Today's Trucking March 2020

INSIDE

Marketplace Insert Careers, Equipment Deals PG.25

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The Business Magazine of Canada’s Trucking Industry

Shining Example Can a warm sun really power a cold reefer?

Risky Business Ontario enforcement officers raise safety concerns PG.12

March 2020

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Contents

March 2020 | VOLUME 34, NO.3

9 11 26 29 46

James Menzies John G. Smith Al Goodhall Mike McCarron Rolf Lockwood

NEWS & NOTES

Dispatches

12

34

19 Star Deal

38

43

Traton moves to take over Navistar

20 21 22 23 24 25

Truck Sales Stat Pack Logbook Pulse Survey Heard on the Street Trending

Features 12 Risky Business Disgruntled Ontario enforcement officers are raising safety concerns

In Gear

34 Higher Learning

38 Used Trucks 101

The best truck drivers don’t always make perfect driver-trainers. So what do you look for?

4 things to ask when ‘spec’ing’ a used truck

By Jim Park

44 Product Watch

NEW

By James Menzies

By James Menzies

41 Shining Example Loblaw looks to harness the warmth of the sun to generate the chill for a reefer

By John G. Smith

43 Medium Mack Mack Trucks is returning to the world of medium-duty truck manufacturing

By John G. Smith

PLUS: Retail deals and career opportunities in our new regional Marketplace section.

MARCH 2020

5

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Available at:

Letters The Business Magazine of Canada’s Trucking Industry

PUBLISHER Lou Smyrlis lou@newcom.ca • 416/510-6881 EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, TRUCKING AND SUPPLY CHAIN John G. Smith johng@newcom.ca • 416/614-5812 EDITOR James Menzies james@newcom.ca • 416/510-6896 CONTRIBUTORS: Derek Clouthier, Al Goodhall, Abdul Latheef, Rolf Lockwood, Mike McCarron, James Menzies, Jim Park, John G. Smith DESIGN / LAYOUT Tim Norton, Frank Scatozza production@todaystrucking.com • 416/614-5818 SALES AND MARKETING CONSULTANT Nickisha Rashid nickisha@newcom.ca • 416/614-5824 RECRUITMENT AND SPONSORSHIP SALES MANAGER Kathy Koras kathy@newcom.ca • 416/510-6892 QUÉBEC ACCOUNTS MANAGER Denis Arsenault denis@newcom.ca • 514/947-7228 CIRCULATION MANAGER Pat Glionna 416/614-2200 • 416/614-8861 (fax) PRODUCTION MANAGER Alicia Lerma alicia@newcom.ca • 416/510-6845

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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: $180 US. Copyright 2020. 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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Member

There will never be another Rolf Re: Goodbye, Sort Of (February 2020) Rolf [Lockwood], I can’t believe it has been 41 years and you’re hanging it up, mostly. We’ve had a long and interesting road together and I’ve always loved your insights, wisdom, conversation and above all else I consider you a friend. You’ve been a great champion of the industry and for that I thank you. Many will try to fill your shoes but there will not be another Rolf. Take care my friend and enjoy life’s journey.

— Dan Einwechter Challenger Motor Freight

Rolf Lockwood

Focus on fix, not fines Re: Boiling point (online) If what they [inspectors] were doing was really about safety, why is there a monetary penalty attached to every issue? It should be “fix the issue and carry on”.

Why do we hold truck drivers to the standard as if they are mechanics? Why are MTO officers inspecting trucks when they are not qualified? If a mechanic needs a five-year apprenticeship and to write an exam to be qualified, an MTO officer should [require] no less.

— Robert Summers

There is no shortage Re: CTA calls for new steps to ease driver shortage (online) There is no driver shortage. Freight volumes are down substantially. Fleets are suffering from an excess of equipment for the volume of freight that they have. Given the opportunity fleets would downsize, but due to low equipment values it would have a negative impact on their balance sheet.

— Michael Gower

Criminal check results are important Re: Dissension in the ranks (online) Safety is paramount. Everyone wants to go home after their shift. According to police, a traffic stop is one of the most dangerous aspects of the job. Nice to know who you are dealing with before they come out of the cab. May not always like the MTO, but they have a job to do, keeping us safe from unfit vehicles and drivers.

— Clive Reddin

Respect is the recruitment key Re: Concrete demand (online) A lot of companies have no idea what attracts drivers. They buy and outfit fancy new trucks but pay the drivers a garbage wage. Give me a decent truck, $30 an hour, and some respect and I’ll work for you. I have over 40 years’ experience on just about anything that moves.

— William Paul McKechnie

EMAIL:

SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:

johng@newcom.ca james@newcom.ca

Newcom Media Inc. 5353 Dundas Street West, Suite 400, Toronto, Ontario M9B 6H8 MARCH 2020

7

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Editorial

By James Menzies

Quota Questions Several Ontario truck enforcement officers are mad. You should be, too.

M

any Ontario transportation enforcement officers (TEOs) are unhappy with working conditions that they say compromise safety on the job. But are these workplace concerns compromising road safety as well?

There’s reason to believe they are. Five enforcement officers recently told Today’s Trucking that a quota-based system forces them to focus on quantity over quality. It has long been suspected that Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation (MTO) adheres enforcement officers to a quota, and now it’s been confirmed by multiple inspectors and even a report commissioned by the MTO itself.

The magic number is 600 per year. Officers say they receive poor performance reviews if they don’t meet that number. Why is that problematic? Well, several TEOs told us they regularly inspect clean, late-model trucks because those inspections can be done faster, helping them meet their quota.

When we first reported this on trucknews.com, several drivers tweeted they’ve witnessed this first-hand. One driver reported having his brand new truck pulled in for inspection twice within its first two weeks of service.

This is worrying because it can potentially paint an inaccurate picture of the province’s truck safety.

If newer trucks are being inspected disproportionately, then we can forget about the truck safety stats the MTO feeds us and the general public.

It’s also worrying because the quota system means trucks that pose the greatest risk are potentially ignored, while lowrisk trucks are brought in for inspection.

Not every enforcement officer is involved in such protest actions. As reported elsewhere in this issue, one enforcement officer told me he continues to target high-risk trucks even though he suffers a poor performance review due to missing his 600-inspection quota. What’s clear is that the quota system has to be abandoned if truck safety is to be enhanced.

I’d rather see officers inspect 400 ratty old trucks than 600 new ones. Let’s put the enforcement focus where it belongs – on marginal, unsafe operators.

But until the MTO and its frontline enforcement regime get onto the same page, it’s unlikely to happen. The abovementioned report by the Public Services Health and Safety Association (PSHSA) revealed a long list of legitimate safety concerns faced by enforcement officers.

Officers tell us those concerns have yet to be addressed and that further work actions – such as the work refusal that temporarily took all TEOs off the job on Jan. 23 – are likely to come.

There’s little reason to believe the MTO will address safety concerns raised by its enforcement personnel. In fact, the PSHSA report repeats many of the same concerns that were highlighted in a 1998 report produced by A.F. Montgomery and Associates. More than 20 years later, the same safety concerns seem to exist, as do the same tensions between MTO and some of its frontline officers.

Ontario’s truck enforcement officers play a vital role in ensuring the safety of our highways. They protect us from bad actors and routinely prevent catastrophic crashes from happening before it’s too late. But a disgruntled workforce driven by management to meet a quota is not an effective workforce.

MTO needs to address legitimate safety concerns raised by members of Ontario’s enforcement community, and do away with a quota system that incentivizes targeting clean, late-model equipment instead of the trucks that pose the greatest risk to public safety.

Denying the quota exists is not the answer. Eliminating the quota and encouraging TEOs to target high-risk trucks is. TT

“The quota system means trucks that pose the greatest risk are potentially ignored.”

James Menzies is the editor of Today’s Trucking.

You can reach him at 416-510-6896 or james@newcom.ca.

MARCH 2020

9

Smith

By John G. Smith

Aftermarket Actions Those who sell truck parts must prepare for a changing world

T

he business of selling truck parts is, well, a big business by every measure.

The aftermarket that cares for Canada’s Classes 6-8 trucks, trailers and container chassis was worth an estimated $4.06 billion last year, according to analysts at MacKay and Company. The mergers and acquisitions among component suppliers are also underway at a breakneck pace.

In January alone, Wabco announced that it was selling RH Sheppard to Bendix. That’s part of a wider deal involving the anticipated merger of Wabco and ZF. Borg Warner announced it was buying Delphi Technologies, just hours after Delphi Technologies’ CEO participated in a Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week panel. TransPower is going to Meritor.

On it goes.

Some of the recent M&A activity is linked to manufacturers looking to secure spots in emerging markets that will include electric vehicles, each of which will introduce a new series of batteries, motors, and cooling systems to be stocked on warehouse shelves.

But despite the opportunities that come with new parts to sell, there is a sense of unease among many long-term distributors. It’s hard to deny that times are changing, and they need to take their aftermarket businesses into uncharted territory.

Look no further than the push for electric vehicles if you need an example. Battery-electric trucks will reportedly include about 33% fewer parts when compared to models that run on internal combustion engines. Regenerative braking is expected to lead to longer brake life. Traditional fluids will be displaced.

Granted, the transformation will not happen overnight.

Electric commercial vehicles currently represent little more than a blip on North America’s commercial vehicle landscape.

About 88% of trucks run on diesel, and 12% use gasoline. Even a decade from now, MacKay and Company projects a split of 76% diesel, 11% gasoline, 7% electric, and 5% natural gas. Injectors will still need to be serviced for decades to come.

But emerging tech of every sort will continue to place new demands on training resources and parts counters alike.

Sure, replacement bumpers are still needed, but so are the bumper-mounted radar sensors used to support collision mitigation systems. Stack them up, move them out. And someone will need to be able to explain how the sensors themselves have to be installed.

Then there’s the matter of the demands placed on delivering those parts. Every distribution-related business is facing pressure to deliver on the experience that buyers have come to expect in an Amazon World. Point, click … and shouldn’t it be here already?

Even those who continue to take orders by phone and fax machine will need to make new investments in the tools of e-commerce, and find better ways to serve an emerging generation of buyers.

It’s because there is no denying the relentless march of progress. Even if you sell replacement components for used equipment. TT

“Emerging tech will place more demands on training and parts counters alike.”

John G. Smith is the editorial director of Today’s Trucking.

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

MARCH 2020

11

Risky Business Disgruntled Ontario enforcement officers are raising safety concerns

By James Menzies Those responsible for inspecting trucks that travel Ontario highways appear to have safety concerns of their own – ranging from work-related quotas, to the results from truck driver criminal background checks, and even the security of inspection stations themselves.

Multiple Ontario transportation enforcement officers (TEOs) have told Today’s Trucking that truck safety in the province is being compromised due to unaddressed workplace safety concerns and a quota system that rewards officers for the number of inspections conducted, rather than the quality.

“We are required to conduct 600 inspections per year and our professional development plan is noted if we do not,” one officer told us on the condition of anonymity. That number helps the province demonstrate it has some of the safest roads in Canada, they added. “However, it is done to the detriment of

12

TODAY’S TRUCKING

public safety as we are forced to focus on quantity and not quality of inspections.

“We should be focusing on audit-pending and conditional CVOR [safety rating] operators to drill down on the highrisk carriers.”

Another officer admitted that the aggressive quotas lead to a focus on late-model and clean equipment rather than trucks which appear to be a higher risk.

“Especially near the end of the year,” they explained.

“Officers will target 2019-ornewer trucks to perform fast inspections. Worse, officers will avoid poor-condition trucks because you will likely be tied up for hours. Officers province-wide will stop inspecting trucks carrying dangerous goods if nothing changes.”

Today’s Trucking granted officers’ request for anonymity because they feared reprisals from their employer.

But a third officer said not every officer opts to focus on

late-model equipment.

“Many of us have not compromised our position on quality versus quantity, and as such, fully accept the ‘did not meet’ on our yearly performance reviews,” he said. “I accept the poor performance review.” However, he added, “In 20-plus years, I can honestly say that I’ve not seen a program become more ineffective, more corrupt and more indifferent to its purpose, having lost its way.”

The quota system was confirmed in a report commissioned by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and provided by the Public Services Health and Safety Association (PSHSA) in June 2019. The 275page document, obtained by Today’s Trucking, reads “The Ministry of Transportation has set a threshold of approximately 600 inspections per year to meet TEO2 performance expectations.”

“It is extremely difficult to uphold my inspection quotas in the winter due to snow accumulation and reduced safe roadside locations to pull trucks into. Yet I do obtain my numbers,” a patrol officer told us. “But I believe I compromise driver and my safety at times in order to maintain my quotas.”

Another TEO said, “We

have been flat out told quality doesn’t matter. Just stop and inspect 600 or more.”

Safety complaints At one point this year, Ontario officers weren’t inspecting anything.

On. Jan. 23, all TEOs in the province were taken off the job for several hours while the Ministry of Labour investigated a workplace safety complaint linked to the results of truck driver criminal checks.

“The Ministry of Transportation temporarily suspended truck inspections across the province while the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development investigated concerns about worker safety, specifically the risk of violence,” the Ministry of Labour confirmed in an email. “The temporary suspension began at 1:06 p.m. on Jan. 23, 2020, and operations resumed at 4:44 p.m. the same day. The investigation has been completed and no orders were issued.”

Enforcement officers told us they believe Ontario Provincial Police were providing false reports on criminal checks, issuing “10-60” – or all-clear – responses on every inquiry.

“We were getting a 10-60 for every driver we were running,” a TEO said, adding enforcement officers traditionally

$55 million for Highlight PG. 15

Driver Inc. crackdown PG. 17

Traton makes its move PG. 19

A report has also raised issues about the safety at truck inspection stations themselves.

would get a “criminal hit” at least once every couple of days. “If a driver is flagged violent, I’m going to approach that truck and that driver differently … If we are not getting that information back, we are putting ourselves at risk.”

It is one of many workplace safety issues brought forward by enforcement officers.

The PSHSA report, Enforcement Program

Assessment for Carrier Enforcement Program Office Ministry of Transportation, highlighted many safety issues faced by frontline enforcement officers. The association audited the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, awarding it a score of 36.33% actual compliance versus a desired compliance rate of 75%. One TEO told us it took a Ministry of Labour intervention for

officers to even obtain access to the report.

On July 4, 2019, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) – the union representing MTO transportation enforcement officers – was informed “the ministry will be developing an action plan to address the recommendations.”

But TEOs say little has changed. “We are unaware of

any action with the exception of updating the health and safety boards,” one officer told us.

