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January 2015 Volume 26, Issue 1
Safety integrated: We had our first look at Daimler’s new Detroit Assurance integrated suite of safety systems.
Page 27
Test drive: Driving the 2016 model year Volvo VN with improved aero and XE Adaptive Gearing.
Page 23
AMTA shows cards: Lorraine Card has been hired to lead the AMTA. Read what she has in store.
Page 22
Page 7
Western Canada’s Trucking Newspaper Since 1989
Going longer: Canadian Tire plans to deploy the industry’s first 60-ft. intermodal containers.
trucknews.com
What’s in store for 2015?
Happy Holidays to All!
By James Menzies
I
t’s been a good year to be in trucking. Most indicators of the industry’s health were positive in 2014. Class 8 truck orders were robust, trailer demand unprecedented, freight volumes consistently strong and there were widespread reports of rate increases taking hold and improved pay packages for drivers and owner/operators being offered.
Hauling mostly agricultural goods, Saskatoon’s Q-Line Trucking boasts an above-industry average turnover rate.
All its trucks in a row
Reach us at our Western Canada news bureau Contact Jim Bray at: jim@transportationmedia.ca or call 403-453-5558
Q-Line Trucking of Saskatoon is a company that seems to have everything all figured out
W PM40069240
By Sonia Straface
pg 01, 17-21 tw jan v3.indd 1
ith the future of trucking up in the air and the industry’s many flaws constantly in the spotlight, it’s refreshing when a company is sanguine about what’s ahead in transportation and is genuinely excited to be running trucks. Q-Line Trucking began in 1994, after the Quiring family noticed the local demand for the transportation of agriculture goods and equipment. The company is currently run by Reg Quiring, a young gun who understands not only how to run a successful corporation, but how to keep his staff smiling. More than 20 years have passed since its doors first opened and the small family-owned business turned into a corporation with locations in Saskatoon, Sask., Winkler, Man., Mil-
Careers: 2-3, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20
ton, Ont., Edmonton, Alta., and Bettendorf, Iowa. Today, Q-Line has more than 500 employees (400 of which are drivers), more than 350 power units and 730 trailers across all five of their locations. To say business is going good is an understatement for the company as it seems like these guys have it all figured out and operations run like a well-oiled machine. Part of the company’s success can be attributed to the type of freight they haul. “We haul anything that goes on an open deck,” joked Maynard Friesen, deck fleet manager of Q-Line Trucking, Saskatoon. “We have a deck fleet and bulk fleet,” added president and CEO, Quiring. “The bulk fleet is based on servicing industrial and agricultural clients so we haul things like grain and fertilizer and potash, and that sort of stuff – it’s dry bulk commodities. In numbers of trucks, it’s Continued on page 20
To view list of advertisers see pg. 29
It was exactly the type of year this industry needed. But what’s in store for 2015? We called upon industry experts to shed some light on what to expect in the year ahead. Specifically, we asked about: the US and Canadian economies; the regulatory outlook; mergers and acquisition expectations; and the price of diesel. The US market outlook
Looking ahead to 2015, industry forecaster FTR continues to be bullish on the trucking industry’s prospects. Jonathan Starks, director, transportation analysis with FTR, told Truck West he expects to see the US economy continue to grow in the 3% GDP range. “Most indicators are positive,” he said. “There’s nothing really overtly strong, from what we’re looking at going forward, but the manufacturing sector is still holding up pretty well, which is a good sign for the freight environment. There’s no real acceleration but it’s staying pretty robust.” Starks said truck capacity will continue to be tight through 2015, barring a major change in regulations and/or the economy. This is allowing carriers to pass though rate increases, a trend Starks said is likely to continue in 2015. “If you look at the data you can see a definite upward trend in rates ever since about the middle of 2013. That’s when the new hours-of-service came into play and I think it had a noticeable impact on the marketplace being able to get rate increases,” said Starks. He added the spot market saw a major jump in rates over the last winter, with rates remaining elevated throughout the year due to a tightened truck market. Increases to contract rates tend to follow the spot market and Starks said “We expect to see some similar type of growth in 2015, especially on the contract rates side. It tends to take longer for contract rates to filter through the system.” Continued on page 17
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