreign workers] are brought in at a lower rate of pay, and they’re brought in to replace Canadians.

In transportation, that’s simply not true,” he says.

But the changes still affected how much the broader program was used. Where 163,000 temporary foreign workers were approved in 2013, the number plunged to 90,000 by 2015.

There are still challenges to overcome.

Auditor General Michael Ferguson issued a scathing review as recently as 2017, questioning things like the way regional labor shortages were confirmed. “These findings matter because the program was designed to help employers fill job vacancies that they cannot otherwise fill,” Ferguson said in his report. “Canadians expect the department to manage the program in a way that makes sure the program is used to respond only to real Canadian labor market shortages.”

Sutherland agrees the system needs careful checks and balances. “This is really important for our industry, but it’s also extremely important that it’s not abused,” he says. And there are clearly cases of abuse happening. He’s answered calls from job candidates who asked where their fees should be sent. They sound surprised when learning there are never any fees involved – other carriers have told them it would cost $5,000 to add names to the LMIA, he says.

But the fleet executive is also frustrated with the bureaucratic red tape that surrounds legitimate applications.

Barriers When Human Resources and Social Development teams hosted trucking industry roundtables across Canada this summer, they heard many common frustrations – particularly as they relate to the shifting requirements of an LMIA. The related applications cost $1,000 per identified job opening, and they can be cancelled because of something as

‘IT’S AMAZING WHAT LIFE BRINGS TO THE TABLE’

M

ario Sipek was frustrated by his job as a truck driver in Croatia. He liked the work, but the pay was irregular. It was time to find something new – and the opportunity came in the form of an ad on a Croatian website that said Canada needs truck drivers.

“That’s when my wife started the research about working permits and the program,” the Sutco Transportation Specialists driver says. And there was plenty of paperwork and waiting time to follow.

“LMIA? Working permit? B.C. provincial nomination for permanent residency? Permanent residence application? There’s a lot of steps,” he says.

Sipek was hired this January, and the fleet’s LMIA was approved in June. The next month he was on the plane.

“It may sound funny, but my biggest surprise was that when a truck or trailer malfunction occurs, my only job is to notify the employer. I don’t have to change tires on my own or find the nearest shop. I don’t have to troubleshoot my way out of it,” says the 15-year driver, Mario Sipek now a permanent resident.

The biggest challenge was starting life from scratch, Sipek says of the transition. “I didn’t even have a spoon. I had a suitcase of clothes, memories and hopes.” But in just two years his standard of living was already higher than it was in Croatia.

The Sutco driver remembers watching a documentary about trucking in the U.S. almost two decades ago, telling his family that he wanted to do the same thing someday. “They laughed, but it happened,” he says. “It’s amazing what life brings to the table.”

OCTOBER 2018

37

Temporary Measures

Success stories are often connected to fleets that have offered support beyond a job offer and paycheque alone. Wensel, for example, sees the value of pairing new hires with other foreign nationals who have been in the country for a year or more.

Splinter stresses the value of recogniz-

that has led to more successes, as existing participants refer other applicants.

The successes don’t end there. “We’ve added 150 people to the neighborhood around our officers,” Wensel says, referring to the effect on the broader community. “They’re becoming Canadians.”

Adds Sutherland: “With most of them it’s changed their lives and what their lives will look like moving forward.” TT

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Planning for success

ing that there are different cultures to integrate, too. “You want to ensure you’re managing any tensions or cultural biases that may exist,” she says.

“There is a sense of community among our international employees,” Theede adds. “There’s been somewhat of a buddy system and a community formed … when one person comes and is established, they’re pretty inclined to be helpful.” And

L

innocuous as a poorly worded recruiting ad, Sutherland says. One mistake and the fees are lost.

Sutco had one application in the works when the region’s median wage rate jumped $6 to $32 per hour. The only way that particular paperwork would have been approved would be if he had applied that wage across the entire fleet. The application was withdrawn, but the government kept the $15,000. The only saving grace was that the next application was processed in two days rather than the typical two to three months.

“Everything with the LMIA has to fit into their comfortable boxes,” Wensel says of the all-important documents.

Individual sections focus on hourly wages, and how much overtime will be paid after 40 hours of work. But drivers are not paid overtime until after the 60th hour, and few are paid hourly. “You have to fill it out and add a huge addendum page that re-explains how you pay them.”

Application fees were another sticking point. The labor needs of an employer with 500 trucks or 10 trucks will be different. Not only that, the information still has to be delivered by fax or registered mail rather than some sort of web portal that shows where an application is in the process. “It’s like playing roulette,” Wensel adds. He also questions whether those already participating in the program should require the same vetting process for every subsequent application.

Splinter sees the value in establishing a trusted employer model, which would expedite applications for those who have already demonstrated sound HR practices. And the Canadian Trucking Alliance has been asking for the government to open more immigration channels to industry employers.

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39

Trailer Terms Leasing, renting offer lasting benefits as hot trailer market continues

By Elizabeth Bate

A

s equipment orders continue to surge, pushing delivery dates well into the first quarter of next year, fleets looking to add to their assets might want to consider options like leasing or renting trailers in the shorter term.

Yes, just like tractors, trailers are seeing record-high sales numbers. Mike Krell, vice-president – sales and marketing at Trailcon Leasing, says build dates are further out than he’s ever seen.