Among the safety concerns identified in the report is confusion over the officers’ enforcement capabilities.

While TEOs are recognized as peace officers under the Ontario Highway Traffic Act, it’s unclear whether they are also classified as such under the Criminal Code of Canada.

In fact, the report indicates the Enforcement Policy Manual given to TEOs adds to the confusion regarding their rights as peace officers. The PSHSA recommended a rewrite of the manual to add clarity.

“Review and clarify the use of the term peace officer and provide direction to the TEO as to whether they are also considered peace officers under the Criminal Code of Canada, which provides a different level of authority,” the report recommended.

Officers also say the MTO provides inadequate training on things like conflict deescalation and sharp-edged weapon defense. One officer told the PSHSA during interviews that “If we are wearing soft body armor (vest), someone assumes there’s a risk of enforcement officers being shot. If someone is shooting

MARCH 2020

13

Dispatches at me, I have no means to defend myself other than a baton.”

Said another: “Self defense relies on the strength of the enforcement officer.”

Because their uniforms closely resemble those of the OPP, officers say they are at heightened risk with violent offenders but lack the means available to police to defend themselves.

14

TODAY’S TRUCKING

Unsafe stations The report also raised safety issues related to the province’s truck inspection stations.

“There was a lack of consistency with the physical setup of the various stations, including access controls, CCTV (closed circuit television cameras) monitoring and locations, security measures in place (and)

driver reception areas,” the report read.

It went on to say some inspection stations have no security systems in place, despite the presence of expensive computers, no safe rooms or places to seek shelter, and that they lack bollards or planters to protect the buildings from vehicle impact, intentional or otherwise.

Officers who spoke to Today’s Trucking said management has been unresponsive to their safety-related concerns. One TEO told the PSHSA, “Management does not respond to health and safety concerns in a timely manner and does not follow the timelines in the terms of reference. There is unusual pushback and lack of support from management when health and safety concerns are brought forward.”

MTO spokesman Joshua Henry painted a different picture.

“The health and safety of these officers is important,” he said in an email.

“Ministry management cooperated fully with the (Jan. 23) Ministry of Labour investigation, which is now complete.

The investigation found that there were no conditions present that met the criteria for a work refusal. As a result, all employees have returned to work.”

Multiple TEOs, however, have told Today’s Trucking the dispute is far from over, and further work action can be expected.

“In late summer 2019, some 150 officers jointly signed and submitted a Poisoned Work Environment group grievance against the employer, which is still ongoing,” a TEO told us. “The incident that sparked this (Jan. 23) work refusal is only one incident which has been quickly designated as closed – nothing to see here – but officers will be appealing the ruling. In addition, there are 15 other incidents which must also be investigated prior to the MOL concluding their investigation, so the statement from program management is not entirely accurate.

“In summary, this is a public safety law enforcement agency in distress being smoke-screened by program management … MTO enforcement officers bring a wealth of experience and are all fully CVSA-certified. MTO officers conducted 91% of the CVSA inspections conducted last year and play a vital role in ensuring public safety on provincial highways.” TT

NEWS BRIEFS

CAT purchases Penner fleet

Highlight Motor secures $55 million

CAT has announced its purchase of 300plus truck fleet Penner International, a third-generation family-run business.

“We have taken significant steps in the recent years to grow our business. The acquisition of SLH in 2018 offered CAT an entrance into Western Canada,” said CAT president Daniel Goyette. “Once we understood the business in the West, we recognized great potential for us to continue to grow.”

Penner will remain a separate division within CAT.

Highlight Motor Group has received a $55 million funding boost from Credit Mutuel Equity, a private equity firm.

Credit Mutuel Equity is the North American private equity arm of French banking group, Credit Mutuel Alliance

Hydman enters receivership Celadon Group has agreed to place its Canadian subsidiary, Hyndman Transport, under receivership in the wake of Ontario legal challenges.

Ontario Superior Court Justice Glenn A. Hainey also ruled that “no cash can leave the Canadian company” before a receiver was appointed, said lawyer Andrew J. Hatnay, a partner in Koskie Minsky.

Celadon had been given the go-ahead by a U.S. court to sell the Canadian subsidiary’s headquarters in Ayr, Ont., for $12 million. Former employees are owed more than $2.3 million in back wages and other benefits.

< Dispatches

Federale. The company says it will be an “influential minority shareholder”.

“It was important for us to join forces with a reliable investor who shared our long-term vision, and this partnership will allow us to accelerate our expansion in North America,” said Kirk Kalinitchenko, president and CEO of the Concord, Ontario-headquartered fleet.

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Dispatches

The Drive for Change New fines, inspections coming in ‘Driver Inc.’ fight

By John G. Smith Canada’s federal government will roll out a series of initiatives this year in the fight against Driver Inc. – a business model that involves mis-classifying a fleet’s employees as independent contractors.

Legislative changes to come into force in 2020 will include fines and the naming of employers that don’t comply with obligations under the Canada Labour Code, an Employment and Social Development Canada spokesman told Today’s Trucking.

“Targeted inspections will also be initiated with carriers who may be mis-classifying their employees,” he said.

“The timelines for targeted inspections will allow the employers to consider proactively making the required changes in their organizations to ensure compliance with the Code, and support the education and awareness campaign where companies are not aware of their obligations.”

An education and awareness program that focuses specifically on road transportation companies is scheduled to be revealed by the federal Labour Program this spring.

“This will include information sessions on both labor standards, and occupational health and safety. The goal is to increase awareness of carriers and drivers of the requirements of the

Broader crackdowns on the business practice have yet to emerge since then-Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour Patty Hajdu said the federal government wants improper classifications to end. (File photo)

Code,” the spokesman added.

Few signs of enforcement initiatives have emerged since October 2018, when then-Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour Patty Hajdu publicly referenced the challenge of truck fleets that mis-classify employees as independent businesses.

“In trucking in particular, we heard both from employer and employee groups that mis-classification was a real challenge and created a sense of

instability and an unlevel playing field,” she said after an industry briefing led by the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA), which has been championing a crackdown on the business model.

So far, updates to Employment and Social Development Canada information resources have been limited to general guidance on how to consider if someone is a contractor or employee.

The greatest sign of crackdowns on the business practice has come in the form of Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board fines against selected carriers. The Ontario Trucking Association reported late last year that dozens of Ontario-based fleets have been sanctioned for using Driver Inc. to avoid paying premiums. Audits of two trucking companies in September led to corrective debit adjustments of more than $200,000.

The ESDC spokesman said it will be working with the Canadian Trucking Alliance to inform carriers about labor standards and occupational health and safety obligations.

The alliance itself recently launched a public policy campaign that incorporated a group company letter, driver petition, and emails to MPs, explaining the growing challenge of the business model and its impact on the economy.

The alliance estimates that Driver Inc. costs federal taxpayers at least $1 billion per year. Much of that would involve drivers who have not paid required income taxes, claiming business-related expenses to which they are not actually entitled. TT

Menzies named Today’s Trucking editor James Menzies, the longtime editor of Truck News, has been named the editor of Today’s Trucking magazine.

The appointment comes as trucknews.com becomes the official website of Today’s Trucking. Truck News shifted to a fully digital format earlier this year. Menzies joined Truck West in 2001, and was promoted to the editor of Truck News and Truck West in 2005.

“James has established himself as one of North America’s leading trucking industry journalists, through everything from his equipment reviews as a Class AZ licence holder, to breaking news stories on an array of topics,” said editorial director John G. Smith. “Today’s Trucking will be stronger through his involvement and the work of our expanding team.”

Derek Clouthier, formerly the editor of Truck News – West, is now Today’s Trucking’s western bureau chief.

Abdul Latheef becomes the associate editor. Jim Park remains the magazine’s longstanding equipment editor.

James Menzies MARCH 2020

17

Insights that deliver the goods

October 14, 2020 International Centre, Mississauga, Ontario

PRODUCED BY: C A N A DAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; S S U P P LY C H A I N M AG A Z I N E

Dispatches

Traton moves to take Navistar Volkswagen’s truck and bus division, Traton SE, has pulled the trigger on a long-anticipated takeover bid for Navistar International.

The unsolicited Jan. 30 offer of US$35 per share carried a hefty premium to Navistar’s closing price of US$24.07.

The stock quickly shot up to US$36.44 in after-hours trading, representing a 51.39% increase.

Navistar advised shareholders not to take any action, and said in a formal statement that it will “carefully review and evaluate the proposal” in the context of its strategic plan.

Traton already owns a 16.8% stake in Navistar, and the companies have participated in a strategic alliance that involves purchasing activities and integrating new technologies.

Traton CEO Andreas Renschler

“Over the past three years, we have benefited from a highly collaborative and productive strategic alliance with Navistar,” said Traton chief executive officer Andreas Renschler. “The proposed transaction would create a leader in commercial vehicles with global scale and a strong portfolio of leading brands and cutting-edge products, technologies and services, while delivering immediate and substantial value to Navistar stockholders.”

Volkswagen spun off Volkswagen Truck and Bus in 2018, later naming the division Traton SE. It includes the MAN, Scania, Volkswagen Caminhoes e Onibus, and Rio brands. Volkswagen has held a strategic alliance with Navistar since 2016, and was instrumental in the development of Navistar’s A26 engine,

re-invent transportation for future generations.”

To proceed, however, the deal will need to be approved by several activist shareholders including Carl Icahn, who owns 17% of the business. TT

based on the MAN platform.

“Traton is a young company with the unique character of a startup, and the extensive experience of its traditional brands,” Renschler said at the time.

“This combination is what it takes to

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MARCH 2020

19

Dispatches

32,419 Class 8 trucks sold in 2019 It was an undeniably strong year for truck sales, with WardsAuto reporting 32,419 Class 8 retail sales in Canada during 2019.

The North American vehicle orders that feed future sales reached 20,000 units in December, marking a 14% increase over November and a dip of 6.5% year-over-year, ACT Research reports. Total orders for the year amounted to 181,000 units compared to 490,100 units in the overheated market of 2018.

“This is as balanced and stable as you are going to see in Class 8 ordering,” said Don Ake, FTR’s vice-president – commercial vehicles. “Fleets are ordering trucks according to their standard replacement cycles and also for normal delivery cycles. They are not speculating about the future direction of the freight market because there is too much uncertainty … The good fleets are making money, the weak fleets are leaving the industry.

It is a rebalancing.”

Canada – December 2019 SALES CLASS 8

20

U.S. – December 2019

MARKET SHARES

SALES

Dec.

YTD

Dec. %

YTD %

CLASS 8

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

754 402 447 201 275 268 257 1 2,605 Dec.

10,106 4,945 4,334 4,259 3,651 2,973 2,150 1 32,419 YTD

28.9 15.4 17.2 7.7 10.6 10.3 9.9 0.0 100.0 Dec. %

31.2 15.3 13.4 13.1 11.3 9.2 6.6 0.0 100.0 YTD %

International Freightliner Peterbilt Hino Kenworth Ford Total CLASS 6

102 69 24 142 57 6 400 Dec.

2,894 1,492 1,449 1,021 556 72 7,484 YTD

25.5 17.3 6.0 35.5 14.3 1.5 100.0 Dec. %

Hino Freightliner International Ford Peterbilt Isuzu Kenworth GM Total CLASS 5

84 36 9 6 1 2 5 0 143 Dec.

559 558 339 77 52 24 23 0 1,632 YTD

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

394 101 94 56 10 0 1 0 0 0 656

4,306 1,568 1,432 936 79 33 3 3 0 0 8,360

TODAY’S TRUCKING

www.total-canada.ca

MARKET SHARES

Dec.

YTD

Dec. %

YTD %

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

7,634 3,839 4,148 1,702 1,993 3,018 775 10 23,119 Dec.

100,914 42,126 42,058 37,809 25,507 21,145 6,771 18 276,348 YTD

33.0 16.6 17.9 7.4 8.6 13.1 3.4 0.0 100.0 Dec. %

36.5 15.2 15.2 13.7 9.2 7.7 2.5 0.0 100.0 YTD %

38.7 19.9 19.4 13.6 7.4 1.0 100.0 YTD %

Freightliner International Peterbilt Kenworth Ford Hino Total CLASS 6

2,075 1,010 988 640 336 310 5,359 Dec.

27,712 19,326 8,382 5,924 2,824 2,301 66,469 YTD

38.7 18.8 18.4 11.9 6.3 5.8 100.0 Dec. %

41.7 29.1 12.6 8.9 4.2 3.5 100.0 YTD %

58.7 25.2 6.3 4.2 0.7 1.4 3.5 0.0 100.0 Dec. %

34.3 34.2 20.8 4.7 3.2 1.5 1.4 0.0 100.0 YTD %

Ford Freightliner International Hino Kenworth Isuzu Peterbilt GM Total CLASS 5

1,415 1,420 1,164 1,107 348 178 3 258 5,893 Dec.

22,354 20,488 20,313 8,171 3,215 1,281 73 1,734 77,629 YTD

24.0 24.1 19.8 18.8 5.9 3.0 0.1 0.0 100.0 Dec. %

28.8 26.4 26.2 10.5 4.1 1.7 0.1 0.0 100.0 YTD %

60.1 15.4 14.3 8.5 1.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0

51.5 18.8 17.1 11.2 0.9 0.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0

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

5,371 1,794 697 549 350 532 73 0 3 0 9,369

51,790 16,467 5,587 4,337 3,042 2,891 598 32 10 0 84,754

57.3 19.1 7.4 5.9 3.7 5.7 0.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0

61.1 19.4 6.6 5.1 3.6 3.4 0.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0

Source: WardsAuto

Dispatches

StatPack 300-400 drivers wanted Bart Kanters of the Ready Mixed Concrete Association of Ontario says surveyed members were looking for 300-400 new drivers last year, but attracted half that number. The group’s 90 members operate 270 concrete plants served by about 3,500 ready-mix trucks. “They’re great-paying jobs that are in that $22-30-per-hour range, great benefits. But trying to find drivers for the industry is one of our biggest challenges,” he said during the Canadian Concrete Expo. In this image, Expo attendees walk past a concrete pumper suspended on outriggers.

51% fewer U.S. trailer orders Net U.S. trailer orders in 2019 were 51% lower than 2018 levels, while December orders were off by 13% when compared to November, according to ACT Research.

Seven out of 10 major trailer categories posted month-over-month gains as the year came to a close, but couldn’t offset a 32% drop in dry van orders.

