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November 2023 Stay healthy, stay safe!
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Why us? At Transam Carriers, we believe that success is not achieved without professional human attitudes. We are proud of providing some of the most flexible work options in the industry for an optimum work-life balance. All of these, in conjunction with new equipment, modern technologies, in-house truck shop, and cross-dock facility, make Transam an exceptional workplace that we call here our second home. @TransamCarriers
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WE ARE HIRING: • COMPANY DRIVERS A-Z • OWNER OPERATORS A-Z, D-Z • DISPATCHER • LOCAL DISPATCHER • DISPATCH ASSISTANT • DATA ENTRY/CUSTOMS СLERK • MECHANIC
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ON OUR WEBSITE careers
NOVEMBER 2023
Livingston is now hiring Company Drivers & Owner Operators due to continued growth Owner Operators
Company Drivers
• OEM Deliveries • Plates Paid • Fuel Surcharges Paid • Fuel discount card with no administration fees • Direct deposit bi-weekly • No start up costs • No paint requirements • Sign On Bonus
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Immediate Need for O/O and Drivers for Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal
NOVEMBER 2023
Contact the Recruiting Department at 1-888-227-4656 x35502 JOBS FOR TRUCKERS • 3
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beyondtransportationinc.com 4 • OVER THE ROAD
NOVEMBER 2023
HIRING OWNER OPERATORS
$10,000
SIGN-ON BONUS After Approval & One Month Driving
WE PROVIDE > A Competitive Pay Package > All Miles Paid > Flexible Scheduling – No Forced Dispatch > No Northeastern US > No Touch Freight > All Bridges, Tolls, Scales, Insurance and Borders Paid
DRIVER REQUIREMENTS > 2 years verifiable Border crossing experience > Clean Abstract > Criminal Search > FAST card or Valid Passport For more information about joining our team please contact
1-800-265-6576/905-267-2223 dispatch@shipprimex.com NOVEMBER 2023 3755 Laird Road, Unit 8-9, Mississauga ON L5L JOBS0A3 FOR TRUCKERS • 5
6 • OVER THE ROAD
NOVEMBER 2023
Now Hiring
Moving the industry forward. One kilometre at a time. Get on the road to success with the world’s largest retailer.
For Full Time Local and Long Haul Drivers
We offer • Competitive wages • Benefits: Health & Dental, Company matched RRSP and Pension Plan, Uniforms & Safety Boots • Walmart discount program
Apply online at careers.walmart.ca
Lest We Forget
(905) 670-9966 6800 Maritz Drive & 7295 West Credit Ave. Mississauga, ON
NOVEMBER 2023
JOBS FOR TRUCKERS • 7
A PROUD CANADIAN COMPANY
LOOKING FOR TRIDEM FLAT/STEP DECK OWNER OPERATORS & 2 OWNER OPERATORS TO RUN SUPER B’S
CANADA ONLY RUNS HOME WEEKLY PERCENTAGE PAY
1-877-464-3429 Office Hours: 7:30 am to 3:30 pm Mountain Time
8 e. • lonny@anvilring.ca OVER THE ROAD
@anvil_ring
NOVEMBER 2023 anvilring.ca anvilring.ca
Networking. Support. Empowerment. NOVEMBER 2023
JOBS FOR TRUCKERS • 9
MAKING YOUR MILES COUNT Robert D. Scheper
Personal Vehicles and your Corporation I’ve been in the accounting industry working with Independent Operators for well over 25 years. About twice a year I have an Operator ask me if they should put their new SUV into their Corporation. If I’m lucky (which would be BEFORE they purchase the $60k vehicle) I tell them NO. Not only should you NOT put it in… you should probably NOT buy/lease it. I know it’s a little personal but still great advice. Too many car salesmen trumpet the horrible advice of “you can write it all off… save taxes and get an awesome ride”. This advice is wrong on two major fronts. Firstly, it is far too expensive a vehicle for an Operator to be driving! National averages place truck drivers (and Operators) at $60-70k of taxable income per year. Unless the spouse has a secondary income, which doubles that, owning a depreciating personal vehicle of that value with only $60-70k income is foolishness. You’re working your behind off only to give your money to a dealership and financing company. When you lose half the value to depreciation in 5 years you vaporize $6000 a year… that’s 10% of EVERYTHING you make… that’s NOT