“No one was really buying trailers in the down economy.

[Equipment] became so tired that it’s time to purchase. The manufacturers are smiling from ear to ear, and the problem is that they can ask what they want. The cost of a trailer has almost doubled,” he says.

In addition to potentially inflated costs for the trailers, delivery dates are stretching well into the first half of 2019, leaving fleets whose trailers are on their last legs in a bind.

Bruce Daccord, president and co-founder of Transcourt,

40

TODAY’S TRUCKING

says his company is getting a meaningful number of calls about rental trailers for clients looking to bridge the gap between now and delivery day. Market conditions overall are pushing leasing inquires higher, too.

Daccord says global uncertainty and the possibilities of increases in tariffs and interest rates are giving customers another reason to think about alternatives to purchases. An ever-increasing shortage in qualified drivers is affecting how customers manage their equipment as well.

“For the first time that I can recall in our history we’re talking to customers that are ready to go, need trucks and need trailers, and don’t have a driver to get behind it. That’s a new context for us,” he says.

Compounding the driver shortage stresses was last December’s introduction of mandatory electronic logging devices (ELDs) in the U.S. Sherry Mossman, Trailer Wizards’ vice-president – central Canada, says customers will be adding to the rental market in 2019, trying to compensate for hours that can no longer be wasted in a yard while loading and unloading.

“They’re pushing every single bit of those hours of service (HOS) and there isn’t any wiggle room. There’s not enough hours of service on the road, so there has to be extra trailers to meet the demand.”

Having extra trailers in a yard means shippers and fleets can load in advance and have a trailer ready to go when the driver

Trailer Terms pulls up, giving drivers more time on the road without exceeding available hours. Adding trailers strictly to add hours to driver workdays may be a short-term proposition, making leasing or renting an ideal choice in this case.

For customers who may be looking to future-proof themselves against the questions around the economic forecasts for the next 12 months, leasing trailers to match contract terms is also a good option.

Ensuring all the terms are clearly laid out ahead of time benefits customers in two ways – by leaving room for negotiation up front, and by providing a consistent way to anticipate and manage costs later on.

Added bonuses like included GPS and tracking systems can be added into agreements as well, to help fleets and dealers protect their assets.

Krell says the GPS units not only help with more accurate mileage invoicing – providing real numbers instead of estimates – they help to keep track of units, even locating trailers when the wrong one has been picked up and driven out of the yard.

Each contract is different, allowing fleets to maintain flexibility and conserve cash now while still leaving the door open for ownership down the line.

When to rent

Leasing contracts can be customized to fit the term of the agreement a fleet may have with a customer – so the equipment is available when the work is available, but the costs don’t become a long-term proposition. Each lease can be negotiated to account for things like maintenance, roadside assistance, buyout options and early release options, giving fleets the flexibility to meet an uncertain climate head on.

What’s in a lease?

Discussing those options should never be left until after agreements are signed. Like any good deal, the finer points need to be worked out up front to avoid headaches down the line. So what should be in your trailer lease?

Krell says when searching for the right deal, customers should always make sure to discuss maintenance agreements, buy-out options, mileage rates, and penalties for early cancellation. Fleets will also want to consider coverage for worst-case scenarios.

“You want to look at geographical [service locations], what their support network is. What happens when I have a breakdown on the 401 corridor and it’s 2 a.m.? You want to make sure that they have good coverage,” he says.

Rentals may seem like a very short-term alternative to leasing or owning, but Daccord says that’s not always the case.

“Quite often we have customers who will rent a trailer for four or five years,” he said. “Instead of writing huge cheques for equipment like that, use that equipment and [make] money with it without adding huge lines to your balance sheet.”

Like a lease, those rentals can also be converted into leaseto-own agreements should a fleet want to keep units, but they can be returned much easier should business needs change.

Rental agreements will also include things like maintenance, damage, roadside assistance and more, and can be negotiated up front.

From a more traditional standpoint, rentals are ideal for fleets that see an increase of business for a short period of time like Christmas, summer, or back-to-school seasons. And like the trailers that are leased only to be loaded early, rentals are also good for parking lot storage during those peak periods.

When choosing trailers for storage there a couple of things to consider, including whether the trailer is going to be “dead” storage – sitting in one spot after delivery – or moving.

Even if a trailer is just being moved through the parking lot or across the street, it still needs to pass a commercial vehicle inspection (CVI), Mossman stresses. That distinction is important when picking a storage trailer, making older units more suited to “dead” storage situations. If a trailer is moving from a “dead” to “live” situation, or any time a trailer is going back on the road after being parked against a fence, it needs proper maintenance and to pass that CVI. Parked trailers may also become a concern down the line as more fleets put in large purchase orders for new trailers.

As order boards continue to fill, Daccord says the market is creating a carry-on effect, putting some fleets at risk of buying more than they need.

“The order book starts to fill out. [They think] ‘I better get in, and I better get in with a really big order.’ A lot of those orders will get cancelled or cut back prior to delivery,” he says.

But not everyone sees the buying frenzy as too much. Krell OCTOBER 2018

41

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Trailer Terms says those fleets that held off purchases when the economy was slacking are now making up for it in spades, and for some fleets there is a certain amount of comfort in owning.

Own for the long term Owning often mean more of a significant cash investment than shorter-term options, but can provide benefits in other ways.