5,100 fewer jobs Canada shed 5,100 transportation and warehousing jobs between November and December, as totals dropped from 1,031,600 to 1,026,500, Statistics Canada reports.

But the numbers are essentially unchanged when comparing December 2018 to the same month in 2019, down just 200 jobs.

$4.06 billion aftermarket The Canadian aftermarket that cares for Class 6-8 trucks, trailers and container chassis grew by 4% last year – reaching $4.06 billion, MacKay and Company reports. Canadian dealers accounted for 51% of those sales, leaving 17% for heavy-duty distributors, 13% for independent garages, and 8% for specialists. The analysts expect the market to reach $4.2 billion this year and $4.9 billion by 2024.

Magnum adds 7,300 sq.-ft.

Magnum Trailer and Equipment has added 7,300 sq.-ft. of space to its warehouse facility in Abbotsford, B.C., in a move to support a new Quick Ship Program that will increase inventory levels and reduce lead times on shipments. The footprint of the overall warehouse is now 20% larger, and the inventory capacity has doubled.

48% to expand work truck fleets Almost half (48%) of the North American fleet executives surveyed by NTEA – an association representing the work truck industry – expect to expand in the coming year despite challenging economic conditions. That’s up eight percentage points over a similar survey in 2019, and utility/telecom fleets appear the most poised for growth.

MARCH 2020

21

Dispatches

L gbook2020 MARCH 3 Green Truck Summit Indiana Convention Center Indianapolis, Ind. www.ntea.com

3-6 The Work Truck Show Indiana Convention Center Indianapolis, Ind. www.worktruckshow.com

APRIL 3

5

15-17

Alberta Motor Transport Association’s Partners in Compliance AGM and Awards Dinner Edmonton, Alta. www.amta.ca

IWLA’s Convention and Expo Paradise Point Resort and Spa San Diego, Calif. www.iwla.com

12 Women with Drive Leadership Summit Delta Hotels by Marriott Toronto Airport and Conference Centre Toronto, Ont. www.truckinghr.com

Peace Of Mind For Your Trailer Storage Solutions Offering on-site services, in-house transport and mobile services by our own certified mechanics.

Manitoba Trucking Association Annual General Meeting and Spring Gala Dinner Winnipeg, Man. www.trucking.mb.ca

16-18

26 -28 Mid-America Trucking Show Kentucky Expo Center, Louisville, Ky. www.truckingshow.com

29 - April 1 Truck Renting and Leasing Association Annual Meeting Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Bonita Springs, Fla. www.trala.org

International Centre Mississauga, Ont. www.truckworld.ca

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Dispatches

Pu se Reader Survey Tell us your thoughts about ... Emissions It’s hard to argue against the value of clean air, but emissions controls certainly add to equipment and maintenance costs. In this month’s Pulse Survey, we asked for your thoughts about vehicle emissions.

Do you think the trucking industry is doing its fair share to control vehicle emissions?

YES

Do you believe governments should crack down on those who are bypassing emission controls?

In the last year, have you seen emissions-related maintenance costs:

YES

NO

84 % 16 %

Stay the same

70 % Do you believe today’s emissions systems like diesel particulate filters and exhaust gas circulation equipment:

39 % } Are more reliable than they were 19 % } Are less reliable 42 % } Are just as reliable, but no better

64 % 36 %

$ Increase

25 %

In the past year have your trucks experienced unplanned downtime because of a problem with the emissions system?

Reduce

YES

5%

80

Which of the following tools and strategies does your business use to reduce its environmental impact 71% 62% 51% 41% 38% 34% 31% 27% 16% 15% 6% 6%

NO

NO %

20 %

Do you believe emissions-related standards should:

Anti-idling strategies Fuel-efficient engines Driver coaching Route planning Enhanced trailer aerodynamics Auxiliary power units Lightweight components Predictive cruise control Energy-efficient facility upgrades FA4 oil Aerodynamic wheel covers Trailer boat tails

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.

20 % } Continue to tighten 41 % } Remain at current levels 39 % } Be eased from current levels

Next month:

Training MARCH 2020

23

Dispatches

Heard Street on the

Richard Eyram

Villavarayan named executive VP at Meritor Meritor has appointed Chris Villavarayan executive vice-president and chief operating officer. The 49-year-old has served as senior vice-president and president of Meritor’s global truck segment since January 2018. In the new role he will be responsible for the global truck and aftermarket business as well as the industrial and trailer segments. He continues to report directly to Jay Craig, Meritor’s CEO and president.

Waters secures new VP role at DTNA Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) has named Sean Waters to the newly created position of vice-president of product compliance and regulatory affairs. He was previously director of product compliance and regulatory affairs for the company. In his new role, he will work with regulatory agency leaders on standard-setting initiatives for commercial vehicles, including engine emission certification, greenhouse gas regulations, and safety compliance.

Cynthia Schyff

Eyram, Schyff named to Fleet Complete roles Fleet Complete has named Richard Eyram as chief revenue officer and Cynthia Schyff as chief financial officer, as the company looks to reach $1 billion in revenue by 2024. Eyram comes from Salesforce, while Schyff joins the company from Blue Ant Media.

Joy named COO of Hendrickson Matt Joy, who has served as vice-president and general manager of Hendrickson’s trucking group, is now the company’s chief operating officer. He will be responsible for truck and trailer commercial vehicle systems, specialty products and international operations. Richard Mudd was also promoted to vice- president and general manager of truck commercial vehicle systems.

Miron secures big role at Big Freight Manitoba’s Big Freight Systems has promoted Rod Miron as its chief operating officer. In the trucking industry for more than 30 years, Miron launched his career as a driver prior to embarking on several successful management positions over the span of three decades. He first joined Big Freight in 2017 as the director of operations. As COO, Miron will be responsible for all operations at Big Freight, including driver services, safety and maintenance.

24

TODAY’S TRUCKING

Liam O’Briain

O’Briain to lead Kee Human Resources Liam O’Briain is the new chief operating officer of Kee Human Resources. He had joined the company as a senior recruiter in 2012, and has risen through several management positions since then.

He’s also second vice-president of the Toronto Transportation Club. Kee Human Resources has nine locations across Canada.

www.truckandtrailer.ca

March 2020

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2E

TODAY’S TRUCKING

• Marketplace East

Outlaw Resurrected One of trucking’s first pink Petes gets a makeover

By James Menzies

Brooks Cook says the truck was recognized “right out of the gate”.

An early look at the pink Pete.

A Peterbilt 359 with a colorful past has been brought back to life and will soon return to service.

Brooks Cook of Leamington, Ont., was intrigued by what was one of the industry’s first pink Peterbilts when he read about the truck in an article penned

by Today’s Trucking editor emeritus Rolf Lockwood, for an April 1986 edition of Trucking Canada. Lockwood traveled to the dealership to pick up the truck with its owner, Terry Wheatman.

“There weren’t too many female truckers back in the day,” Cook recalled. “That truck locally was well known right out of the gate.”

It was the early days of deregulation, and a time when outlaw truckers sometimes ran wild, with little regard for the rules. Cook said the 359 was geared to comfortably run 100 mph and was usually overweight and overlength any time it was attached to a load.

The truck was originally entirely pink, but Wheatman eventually had it painted black to keep the repo-men from finding it.

“They were looking for a pink truck,” Cook chuckled.

The truck has had several owners over the years and Cook always had an interest in acquiring it, but early demands were out of his price range.

Finally Cook, an owner-operator with Windsor, Ont.-based Laser Transport, was able to obtain it about 10 years ago. But it sat in his yard, an eyesore attracting attention and comments from the neighbors. A leaky roof required Cook to wrap a tarp around the top.

“It became a pay-as-you-go project,” Cook said. “An act of love, not common sense or money.”

Chief’s Heavy Truck Collision in Kitchener, Ont., was chosen to do the restoration, which would be its first such project. The project took 3.5 years and was finished in October 2019.

“We argued about the paint job on it and we picked the design we wanted,” Cook said.

The finished project features a black and pink paint scheme inspired by a show truck out of Florida.

Most of the truck’s components are original, including the 425 Cat, which has seen a couple of rebuilds. It has a 280inch wheelbase, which originally made the truck overlength anywhere east of the Mississippi River when pulling the 48-foot trailers preferred at the time. This contributed to Wheatman’s financial troubles, since she struggled to get loads on her short reefer trailer and was overlength when pulling a 48-footer.

“Cabovers were the trucks of the day,” Cook recalled. “Conventionals were for big shots, and this was extra conventional.”

The transmission is a twin-stick 6x4 Spicer. Asked how the truck drives, Cook said “like a race car.”

A previous owner told him it would run 100 mph without overrevving the engine.

“Back then, the western states had no speed limits,” Cook recalled. “That truck would run 100 mph, and in the western states people wouldn’t hesitate to drive them that way. That’s what they were built for.”

It’s completely road-legal now, and Cook said he will run the truck hauling steel for Laser, where he works alongside his son Ryan.

Cook acknowledged the purchase wasn’t his smartest investment, and admitted he’ll have to push back retirement by a few years.

“It’s bar-none the stupidest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” he chuckled. “The trucking industry, especially the owner-operator side of it, isn’t driven by money and common sense. Most of us are just kids who played in the sandbox and never grew up.” TT FEBRUARY 2020

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The gym features modern exercise equipment, a crossfit training apparatus that can be used by 10-12 people at a time, and an indoor hockey and basketball court. Mark MacAlpine, president of AirTime employees work out.

AirTime Express, said the investment was the company’s latest initiative to improve driver retention and employee satisfaction.

It has also built a modern kitchen, and has a company-paid chef prepare meals for employees every Friday. It also offers clean locker rooms with showers and laundry facilities.

“A lot of drivers are always looking for greener pastures, and at some point you just can’t continue raising their rates,” MacAlpine said.

Drivers are able to access the fitness center and other facilities 24/7.

“We have drivers that come in at 2, 3, 4 a.m. and they want to have a quick workout and a shower,” he said. “It helps regenerate them and get them ready for their next trip.”

The gym was officially opened Jan. 28, but word is already traveling.

“The word is definitely out there,” MacAlpine said. “It spreads pretty quickly. Just takes a couple guys at a truck stop or shipper to talk about it.”

The company is bringing in a full-time professional trainer to help staff and drivers meet their fitness goals. Owner-operators are also invited to use the facilities.

AirTime Express was founded by MacAlpine with a single truck, and has grown to 125 trucks today. It focuses on collecting air freight from major airports within 800-km radius of Toronto and delivering shipments to their final destination. It operates warehouses at JFK airport in New York, N.Y., and at O’Hare International in Chicago, Ill. TT

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TODAY’S TRUCKING

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Concrete Demand Infrastructure projects and condos galore. Imagine if there were enough drivers.

By John G. Smith Look no further than the equipment rolling around Toronto for proof of an active construction sector. Bart Kanters just wishes there were more truck drivers to place behind the wheel.

The president of the Ready Mixed Concrete Association of Ontario, also branded as Concrete Ontario, says surveyed members were looking for 300-400 new drivers last year, but were only able to attract half that number.

The group’s 90 members operate 270 concrete plants across the province, served by about 3,500 ready-mix trucks.

“They’re great-paying jobs that are in that $22-30-per-hour range, great benefits. But trying to find drivers for the industry is one of our biggest challenges — and it’s really what’s holding us back,” he said during an interview at the recent Canadian Concrete Expo. “We have members that have vehicles and equipment that are parked because they can’t find enough drivers to staff their needs.”

To compound issues, operations with fewer than 50 trucks are finding it more difficult to secure insurance for new drivers.

“We need a minimum of three years driving experience. We need a minimum age of 25. We need a pristine driving record.

We need a CVOR [safety rating] that is spotless,” Kanters said, referring to the requirements faced by companies that are not self-insured.

Trained, safety-conscious drivers are clearly a key to success.

Once water and cement are combined, it needs to reach a job site, undergo testing, and be unloaded within two hours. Time and technique are of the essence.

The equipment itself is also becoming more technically demanding, particularly as concrete businesses gradually shift toward the use of concrete pumpers that deliver their loads through massive booms.

“A concrete pump is labor savings — and unemployment is at an all-time low, so it’s hard to get people,” said Eric Duiker of CanCrete Service, a supplier of concrete pumpers. “You can take one concrete pump and replace 10 guys on wheelbarrows … On high rises, you’re not using your tower crane to place concrete. You’re using it to place steel and decking, to move form work around, so you can pump concrete while you’re forming concrete.”

But a new generation of equipment requires a higher level of skill.

The truck operators don’t require any specific training in Canada, beyond an AZ licence, but the B.C. Construction Safety Alliance unveiled a voluntary certification program last fall.

“This is one of the most important parts of building construction, and one of the most dangerous,” executive director Mike McKenna said at the time. “While people operating such heavy equipment must be trained to do this work, surprisingly no formal programs are in place anywhere in North America to validly certify their knowledge or on-site performance capabilities.”

Bart Kanters, president of the Ready Mixed Concrete Association of Ontario.

Still, the equipment is evolving in the name of driver comfort and safety alike.

Last year, CanCrete shipped more concrete pumpers with conventional cabs rather than cabovers. “It used to be all about the space and saving the length of the cab, but now it’s also about operator comfort,” Duiker said.

It was the first time conventional cabs accounted for more than half of the company’s sales.

Duiker also says the driver shortage has demanded greater reliability in the systems.

“Ten to 15 years ago, you had to be half a mechanic and 100% an operator to make a pump work,” he observed.

But no matter who is at the controls today, such trucks will be a long-term investment.

“You pay a half million dollars for it. You’ve got five to six years to pay for it, except it really takes you about 10 years to earn enough money to justify what your payments were,” he said, referring to units that can cost anywhere from US $400,000 to $1.25 million. “You have to be in it for the long haul.” TT

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MARCH 2020

5E

6E

TODAY’S TRUCKING

• Marketplace East

Best Trends Miles down, total compensation flat among Best Fleets finalists

By James Menzies

Brent Nussbaum accepts the 2019 award for Best Overall Fleet among small carriers on behalf of Nussbaum Transportation. It was presented by Jane Jazrawy (left) and Mark Murrell (right) of CarriersEdge. (File photo)

Drivers for the Top 20 Best Fleets to Drive For put fewer miles under the bumper than the year before, but saw a small increase in their pay.

That was one trend identified through an analysis of the Truckload Carriers Association’s (TCA) Best Fleets to Drive For program. Driver compensation averaged $65,405.18 (all figures U.S.) among 2020 finalists, on average miles of 108,777. That translates to a “real rate per mile” of 61.77 cents, up sharply from the 53.29 cents drivers with the Top 20 fleets earned the year before, when they grossed $65,148.91 over 122,244 miles.

