September 2012 Volume 23, Issue 9 Delivering daily news to Canada’s trucking industry at www.trucknews.com
Looking for some respect Calgarian petitioning government to get driving recognized as skilled trade
of experts offered some tips for recruiting from overseas and avoiding drowning in red tape. The panel – made up of a business immigration lawyer, a representative from the province of Alberta, and three Alberta trucking company employees who deal in immigration and recruiting – looked at the costs and benefits, the bureaucracy, and the advantages and disadvantages
By Jim Bray CALGARY, Alta. – The powers that be may not consider truck driving to be an actual skilled profession, but one Calgary trucking company exec is taking the bull by the horns and trying to get the gig the recognition it deserves. Bob Hill, of Hill Brothers Expressway, said he’s frustrated by the lack of “Red Seal” professional designation for truck drivers, and blames that, in part, for the shortage of good people wanting to enter the world of trucking. And in order to fight for a change in the designation, he’s pushing a petition meant to get the government’s attention – and action. The Red Seal designation could be important. According to Wikipedia, “The Red Seal Interprovincial Standards Program…is a set of trade qualifications in Canada, jointly administered by the federal, provincial and territorial governments.” The program has run since 1959 and means that “with Red Seal endorsement of their apprenticeship training, certain skilled trades workers are qualified to work in all provinces and territories without further examination.”
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Owner/operator of the year: Harvey McDonald, a 50-year trucking veteran leased to TransX, was named the 2012 Truck News/Truck West Owner/Operator of the Year. Throughout his half-century career, McDonald has never been involved in an accident and he has a long history of stopping to help others. Check out the full story on pg. 29.
Alberta carriers look overseas to fill driving vacancies Part 1 of 2: Hiring foreign workers By Jim Bray BANFF, Alta. – It’s a fact of life for trucking companies today that, for whatever reasons, people aren’t lining up to get into their cabs. And with an aging workforce, it looks like the situation is only going to get worse. That unfortunate fact of life is
leading many Alberta-based recruiters to look overseas for relief. But how do you do that? What do you look for? And is it worth the hassle? Those were the issues under discussion at the Alberta Motor Transport Association’s annual Conference in Banff, when a panel
Driving Detroit’s new AMT
The much anticipated Detroit DT12 automated transmission has arrived.
Inside This Issue...
Mark Dalton O/O
• Indecent exposure:
How a B.C. truck driver helped change the laws regarding protective window film. Page 10
• Avoiding cargo claims:
Follow these handy tips and techniques to lower cargo damage-related claims costs, especially in an LTL environment. Page 20
• Eye in the sky: Your insurance provider may soon be asking for access to your telematics data. What’s in it for you?
• Jim’s Brayings:
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What has western editor Jim fired up this month? A certain B.C. union may be to blame. Page 46
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Reach us at our Western Canada news bureau E-mail Jim Bray at jim@transportationmedia.ca or call 403-453-5558
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To view list of advertisers see pg. 42
Careers: 12, 14, 24, 28, 31, 32, 37 PM40069240
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