Daccord says fleets are buying to help efforts in recruiting or retaining younger drivers. “If I can get a nice new truck pulling a new shiny trailer, that’s attractive to potential drivers.�

In the end, Daccord says there’s no one right option for adding assets to an operation. “It’s really dependent on their own unique situation.�

Whether it’s to replace tired models or just the pride of ownership, fleets that have decided buying is for them should follow some of the same rules for picking out equipment as those looking at leasing or renting.

Mossman says, just like the shorter-term options, any purchases should include a maintenance agreement.

Picking a dealer with a network is important as well, not just to easily address regular maintenance and repairs, but also to help with the all-important roadside assistance.

Whichever method managers choose to use when adding trailers, Mossman says they should be looking for a partner more than a dealer alone. TT

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In Gear

50 A Canadian T880S 55 Our Super Digger 59 Product Watch

EQUIPMENT NEWS, REVIEWS, AND MAINTENANCE TIPS

A FUNNY-LOOKING METAL SURFACE

Galvanized trailer components won’t win a beauty contest, but they will keep your trailers in service longer.

Galvanized Into Action Galvanizing emerges once again in the war against corrosive anti-icing compounds

By Jim Park We’re at war, it seems, with the chemical compounds used by highway crews to keep ice and snow off our roads.

Calcium chloride and magnesium chloride both go down wet and then spray up into a trailer’s deepest cracks and crevasses. Washing the chemical off doesn’t seem to work. Even after the solutions have apparently dried out,

they literally suck moisture out of the air and reactivate.

The two materials have changed the way we deal with corrosion.

“You can no longer just brush or wash the stuff off like you could with road salt residue,” says Tom Ramsden, vice-president – sales and marketing at Manac. “That stuff is here to stay,

Galvanized coatings on metal surfaces often have irregular appearances, and that gets some people wondering if the coating was properly applied. For others, the spangled look can be a deal breaker when outward appearance is paramount.

This look is usually the result of the size of the grain created during the chemical reaction between materials used in the coating material, or by the rate of cooling in a hot-dip process.

The appearance can range from what looks like irregular-shaped flakes to a blotchy spider-web appearance. This less-than-uniform appearance is all perfectly normal and doesn’t indicate the coating’s effectiveness nor its durability. It’s simply the result of the coating process.

The material being coated can also affect the finished appearance, with some metals looking shiny while others appear dull or mottled. In still other instances, tiny lumps that look like grains of sand may appear to be stuck to the metal surface and embedded in the coating material.

These are also normal in some situations and are nothing to be concerned about.

The decision whether to paint the exposed steel or use stainless steel for some components involves financial, longevity and appearance considerations. In some parts of the country particularly affected by corrosive anti-icing compounds, a painted trailer may have to be refurbished after just five years of service, whereas a galvanized trailer may last up to 10 years. Stainless components may last even longer, but they come at a premium. Compare the upfront cost of the galvanized finish versus the cost of a mid-life refurb and the galvanizing will likely come out on top.

And if appearance is a real concern, know that your trailer with its blotches and pimples is utterly one of a kind. No other trailer on the planet will look just like it.

OCTOBER 2018

45

In Gear and its corrosive properties make it very difficult for trailer manufactures to build trailers that are completely resistant to corrosion.”

Ramsden says aluminum is a partial solution, but extensive use of that material can drive up costs. The road chemicals will eventually damage aluminum as well.

He says fleets are now looking seriously at galvanized trailer components such as coupler plates, crossmembers, bogey frames, and landing gear for corrosion resistance. “We have had galvanized door frames for 20 years now,” he says. “That’s probably where it all started, but we’re seeing customers now asking for things like galvanized bottom rails after using aluminum for the past 20 years.”

Given the importance of taking weight out of a trailer, the extent of crossborder fleets’ frustration with corrosion is clear when they willingly add 200300 lb. in galvanized steel to replace aluminum components.

Ramsden says van owners are now

Not all components can be galvanized, so nonferrous materials are often used.

catching up with the flatdeck people who figured out a while ago that a little extra up-front investment to combat corrosion will pay off midway through equipment lifespans because trailers no longer need to be sandblasted and repainted.

“If customers expect to repaint a trailer

Galvanized wheels now appear as corrosionresistant alternatives to painted steel wheels.

once in its life, then they can rest assured the upfront cost of galvanizing will be less than the cost to sandblast and paint the trailer in the future,” says Ramsden.

According to Cameron Lawrie, senior account manager at Breslau, Ont.based Breadner Trailer Sales, getting

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TODAY’S TRUCKING

In Gear maintenance people and finance people into the same room when discussing a trailer purchase usually produces a pretty vigorous debate.

“Fleets usually keep a trailer for 10 years, and with the chemicals they are using on the roads now, any maintenance manager will tell you the trailer probably won’t go through its full lifecycle without extensive and potentially costly repairs,” he says. “It seems to me the maintenance guys are becoming more persuasive because fleets are buying equipment that does cost a bit more, knowing it will result in lower lifecycle costs.”

If not for the sheer reduction in maintenance cost, then for the reduced exposure at inspection stations. “Put yourself in the inspector’s shoes. What do you imagine they think when they see a rusty looking trailer dragged across their scales?” Lawrie asks.

Ramsden says between 15 and 20% of the flatdeck trailers sold in Canada and U.S. northeast are fully galvanized these days. “If you look at the number of trailers sold with a large number of galvanized components, such as crossmembers for example, it’s probably closer to 50%,” he says.

