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Today's Trucking Staff
Diesel Costs Turn Higher for First Time in Weeks
LONDON, ON and WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The average price for trucking's main fuel has posted weekly increases in both Canada and the U.S. for the first time since early this summer. In Canada diesel gained $0.002 from last week for a national average of $1.033 per liter, according to the petroleum information services provider The Kent Group. This follows 10 consecutive weeks where the price either fell or was unchanged, in which it declined a total of $0.093 per liter. Despite this week's gain, diesel is $0.264 per liter less than this time last year and remains at its lowest level in several years. South of the border, the U.S. Energy Department reported the first week-over-week increase for diesel in 14 weeks, with the average retail price picking up US$0.02 from last week, hitting US$2.534 per gallon. From late May through the end of August the average U.S. diesel price decreased by US$0.40, registering US$2.514, its lowest price since July 2009.
Continental Opens Commercial Retread Facility in Saskatchewan
SASKATOON, SK --- Continental Tire has opened what it says is the first commercial tire retread facility in western Canada. The new location will operate as a ContiLifeCycle facility, which is the umbrella for Continental Tire's retreading operations, according to Continental.
Nova Scotia-Maine Ferry Operator Asks for More Time
HALIFAX, NS -- The company that provides ferry service between Yarmouth, NS and Portland, ME, including commercial vehicle transport, says it needs three more years of taxpayer assistance before it can survive on its own but the provincial government may not be willing to wait that long.
New DAT Analytics Service Includes 14 Canadian Markets
PORTLAND, OR - Fourteen Canadian markets are included in a new online analytics service launched by DAT Solutions so transportation and logistics professionals can access truck and load data on the 149 key market areas in North America with the highest concentrations of inbound and outbound freight.
Viewpoint: National Truck Week 2015
National Trucking Week, celebrated September 6 to 12 this year, is a good time to consider the truck driving occupation and what we can do to encourage the best candidates to enter a demanding and essential career that requires judgment, planning, know-how and a host of other skills. Unlike autonomous vehicles, drivers may be called upon to react quickly to unexpected incidents on the road, bringing all their varied experience about their equipment, the load they're hauling, and road conditions into play. The question is, is the trucking industry appealing to enough quality candidates to meet our needs today - and in the future? Planners of large-scale projects in Northern BC are realizing the pool of available drivers is diminishing at a time when they need it to grow. A report developed by a liquefied natural gas (LNG) provincial working group identifies "truck driver" is the 7th most in-demand occupation to complete these projects. Today, there are about 300,000 truck drivers in Canada - that's 1 percent of the population and 1.5 percent of the labour force. In BC, most truck drivers are male (96 percent), and nearly half (47 percent) are between the ages of 45 and 64. With less interest in the career from young men, the traditional labour pool for trucking, governments are funding programs to train women and Aboriginal candidates to be competent for the occupation.
Heads Up! Brake Safety Week Starts Now
GREENBELT, MD - As Canada is celebrating National Trucking Week Sept 6-12, one of the biggest industry safety events of the year will also be underway throughout North America with another right around the corner. Law enforcement agencies will conduct brake system inspections on large trucks and buses to identify out-of-adjustment brakes and brake-system violations as part of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance's (CVSA) Brake Safety Week. The event is an annual outreach and enforcement campaign, organized by this group representing local, state, provincial, territorial and federal motor carrier safety officials and trucking industry representatives from Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.
