Business Tips

US regulators consider new trucker entrant exam

WASHINGTON -- The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has released an advance notice of proposed rulemaking, requesting comments from the industry on whether the agency should require new carrier applicants to pass a safety examination as part of its revised New Entrant Safety Assurance Process.

Load tracking leads police to truckjacking suspects

TORONTO -- Police arrested seven members of a known cargo theft gang after a truck driver was held up at gunpoint.

More safety oversight needed on Mexican truckers: OIG

WASHINGTON -- U.S. officials still need to do a better job in regulating safety standards on Mexican truckers that cross the border, according to the nation's top government watchdog.

Drive Test talks to resume; but trainers struggling

TORONTO -- DriveTest officials and the Steelworkers union representing 600 striking Ontario employees have agreed to return to the bargaining table this week

Manitoba cell ban includes trucker exemptions; Sask considers law too

WINNIPEG -- Manitoba legislators have accepted appeals by the trucking industry to make the provincial ban on cell phone use and texting more flexible for truck drivers.

EASY BELT ROLLER

Makes it easy for drivers to roll up winch straps quickly

Court strikes MTO’s ‘favorite enforcement tool’ against truckers

TORONTO -- A recent ruling by the Ontario Court of Appeal has shaken how the Ministry of Transport treats trucks with defects and penalizes drivers and carriers.

T.O. ponders half-fast plan

TORONTO -- As if this city -- already the scene of some of the worst gridlock in North America -- needed another reason to make commercial drivers hate it.

CVSA brake blitz kicks-off

TORONTO -- If your brakes give that ear-piercing squeak every time you approach a red light, this is as good a time as any to check them out.

Heavy truck debate heats up stateside

WASHINGTON -- A federal pilot project that would enable Maine to allow 100,000-pound, six-axle single-trailers on state highways drew both cheers and jeers last week.

CTA wants truck-minded budget; Urges option to diesel excise cut

OTTAWA - The Canadian trucking industry is pretty self-efficient, but the nation's largest lobby group wants to make sure Ottawa considers truckers when it drafts its economic recovery-minded 2010 budget.

Gears jammed in DriveTest strike talks

TORONTO -- Ontario DriveTest workers frustrated that strike negotiations have broken down, yesterday hit the bricks outside of Serco DES, the British-based company that which owns and operates the province's DriveTest facilities.

CTHRC coaches the coach

OTTAWA -- Those who coach, mentor and assess Canada's truck drivers are being offered three new professional development programs from the Canadian Trucking Human Resources Council (CTHRC).

Interest group seeks national cell phone ban for truckers

WASHINGTON -- A U.S. advocacy group has filed a petition with the DOT, calling on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to implement a rule to restrict the use of "unsafe electronic devices" by commercial truck drivers, regardless of whether they're needed for the job.

OTA calls for quick end to licence examiners strike

TORONTO -- The union representing Ontario's striking driving examiners and the company that operates provincial Drive Test facilities need to resume labor talks, says the Ontario Trucking Association.