There are few downsides to using galvanized equipment, but a little extra care is required in the shop when repairing them. Welding on galvanized steel can produce toxic fumes, so the coating material has to be ground away to expose the bare steel to be cut or welded. Once the repair is complete, it must be coated with a zinc paste or top coated with some other galvanic material.

There’s another corrosion-resistant finish still being used that’s somewhat like a rubberized black paint that never feels dry to the touch. It’s said to be difficult to work with because it remains sticky for years, but Ramsden says it’s often used on components that cannot be galvanized.

There are also steps that are being taken at the design level to eliminate areas where water can collect.

“We minimize the use of any G-shaped materials that promote the collection of road debris with very little chance of this debris being able to escape due to the

shape of the structure,” Ramsden says.

“We also try to minimize the number of corners used in support structures and designs that allow debris to collect.”

If corrosion was a line item on a budget, it would make the cost of combating corrosion more transparent – and the cost of the solutions much easier to swallow. But maybe it’s best that it isn’t. The

figure would shock you. Some researchers estimate the cost of corrosion from all sources, buildings, roads, and industrial equipment is between 1 and 3% of Canada’s GDP. That’s way more than we currently spend on our military commitment to NATO. That’s about war, too, but the corrosion war is fought in the trenches, one trailer at a time. TT

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$15,000 IN

CASH+PRIZES We’re looking for one driver who embodies the term “professional”.

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OF THE

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the highest regard for other road users, and who generally sits tall in

the saddle. In short, we’re looking for a driver with STAR quality to be the 2019 Highway Star of the Year.

The Highway Star of the Year award is open to ALL drivers – company drivers and owner-operators alike.

If you know someone worthy of such an honor, please submit your nomination as soon as you can. We’ll be presenting the award during ExpoCam 2019 in Montréal, Québec, on Saturday, April 13, 2019.

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NOMlNATlON FORM Nominate yourself or a driver you know. It’s easy and free. Candidates can be owner-operators or company drivers. Simply fill out this form and submit it to our judges.

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Name: Company Driver?

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free publicity. It’s a morale boost, a proud flag to fly, and just entering

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somebody’s name shows you care. The winning driver and his or her carrier are often used as expert sources in subsequent magazine stories.

Nominate as many drivers as you want.

2017

AND A CHANCE FOR YOUR FLEET TO SHINE HIGHWAY STAR OF THE YEAR

2011

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In Gear

Rugged Comfort Kenworth’s T880S was engineered to meet American bridge laws. But here it is with highway trim and some Canadian spec’s.

By Jim Park While walking the grounds of a small truck show earlier this summer, I spotted this gorgeous red Kenworth along one of the rows of trucks and immediately did a double take. It wasn’t the big 76-inch sleeper that caught my eye, but the set-forward steer axle and squat brawny frontal profile of a T880S. Kenworth offers the T880S variant as a vocational chassis mostly for heavy operators like those in the ready-mix sector who need the extra few inches of axle spacing to meet bridge law requirements in some American states.

I didn’t expect to see one here in Canada and I really didn’t expect to see one equipped with a 76-inch sleeper, rigged for on-highway operation.

Kenworth says there are only a couple like it and they are both believed to be in Quebec. It’s not often we get what reporters call a scoop on a test drive story, but this test drive is just that: it’s the first time you’ll read about this unique package that I’m predicting soon won’t be so unique. I,

50

TODAY’S TRUCKING

and Daniel Paquette, the business development manager at Kenworth Montreal who spec’d the truck, think this will become a popular alternative to the T680 and T880 in some of the more severe Canadian applications where aerodynamics take a back seat to ruggedness.

It was spec’d for a potential tank-hauling customer. Tank trailers typically have a shallow king pin setting, as did the four-axle flatdeck trailer we tested the truck with in Montreal in mid-September. We axle-weighed the load before leaving the yard and recorded the following results – steer axle, 5,120 kg; drive axles, 16,200 kg; trailer axles, 30,820 kg.

We were comfortably under the limits all around, but a set-back steer axle might have scaled a bit heavier.

According to Paquette, the main reason for putting that truck together was that folks just like the look of the thing.

He says he had several requests from his customers to bring one into Montreal so they could have a closer look. “They like the tough, brawny look of the short hood and the set-forward axle,” he told me.

I can’t say I disagree with Paquette’s customers. (And a thank-you is in order here to Pierre Aubin of L’Express du Midi of Ste-Catherine, Que., for loaning us the flatdeck load of drywall for the test drive.

It was a real treat to get a Canadianweight load to test drive a Canadianweight truck.)

As highway trucks go, this one is a curious mix of rugged and comfortable.

It’s spec’d with most of the top-of-the-line driver comfort items like the Diamond VIT interior, swiveling passenger seat and swing-out table, drawer-type fridge, and wiring for a microwave and inverter. It has the Extreme Temp insulation package as well as a cab heater. Up front we get the full gauge package, and premium

The cab interior has a full gauge package and top-of-the-line driver amenities like the Diamond VIT trim, swiveling passenger seat, and a premium sound system.

In Gear seats. In short, just about everything a well-appointed over-the-road truck would have. And under all that is a robust chassis where the heavier components are closer to the top of the list in the data book, like the 2,132,000-lb. RBM frame, heavy-duty crossmembers, 14,600-lb. front suspension, and a 46,000-lb. rear suspension with heavy-duty air springs.