There are a couple possible explanations, said Mark Murrell, one of the program’s founders and administrators.

Drivers could be taking advantage of pay increases seen in 2018 to run fewer miles.

Or it could be that electronic logging devices (ELDs) are reducing their miles.

“We definitely saw a continuing shift towards stabilizing that pay, with guaranteed pay, more pay for waiting time, and waiting time pay kicking in sooner.”

Another interesting trend is that driver turnover was down significantly, at 31.11% for Top 20 finalists compared to 44.07% among last year’s finalists.

Granted, this could be because there was

a greater representation of smaller fleets in the competition this year. Smaller fleets tend to have lower driver turnover than mega-fleets.

Murrell said driver turnover scores took into account that fleets with expansive new-entrant driver programs naturally tend to experience higher turnover.

But interestingly, fleets with a moderate-sized new entrant driver program experienced less turnover than those that don’t have any form of program for new entrants at all.

As always, this year’s race was extremely tight. Within the Top 20 winners, two separate packs of six fleets were each separated by less than 1% in the total score. The two grand champion fleets – in large and small fleet categories – will be unveiled at the TCA’s annual convention in early March.

Five companies that appeared in the Top 20 last year dropped off the list this year, “and those tended to be larger companies,” Murrell said. “They’ve been good, solid companies, but they just got beat on the programs.”

In some cases, driver satisfaction was down noticeably.

Two Canadian fleets also appeared in the Top 20 for the first time: Fortigo

Freight and Wellington Motor Freight.

Wellington (and America’s Service Line) pulled the rare feat of leaping straight into the Top 20 without first being recognized as a “fleet to watch.”

Eleven of the Top 20 have appeared on the list for five or more consecutive years, and this year Motor Carrier Service of Northwood, Ohio, became the first fleet make the Top 20 for 10 straight years.

While the Top 20 winners have been revealed, and the grand champions selected, there’s little downtime for those running the program. Work is now underway to prepare for the awards presentation at the TCA convention.

“There are 50-odd things that need to be done,” Murrell said, citing everything from the preparation of press releases, to publishing the results booklet and ordering trophies, to coordinating and preparing winners for the grand reveal.

The Top 20 winners – including grand champions – won’t find out who is crowned the overall winners until the announcement at the TCA convention in March. TT

CANADIAN FLEETS INCLUDED AMONG BEST FLEETS FINALISTS • Bison Transport – Winnipeg • Challenger – Cambridge, Ont. • Fortigo Freight Services – Cambridge, Ont. • Transpro Freight Systems – Milton, Ont. • Wellington Motor Freight – Aberfoyle, Ont.

MARCH 2020

7E

IN STOCK NOW!

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Jimmy Zborowsky President

Northern Ontario gets transport review The Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) is thanking the province of Ontario for making good on a 2019 budget promise to review transportation in Northern Ontario.

“There are opportunities to improve road safety in the north – as well as health, wellness and amenities for commercial drivers in general – while at the same time improving the flow of goods,” said OTA senior vice-president of policy Geoff Wood. “This is a win-win for the economy and all the people in northern Ontario, especially the professional truck operators.” TT

Altruck honored Altruck International Truck Centres has won the International Truck Presidential Award.

“This award is the highest honor an International dealer principal can achieve from the company,” said Mark Belisle, senior vice-president of distribution at Navistar.

He said Altruck is one of only 14 dealerships to earn the recognition in 2019.

“This award is a great honor for everyone at Altruck because it recognizes all the hard work and professionalism we bring to customers in the Ontario area,” said Ryan Kirby, dealer principal. TT

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8E

TODAY’S TRUCKING

• Marketplace East

Certification Concerns Driving schools push to end program abuse The Truck Training Association of Ontario (TTSAO) has called on its provincial government to take immediate measures to stop the abuse of the Driver Certification Program (DCP).

In December, Ontario’s auditor general reported that some DCP partners with a poor history of collisions were still allowed to test employees for commercial driver licences.

The association also noted that community colleges in the program were testing their own students who are not going to be employees of those colleges.

“The TTSAO would like a full audit on all community colleges, government organizations, safety organizations and private businesses who offer the DCP,” the group added.

“The TTSAO believes a moratorium should be put on all community colleges who offer AZ testing and those students until an official investigation and audit can be facilitated.”

It said the community college first-time pass rate is over 90%, compared to 60% at government-licensed DriveTest Centres.

Mike Millian, president of the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada (PMTC), said his organization had been vocal over the years in criticizing the program.

“The PMTC believes it is a massive conflict of interest to allow anyone to test their own drivers and/or students,” he said. TT

JOIN THE I.T.S TEAM TODAY! $5000 SIGN ON BONUS U.S. O/O’S!.

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Be part of a friendly, family oriented company with 24/7 schedules to meet your lifestyle.

Contact the Recruiting Team at I.T.S For Brantford & South Western Ontario Call Mike Deyo at 1-800-708-2707 x212 For the GTA & South Central Ontario Call Karen Atwal x401 or Shumyl Z. Attaullah x403 at 905-212-9898 For Belleville & Central Ontario Call Monty Chrysler x123 or Sandra Hannah x159 at 800-267-1888 or 613-961-5144 For Eastern Ontario & the Ottawa Valley Call Denis Labossiere at 877-665-8167 x222

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MARCH 2020

9E

We Pay Your 1st Month Truck Payment & Wages VISIT US AT

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ADDITIONAL BENEFITS • Competitive Truck Insurance rates • NAL Insurance - includes buy down, downtime, towing, plus optional truck payment insurance – Family Health Benefits also available • Excellent fuel prices with company fuel & credit cards • Clean and well maintained equipment • Steady year round volumes • Dedicated Trailers • Pre-dispatched Daily • Optional Weekend Work

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10E

TODAY’S TRUCKING

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MARCH 2020

11E

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12E

TODAY’S TRUCKING

• Truck World Recruitment

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MARCH 2020

13E

CALL US NOW. COMPANY HIGHWAY

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14E

TODAY’S TRUCKING

• Truck World Recruitment

Come see how you can become part of the Contrans/Laidlaw family

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APRIL 16-18 BOOTH 2266

With over 27 of terminals across 20 locations in ON, PQ, & MI, we are sure to have something for you!

Special guest appearance from Shawna Woudstra Racing.

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MARCH 2020

15E

16E

TODAY’S TRUCKING

• Truck World Recruitment

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MARCH 2020

17E

1-888-978-8594 8085 ESQUESING LINE, MILTON, ON L9T 2X9

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COMING SOON! 2020 WESTERN STAR 4700 CUMMINS ENG; L9, 350 HP, ALLISON AUTOMATIC TRANS; WHITE IN COLOR, 5,500 G STEEL PROPANE TANK. 60,000 LB. GVWR, SIDE LOAD, ENCLOSED REAR CANOPY WITH LCR II OR REGISTER, PRINTER, 5-FUNCTION BASE REMOTE, PAINTING AND DECALS AVAILABLE. -1281913

2008 WESTERN STAR DURABLE CAT C13 ENGINE, EATON FULLER MANUAL TRANS, AIR RIDE, 43,000 GVWR, 3,566 USG (13,500 L) ALUMINUM 3-COMP. TANK, MIDCOM SLR REGISTER AND MIDCOM 8000 COMPUTER MOUNTED IN-CAB, AIR MANIFOLD WITH BOTTOM LOAD AND GRAVITY DROP. -1286177

COMING SOON!!

2020 PETERBILT PROPANE BOBTAIL 348, 300 HP PACCAR PX-9, AUTO, ALUM WHEELS, DRIVERS SIDE LOAD, CLOSED DECK, NEW 3499 BARRELL, LCR II, PRINTER. READY TO WORK. -100567

2010 WESTERN STAR FUEL TRUCK PRE-DEF MERCEDES ENGINE, 60,000 GVWR. 10 SPEED MANUAL, 20,000L HEAVY DUTY 5 COMPARTMENT TANK. AIR MANIFOLD, BOTTOM LOAD, DUAL PUMPS. -1286993

2011 WESTERN STAR 4900 FUEL TANKER DD13 350 HP, 66,000 GVWR, AUTO, 228,100 MILES, 20,000 L, 5-C TANK, AIR MANIFOLD, BOTTOM LOAD, DUAL PUMPS. AUTO LUBE AND FULLY LOADED. -1287119

We Manufacture and Sell Various Types of Tank Trucks • Oil • Propane • Water • Fire • Refuelers WE ARE LOOKING FOR TRADES • WE RENT FUEL TRUCKS 1995 Merivale Road, Ottawa ON K2G 1G1 Neil Greene: ngreene@eastwaytank.com Trusted since 1968

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18E

TODAY’S TRUCKING

Glasvan Great Dane Sales Inc. . . . . . .17E IPS Invoice Payment System . . . . . . . . .2E

Ocean Trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20E Ritchie Bros. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19E Texis Truck Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . .4E The Truck Exhaust Place . . . . . . . .17E

• Marketplace East

www.eastwaytank.com Transport Financial Services . . . . . . . . .4E Transport Trailer Sales Inc. . . . . . . . . .18E Zsource Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8E Recruitment Arnold Bros. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11E C.A.T. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9E Contrans Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15E Erb Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13E

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MARCH 2020

19E

TRAILER Rentals + Leasing + Sales + Service + Parts

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TODAY’S TRUCKING

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Nanaimo (877) 878-5979

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March 2020

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Great Selection Of NEW KENWORTH TRUCKS!

2020 KENWORTH T880 DAYCAB TRACTOR PACCAR ENG; MX-13, 455 HP, 13 SPD TRANS; 3.70 RATIO, 13.2K/40K SUSP; 189" WHEELBASE, WHITE IN COLOR, GRAY VAMTAGE INTERIOR, STK#LJ963516. 1288935

2020 KENWORTH W990 HIGHWAY TRACTOR 76" MID ROOF SLEEPER, CUMMINS ENG; X15, 565 HP, 18 SPD TRANS; 13.2K/40K AXLE(S), 3.91 RATIO, AG460 SUSP; 244" WHEELBASE, BLACK LIMITED EDITION INTERIOR, 11R24.5 TIRES, STK#LJ961757. -1289694

2020 KENWORTH T800 HIGHWAY TRACTOR 62" ACAD SLEEPER, PACCAR ENG; MX-13, 510 HP, 18 SPD TRANS; 13.2K/46K AXLE(S), 4.10 RATIO, AG460 SUSP; 228" WHEELBASE, WHITE IN COLOR, GRAY DIAMOND INTERIOR, 11R24.5 TIRES, ALUMINUM RIMS STK#LR963761. -1293371

2020 KENWORTH T370 FEED/GRAIN TRUCK PACCAR ENG; PX-9, 350 HP, 6 SPD TRANS; 14.6K/40K AXLE(S), 5.57 RATIO, HAS402 SUSP; 220" WHEELBASE, WHITE IN COLOR, NEW CIM 20' GRAIN BOX, ELECTRIC ROLL TARP, REMOTE HOIST, GATE & TARP, STK#LM958560. -1282027

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2019 DOEPKER ALUMINUM 45' TRIDEM LEGACY3 HOPPER DUMP DOEPKER AUTO LIFT AXLE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, 11R24.5 TIRES, BLACK MINIMIZER FENDERS, PRE-PAINTED CHARCOAL WALLS STK#K4038870. -

2020 DOEPKER STEEL SUPER B BULKER HOPPER DUMP WHITE WALLS, BLACK TARP, BLACK MINIMIZER POLY FENDERS, 11R22.5 MICHELIN TRIES, TIREMAAX PRO TIRE INFLATION SYSTEM STK#L2040990. -

1277611

1294101

2016 DOEPKER LEGACY ALUMINUM SUPER B BULKER HOPPER DUMP BLUE WALLS, 11R22.5 TIRES, HUBODOMETER, ALUMINUM RIMS, MINIMIZER BLACK POLY FENDERS, CPL AUTO GREASER, RED TARP, FULL WIDTH TOOL BOX BACK OF LEAD TRAILER, STK#G1033665A. -1290332

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2015 WESTERN STAR 4900 HIGHWAY TRACTOR 68" STANDUP SLEEPER, DETROIT ENG; DD15, 505 HP, 18 SPD TRANS; 13.2K/40K AXLE(S), 3.70 RATIO, AIR LINER SUSP; 236" WHEELBASE, WHITE IN COLOR, TAN DIAMOND INTERIOR, 11R22,5 TIRES, 858,394 KMS, STK#FPGF9868. -1296520 $55,000

2014 KENWORTH T800 HIGHWAY TRACTOR CUMMINS ENG; ISX15, 550 HP, 18 SPD TRANS; 20K/69K AXLE(S), 4.30 RATIO, NEWAY ADZ369 SUSP; 268" WHEELBASE, BLACK IN COLOR, BLACK DIAMOND INTERIOR, 385/65R22.5 11R24.5 TIRES, ALUMINUM RIMS,s 634,695 KMS, STK#ER965818. -1296269 $99,500

2015 KENWORTH T680 HIGHWAY TRACTOR 76" ACAD SLEEPER, PACCAR ENG; MX-13, 455 HP, ULTRASHIFT 13 SPD TRANS; 13.2K/40K AXLE(S), 3.55 RATIO, AG380 SUSP; 244" WHEELBASE, BLACK IN COLOR, GRAY VANTAGE INTERIOR, 11R22.5 TIRES,STK#FJ973544. -1297341 $39,900

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TODAY’S TRUCKING

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Knight Vision Road Knights hope to bring drivers together, educate Alberta youth

By Derek Clouthier

David Horst, Sergio Hernandez, Henry Wolf, and Miles McNabb were named to the Road Knights team in early January.

Brimming with passion and enthusiasm for all things trucking, Alberta’s new Road Knights can hardly wait to take their message to the province’s youth.

Miles McNabb, Henry Wolf, David Horst, and Sergio Hernandez were named to the Alberta Motor Transport Association’s (AMTA) Road Knights team in early January. And for McNabb, it has been quite the journey to get to this point.

First behind the wheel at the age of nine on his family’s farm, McNabb’s admiration for the industry was

engrained at a young age. But as with many love stories, there are ups and downs. After a 20-year stint in the financial and real estate sectors, McNabb finds himself back in the industry he loves, hauling fuel and propane for Westcan Bulk Transport.