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INCLUDING fuel, insurance, and licensing. That’s pure financial insanity. It’s a choice based on PRIDE, not reality. Building after tax wealth is a conscious choice to invest in things that INCREASE... not DECREASE. Increase as much as you can while decreasing as little as possible. $60k purchases or leases like that are evidence that someone is thinking wrong… or simply… not thinking. I am associated with a lot of millionaires; people with seven figure wealth (not many with eight figures but plenty with seven). The only one that I know that buys a new vehicle every 4-5 years is the eight-figure guy. The wealthy people I know have bought maybe one or two new vehicles in their life… and only then much later in life (AFTER they were worth seven figures) … you know… when they could actually AFFORD it. I believe that one of the major contributing factors to poverty is the personal vehicles people choose to drive… not the job they choose to work at. The second error comes in the advice from the salesman “you can write it all off!”. This is NOT true! 99% of Operators who
NOVEMBER 2023
purchase a $60k SUV will use it mostly for PERSONAL use… only a small amount of usage will ever be business. Even then, you MUST keep a logbook for all the KM on the vehicle, splitting them into a business and a personal percentage. Only the business percentage is expensed. 80% of all Operators do NOT have a logbook for their personal vehicle. It’s almost always ESTIMATED. The risk for audit is higher as the amount increases. Anything over $2,500-3,000 annually is above national averages. If you are averaging a depreciation of $6,000 per year your high percentage guess is going to flag an audit most likely. If it’s lower, you’re not expensing it! Most Operators (if not all) don’t have their taxes done by someone who is liable for the results. In the end, Operators carry all liabilities for their tax returns. It’s not an excuse to say “I didn’t know” … it’s your business to know. The safest and best way to convert taxable income into non-taxable benefits is to have your corporation pay you cents per kilometer (CPKM) for your vehicle. What CRA allows is very realistic and in some cases generous; it all depends on what type of vehicle you use. If you use a very economical vehicle your actual costs are maybe 25 CPKM. If you drive a guzzling SUV or Lamborghini your costs could run 70-80+ CPKM. Currently, Ontario travel reimburses at 59 CPKM, so at 500KM in a month, one vehicle MAKES $170 of after-
NOVEMBER 2023
tax wealth and the other (at 75 CPKM) LOOSES $375. Humble choices can add up to HUGE changes in future wealth. The tuition for the school of hard knocks is still very high… and some of it… NOT tax deductible. About the Author: Robert D. Scheper is a leading Accountant and Consultant exclusively serving the Lease/Owner operator industry in Canada. His first book in the Making Your Miles Count series “taxes, taxes, taxes” was released in 2007. His second book “Choosing a Trucking company” is the most in-depth analysis of the independent operator industry today. He has a Master’s degree (MBA) in financial management and has been serving the industry since he and his wife came off the road in 1993. His dedication, commitment and strong opinions can be read and heard in many articles and seminars. You can find him at www.makingyourmilescount.com or 1-877-987-9787.
JOBS FOR TRUCKERS • 11
12 • OVER THE ROAD
NOVEMBER 2023
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NOVEMBER 2023
JOBS FOR TRUCKERS • 13
SAFETY DAWG Chris Harris
Speeding is not OK Really, why do we all think that it is fine for cars to travel at 120 km or more and for truck drivers to have the hammer down at 105 kms consistently? This speeding mentality is all taking place on highways with posted speed limits of 100 km or 60 and 65 mph. What word do you see on top of most speed limit signs? MAXIMUM! And yet most of us travel above the posted limit and if we get behind someone that is moving at or just below the speed limit, we get frustrated and perhaps angry. Please note that I said ‘we’. I’m no Saint either, I can’t say that I never speed. This speeding question is one that I have been asking myself and I thought perhaps some of you would have the answer or at least a comment. Why am I so concerned with a little speed? It goes back to the days when I was working for a trucking insurance company and I had to deal with a specific claim - a loss of life incident. A minivan with only six seatbelts in the vehicle had ten occupants. The crash happened on a beautiful sunny day around eleven in the morning. The minivan was travelling on a side road in the country and failed to stop at an intersection with a stop sign.