The truck is powered by a Paccar MX13 engine cranking out a whopping 510 hp and 1,850 lb-ft of torque. Paquette told me that many of his customers who run loads similar to our test load and even larger B-train loads prefer the 545and 600-hp Cummins X15 engines with 2,050 lb-ft of torque, but engineering can’t squeeze a red engine beneath the short T880S hood. Still, with its million-mile B10 life, two-year/400,000 km warranty, and a 300-lb. slimmer profile, the MX13 offers a lot in return for what it gives up.

Our test drive took us over the Mercier Bridge, and the new bridge over the Beauharnois Canal on Autoroute 30.

Both bridges have pretty good grades and forced me to downshift with the MX13, but I suspect I’d have to make that downshift even with the beefier 15-liter engine. The 18-speed transmission gives the driver plenty of latitude to keep the engine where you want it for road speed and torque.

On the road Two features of the T880S struck me before we had even left L’Express du Midi’s yard: the maneuverability and the visibility. From the driver’s seat the hood is almost invisible. That provides unprecedented visibility close to the hood, where pedestrians, bicycles and small cars like to hide. The top of the hood at the center is barely chest high, so anyone over four feet tall would be easily seen by the driver. On the right side, just ahead of the A pillar where tall flat hoods and air cleaners once lived, the view down to the side is very good. At a light with a car sitting alongside, the roof was hidden behind the pillar, but the hood and trunk were clearly visible. Score another point for the short, slanted hood.

The wheel cut was a bit shy of 50 degrees, Paquette says, owing to the bulkier-than-usual TRW TAS 85 steering box,

which is rated for 16,000 lb. It provided wonderfully solid steering at low speeds and out on the highway. My personal feeling is that set-back steer axles can wander a little, but this set-forward axle tracked the lanes like the truck was on rails. Construction on the Mercier Bridge has the lanes narrowed to about 10 feet, so precise steering was pretty welcome

there. I tracked right across the bridge about six inches from the barriers on the right with no stress at all. Importantly, I don’t think Paquette was terribly worried either, sitting on the right-hand side and looking out over the abyss.

Being a Kenworth, the interior was remarkably quiet. There was no wind noise coming in from around the doors;

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In Gear the engine and transmission noise – aside from those annoying grinding sounds that came up every now and then – was very tame, and even pleasant.

It’s funny how fast you get used to some things. Most of the trucks I’ve driven lately have had downsped powertrains, meaning that engine speed at 105 km/h is in the 1,200 rpm range. This truck, with it’s 3.91:1 axle ratio, clearly spec’d for Quebec’s higher weight allowances, was turning about 1,450 at 95 km/h. It seemed fast to me, but that put it right at the upper limit of the MX13’s peak torque band (1,000-1,450 rpm). Given the weight we were pulling, I had to move fast to downshift as it began slipping down lower in the torque band. You lose momentum pretty quickly on a 3% grade at a gross weight of 51,000 kg.

In those harder pulls, a rather noisy engine fan spoiled the atmosphere a couple of times. The truck has a 1,330 squareinch rad and a Horton on/off fan, which was obviously adequate for most of the driving we did. Maybe I’m just too used to the light American loads where engines don’t even break a sweat.

I’ve saved the best for last here. The ride quality of this truck was sublime. The quality of the ride with the trailer on was unassailable – as solid and sure-footed as you’d expect, but more so. We had to bobtail from Kenworth’s headquarters in Saint-Laurent over to Ste.-Catharine to grab the trailer. That route takes you over some pretty rotten roads, but the suspension really took them in stride. I’m not enough of an engineer to explain it, but I put it down to having the suspension points at the extreme ends of the chassis – there’s no overhanging weight to keep the springs bouncing. It could also be the heavy front and rear suspensions, which you might be inclined to think would provide a rougher ride. I’d call it a stiff ride, but as smooth as I’ve ever felt in a big truck on deteriorating highways.

As well, the cab suspension air springs and shocks sit six to eight inches outboard of the frame rails. That wide stance helps discourage cab sway, which can also lead to a wandering steering wheel.

It may sound like I’m gushing about this T880S, but I’m not. There’s a lot of good stuff going on here, such as the

The 76-inch mid-roof sleeper has a foldout table, wiring for a microwave and a TV, as well as a drawer-type fridge.

large rear deck with wide unobstructed access from the right and left sides, even though it sits on a relatively tight 244inch wheelbase. Or the ease of opening the hood, and the vast amount of space technicians have once they get around the set-forward front wheel.

It was a pleasure driving this fairly

unique truck for a few hours, and as I indicated earlier, I think we’ll soon see many more of these on Canadian highways. For fans of set-forward axle tractors, it’s a really nice compromise to the long-hood W900. And other people will tell you, it just has a certain look about it. TT

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In Gear

Pole Position Canadian engineers build a super utility truck that Americans thought would be impossible

By Eric Berard A pole position allows you to lead the pack. Yet earning such an enviable spot takes a lot of hard work and the open-mindedness to surround yourself with skilled support.

Nick Knapp understood those demands. As director of field operations for KTI, a sub-contracting company for utility providers such as power or telephone companies around Georgetown, Conn., Knapp knew he could optimize the tasks of digging pole holes, water vacuuming, rock hammering, pole planting and stabilizing, and aerial wire rigging.