“I said if I ever got the opportunity to get back into it, I would,” McNabb told Today’s Trucking during the team’s first interview as Road Knights. “I just love the adventure and being your own boss and everything on the road is up to you, to solve problems and all the rest of it.

It’s fantastic.”

A lot, however, can change in 20 years, which is not lost on McNabb, who said coming back into an industry that had evolved so drastically was “almost like a punch in the face.”

McNabb has seen both positive and negative changes during his time away from trucking, with better oversight of driver logs and hours-of-service being one of the more encouraging steps forward.

“That has been such a monumental shift,” he said of the difference between his first eight years driving and his current three. “Back then, the most MARCH 2020

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“It would be nice to get all the truck drivers out there, everybody gives each other a big hug, now we’re all buddies, and now we’re all looking out for each other out there rather than just being individual guys.”

– Miles McNabb, Road Knight

important thing was getting the job done. How you got it done was not relevant… Now the pendulum has swung completely.”

On the other hand, McNabb has seen the pendulum swing in the wrong direction when it comes to camaraderie and respect between drivers.

Back in the day, he said, if a driver was in trouble, there would be no shortage of fellow drivers stopping to provide assistance. That has all but disappeared.

“Each driver is concerned about themselves only,” McNabb said. “There’s no stopping and helping the next guy.

Nobody is waving at anybody anymore, and we used to be a team out there.”

Wolf can also see how the industry has changed over the years, as his story is similar to that of McNabb’s.

Growing up on a farm and driving at an early age, Wolf headed for Calgary after farming was no longer a career option. Working in sales, Wolf could not stay away from trucking for long, and found himself being pulled back to the open road.

“For me, road trips were always the time I looked forward to. Even driving in my personal vehicle, I love the open road,” he said. “It’s being out there on the road, seeing different parts of the country, seeing different people, and seeing from a flat prairie to the Rocky Mountains.”

One of his earliest childhood memories was sitting in the passenger’s seat of his father’s truck, and he recalls how much his dad loved being a driver. A commercial operator for 12 years now – currently working for Canada Cartage – Wolf has a strong desire to engage

with Alberta’s younger generations so they see trucking as a forethought, rather than an afterthought.

“A lot of people say they have nothing else so I’ll try trucking,” he said. “To get the younger generation interested ahead of time and say this is viable number one choice for me, it doesn’t have to be something down the road.”

Horst agrees. And with industry experience stemming back to 1987, he is a perfect fit as a Road Knight.

“There are a lot of great opportunities out there in trucking,” said Horst.

“There’s always a chance to move up in trucking, whether you want to be on your own [or] run your own business.”

Horst’s family has a deep history in trucking. His father works in the industry, as do his brothers. Prior to getting behind the wheel, he worked in Alberta’s oil and gas sector. But with its economic peaks and valleys, Horst opted for the stability of the trucking industry and has never looked back.

With an eye now on his future as a Road Knight, Horst says he hopes to change public perception of the industry by getting the right information out to young people in search of a rewarding career.

“I’m hoping we can change that with positive attitudes,” said Horst, who is a driver with the Ledcor Group.

One person who was looking for a better life and never thought they’d find it in trucking is Hernandez.

Originally from Chile, he worked as a machinist operator for many years, including when he first came to Canada. Then came this new and excit-

ing opportunity that swept him off his feet and into the driver’s seat.

“I decided to be a truck driver because I was getting tired being in the shop,” said Hernandez, who works for Trimac Transportation. “I like to be in different places every day to see the country. I love what I do. I love the freedom when I’m behind the wheel.”

As a Road Knight, Hernandez would love to teach Alberta’s youth how to be better drivers, which he hopes will bring out their passion for the industry.

That passion is also what McNabb aims to tap into when it comes to his main goal as a Road Knight – bringing all drivers together as one, much like he remembers from his time in the industry over two decades ago.

“Hopefully this gives me a platform and an opportunity to bring what I see from the past that was good, forward,” said McNabb. “It would be nice to get all the truck drivers out there, everybody gives each other a big hug, now we’re all buddies and now we’re all looking out for each other out there rather than just being individual guys.”

McNabb, Wolf, Horst and Hernandez will serve a two-year term as Road Knights, bringing their collective 57 years and more than 4.5 million kilometers of experience to a role aimed at advocating for an industry in need of a better public image and a younger workforce.

“The AMTA Road Knights are industry ambassadors,” said AMTA president Chris Nash, “and I am looking forward to seeing what this group will accomplish during their term.” TT MARCH 2020

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Battling the Barricades Truck convoy gathers in Co-op dispute Truckers have added a new layer of protests to an ongoing labor dispute at Regina’s Co-op Refinery Complex.

Coordinated by CS Day Transport, one of the main carriers that transports fuel in and out of the refinery, more than 80 trucks drove through downtown Regina on Feb. 6, demanding the removal of barricades that Unifor union members erected in their fight against Federated Co-operatives Ltd. (FCL).

Eight trucks and drivers had been trapped behind the barricades for several hours that morning.

“Our drivers have hearts of gold to go charging in to try to get fuel out to the communities that desperately need it,” said fleet president Heather Day. Union members have been accused of using several tactics to disrupt business and truck traffic at the refinery and other Co-op locations, including blocking cardlock locations, vandalizing trucks, and harassing drivers – all against a December court order that stipulated picketers could not detain drivers going in and out of the complex for more than five minutes.

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disrupt our normal course of business within the bounds set by the courts,” said Vic Huard, FCL’s executive vice-president of customer experience and stakeholder engagement. “But Unifor’s use of blockades and disregard for the rule of law go beyond peaceful picketing.”

Picketers are legally permitted to enter the area on foot and can carry signs, flags, informational material, and food, but cannot enter with any material that could be used to construct another barrier.

Unifor lambasted Regina police during the barricade removal for what it said was denying lawful picketing.

“First FCL locks workers out in the dead of winter, then the Regina police take away their right to picket, but also make sure to cruelly take away the picketers’ limited access to warming shelters and washroom facilities,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor national president.

“No judge ruled to freeze out the picketers and refuse to allow them to go to the bathroom. The Regina Police Service has taken the law into their own hands.”

The dispute has also spurred reaction from the Saskatchewan Trucking Association (STA).

“Trucking companies and their drivers do not make money if the wheels are not turning. These are private companies and STA members that haul for Co-op and locking them down is having a negative impact,” said STA executive president Susan Ewart.

“There are rules about how long drivers can be on duty. As they sit on the side of the road, the hours in which they can earn an income tick away. There is no wiggle room here. Once they are out of time, they are out of time and done for the day.”

With 26 independent fleets hauling products for the refinery, the association has urged everyone to respect all workers, saying the trucking industry plays a critical role in the economy and that drivers are worthy of respect. TT

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Mixed Feelings Questions remain around Manitoba’s announced plans for 5% biodiesel

By Derek Clouthier

The Manitoba Trucking Association wants several conditions to be met before supporting higher levels of biodiesel in available fuel.

Manitoba’s announcement that it will increase the share of biodiesel in its fuel supply – from 2% to 5% – has been met with varying reactions from those in the trucking industry.

From the onset, the Manitoba Trucking Association (MTA) has opposed the move. Not because it is against reducing the industry’s carbon footprint, it said, but because members have experienced challenges with biodiesel blends and have expressed greater interest in alternative energy sources such as electrification.

“For a clean hydroelectric province like Manitoba, this is clearly the best option,” MTA executive director Terry Shaw said of moving toward electric vehicles. “So we are hopeful our government partners will change course on this recent announcement.”

Thomas Payne, president of Payne Transportation, is also against the increase, saying the higher shares of biodiesel are not a match for the province’s climate.

“It has a negative impact on performance and our guys will stay clear of it,” Payne said. “We can expect them to fuel more in North Dakota.”

Payne said his drivers, which are made up primarily of owner-operators, already use several additives to ensure the current 2% biodiesel mixture performs in cold weather.

He also feels this increase is not the answer for canola farmers – canola being a plant-based source of biodiesel.

“Our industry continues to get unproven technology forced on us with alarming consequences,” he said.

As Shaw pointed out to Today’s Trucking, biodiesel is not present in the fuel supply in Northern Manitoba due to cold weather, where it can gel. As well, it is not used during certain months in the southern part of the province, either.

For the province to achieve an annual average of 2% biofuel, MTA members have already seen 5% biodiesel content when fueling up. To now reach a 5% annual average, Shaw said fleets will see anywhere from 0% to an estimated 10% biodiesel content in fuel, which raises a red flag.

“Manitoba’s recent announcement on increasing the provincial fuel mandate was very specific to biodiesel, not biofuels,” Shaw added, “which, based on operability concerns, is problematic.”

The MTA has identified criteria that alternative fuels must meet before the association will offer its support. The alternative fuel must provide energy equal to or greater than diesel fuel, match or better the price of diesel, provide tangible environmental benefits compared to diesel, meet Canadian standards, be acceptable to engine OEMs, and not neg-

atively impact operability.

The MTA says biodiesel does not meet the criteria.

Shaw also said that with OEMs concerned by the increasing biodiesel percentages in fuel, the province could turn to higher levels of renewable diesel. The latter fuel comes from hydrotreated vegetable oil and can be used in higher concentrations than biodiesel, and even as a standalone fuel source.

“We understand that the renewable diesel currently being utilized in Manitoba comes from Singapore and The Netherlands,” said Shaw. “Creating and transporting a product literally halfway around the globe in an effort to reduce GHG is something our members have long questioned.”

Bison Transport, one of Canada’s largest fleets and based in Manitoba, uses equipment from an OEM that recognizes and supports the use of biodiesel up to a 5% mixture.

“There are several ‘watch outs’ with biodiesel as concentrations increase,” said Mike Gomes, vice-president of maintenance. “But at this level, we expect there will be no noticeable difference in performance – provided the products meet or exceed standards such as ASTM D975 or CAN/GCSB-3.520.”

Gomes said Bison will monitor truck performance with the increased perMARCH 2020

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centage of biodiesel, and that one way to ensure peak performance is to purchase fuel at a reputable supplier.

The fleet also uses additives in its fuel to keep biodiesel mixtures from gelling or forming crystals.

“With the nature of our operation, we must purchase some fuel in southern states during the winter season. And when the temperature dips to extremes, we do utilize additives in our tractors and temperature-controlled trailers to provide protection from gelling in these scenarios,” said Gomes. “Again, we source only high-quality products that provide the proper level of protection without adverse effects on the performance of the equipment.”

Bison does not expect its costs to increase with the use of B5 diesel (a 5% biodiesel mixture), nor does it believe environmental performance will be negatively impacted.

Much of that confidence comes from continued investments into technology and driver training.

“This includes aerodynamic technology on both the tractor and trailers, and idle reduction technology to sup-

port driver comfort while limiting the need to idle,” said Gomes. “We train our operators on driving strategy to improve [fuel] economy and utilize scorecards as a coaching tool to encourage top performance. We view this change as a positive in the overall strategy to reduce GHG emissions and will continue to provide feedback to the industry and regulators through associations such as the MTA.” For its part, the MTA promotes several emissions-reducing strategies other than increasing biodiesel content. Those include the use of single wide-base tires, and pilot projects to test electric vehicles.

Biodiesel percentages fluctuate across Western Canada, with Saskatchewan providing a 2% blend year-round, while B.C. strives for a minimum B4 blend, and lower levels in northern regions where it can cause issues.

In Alberta, biodiesel is not to exceed 5%, and between Sept. 30 and April 1 the province reverts back to straight ultralow-sulfur diesel to avoid gelling or the formation of crystals during cold weather.

The Alberta Motor Transport Association (AMTA) pointed out that a

report published by the Alberta Renewable Diesel Demonstration concluded that “B2 blends of canola methyl ester and 2% blends of hydrogenation derived from renewable diesel are fully operable in winter conditions in the study area when cloud points are adjusted to meet CAN/ CGSB requirements,” with B5 blends being used during warmer months.

As part of its Made-in-Manitoba Climate and Green Plan, the provincial government also upped the ethanol content in gasoline from 8.5% to 10%.

“Manitobans deserve respect for our green agenda, our historic and significant investments in clean, green renewable energy,” said Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister during the Jan. 21 announcement. “Our plan puts a price on carbon that is low and level, like the Prairies, and keeps more money in the pockets of Manitobans while getting the same amount of emissions reductions as the rising federal carbon tax. Our Made-in-Manitoba Climate and Green Plan is better for the economy, better for the environment and better for Manitoban families.” TT

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A Big Deal Project Cargo Corridor doesn’t meet all the needs when it comes to permitting over-dimensional loads, says BCTA

Regulations around overweight and over-dimensional loads have been reworked several times in British Columbia, creating a pile of paperwork and varying rules.

Despite the B.C. government’s announcement that Project Cargo Corridor would make it easier for carriers to acquire permits to move overweight and over-dimensional loads, the provincial trucking association says the regulation only scratches the surface.

The new project, which streamlines the process for carriers looking to acquire a permit to move extraordinary loads between the Lower Mainland and the Alberta border, is a step in the right direction for B.C. Trucking Association president and CEO Dave Earle. But he sees it as one that took too long to come to fruition.

“This has been a long time coming. It did go live about a year ago, but the difficulty we have with this is it’s taken so long, and it’s the first step of many that need to be taken,” said Earle. “We’re still working in an environment where if you don’t fall under this very specific program of very specific parameters, you’re still having to jump through in excess of 800 pages of regulation.”

Many of the issues arise due to B.C.’s

varying topography, and because there could be sharp curves, steep grades, and bridges for vehicles to navigate.

“Where I struggle is that these issues are not new,” said Earle. “The curves that are there, and the hills that exist, are not new.”

Because of the differing terrain, regulations around overweight and over-dimensional loads have been reworked several times, creating a pile of paperwork and various rules depending on where an extraordinary load needs to be moved.

“The structure of the regulation is so terribly flawed that – until we really decide to get serious about addressing how extraordinary loads move through the province – this will continue to stifle economic growth and be an irritant for our industry,” said Earle, adding that the system has led to what he called “massive non-compliance.”

“What we hear from the ministry is that the level of non-compliance in this field is really high. There’s an awful lot of bootleg moves happening and I’m not surprised.

“When you’re telling me it’s going to take 10 days to get a permit … that customer is going to find somebody who’s willing to take the risk and move it without a permit,” Earle explained.

“A lot of it is attributed to the delays and the complexity that go into getting these types of permits. It continues to be absolutely unacceptable.”