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The minivan entered the intersection and was T-boned by a tractor-trailer. Six lives were lost that day, four people injured, and one truck driver’s life was altered forever. The truck driver was not injured in the crash. Not to forget the lives lost and injured, this article is about why the insurance company for the truck paid out five million dollars when everything I have said so far has the minivan at fault. It was clear that the minivan ran or failed to stop at the stop sign as required by law and that the van’s driver put the vehicle directly into the path of the truck driver. It was also clear that the truck driver could not react in time and could not avoid the crash. Then why did the insurance company pay out five million dollars in settlement? The reason is called ‘Joint and Several Legal Liability’. This means if you contribute 1% or more to the outcome and in this case, the result is a catastrophic crash with loss of life, then you might be held partially responsible. So, six people lost their lives and four were injured and if the car has two million
NOVEMBER 2023
dollars insurance coverage, would that be enough to compensate the families of those that lost relatives and also pay for the bills of the injured? Two million dollars? No, this would not even come close to covering the claims and cost. You have to consider that the passengers in the minivan didn’t do anything wrong. They didn’t run the stop sign. They too were victims and deserve to be compensated. So what happens when there is not enough money to pay all of those involved? The law looks for other pockets that have money and try to dip into those pockets to satisfy the claims of the victims. In this case, the truck was travelling at ninety-two kilometres per hour in an eighty KM zone, so the tractortrailer was travelling at a speed that was above the posted speed limit. To better understand the ‘Joint and Several’ concept, imagine that this crash has to go to court and that the jury is instructed to assign fault by percentage. The jury might find that the driver of the minivan was ninety-five or even ninetynine percent at fault. Thus, the jury makes the truck driver only one percent at fault but this leaves the truck driver’s insurance company who covers this driver, liable. Even though it is only a ‘fault’ of one percent, those injured and the families of the deceased would now have access to one hundred percent of the trucking company’s insurance policy. I can now hear some of you yelling that this is not fair. While it may or may not be fair or reasonable for the trucking company
NOVEMBER 2023
involved or its insurance company, we must consider and remember the families of the victims and the injured. If the pool of monies available to compensate is too small, then the victims would never receive compensation. To try to strike a balance, this is how the law has decided to handle this type of situation. The law does its best to try to help victims and this usually takes the form of money. By having access to the trucking company’s insurance policy, the victims will receive more compensation then if they only have access to the minivan’s insurance policy and money. So what is the moral of the story? Speeding, even at a small amount, where we know you would be unlikely to be ticketed, can have catastrophic consequences for everyone involved in a crash. I know that I have tried to change my driving habits. I now try to drive at the speed limit. I use my cruise control in my car (when safe) a lot more than ever before. Drivers, please drive safe and don’t speed. Signed, a sometimes sinner (but much less frequent sinner) Chris Harris Top Dawg, Safety Dawg Inc. 905-973-7056 chris@safetydawg.com @safety_dawg (twitter)
JOBS FOR TRUCKERS • 15
Keep Your Company Moving With Online Training During this time of crisis, we need to ensure two things continue to happen: ● Continued transportation of vital goods and necessary food items. ● Open communication with drivers, dispatchers, and other employees.
COMPLIMENTARY TRIAL ACCESS WITH ONLINE TRAINING We are offering 30-day complimentary access to our system to assist companies in maintaining driver safety training, including tracking and reporting. The Coronavirus pandemic has proven the critical need to Limit face-to-face interaction between employees. But how can your company encourage remote work and still bring on new drivers safely and effectively? How can you keep your drivers up to speed on safety content that would traditionally be covered in safety meetings?