He just needed a super all-in-one utility truck to replace the multiple units he was using for the work.

After a couple of preliminary sketches on proverbial cocktail napkins, Knapp – who runs the family business with his dad, Ed – reached out to body builders in the northeastern U.S., looking as far afield as the Midwest to find someone who could make his vision a reality. The Americans he spoke to basically said it was impossible.

“They felt this truck was so out of the box, nobody wanted to touch it. They wanted to sell us a product that was already built and packaged because no one was interested in taking on that big of a product and not knowing if the end result would even be something that would work,” says Knapp.

Browsing the web, he found Drive Products in a Mississauga, Ont. “They had no problem with taking on the project. So we sent them up the rig,” he says.

At that stage, the “rig” was a T800 Kenworth cab chassis truck with a Cummins ISX15 500V (500 hp and 1,850 lb-ft of torque @ 1,200 rpm) coupled to an 18-speed Eaton-Fuller manual transmission, explains John Diodati, Drive Products’ operations director.

But a lot of work still had to be done, because Knapp’s wish list was quite

extensive. He needed hydraulics for the auger, crane and other tools. And compressed air to run the hammer if a rock formation prevented regular auger drilling, to vacuum unwanted water from pole holes into an onboard 500-US-gallon tank, and to power the tamps used to firmly hold the poles in place.

“To get a compressor that big [1,000 cubic feet per minute], with that much

A Canadian crew of a dozen hands-on workers and three engineers took care of installing two OMSI transfer cases, the aerial bucket, a custom driveline, hydraulics, and a water tank among other features, says Diodati. Ensuring proper driveline angles was one of the biggest technical challenges to overcome.

The unique truck’s versatility – it’s also equipped with four outriggers and a 60,000-lb. winch at the rear – realizes substantial savings. “I can go out with one driver-operator and a ground man.

Two men and this truck can do the same job as it would normally take a minimum of four men, all of which would need to have a CDL. Also, by eliminating all those other trucks, now I’m only paying for insurance, registration and taxes on one

An all-in-one, made-in-Canada solution.

power, it would be gigantic. What Drive Products did was, instead of buying a complete unit, [they] bought the air module with no motor. Normally they come attached with a gigantic diesel motor.

They took the power directly from the motor of the truck through the split-shaft PTO and the transfer case to power the air compressor. It saves me more than 50% of deck space,” Knapp said.

Eliminating the additional engine to power the Atlas Copco compressor also saved a lot of weight on this mighty machine that weighs in at 76,000 lb.

Installing a third rear axle bumped the truck’s GVW from 60,000 to 80,000 lb.

vehicle versus four or five trucks,” Knapp says. In addition to the optimized productivity, he points out that maintenance is simpler and cheaper with only one power unit to take care of, even if the initial purchase price can be “a shocker”.

Additional units are planned, says selftaught designer Knapp, who dubbed his heavyweight baby “Canada Super Digger”.

“There will definitely be more to come, now that we got all the quirks worked out of the engineering side,” he says, adding that discussions are underway about patents since more utility professionals could well be interested in buying Canada Super Diggers. TT OCTOBER 2018

55

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In Gear Canada it will continue to carry the Mercedes-Benz badge exclusively.

Canadian models will be delivered with a three-liter, six-cylinder diesel, paired with a seven-speed automatic transmission. A two-liter, four-cylinder gasoline engine will be available later this year for the smaller 1500 and 2500 models. A nine-speed automatic transmission will also be delivered with the gasoline engine.

Gross vehicle weight ratings for the 2500 and 4500 models have been increased to a maximum of 12,500 lb.

The maximum payloads are 3,395 lb. The wheelbase ranges from 144 to 170 inches with the EXT model, which provides the largest amount of cargo space. The cargo compartment can reach 15 cubic meters (533 cu.-ft.) in size, with the space measuring 61 inches from side to side. The 1500 model comes with a regular 96-inch clear roof, while the other models can be delivered with a 111-inch elevated roof.

Among technological innovations there is the MBUX, a redesigned multimedia system offering features like those found in passenger cars. It can be activated by the voice, the touch screen, and the controls on the steering wheel.

A series of commands can be performed just by saying, “Hey Mercedes.”

Suggested retail prices for the new Sprinter range from $42,900 for the basic gasoline-powered cargo model to $47,400 for the basic diesel model. The price of the chassis-cab diesel is $ 47,900. TT

‘Hey Mercedes’ Sprinter gains ground in North American market

By Steve Bouchard The medium-duty Sprinter vans sold in North America are German no longer, with units now assembled entirely in a new plant that Mercedes-Benz Vans has inaugurated in Charleston, S.C. Until now, disassembled Sprinter vans were shipped from Dusseldorf, Germany, and reassembled in South Carolina.

But with high expectations for North American sales, the company decided in March 2015 to break ground on a North American assembly operation. Today it represents a US $500 million investment, putting 900 employees to work. That number is expected to swell to 1,300 employees as early as 2020.

Volker Mornhinweg, head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, remembers the Sprinter’s arrival in the U.S. in 2001.

Since then, some 400,000 units have been produced globally. About 44,000 units were produced for Canada and the U.S. in 2018, representing a 39% increase over the previous year, he says. The U.S. is now the second-largest market for Sprinters today. The new production facility will supply North American customers faster and with more flexibility, he adds.