Earle said carriers looking to acquire extraordinary load permits can sometimes wait several weeks before the paperwork is issued.

It is not the fault of government workers that this is occurring, according to Earle, but the fact that they have an “impossible job.”

The BCTA wants to see the government move away from regulations that are specific to certain locations, and instead look at the province as a whole.

Earle said vehicle dimensions are tightly regulated in B.C. to ensure equipment can travel anywhere in the province. But once you move up in weight and size, there are specific envelopes where loads can be accommodated.

After completing lidar scans of the area, Project Cargo Corridor was able to determine what size of loads could safely move from the Lower Mainland to the Alberta border. Earle would like to see this work completed for the entire province, and incorporate the data already acquired over the years of issuing overweight and over-dimensional permits to carriers throughout British Columbia.

“We need to take a step back and say ‘What is it that we’re trying to do?’” said Earle.

Project Cargo Corridor pre-approves commercial trucks from the FraserSurrey Docks or Lynnterm East Gate to the Alberta border via Hwy 16. It applies to vehicles with eight to 13 axles superloads, gross vehicle weight ratings up to 125,000 kg, up to 4.88 meters high, five meters wide, and up to 50 meters in length. TT MARCH 2020

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Dispatches

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TruckNews.com

Ontario shop fined $85K for tech death An Ontario automotive shop has been fined $85,000 for a May 25 workplace accident that killed an employee who was replacing the damaged air spring on a dump truck.

The Ruggieri Brothers worker had connected the spring’s plastic base to the bottom mounting plate, and then attached a coupler to the air hole and connected the shop’s air compressor. The bag then exploded, sending shards of shrapnel in all directions.

The projectiles caused extensive injuries, and the worker was pronounced dead at the hospital.

“Unlike the use of the nozzle, which can be backed off easily to allow air pressure release, the mechanical attachment of the compressed air to the coupler allowed the bag to be fully pressurized,” the Ontario Ministry of Labour notes in its findings. “The air compressor in the shop allowed full compression at 150 psi.”

The compressor’s gauge read 149 psi when it was examined by Ministry of Labour personnel. The maximum internal air pressure capacity for the shock absorber bag was 100 psi. The bag’s operating pressure when connected to the truck’s air supply was 80 psi.

While Ruggieri Brothers was registered with the former Ontario Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development’s appren-

26.4K FOLLOWERS

ticeship program, it hadn’t been active in the program since 1991.

“Ruggieri Brothers employed the worker as a mechanic but failed to ensure that the worker was a licensed mechanic or a registered apprentice, despite principals of the company referring to him as an ‘apprentice mechanic,’” the ministry says.

Shop principals argued the worker would have been shown how to safely install an air spring, but didn’t have any documented training to support the stance. There was no related standard operating procedure in place, either.

Ruggieri Brothers pleaded guilty to failing to provide instruction and supervision to a worker contrary to Section 25(2)(a) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

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A little #TBT Trucking trivia for you! The first #diesel-powered trucks appeared in the 1920s, trains in the 1930s and in the early 1950s an up and coming company called #Kleysen’s Cartage was among the first to introduce diesel-powered trucks into Manitoba. #ThursdayTrivia

@EPA is looking to further restrict the NOx emitted through #truck exhaust – particularly in low-load conditions like stop-and-go traffic. An @environmentca project looking at medium-duty vehicles will also be part of the related research.

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@GEOTAB CEO Neil Cawse says, “You cannot manage what you don’t measure,” and that’s what telematics is all about … measuring your productivity so you can manage it. #Trucking #Connect2020

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25

Drivers

We should celebrate and encourage the joy of driving

By Al Goodhall

I

’ve recently taken to letting go of everything and falling into the rhythm of driving whenever I can.

Muting and dimming all the non-essential electronics and just letting the world flow by is something I find highly satisfying. Dealing only with what unfolds in the present moment is the safest and most joyful action I can take behind the wheel.

There are so many different sides to this line of work.

Finding the joy in all sides may not be easy, or perhaps even possible. The best times for me are when I find myself on the two-lane roads of Northern Ontario at a time of day that I drive for miles without seeing another vehicle.

This usually happens in the dead of night. Slipping through the rock cuts under a starlit landscape is a beautiful thing. I never get tired of it.

The joy of driving is a side of our work we don’t celebrate or encourage enough. It’s not something we talk about regularly in driver safety meetings, but we should. Our health and safety issues are rooted in what’s good for a driver’s healthy state of mind.

When I was mentoring new drivers, one of the greatest accomplishments for me was to see a new driver smiling and enjoying the drive itself.

It was at that point that I knew the driver had found a place of joy.

It usually came when the novice driver found the truck

26

TODAY’S TRUCKING

was becoming an extension of themselves and not something they had to tame. It’s a feeling that doesn’t come easily and it doesn’t come without an investment in time and care from an experienced mentor. It’s also a feeling that allows new and novice drivers to move on to tackling all the challenges in this work with a degree of confidence.

It’s the point where a new driver can start letting go and enjoy the rhythm of the drive.

Finding joy in driving is also productive driving.

Moving your focus away from getting where you have to be by a certain time, to enjoying each moment as the day unfolds, is when everything starts to fall into line. Your stress level comes down as you are no longer watching the clock tick down.

You operate within a larger cushion of space. Heavy traffic becomes less stressful when it is just part of your

normal daily routine. You become more fuel-efficient and profitable. The 600-mile day becomes your norm.

Fatigue is more easily managed and recognized.

There has been a growing feeling among drivers, especially experienced drivers, that it is no longer fun out on the road anymore. This comes from the imposition of rules designed in the name of safety and productivity, but not designed with the professional truck driver in mind. The hours-of-service rules we live with, and the electronic logging devices that enforce the hours-of-service rules, are the two pieces that undermine a professional driver’s morale.

They are a necessary framework, but simply impose compliance rather than promoting, encouraging, and allowing space for drivers to embrace a culture of safety in a relaxed and joyful manner.

This brings me back to

what it is to let go of everything and enjoy the rhythm of driving. A well-planned day doesn’t require that I watch the clock or feel the stress of the imposed time limit we know as hours-of-service.

Dimming the screen of your electronic logging device and turning off the volume is the greatest single thing you can do to benefit your own mental health. Doing that hinges on the confidence you have in your own knowledge and skills that are rooted in the job training you receive, its design, and the quality of its delivery to you.

Professional training and accreditation are what we need. I’ll never back down from that ask. TT Al Goodhall has been a longhaul truck driver for 21 years, and has accumulated approximately 4.5 million collision-free kilometers in that time. His monthly column offers a perspective from behind the wheel.

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Open Mike

Fleets need to be disaster-ready as coronavirus outbreak takes hold

By Mike McCarron

L

ittle did I know while writing last month’s column on “potential speed bumps for supply chains in 2020” that we’d start the year on the cusp of a pandemic.

Hopefully by the time you read this the coronavirus is contained and off the front pages. Whether that is or isn’t the case, it’s good preventive medicine to ask how your business would handle a disruption to the global supply chain and a major health risk to your employees.

As I was looking around for information about this deadly outbreak, I came across a TEDTalk that Bill Gates gave in 2015. “If anything kills over 10 million people in the next few decades,” he said, “it’s most likely to be a highly infectious virus rather than a war.”

I’ll leave it to the medical experts to talk about the health effects of the coronavirus, but the shutdown of factories, air travel, and transit lines to and from manufacturing centers in China could have major implications for truckers here at home.

It reminds me of the lessons we learned at MSM Transportation when the SARS outbreak hit in 2003, and H1N1 in 2009. It’s a good time to dig up those response plans as we brace for a speed bump ahead.

tially closed for business at the end of January. The government extended the Lunar New Year holiday – when the Chinese spend $145 billion on shopping and entertainment – and imposed travel restrictions to keep people home.

Shipping schedules were cancelled and vessels idled in “floating quarantine zones” awaiting access to closed and restricted ports.

Supply chain suffering As more infections are recorded outside of China, we’re seeing the effects on supply chains in Europe, North America, and elsewhere.

Webasto shut down its main plant in Germany following four confirmed cases among its personnel. A full-blown pandemic would make our current freight recession seem like a holiday.

Disaster-ready Gates’ comments left me wondering how disaster-ready Canadian trucking companies really are. Recently I was on the industry social circuit and asked some peeps in attendance for their thoughts.

Many had cancelled trips to high-risk regions. Others said their companies had emergency response plans if the dung ever hit the fan.

My H1N1 experience Closed for business China, the world’s secondlargest economy accounting for 17% of global GDP, essen-

At MSM we had an emergency preparedness and response plan as part of our ISO quality management system. In 2009,

when the H1N1 bird flu was all the rage, we quickly realized it was inadequate.

Most emergency response plans are geared toward a localized problem, like a fire.

It’s impossible to be ready for an Orson Welles-like global catastrophe.

Know your priorities Our approach to the H1N1 outbreak was to focus on our top priority: the safety of our employees and their families.

With that as our guide, we created a specific pandemic planning manual to educate our staff about what to do during such a crisis.

We stocked-up employees with personal essentials including face masks, gloves, and sanitizers to limit the spread of germs if the virus became a local threat. With an expected 30% absenteeism it was important to be able to operate remotely, so we set up a command center at my family farm. To maintain

communication, land lines were installed at key employees’ residences. Lastly, we beefed up our benefits plan to protect any employees who did get sick.

Dust it off If your company has an emergency response plan, I suggest you find it, dust it off, and make sure it’s relevant.

If you don’t have a plan, now is as good as a time as any to develop one.

In spite of the alarmists like me, the risk of contracting the coronavirus is very low for Canadians who have a better chance of dying from the seasonal flu than a virus named after my favorite beer. Praying it stays that way! TT Mike McCarron is the president of Left Lane Associates, a firm that creates total enterprise value for transportation companies and their owners. He can be reached at mike@ leftlaneassociates.ca, 416-551-6651, or @AceMcC on Twitter.

MARCH 2020

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Trade

The New NAFTA Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement to govern truck cargo and content

By John G. Smith NAFTA – the longstanding free-trade agreement that governed every shipment to cross the border – is coming to an end in a flurry of signatures, photo ops, and legislative changes.

Canada’s minority Liberal government tabled a bill to usher in the new CanadaU.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) in late January, following similar legislative moves by the Mexican government and U.S. Senate in late December.

U.S. President Donald Trump triggered the entire negotiating process in 2017, of course, when he threatened to pull out of NAFTA and introduced a series of tariffs to force the issue. And when Trump held a related signing ceremony for the new deal, the same day Canada introduced its legislation, trucking industry representatives were among the businesspeople at his side.

The topic was clearly top of mind for members of the U.S. heavy-duty aftermarket, who only days earlier were participating in the Heavy-Duty Aftermarket Dialogue. One of the biggest changes in the deals will affect where vehicle components and materials are sourced.

Seventy percent of a truck’s identified principal parts – including components

such as clutches, drive axles, and wheels – will now need to come from North America, along with 60% of “complementary” parts like brakes and lithium-ion batteries. Those levels will be phased in over seven years, with interim levels of a respective 64% and 54% to apply in Year 5.

Both levels are up from NAFTAimposed limits that mandated 60% of principal parts and 50% of complementary parts. Aftermarket replacement parts are not affected by the limits.

Meanwhile, 70% of a vehicle producer’s annual steel and aluminum purchases will need to come from North America before a vehicle can be said to originate here.

Forty-five percent of new trucks must also be produced by workers who make at least US$16 per hour. Thirty percent has to be linked to high-wage material and manufacturing expenditures, with no more than 10% associated with research and development and IT expenditures, and no more than 5% linked to high-wage assembly expenditures such as engines, transmissions or batteries.

The wage figure is an annual average of base wages paid to employees who are directly involved in production, and doesn’t include benefits.

The trade deal that emerged has created a sense of certainty for manufacturers and suppliers alike, said Ann Wilson, the Motor and Equipment Manufacturers Association’s senior vice-president – government affairs, who joined American Trucking Associations leader Chris Spear at the signing ceremony.

“I think it’s a big deal relative to just giving us kind of a level set that we know.

Stability so that we can make investment decisions. And we’re going to move forward with that,” said Dana chairman and CEO Jim Kamsickas, during an Aftermarket Week panel discussion.

He also sees it as a bargaining tool when negotiating future trade agreements: “The government needed to do what it did in the USMCA if they were going to be able to be perceived as really [having] the backbone to do it elsewhere around the world. Obviously, we’re now there and I think you’re going to see some things level out.”

The deal is referred to USMCA in the U.S., or MUSCA in Mexico.

“I think the recent USMCA will slow any more shifts down to Mexico. We’ve basically locked in where we’re at now,” said Rick Dauch, CEO of Delphi Technologies.

(He made the comments just a day before BorgWarner emerged with a $3.3-billion offer to buy that company.)

Still, there are significant changes for the vehicle supply chain to digest, particularly when it comes to identifying how different tariffs fit into the agreement. “It’s mind-bending. It looks like you’re splitting hairs,” Wilson admitted. There are also different ways to meet the requirements for labor content, as a percentage of the net cost of a vehicle, or basing it on the total vehicle plant assembly. But the labor and environmental rules established under NAFTA were outdated, Spear said, noting how trucks themselves now move 76% of North American surface freight, and account for 72% of the trade-related border crossings between Canada and the U.S. “We were really pleased with the outcome,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do in terms of the implementation.”

Canada was widely expected to ratify the agreement in early February, as this edition went to press. TT MARCH 2020

33

Kriska’s Peter Durant said he easily adjusted to sharing space with trainees.

HIGHER LEARNING The best drivers are not always the best choice for driver-trainers

At Kriska, drivers occasionally come forward looking to become trainers, while others are actively identified and recruited. David Thomas said he was noticed as a candidate because he always smiled and waved when he entered and left Kriska’s yard, demonstrating a good attitude. He jumped at the opportunity because he had a positive experience with the driver-trainers he learned under when joining the fleet, and wanted to pay it forward.

For Peter Durant, another seasoned Kriska trainer, training came naturally after years spent driving team with his wife – he was able to easily adjust to having company along for long trips in a confined space.

Both say adaptability is a key attribute for any successful driver-trainer. Trainers must be willing to ascertain how a trainee prefers to learn, and then adjust training methods on the fly. They must also recognize there are nuances in training drivers of various career backgrounds, age and even cultures, and adapt accordingly.

In addition to patience, said Wood, essential skills include communication and an open mind.

“The trainer will need to be able to explain concepts in more than one way, adapting to the student’s needs,” he said.

