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March 2013 Volume 24, Issue 3
You’ve got data: Why your insurance company may be asking for access to your telematics data.
Page 28
Sprint to the Arctic: The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter may be small, but it fared well on its toughest test.
Page 23
Tax tips: As we enter official tax season, our resident expert Scott Taylor has some tax tips you can use.
Page 11
Page 10
Western Canada’s Trucking Newspaper Since 1989
Trendsetters: We take you inside Bison Transport’s Calgary LNG fleet operations.
trucknews.com
Alberta rest areas to stay open, for now
Constable Ken Usipiuk of the Delta Police does a vehicle inspection for Harbour Link Container Services in Delta, B.C. The fleet invited inspectors to its yard to avoid roadside stops that delay freight. Photo by The Delta Optimist
This B.C. fleet invites enforcement officers into its yard to inspect its trucks.
Have they gone mad?
Reach us at our Western Canada news bureau Contact Jim Bray at: jim@transportationmedia.ca or call 403-453-5558
PM40069240
By Jim Bray
pg 01, 05, 12-13, 24.indd 1
DELTA, B.C. – Freight idled on the roadside while the powers-that-be poke around may not be the trucking equivalent of a colonoscopy, but – whether they’re a royal pain or a minor irritation – they still throw a monkey wrench into your schedule. Yet it’s hard to make the case that vehicle inspections are a bad thing; they do keep the vehicles, owners and drivers they snag on their toes. And good companies needn’t fear them. But since time is money, such inspections also affect your bottom line. And that’s what prompted one British Columbia trucking company to poke at fate with a pointy stick, actually inviting the authorities to their base of operations so they could give its fleet the once-over – twice, if necessary. The idea came from Tim McGee, general manager of Delta’s Harbour Link Container Services, and was basically an extension of a
Careers: 5, 8, 10, 12, 14, 19, 24, 29
scheme he dreamed up while working for a previous company when he had to absolutely, positively get a load across the US border on time. “I had a relationship with both the CVSE and the Delta police,” McGee told Truck West, “and we had a time-sensitive run where we couldn’t afford to be stuck at one of these impromptu inspections at the scales. So basically, I made the call and asked if I offered a truck and a trailer up for inspection, would they come and inspect it?” The police were a tad baffled by the request, McGee recounted, but he explained to them that he had a load of fresh doughnuts going from a bakery in Delta to Kent, Wash. – from which point they’d go to every 7-Eleven within five miles of the I-5 between the Canadian border and Portland, Ore. “I said ‘My guy has to be in Seattle by four o’clock and he can’t leave until 11:4512 o’clock,” he explained, “so if he gets stuck Continued on page 13
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CALGARY, Alta. – Three of four Albertabased rest stops originally targeted for closure will now remain open, according to the Alberta Motor Transport Association (AMTA). The AMTA, which has been lobbying the province to keep turnouts open, received the news in a recent meeting with Alberta Transport. “We are delighted that Alberta Transport had responded to AMTA to make available places where professional drivers and other motorists can pull over and rest,” says AMTA executive director Don Wilson. “Providing places for all drivers – especially commercial transport drivers – to pull over and rest is a vital component of any fatigue management program and compliance of load security rules. The rest stops previously slated for closure that will – for now – remain open are at the following locations: south of Olds; southbound, just north Continued on page 5
Q&A with MTA’s Bob Dolyniuk On 2013 prospects, concerns for small carriers and consolidation By Lou Smyrlis TW: Going into 2013, many carriers in central and eastern Canada are unsure what to expect. Freight volume growth is slow and core pricing for their services is not what they would have hoped for two years into the economic recovery. How are your members feeling about 2013? Dolyniuk: Certainly, carriers are still talking about increasing rates, but the industry is still dealing with capacity issues. As long as we have that capacity in front of us, it’s going to create pressure and I think we are seeing that. If you look at our carrier base, the US market is a significant portion of their business and they don’t have confidence about that market. There is trepidation about the whole US market. The year has started off soft and it’s questionable how strong it will get. TW: It’s interesting you mentioned capacity. Industry estimates, and our own, are that capacity has been reduced 12-15% since 2008. Are you saying that capacity remains an issue? Continued on page 24
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