Amazon has committed to 20,000 Sprinters for the U.S. in the next 12 months.

The business recently enjoyed a massive boost through orders from Amazon, too. Dave Clark, senior vice-president of global operations for the online retailer, announced that its Sprinter orders were being increased from 5,000 to 20,000 units. Those vehicles to be delivered within a year will be used by independent contractors in the U.S. who participate in Amazon’s Delivery Service Partner Program. They’ll be working with third-party fleet management companies, and enjoy special lease conditions that help to control start-up costs.

In the U.S., the Sprinter will continue to be sold under the Freightliner and Mercedes-Benz brands – but here in

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For more new product items, visit PRODUCT WATCH on the web at todaystrucking.com

ENGINES

Kenworth models go with Cummins gas Kenworth continues to expand the offerings that will run on natural gas, with ith T680, T880 and T880S trucks now available with Cummins Westport ISX12N N near-zero-NOx emissions natural gas engines.

The ISX12N meets the California Air Resources Boardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s optional low-NOxx standard of 0.02 g/bhp-hr, which is 90% lower than engines operating at the he current EPA NOx limit of 0.2 g/bhp-hr.

Other engine features include a closed crankcase ventilation system, maintenance-free three-way catalyst, on-board diagnostic capability, and a durable engine control module.

The 12-liter engines come with ratings of up to 400 hp and 1,450 lb-ft of as torque. They can run on compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), and renewable natural gas (RNG) in the name of lower GHG emissions. ns.

www.kenworth.com

TIRES

High-scrub, traction needs met with Firestone FD711 Bridgestone Americas has unveiled the Firestone FD711 drive tire to support high-scrub and high-traction applications.

The latest offering delivers a solid grip, long wear, and enhanced retreading capabilities, the company says. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recommended for applications including long- and regional-haul service, pickup and delivery, and light-to-moderate on/off-highway environments.

Traction is supported with an open shoulder design and aggressive tread blocks, while resistance to wear and abrasion come via the staggered tread block

design and tough tread compounds, Bridgestone adds. Other features include a slow-wearing cap compound and cool-running base to help protect against heat, and a four-belt construction to protect the casing in the name of durability and retreading.

It comes in 11R22.5 and 11R24.5 sizes, backed with a 90-day â&#x20AC;&#x153;buy and tryâ&#x20AC;? guarantee. www.bridgestoneamericas.com

with tooling for light vehicles and heavy trucks alike.

Features include a pneumatic wheel lift to reduce the risk of strains, semi-automatic data entry that uses the inner input arm to measure diameter and distance, and the ability for operators to recalibrate the balancer in just two steps. www.johnbean.com

SHOP TOOLS

Wheel balancer handles 12- to 24.5-inch wheels The John Bean 9800 heavy-duty wheel balancing system will bring a sense of balance to truck, bus, RV and automobile wheel and tire assemblies.

Capable of handling wheels from 12-24.5 inches in size, including super-single tires, the model comes OCTOBER 2018

59

Product Watch COMPUTERS

SHOP TOOLS

xTablet designed for rugged tasks

Snap-on rethinks the socket system

MobileDemand’s new xTablet T1540 is designed for the workplace, with an Intel Quad Core Z8350 processor, Microsoft Windows 10, and a rugged construction.

Weighing in at about 2.5 lb., the unit comes with a hand strap and briefcase-style handle, and it has been tested to withstand a four-foot drop. It’s also IP 65 sealed against water and dust, and comes with a scratch-resistant glass touchscreen.

The battery charge lasts 12 hours.

A snap mount plate is designed to secure the device to vehicles, forklifts and more. Screw inserts are provided to attach add-on devices, and a micro USB port offers added functionality.

Add-ons include 3D cameras such as the Intel RealSense Depth Camera D415, magnetic strip readers, and pin pads. www.mobiledemand.com

Snap-on’s Flank Drive Xtra (FDX) socket system is the company’s first redesigned socket since unveiling the Flank Drive system in 1965.

The new design grips fasteners further off the corners, and offers up to 25% more strength than Flank Drive sockets, the company says.

The angled contour also ensure the socket wall grips damaged fasteners more closely, offering 50% more turning power.

Meanwhile, a chamfered lip on the hex and drive ends offers a better grip and more turning power, especially when working with shallow-headed fasteners and those with limited top clearance. Grooved, grippable outerwalls also make the sockets easier to remove. There are distinctive markings on the outside of the socket, too. www.snapon.com

YOU CAN’T GET THERE FROM HERE A corn-y sighting

DO YOU KNOW WHERE THIS IS?

They say it grows as high as an elephant’s eye, and 10 stalking readers knew the corn display from last month can be found on a farm on Ontario Highway 10, just outside Hepworth. This month’s location is a popular spot for stopping. If you know where it is, email johng@newcom.ca with your name and mailing address, and the first 10 correct guesses will get their Today’s Trucking cap.

September Answer: Corn statue on Highway 10, just outside Hepworth, Ont.

YOU CAN’T GET THERE FROM HERE c/o Today’s Trucking Magazine 5353 Dundas Street West, Suite 400, Toronto, Ontario M9B 6H8

Phone: 416-614-5812 • Fax: 416-614-8861 Or email: johng@newcom.ca P.S. If you call your answer in, don’t forget to leave your contact details!