By James Menzies Many truck drivers are drawn to the profession by the promise of independence, solitude, and tranquility behind the wheel.

So it’s little wonder that it’s challenging to find driver-trainers willing to sacrifice all that to help mold the next generation of professional drivers.

“A lot of drivers aren’t interested in coaching,” said Michelle Drew, human resources manager for Linamar, during a 2019 Truck Training Schools Association of Ontario event. “It’s a lot of work and a lot of extra responsibility they’re not willing to take on.”

Kriska Group has 15 driver instructors and is also challenged finding qualified people willing to fill the role. And it’s a vital role, since driver-trainers are essentially the gatekeepers charged with protecting the fleet against the infiltration of

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TODAY’S TRUCKING

unsuitable and unsafe personnel. While many drivers are uninterested in the job, recruiting manager Caroline Blais said it’s important not to compromise when placing people into the role.

So what exactly are fleets looking for when identifying potential driver-trainers?

“The quality we hold the highest is the candidate’s personality,” said Keith Wood, Kriska’s driver-trainer supervisor. “Many people think that carriers would look to their high-performing drivers and want to train them, but they generally don’t make the best trainers. Trainers need to be patient, good communicators, and be genuinely interested in other people.

Patience is required because students will work slower, and they need to be able to perform tasks at their own speed while they are learning.”

Mike Iasparro looks for candidates who demonstrate their own willingness to learn.

Higher Learning Challenger Motor Freight has nearly 50 driver-trainers, who assist about 200-275 entry-level trainees each year, as well as another 100 or so experienced drivers who are pulled in for remedial training. Asked how prospective driver-trainers are discovered, director of safety Steve Newton said attitude is the first must-have attribute.

“The first step is their attitude, especially toward safety,” he said. “There are a lot of other things we can fix – attitude is not something we can fix.”

Newton looks for drivers who have a passion for their job. “If they love what they do, they’ll put the passion into helping others,” he reasoned.

Brett Nymeyer, Challenger’s training supervisor, said candidates are also judged on their driving records before they’re given an on-road evaluation. At both Kriska and Challenger, driver-trainers earn training pay over and above the mileage-based revenue generated by the truck. This helps incentivize them for taking on a student who will likely slow them down and potentially infringe on their space.

“We pay them a set rate per day for training, so they get their normal wage as if they’re doing the work, and they get a set wage on top of that on a daily basis for doing the training,” said Newton.

Some driver-trainers, like Durant, like to always have a trainee with them, while others, including Thomas, prefer to break up the routine by making solo runs between training assignments. Challenger’s Nymeyer said trainer preferences are accommodated to prevent burnout.

But when a potential trainer is identified, a clean safety record and a good attitude will only get you so far. The process to become a driver-trainer at Kriska is quite extensive.

“We have introduced a three-day Train the Trainer program,” Wood explained.

“This program involves both classroom and in-truck learning. The classroom section deals with adult learning, effective communication of tasks, providing constructive criticism in a positive manner and some strategies for having difficult conversations with students who may be struggling.”

The in-truck portion includes a full road evaluation, while the candidate provides a running commentary of everything they do. They’re then asked to teach a senior

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Higher Learning instructor a task, such as backing.

“The goal of this is to help them refine the way they are communicating their ideas to the student,” Wood said. From there, continuing follow-up, biannual re-certification, and annual trainer meetings are required.

Mike Iasparro, team lead – safety and compliance with the Canadian Tire retail fleet, came about his role in a unique way. The Ontario Trucking Association Road Knight was identified as a promising trainer before even obtaining his A/Z licence. He now oversees a team of trainers who conduct road evaluations and in-class training for the company’s agency-supplied driving force.

When choosing members to add to his training team, he looks for those who have a “willingness to learn from the drivers” and those who accept constructive feedback.

“They have to be adaptable, and able to make sure students understand what the end goals are and how we’re going to get there,” he said. “They have to show a little more patience with some of the weaker students and not rush them. Different people learn different ways, and as an instructor you have to be intuitive on that piece.”

Among the great rewards of being a driver-trainer, said Iasparro, is “knowing you had a part in that driver being placed on the roads, making the roads safer, one driver at a time.”

But there’s another benefit, said Thomas.

“Being a trainer has absolutely made me a better driver,” he said. It proves that learning is a never-ending process. TT

WANTED: FEMALE TRAINERS

T

here’s a dearth of female trainers in the trucking industry, which is a challenge at a time when the number of female trainees is on the rise.

Challenger Motor Freight training supervisor Brett Nymeyer said women are generally fine with being trained by men for city driving and yard work, but the challenge arises when they’re matched with a male trainer on a longhaul run.

“What we do is, if a female trainee goes with a male driver on-highway, one gets a hotel room every night,” said Newton.

The same challenge exists at Kriska Group, according to recruiting manager Caroline Blais.

“We ask everybody in the qualification process if they’re comfortable being trained by a member of the opposite sex,” she said. “Hopefully they say yes, because we only have two women who train for us.”

Kriska also will get a hotel room for one member of a driver-trainer tandem when doing longhaul trips.

The issue is more complicated in the U.S. Looking to make female trainees more comfortable, Prime Inc. implemented a same-gender training policy. That backfired in 2011, when the policy was questioned by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

The EECO alleged Prime was discriminating against female driver applicants, since they were placed on a waiting list for female trainers, often resulting in a delay in employment. A court sided with the EEOC in 2016. A lawyer working for the EEOC also said the same-gender training policy was disrespectful to men to assume they would harass women if working together in close quarters.

The Women in Trucking Association (WIT) disagreed with the ruling. “What the EEOC failed to understand was that these drivers not only worked in close quarters, they were required to sleep in close quarters,” it responded.

WIT is in the process of gathering support for a same-gender training policy initiative, but association president and CEO Ellen Voie told Today’s Trucking, “There hasn’t been any movement because no one in Congress in the U.S. is working on anything these days.”

She added a new bill introduced to create a Women in Trucking Advisory Committee at the U.S. Federal Carrier Motor Safety Administration could bring progress, as she’s hopeful this issue will be championed by the new committee. WIT is also in the middle of a three-year Crimes Against Female and Minority Drivers study that is scheduled to be released next year.

“We need to determine if harassment in the training process is a priority,” Voie said.

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37

In Gear

41 Solar-powered reefer 43 Medium Mack 44 Product Watch

EQUIPMENT NEWS, REVIEWS, AND MAINTENANCE TIPS Not your typical highway tractor. Outwardly, a heavy-spec’ truck may not look much different, but it’s a different beast down beneath the cab.

Used Trucks 101 4 things to ask when ‘spec’ing’ a used truck

By Jim Park You can’t buy a made-to-measure suit at Walmart. Nor can you spec’ a used truck.

In both cases, you’re limited to what’s on the rack or what the dealer has in stock.

Most people wouldn’t buy a suit that doesn’t fit, but apparently a shiny truck can be more appealing than the one that fits the job.

“All we can do as sales reps is try to lead them the right way into a truck that suits their purpose. If they don’t like what we tell them, sometimes they’ll just go elsewhere,” says Rob Eaton of Currie Truck Centre in North Bay, Ont. “There are three steps to selling – prospecting, qualifying and closing,” notes Pat Tatchell, general manager of Upper Canada Truck Sales in Saskatoon. “The majority of our process is qualifying. We won’t sell a truck that doesn’t fit to a cus-

38

TODAY’S TRUCKING

tomer. It they insist on buying the wrong truck, then we obviously haven’t done a good enough job in determining what the customer needs.

“If they want to go hauling logs with an old on-highway fleet truck, it’s not going to hold up under those working conditions,” Tatchell adds.

Clearly, the dealer can only go so far in matching a truck to the customer and the job. If you want a truck to run overthe-road, then any decent fleet trade-in will do. If you want something more specialized, like an aggregate truck or a log hauler, you may have to dig a little deeper into the dealer’s inventory.

Here are four questions every prospective owner-operator should be asking before they even set foot on the dealer’s lot.

n What will I do with the truck?

While that question might seem selfevident, it apparently isn’t. More than a few first-time buyers seem to have little more than a vague notion of what they want to do. Some seem to be shopping for the next assignment as much as the next truck.

The trouble emerges if they go shopping with the notion that a truck is a truck, and that it will work just fine in a bunch of different applications. That thinking may apply if you’re hauling general dry van freight and you want to switch to flatbedding or hauling containers, but it won’t work if you have a notion to take your long-legged highway truck and hitch it to an aggregate trailer or set of Super-Bs. Even moving from a 40-ton tandem dry van to a 50-ton tridem dry van can have unpleasant consequences.

“Everything from the crossmembers and the suspension to the cooling fan and the U-joints may be incompatible with a heavier application,” says Eaton.

“The load may not only be heavier, you might have some off-road exposure the truck wasn’t designed for – as in job sites for gravel trucks, or the bush in the case of a logging truck.”

Trucks are becoming more and more specialized. Weight, for example, is a top consideration for highway trucks, while durability is a higher priority for the more severe applications. You can’t expect a stallion to do a plow horse’s work. At least, not for very long.

o How big does the engine need to be?

The answer to this question is absolutely application-dependent. Who wouldn’t want a 550-hp/1,850 lb.-ft. engine to haul 80,000 pounds around the U.S. Midwest?

Should you buy the biggest engine you can find? Not unless you want to accelerate your trip to the poorhouse.

Let’s face it, if you have the horsepower, you’re going to use it, and you

In Gear certainly do not need that kind of power in a “light-duty” application. Fleets buy 450/1,650 engines for a reason. You should take a lesson from them.

On the other hand, if there’s a B-train in your future, then you’ll absolutely need big power. You do not want to under- or over-spec’ the truck. To make the right decision, you need to be fairly certain what you plan to do with the truck.

Some engines can be up-rated with a software change, but there’s usually limits to what you can do. In Cummins’ case, for example, Tatchell says the engines are originally built and programmed in rating families. There are upgrades within the family, but they may not be as big as you think.

“Cummins has three engine families, and some of those families only go up to 475 horsepower, no matter how much software you throw at it,” he says. “Even if you could up-rate the engine, you’re left with probably having to upgrade the clutch, the U-joints, and possibly the

rear ends. If the truck was built with a 450/1,650 engine, it will probably have a driveline with similar ratings. Put a 500/1,850 engine out front and it will tear up your drivetrain if it’s not upgraded too.”

p Are the gear sets and axle ratios compatible with the intended application?

The trend in highway trucks over the past decade has been to gear fast, run slow – currently known as downspeeding. Consequently, transmissions are typically overdrive ratios of 0.87:1 or 0.73:1, with rear axle ratios of 3.36:1 down to 2.28:1. It’s all about lowering engine rpm at highway cruise speed to conserve fuel.

With heavier loads, tridems, quads and B-trains, a higher axle ratio is required (3.90, 3.70 or even 4.33) to keep the engine running at higher rpm where the higher horsepower can be found, and to facilitate startability and gradeability.

The bottom line here is that a coveted long-legged large car may not get a load-

ed Super-B out of the parking lot, never mind pulling the Coquihalla Highway.

And if you’re thinking about changing the rear axle gear sets, you’re looking at $7,000-$10,000, especially if you’re going up to a more rugged axle.

“Not long ago, the logging trucks we spec’d here in Ontario had 4:30 and 4:56 rear ends, because that’s what they needed to match the engine output,” says Eaton, who maintains he has no connection to the transmission maker. “The downspeeding trend has even hit that sector. We’re now spec’ing 3.73 rears on 22.5inch tires. That’s a totally different spec’.”

q Are the axles, frame and suspension up to the task?

These components are essentially the truck. They are what supports the weight of the load and keep all the wheels pointing in the same direction. Since highway tractors are highly weight-sensitive, they tend to be spec’d with components that have a minimum rating. They are

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In Gear designed and built to work reliably for four to five years, or for the first owner’s prospective lifecycle. If the first owner cared about having them last longer, he or she would have spec’d heavier components.

A typical highway tractor for cross-border service (with five axles and an 80,000-lb. GVW) will have rear suspension and drive axles rated for 40,000 lb. Some may be only 38,000 lb. in weight-sensitive applications. But a typical Canadian-spec’ highway tractor for tridem service will have at least 44,000-lb. rear axles and suspension, sometimes 46,000-lb. Meanwhile, trucks spec’d for severe service with multi-axle trailers or trains usually have 46,000-lb.-or-higher axles and suspensions because they are under more stress while driving, and probably face a great deal more stress while navigating job sites.

“Some people think because a suspension is rated for 40,000 pounds, that’s what it will haul,” says Eaton. “And it will, all day long. But it will be at its maximum load all the time. There’s little margin there for overload, and eventually the strain will take its toll.”

Under Ontario’s Safe, Productive and Infrastructure Friendly (SPIF) weight laws, drive axles can go as high as 19,000 kg (42,100 lb.), so a 40K rear axle is overloaded before it even leaves the yard.

The same applies to steer axles. A typical highway tractor will have a steer axle

Highway truck are spec’d from new to keep weight to a minimum. Since longevity isn’t an issue for first owners, they might sacrifice life for weight savings. The second buyer can pay the price.

rated for 12,000 lb., possibly 13,200 or maybe 14,000 lb., to get the theoretical maximum of 6,500 kg (14,330 lb.) allowed in Ontario. Even the 14,000-lb. axle is beat before it starts.

The axle rating (as well as tire width) determine how much weight can be loaded on an axle or axle grouping. If the equipment isn’t rated for a certain weight, it will be fined for overloading.

The same applies to the frame and crossmembers. While frame ratings are not considered when determining vehicle loads at scales, obviously the frame must withstand the vertical and longitudinal loads that it faces. Lightweight, single-channel highway truck frames aren’t up to the challenge of 56,000 kg (123,000 lb.) multi-axle loads. Sure, they will pull the load, but they won’t last long.

“When I spec’ a new tractor for dump service, I usually recommend a frame insert over the suspension or from the

back of the frame to the back of the cab in some applications,” says Eaton. “We want the truck to last, so we built in a little extra strength. Highway trucks don’t have that.”

Both Eaton and Tatchell say they have noticed changes in truck buyers over the years. A few decades ago, when many drivers grew up in the trucking culture or in trucking families, a deeper understanding of the equipment was passed along from generation to generation.

Today, a lot of drivers come into the industry without the benefit of that tribal knowledge. They have to learn as they go.

