Truck News

Small fleets need bigger voice

As a small carrier, believe it or not, you are a member of the majority - not just a ‘little guy.’ Statistics tell us that carriers with 10 or less power units make up 60% of all for-hire trucks on the road in Canada. So why do we...

Many factors influence truck safety

Fatigue management hit the news again in July with the release of the well-researched North American Fatigue Management Program. If you haven’t read the press on this, the program was developed over a 10-year period by researchers and...

Now that I’ve got your attention

I recently had a middle-aged patient who is a professional truck driver that was just diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). He stated that over the last few years he found it more and more difficult to concentrate and...

Here’s how to kiss chapped lips goodbye

There are many good reasons to lick your lips during the summer season: ice cream, fresh fruit and vegetables, salads, and/or barbecued meat. However, having chapped lips isn’t one of them. Licking chapped lips only makes lips drier.

Debating BYOD

An interesting debate is percolating about the viability of driver-owned smartphones and tablets to serve as on-board computers, performing critical functions such as dispatch and the electronic logging of hours-of-service.

Are you LinkedIn?

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. -- If you think social media is just about connecting with friends or disseminating what you had for breakfast, you’re not using it to its full potential.

New US hours-of-service rules create more stress for drivers

From the driver reaction I’ve witnessed on social media recently, the half-hour compulsory break included in the FMCSA hours-of-service rule changes that came into effect this past July, seem to have released a whole bunch of pent-up...

Dealing with three types of summer drivers

I was lucky enough to spend Canada Day in downtown Vancouver. I was hauling the sound system for part of the celebrations. During the unloading process I was parked right in the middle of things, where thousands of people were milling around...

Mandatory training for entry-level truck drivers:The time has come

I have again been reading in the pages of this and other trade publications about the problems associated with sub-standard training entry level truck drivers are receiving from sub-standard “training” schools (i.e., puppy mills)....

Fleets, drivers to benefit from multiple training options as feds update FleetSmart program

KING CITY, Ont. -- Natural Resources Canada will be updating its popular FleetSmart program, which offers practical instruction on energy efficiency through driver awareness and fuel efficiency best practices. Bob Smith, chief, EcoEnergy for...

Ghost bridges and missing highways

Ronald Reagan left a legacy of at least three things: deregulation, the war on drugs, and public access to GPS satellites. The jury is still out on the wisdom of the first two initiatives, but overall GPS has been a boon to humanity, and...

Bridge the generation gap with some understanding

Nothing demonstrates the need to reach out to a new generation of employees better than recently released data from the 2011 National Household Survey.

The Blame Game – Part 3

THE STORY SO FAR

TRUCKS & VANS: Driving the 2013 Ford F-150

TORONTO, Ont. -- As they say in sports, streaks are made to be broken, but to date no truck maker has been able to bring an end to a remarkable streak Ford has put together as Canada’s best-selling pick-up for 47 years. Think about that...

Sandro Caccaro to head Bruce R. Smith as president, COO

SIMCOE, Ont. -- Tepper Holdings has announced Sandro Caccaro has joined Bruce R. Smith as its president and chief operating officer.