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TODAY’S TRUCKING

National Advertisers Alutrec Inc. 23 www.alutrec.com Continental Tire 51 www.continental-truck.com DDC FPO Solutions 60 www.ddcfpo.com DK Smith International 43 www.parkingheaterproducts.com Eaton 46 eatoncumminsjv.com/endurant Eberspaecher 19 www.eberspaecher-na.com Great Dane 30 GreatDane.com/AdvantEDGE Hendrickson 32 www.ULTRAA-K.com Highway Star of the Year 48-49 todaystrucking.com/hsoy Hino 38 www.hinocanada.com Imperial Oil 52 www.mobildelvac.ca

International Truck & Engine 2 www.InternationalTrucks.com ISAAC Instruments 15 www.isaac.ca Kenworth 8-9,11 Kenworth.com/trucks/W990 Mack Trucks 63 MackTrucks.com/Anthem Manac 42 www.manac.com Mann+Hummel Filtration (Wix Filters) 54 www.wixfilters.com Meritor 58 www.meritor.com/brakes Penske 6 www.gopenske.ca Peterbilt back cover www.peterbilt.com Prolam 26 www.prolamfloors.com SAF Holland 14 www.safholland.ca

Shell 4 www.shell.ca/rotella Sirius 43 siriusxm.ca/fleet Thermo King 44 www.thermoking.com/connected-tt Total Canada 21 www.total-canada.ca Traction 53 www.traction.com Trailcon Leasing 18 www.trailcon.com TruckForce 39 www.truckforceservice.com TruckPro 57 www.truckpro.ca Utility Trailer 56 www.utilitytrailer.com Vipar 47 www.vipar.com Western Star/ Detroit Diesel Engines 16, 17 www.westernstar.com

COMPANIES IN THE NEWS A Alutrec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 ArcelorMittal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Arnold Bros. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Atlas Copco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 B Breadner Trailer Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Bridgestone Americas . . . . . . . . . . . . 22, 59 BTC Express. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 C CD Jabbco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Cummins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 D Daimler Trucks North America. . . . 10, 22 Dicom Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Drive Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 F Falcon Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Ford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Freightliner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21, 25 FTR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 G General Logistics Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Google . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 GoRight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

H Hyndman Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 I International. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Isaac Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 J John Bean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 K Kenworth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19, 50, 59 Kenworth Montreal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Kodiak Robotics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Kriska Transportation Group . . . . . . . . . 18 KTI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 L Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Express du Midi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 LSI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 M Mack Trucks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Manac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18, 45 Mercedes-Benz Vans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 MobileDemand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 N Navistar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 O Otto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

P Platinum Tank Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Pride Group Enterprises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Pride Truck Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 R Royal Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Ryder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 S Snap-on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Sutco Transportation Specialists. . . . . . 36 T Trailcon Leasing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Trailer Wizards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Trans East Trailers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Transcourt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Tremcar Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 U Uber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 W Westcan Group of Companies . . . . . . . . 36

OCTOBER 2018

61

Faces Blaine Davies’ tattoo.

Shining Light Estevan truck driver honors Humboldt victims in the stars

By Elizabeth Bate >> Searching for a way to remember the victims of the Humboldt Broncos tragedy, Blaine Davies decided to look to the stars.

The Estevan, Sask.-based driver for Hyndman Transport used the International Star Registry to name a star after each of the 16 people who lost their lives this April, when a bus carrying the hockey team collided with a truck.

Davies was already a Broncos fan, and last season was a color commentator for the rival Estevan Bruins, which plays in the same league. And he heard about the International Star Registry in a Valentine’s Day-themed radio ad while driving through the U.S. “I was thinking, ‘Why does it have to be a sweetheart?’” he said.

The driver had already registered a star for a friend, in memory of their brother. But when he heard about the crash involving the young hockey players, he says he immediately thought about memorializing them in the heavens.

Davies reached out to the registry’s Canadian office and had a star named for the team’s players, coach, assistant coach, statistician, athletic therapist, broadcaster, and bus driver who lost their lives. The 16 stars are all located in the same section of the Little Dipper constellation – visible year-round from Canada.

The families of the victims were presented with the International Star Registry packages on NHL Day, Aug. 24, when Washington Capitals player Chandler Stephenson brought the Stanley Cup to the local arena as well.

“I just was hoping this would bring some comfort to the families, knowing that they would have something to look up to,” Davies said.

Related packages for each family included a card that reads, “Your star is bright throughout the darkness of your night. Your star will shine forever to let you know everything is alright.”

In addition to the registered stars, Davies marked their memory in a decidedly personal way. His window-facing shoulder now includes a tattoo of the Broncos logo with 16 stars, “so they can ride with me.” TT

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TODAY’S TRUCKING

“I just was hoping this would bring some comfort to the families.”

— Blaine Davies

See more of the action at RoadLife.tv/Watch

ALL-NEW MACK ANTHEM®

Break the mold.

Making the unexpected legendary.

“Killer” has been driving trucks for more than 5 years, but now she has one that lives up to her big personality.

The Mack Anthem shatters expectations of aerodynamics with a bold new look that not only turns heads, but improves fuel efficiency by up to 9.5%. Discover what it can do for your business, and how it keeps your drivers happy with the performance and comfort they want.

Learn more at MackTrucks.com/Anthem