“Amazing support staff.”
Remote online training allows you to do both: ● Ensures participation and comprehension ● Consistently delivers important elements of your orientation ● Quickly gets your trucks moving safely ● Saves time, resources and money ● Simple to implement quickly and with very little effort on your part There are no shortcuts when it comes to consistency and quality. Infinit-I Workforce Solutions offers a communication and learning management system that allows you to simplify orientation through remote, online training. Spread Coronavirus awareness by distributing messages and policies from your company to your entire fleet. Take advantage of our 30-day Complimentary Trial to increase the efficiency of your orientation. Keep your company moving!
For additional Coronavirus resources for Trucking & Logistics, visit https://www.infinitiworkforce.com/ppc/comp-access-cn-2/
www.infinitiworkforce.com 16 • OVER THE ROAD
NOVEMBER 2023
WE ARE LOOKING FOR DRIVERS AND OWNER OPERATORS
WE ARE HIRING!
SEEKING: COMPANY SINGLE and TEAM DRIVERS
Company LTL Drivers averaged $92,000 in 2022 Owner Operators averaged $225,000 in 2022
Drivers are paid $0.60\mi with a FAST or TWIC card NEW PAY PACKAGE New along with Picks and Drops, Idle and Performance bonuses.
You’ll Apprecia
All Picks and Drops Paid • Sa Weekly Pay • Paid Benefits/Grou an
Complete Pay Package details at www.kurtztrucking.com Call: 1.800.265.2835 or e Contact Safety at 1-800-265-2835 ext.6 or email safety@kurtztrucking.com Join us on
B R I A N K U R T Z T R U C K I N G LT D I S A N E Q U A L O P P O R T U N I T Y E M P L O Y E R
• • • • • • •
NOVEMBER 2023
Great Pay Package All Miles Paid Weekly Permits/Tolls/Heavy Tax Paid General Insurance Paid Fuel Cards & Border Cards Pick Up & Delivery $50 Flexible Fuel Surcharge
JOBS FOR TRUCKERS • 17
WOMEN IN TRUCKING Ellen Voie
Supporting Women Around the World The Republic of Namibia is a country in Southern Africa. This sub-Saharan country is one of the driest and least populated areas in the world. Although the nation borders the Atlantic Ocean, it depends on groundwater for residential and commercial needs. The top economic sector is the mining industry which provides the nation with one-quarter of its revenue. Namibia is the fourth largest producer of uranium in the world. Tourism is also a large part of the nation’s economy and sport trophy hunting is a growing part of the attraction. Jo-ann Van Wyk lives in Namibia in a village called Witvlei, a town where trucks stop before crossing the border into Gobabis. She dreamed of driving one of the big trucks and earning a living so she could support her son. “I was looking for a job I will enjoy, and trucking was always on my mind,” she said. After learning about the Women In Trucking Association, she received a scholarship from the foundation to attend truck driving school. She was the only woman in the class and although her
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trainer was supportive, most of the men in the class resent her and told her to stay home. The CDL schools in Namibia are not regulated and Jo-ann said they are often not safe for women. She states, “being a woman generally is not easy because of cultural beliefs; it makes you vulnerable to many types of abuses.” In Namibia, nearly one-third of women (age 15-49) endure violence and domestic abuse, as many men feel that this is acceptable treatment of their spouses or partners. Jo-ann has experienced her share of challenges, as twenty years ago she was diagnosed with HIV. She was chased out of school because of the stigma of the disease. All pregnant women are tested for the virus and if found positive, they are blamed for spreading it to their partners. The Ministry of Health has estimated that nearly sixteen percent of women and eleven percent of men are HIV positive. After doing her research about living with HIV she learned, “it actually wasn’t a death sentence; all you need is treatment and support.” Jo-ann started a support group
NOVEMBER 2023
for women living with the virus because she wanted “women to become more independent because most of us got (infected) while being at home and we rely on (our) man.” After receiving the tuition grant from the Women In Trucking’s foundation, she was able to get the training she needed and has learned to drive a tanker truck. She must now finish the on-the-job training and work toward a permanent contract. Jo-ann has much higher goals, however, as she is planning to start her own truck driving school. Since there are no standards for training, she would like to create the curriculum and introduce certified training as a standard. She also plans to develop a CDL manual, which is not currently available in Namibia. Her goal is to empower women and help them to become independent, so they aren’t subject to the culturally acceptable treatment by the men in their lives. JoAnn’s goal “will ensure that I get as many women (as possible) out of poverty (and) gender-based violence, especially those who want to go into trucking and don’t know where to start.”
