Features

On the road to a berry good summer

Whether you like berries fresh from the field, sprinkled on your cereal, or blended into a smoothie, now is the season to enjoy the health benefits of these tasty fruits. Raspberries, currants, loganberries, strawberries and blueberries are all...

Talking ’bout the next generation

Can’t we all – as in motor carriers and shippers – just get along? Well, who says we can’t? In fact, despite popular folklore, many successful companies these days are pretty sophisticated in dealing with competing...

Get ready

Everybody remembers too well what trucking companies went through lately, specifically in 2008-2009. How many new enemies would I make by saying I feel strongly that the next wave of the economic slowdown is coming, and soon?

Understanding and managing your insurance costs

In an article in the May issue, Truck News brought to light a number of challenges that owner/operators are facing when it comes to securing insurance at reasonable rates. After reading that article, we felt that it was important to try to...

Coping with ruptured eardrums

The tympanic membrane, more commonly known as the eardrum, is a thin layer of tissue that separates your outer ear from the middle ear. Although fairly uncommon, a ruptured or perforated eardrum can occur. The good news is that in most cases a...

Regular performance reviews enhance driver behaviours

Every driver’s seat offers the promise of an open road, but it can still be an isolated workplace. Ask any long-haul trucker who leaves a fleet yard for weeks at a time, receiving little or no feedback other than e-mails, text messages...

Incorporation: A tale of two circles

Whenever I’m asked to explain what a corporation is, I start by drawing two circles on my notepad. In one circle, I write the person’s name, in the other, I write “corp.” It’s a simple way to illustrate the point...

Good times and some good causes

Every two years, associate publisher Kathy Penner and I strap on our lobster bibs and head east to the Atlantic Truck Show. It represents a great opportunity to get reacquainted with our East Coast friends as well as to sample some of the...

Reloaded

LISLE, Ill. – Navistar International has started a new chapter in its long history, rolling out the very first MaxxForce 13 engines with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) in its best-selling ProStar tractor.

A new alternative

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Driving along I-80 just outside Sacramento, I’ve got the window down and my ears strained. I’m in a Volvo VNL day cab belonging to Texas-based Martin Transport with a D13 engine under the hood, mated to an...

The Blame Game: Part 1

His adventure as a livestock hauler over and done with, Mark gave Bud a call, looking for a new load.

TSQ: Do you prefer using a GPS or an atlas to find your destination?

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – I’ve got a love-hate relationship going on with electronics. As technology continues to progress at breakneck speed, I tend to lag behind, content to use last year’s model until I either lose interest or...

A MADE-IN-CANADA SCALE BYPASS SYSTEM

I’ve come across a couple promising technologies that I’d like to address in this edition of Hooked Up. Among them is a scale bypass system that was developed in Canada, but isn’t yet deployed here. Drivewyze developed a...

Up in the air

WHITBY, Ont. – Single-truck owner/operators, particularly those serving niche markets, are finding it more difficult – and much more expensive – to find insurance, thanks to a rapidly changing insurance landscape that’s...

Do you know a special owner/operator?

I knew I was opening a can of worms when I wrote last month that tampering with, or deleting, emissions systems was a short-sighted solution for frustrated fleet owners and owner/operators. I don’t think any one issue has touched the...