Sales reps like Eaton and Tatchell are there to help, and they really do want to see you succeed. When they make certain recommendations, they are born of experience, not a desire to sell you a truck. Like Tatchell said earlier, “if you don’t succeed, we will eventually run out of buyers.” TT

PIONEERS CHANGE CANADIANS WHO CHALLENGE THE STATUS QUO IN TRUCKING

www.TruckNews.com 40

TODAY’S TRUCKING

In Gear

Shining Example Loblaw, Westhill begin test of solar-powered reefer

By John G. Smith Loblaw is looking skyward in the bid to electrify its private fleet, testing a trailer equipped with a rooftop solar array designed by Canada’s Westhill Innovation. And if the prototype works as expected, the reefer will never sip so much as a drop of diesel.

“Think of all the rooftop that’s available for trailers,” says Wayne Scott, Loblaw’s senior director – transport maintenance.

“A few people in the U.S. were trying it…

We thought, ‘Why not support a Canadian company, local people and innovation?’”

This particular system will support a Carrier Vector 8500 refrigeration unit, traditionally powered by a diesel engine or by plugging into the wall at a distribution center. But instead of plugging into a wall, it will now tap into 440 sq.-ft. of solar panels on the trailer roof.

“The reefer unit thinks we’re the grid,” explains Vern Sherwood, Westhill’s director – energy systems and solar, wind, battery technology specialist. As a truck drives down the road under sunny skies, the reefer will draw power from the solar system’s lithium-ion batteries. If it turns cloudy for a couple of days, the batteries will still supply the power.

Only if the batteries are depleted will the reefer’s generator start up to recharge the batteries.

Work on the system began in January 2017, and it was developed with the requirements of trailer manufacturers in mind, says Gina Succi, president of Westhill Innovation, based in Simcoe, Ont. While the version being tested by Loblaw has been retrofitted to an existing trailer, it’s actually designed to replace the roof and be installed at a factory within 45 minutes.

Loblaw is no stranger to solar arrays.

Its truck sleepers are equipped with 300watt systems that double the run time of battery-powered auxiliary power units, supporting hotel loads. But the difference in Westhill’s solar system is not limited to

the surface area of the panels.

“There’s plenty of guys who’ve tried to put a solar cell on a roof, but none of them have a solar cell that’s indestructible like ours. You can shoot holes in the roof and the cell is going to work,” Sherwood says as an example. The honeycomb pattern of wires ensures there is another path for the power if a connection is broken.

The solar panel’s wiring has been laminated into the solar array itself, using lessons that Westhill Innovation has learned

series of inverters, batteries and chargers step the power from 48-volt DC power to 120 VAC, 208-volt three-phase power, and ultimately 460 VAC three-phase power.

That’s what fools the refrigeration unit into thinking it’s connected to the grid, Sherwood says. “Going to three-phase [power] is the leading edge of remote power systems.”

“If you plug it into the wall, the wall is powering the load and charging the batteries. If you unplug from the wall, the auto transfer switch flips over and [the system] runs off the batteries and the inverter.” And with 20 kW of lithium-ion batteries, the system will run without any sun for an entire day.

“We modified the system so it can power up the reefer and at the same time charge the batteries. So, if you don’t have

Loblaw’s Wayne Scott discusses the makeup of the rooftop solar array with Westhill Innovation’s Vern Sherwood. (Photo by John G. Smith)

by producing composite trailer panels.

The prototype’s solar roof weighs in at about 700 lb., but the goal is to have an entire system that adds about 300 to 400 lb. to a trailer’s weight once a reefer’s diesel generator and fuel tank are removed.

Systems could also be right-sized to specific needs, such as powering lift gates.

The reefer would traditionally consume a U.S. gallon of diesel per hour, adds Mohammed Alissawi, Westhill’s renewable energy engineer, who began working on the project as the member of a team at McMaster University. “If a customer needs to operate for eight hours, then we size the equipment to give him what he needs.”

And while the massive solar array is the most visible change, a related power management system makes it all possible. A

sun while shipping and receiving, you can recharge the batteries,” Alissawi says.

The lithium-ion batteries weigh 200 lb. and can offer 18 kW of energy over 10,000 cycles. In contrast, 900-lb. of lead acid batteries could generate just 8 kW of energy over 3,000 cycles. “The cost per kilowatt over the cycle life is actually less expensive than lead-acid batteries,” Sherwood says.

“There’s no gassing, no venting, no corrosion. It’s completely inert.”

“If anything would happen, we’re well protected,” he adds, identifying eight protection systems ranging from a fuse panel to circuit breakers.

The first trailer is to be tested for three to four months, while Westhill hopes to establish a small test fleet of 30 to 50 trailers in the short term. TT MARCH 2020

41

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In Gear The Mack MD Series represents the OEM’s return to the medium-duty truck segment.

Medium Mack Mack re-enters medium-duty truck market, opens new plant

By John G. Smith Mack Trucks is returning to the mediumduty truck market with a new Class 6/7 lineup that will be assembled at a dedicated facility in Roanoke County, Va. Known as the MD Series, the trucks begin serial production late this summer and are available for order today.

The new Roanoke Valley Operations location represents a US$13-million investment for the OEM, 250 new jobs, and an annual economic impact of $364 million for the region.

The project has been in the works for about two years but was a tightly guarded secret prior to the announcement.

“Mack Trucks is very proud to make this investment and to now offer a full lineup of Class 6 to Class 8 commercial vehicles, serving virtually every segment of the market,” said Mack president Martin Weissburg.

“The Class 6/7 market has been historically stable, 90,000 to 100,000 trucks a year in the U.S. and Canada,” added Jonathan Randall, senior vicepresident of North American sales and marketing. “We have a lot of customers already in our portfolio who already run medium-duty trucks, and they’ve been asking us for a single-source solution

for quite a while. Now we feel our family portrait is complete.”

Mack hasn’t had a medium-duty offering since discontinuing the Freedom model in 2002. Earlier offerings in these weight classes included the MC Series and Midliner.

“This isn’t new to us in any shape or form,” Randall said of the business segment. “[But] the Freedom was a heavily Renault-based truck, and this is all a North American-based truck.”

Introducing the MD6 and MD7 The Class 6 Mack MD6 has a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 25,995 lb., while its Class 7 MD7 counterpart has a GVWR of 33,000 lb. They’ll focus on applications including dry van, refrigerated, stake/ flatbed, dump and tank trucks, and be available in 4×2 configurations.

The truck will be available in eight wheelbase lengths, supporting typical bodies that run from 10 to 26 feet. A 103inch bumper-to-back-of-cab measurement will help to load up the front axle and deliver a tight turning radius as well.

The Mack MD will come equipped with a Cummins B6.7 engine that can deliver 220-300 hp and 560-660 lb.-ft. of

torque, and Meritor front and rear axles.

An Allison 2500HS six-speed automatic transmission will be standard, although an Allison 2500RDS is available for those who need a PTO. “They started from a solid foundation for the chassis, for the cab, for the exterior, for the interior,” said Roy Horton, director – product strategy.

Base models will ride on a spring suspension, although a Mack Maxlite air suspension is optional. Wheels will come in a standard 22.5-inch size, but 19.5-inch wheels are also available.

“We’ve made the 120,000-psi steel frame rails standard,” Horton added, noting the industry standard is 80,000 psi.

“Strength is at the very core of our image.”

The cab itself will ride on an air suspension rather than rubber blocks, and includes several features found elsewhere in the Mack product family.

The grille and hood match the styling of the Mack Anthem, introduced in late 2017, while the cab is a variation on the Mack Granite.

Inside, drivers will find the same flat-bottom steering wheel used in those trucks. Other features include power windows and door locks, cruise control, an air-ride driver’s seat, and optional two-passenger bench seat with storage underneath.

A new home It will all be assembled within a new home dubbed Roanoke Valley Operations, chosen to leverage several advantages.

“From a logistics standpoint, the proximity to global headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina was a significant piece,” said James Chenier, senior vice-president – strategy and business development. The facility itself also required few modifications.

The cabs will be painted at Volvo Trucks North America’s nearby New River Valley plant. But the remainder will be assembled at the new location.

“This is a completely new platform, completely new product, and does not take anything out of LVO [Lehigh Valley Operations],” Randall stressed. TT MARCH 2020

43

PRODUCT WATCH

2020

PRESENTS

WHAT’S NEW AND NEWS FROM SUPPLIERS

BRAKES

Meritor offers all-makes rotors Meritor has unveiled all-makes aftermarket air disc brake rotors for linehaul, refuse, vocational, coach and trailer applications – and they’ll carry the Meritor brand.

The components are made with a high-quality cast iron to control peak operating temperatures, the company said, adding that the rotors promise durability, long friction life, and resist fade.

They incorporate the same cooling vanes found on Meritor Genuine first-fit rotors used by original equipment manufacturers.

www.mertitorpartsxpress.com

TIRES

Goodyear has announced that a 19.5-inch version of the Fuel Max RTD (Regional Traction Drive) tire line will be available in the second quarter this year. Targeted toward the last-mile and regional hauling segments, these tires are already compliant with Phase 2 Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fuel Efficiency Standards. www.goodyear.ca

The second generation of the system incorporates automatic emergency braking (AEB) as well as enhanced lane departure warnings.

Other updates include improved following distance alerts that offer warnings up to 3.5 seconds before an impact, and three levels of driver notifications before brakes are automatically applied.

Driver-facing cameras are also available. www.macktrucks.com

ADAS

ADAS

Mack Granite gets Wingman

Wabco unveils retrofit systems

Mack Granites are now available with the next generation of Bendix Wingman Fusion – the camera- and radar-based advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are not limited to trucks rolling directly off the factory floor.

Wabco has introduced an Onside ADAS retrofit kit for several new

W

Goodyear plans 19.5” RTD tire

44

TODAY’S TRUCKING

applications. The radar-based system offers a warning when it detects a moving vehicle within a 160-degree arc in the lane along the passenger side of the truck.

Retrofit kits are also available for OnGuardActive and OnLane systems. www.wabco-auto.com TELEMATICS

Geotab adds Drivewyze Geotab Marketplace customers can now take advantage of Drivewyze’s PreClear weigh station bypass service thanks to a partnership between the two Canadian companies.

Announced during Geotab’s Connect 2020 conference in San Diego, Calif., the integration between Drivewyze PreClear and Geotab’s telematics solution will help fleets by providing bypass opportunities at 800 weigh stations in 47 provinces and states in Canada and the U.S. Carrier bypass rates are dependent on their respective safety record, and those exemplifying a dedication to safe operations can see a bypass rate of 90% in certain locations.

For more new product items, visit PRODUCTS on the web at trucknews.com

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COMPANIES IN THE NEWS A Amazon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 B Bendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Borg Warner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 C Canadian Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Carrier. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 CAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Celadon Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Challenger Motor Freight. . . . . . . . . .35 Credit Mutuel Equity . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Currie Truck Centre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 D Dana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Delphi Technologies . . . . . . . . . . 11, 33 Drivewyze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 G Geotab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Goodyear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

H Highlight Motor Group . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Hyndman Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 K Koskie Minsky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Kriska Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34, 37 L Linamar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 Loblaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 M Mack Trucks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43, 44 Magnum Trailer and Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 MAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Meritor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 44 N Navistar International . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 P Penner International . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Prime Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

R RH Sheppard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Rio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Ruggieri Brothers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 S Scania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 T TransPower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Traton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 U Upper Canada Truck Sales . . . . . . . . .38 V Volkswagen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Volkswagen Caminhoes e Onibus. .19 Volkswagen Truck and Bus . . . . . . . .19 W Wabco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 44 Westhill Innovation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Z ZF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 MARCH 2020

45

Lockwood

By Rolf Lockwood

Mindful Matters Mental health in trucking, in every workplace, needs our serious attention

T

he mental health of truck drivers remains one of my biggest concerns. Ten years ago, I first wrote about what I thought was a monster issue hiding just below the surface of daily trucking life. “Hiding” was the key word there, and it still is.

Are we making progress? Yes, but there’s much more to do.

I’ve written about this a few times since, including a discussion of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). And I’d bet my next paycheque that it’s hardly known at all, though I think it’s universally recognized. If that seems like a contradiction... well, it is. SAD, you see, is what we normally dismiss as the simple winter blues. I get them, you get them, pretty much everyone in Canada does. For about 5% of us, it’s no simple down mood.

(Online columnist Andrea Morley wrote about it recently in Feeling blue? It could be SAD. Given the kind of stress that drivers and owner-operators face these days, mental health issues can readily go to the extreme – thoughts of suicide, and sometimes the actual act. Farmers increasingly face exactly the same illness due to the extraordinary stress of financial woes and capricious weather that defies prediction but can ruin a crop. University students face wild pressures, too, and suicide has been the result all too often in recent years. They aren’t the only groups suffering, of course, though they seem more likely to suffer than the general population. That’s definitely true for the people of trucking.

There are some common threads here, sadly. One is that men are more likely to kill themselves than women, partly because they have an awful time acknowledging any mental illness, let alone talking about it openly. That dumb pride is a factor in an untold number of cases, and I’d guess that truckers and farmers are champions in those terms. Tough guys don’t give in, do they?

But even if they were to seek help, the other common thread is that they’d quickly see a marked lack of resources – and even a lot of ignorance – in doctors’ offices and even hospitals. The

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TODAY’S TRUCKING

average general practitioner can deal with measles just fine, but mental illness is a very distinct discipline that medical schools don’t routinely cover. Counselors are rare as hen’s teeth in smaller or rural communities, and even in cities they’re so overworked that the waiting list can easily be a year long.

By way of a recent poll done by Nanos Research for the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC), Canadians see an urgent need for mental health reform. More than three-quarters of respondents say mental health is an important policy priority, and nearly nine in 10 want increased funding and access to services. As well, more than half of Canadians report that they, or someone they know, have experienced delays in accessing services. This is serious and then some.

Happily, some trucking associations and Trucking HR Canada have been running seminars and workshops on the subject in recent years, and the Mental Health Commission of Canada has created a training program called The Working Mind, which was first put into action by the Nova Scotia Trucking Safety Association. It’s described as “an evidence-based program designed to promote mental health and reduce the stigma around mental illness in the workplace.”

There are three versions of the program: one for trainers (five days), one for managers/supervisors (eight hours), one for employees/frontline staff (four hours).

I’d urge fleet owners and managers to take a close look at what’s on offer here. The need is clear, and any step forward is a good one. TT

“They’d quickly see a marked lack of resources.”

Rolf Lockwood is the editor emeritus of Today’s Trucking magazine. You can reach him at rolf@newcom.ca.

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