With the help of the Women in Trucking Association, Jo-ann is now self-sufficient and free from gender-based violence. She is thrilled to share with us that she now has “a bank account and a salary.” She added, “I can now bring food to the table.” Jo-ann is one woman who has benefitted from the generosity of donors who fund the Women In Trucking Scholarship Foundation. Your dollars can change a woman’s life. Visit www. womenintruckingfoundation.org and help someone like Jo-ann Van Wyk. Ellen Voie President/CEO/Founder of Women In Trucking, Inc. ellen@womenintrucking.org www.womenintrucking.org
Mission: Women In Trucking was established to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments and minimize obstacles faced by women working in the trucking industry.
“I want to tell others to never give up.” Joann adds, “it took me 10 years to become a qualified dangerous goods driver.” She was unsure if she would qualify for the tuition grant, and she said she prayed a lot because she knew it would give her hope.
NOVEMBER 2023
JOBS FOR TRUCKERS • 19
20 • OVER THE ROAD
NOVEMBER 2023
THE BEST IS THE LEAST WE CAN DO
IT’S TIME TO MAKE YOUR MOVE! Driver planned home time | Full load dry van – No touch Freight Steady year-round miles | Group benefits and pension plan | Paid weekly Mostly warehouse and industrial area deliveries in US C-TPAT and FAST approved Carrier and Loads
A huge thank you to all of our Drivers and everyone in the industry that is working so hard. We appreciate everything that you are doing.
HIRING RECRUITING DEPARTMENT
NOVEMBER 2023
DARTMOUTH Yard MONCTON Yard
WOODSTOCK Head Office DORVAL Yard
BRAMPTON Terminal WINNIPEG Terminal
1-800-668-0099 | ayr.recruiting@ayrmotor.com
ayrmotor.ca
JOBS FOR TRUCKERS • 21
Index Anvil Ring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Primex Transource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Ayr Motor Express . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
TRANSAM Carriers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Beyond Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
TransX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Brian Kurtz Trucking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Truckdriver.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,13
Chris Harris - Safety Dawg Inc. . . . . . . . . . 14,15
Trucker Buddy International . . . . . . . . . . . . 6, 20
DeckX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Walmart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Genesis Express . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Women in Trucking Article . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,19
Infinit-i Workforce Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Women’s Trucking Federation of Canada . . . . 9
Livingston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Making Your Miles Count . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,11
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NOVEMBER 2023
In Flanders Fields BY JOHN MCCRAE
In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie, In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.
NOVEMBER 2023
JOBS FOR TRUCKERS • 23
YOUR LIFE YOUR LANE
Join one of Canada’s premier transportation companies today and get the pay and miles you deserve!
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DeckX Linehaul Division:
Ask us about our
Referral Fee & Sign-on Bonus!
Owner Operators are required for Canada/US Lanes from Aberfoyle, Winnipeg & Calgary Tandem, Tridem & Super B Trailers New! Also Required 2 Canada Only Company Drivers
Operating for over 50 years; TransX is one of the largest Canadian (CN Rail-owned) providers of premier integrated transportation and logistics services across North America. DeckX has been in operation under TransX since 1996.
Let TransX and DeckX help drive your success! Apply at DriveTransX.ca or call 1-877-787-2679 for details 24 • OVER THE ROAD
@drivetransx
NOVEMBER 2023