Special - Today`s Trucking
Transcription
Special - Today`s Trucking
The CAT’s Meow Truck World 2016 We take the new CT680L for a spin, PG. 50 April 14-16, 2016 • truckworld.ca The Business Magazine of Canada’s Trucking Industry Top 100 TRUCK MONTH PG.26 Ë Canadian Mail Sales Product Agreement #40063170. Return postage guaranteed. NEWCOM Business Media Inc., 451 Attwell Dr., Toronto, ON M9W 5C4. CANADA’S OF THE Special ISSUE TOP 100: Our Annual Tally of Canada’s Biggest For-Hire Carriers, PG.29 March 2016 www.todaystrucking.com FORMULA FOR MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY: DETROIT DETROIT DETROIT = ( + + E ENGINE TRANSMISSION AXLES ) MAX THE integrated DETROIT POWERTRAIN TM We’ve done all the calculations to ensure each component in the integrated Detroit Powertrain is calibrated and synchronized to work seamlessly together for optimal efficiencies and performance. Designed and manufactured to our stringent Detroit standards, we’re proud to say our integrated powertrain is unparalleled in the industry. If you demand efficiency and reliability, Demand Detroit. See the culmination of results-driven engineering at DemandDetroit.com/powertrain DDC-EMC-ADV-0019-0216. Specifications are subject to change without notice. Detroit Diesel Corporation is registered to ISO 9001:2008. Copyright © 2016 Detroit Diesel Corporation. All rights reserved. Detroit™ is a brand of Detroit Diesel Corporation, a subsidiary of Daimler Trucks North America LLC, a Daimler company. VOLUME 30, NO.3 March 2016 50 CAT’S OUT! We take the CT680L for a run. 10 The $100-Million, 42-Day Bridge 39 Wii Trucks & Big Trucks NEWS & NOTES FEATURES 10 DISPATCHES 26 NIPIGON BRIDGE DISASTER UPDATE 13 13 14 14 16 17 17 17 17 17 19 20 22 23 A Made-In-Canada GHG Plan, Please Driver-Retention Tips Driving Right Through in New Brunswick Risky Business at the Border Sled Tragedy Claims Ice Road Pioneer Alberta Chases $$ B.C. Says ‘Yessir’ to Military Drivers 10 Million-Dollar Thefts Tarting up Your Trucks Google’s Truck Patent What’s Hot on www.todaystrucking.com? Who’s Where now? Trucking Events to Pencil In Truck Sales Statistics TRUCK OF THE MONTH ELI’S COMING The most important spec on this 2007 Mack CL700 is its truck-obsessed driver. 29 5 LETTERS 7 ROLF LOCKWOOD 25 MIKE MCCARRON 62 PETER CARTER COVER TOP 100 Our annual directory of Canada’s top for-hire carriers, and why it matters to you. 39 OPINIONS SERVICE DEPT 50 TAKING CAT’S NEWEST OUT FOR A RIDE TRAINING VIRTUAL CEO Simulators are starting to give the public not just a feel for driving a virtual truck, but creating budgets, repairing engines, and building a fictional fleet. 57 LOCKWOOD’S PRODUCTS 60 GUESS WHERE THIS IS, WIN A HAT! — BY DAVE NESSETH 45 TIRES 5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TIRES Make better buying and spec’ing decisions by understanding what happens where the rubber meets the road. — BY JIM PARK 61 COMPANIES IN THE NEWS COVER PHOTO: Arielle Hall MARCH 2016 3 TIREMAAX PRO ® IMPROVES FUEL ECONOMY EXTENDS TIRE LIFE 1-866-RIDEAIR (743-3247) www.hendrickson-intl.com/TIREMAAX Hendrickson never stops driving to bring innovative ride solutions to the market. The revolutionary TIREMAAX® PRO is the only automatic tire inflation system available that manages trailer tire pressure by inflating low tires, relieving pressure from overinflated tires and equalizing pressure across all wheel positions. Proper tire inflation can yield savings in labor, fuel and tires. Can you afford not to spec TIREMAAX PRO? Letters The Business Magazine of Canada’s Trucking Industry NEWCOM BUSINESS MEDIA INC. 451 Attwell Dr., Toronto, ON M9W 5C4 416/614-2200 • 416/614-8861 (fax) VICE PRESIDENT, EDITORIAL Rolf Lockwood, MCILT [email protected] • 416/614-5825 EDITOR Peter Carter [email protected] • 416/614-5828 ASSOCIATE EDITOR Dave Nesseth [email protected] • 416/614-5813 CONTRIBUTORS: Steve Bouchard, Mike McCarron, Jim Park, Nicolas Trépanier DESIGN LAYOUT Tim Norton, Frank Scatozza [email protected] • 416/614-5810 PUBLISHER Joe Glionna [email protected] • 416/614-5805 NATIONAL ACCOUNTS MANAGER Heather Donnelly [email protected] • 416/614-5804 REGIONAL ACCOUNTS MANAGER Nickisha Rashid [email protected] • 416/614-5824 QUÉBEC SALES MANAGER Denis Arsenault [email protected] • 514/938-0639 PRESIDENT Jim Glionna CONTROLLER Anthony Evangelista PRODUCTION MANAGER Lilianna Kantor [email protected] • 416/614-5815 DIRECTOR OF CIRCULATION Pat Glionna 416/614-2200 • 416/614-8861 (fax) Today’s Trucking is published monthly by NEWCOM BUSINESS MEDIA INC., 451 Attwell Dr., Toronto, ON M9W 5C4. It is produced expressly for owners and/or operators of one or more straight trucks or tractor-trailers with gross weights of at least 19,500 pounds, and for truck/trailer dealers and heavy-duty parts distributors. Subscriptions are free to those who meet the criteria. For others: single-copy price: $5 plus applicable taxes; one-year subscription: $40 plus applicable taxes; one-year subscription in U.S.: $60 US; one-year subscription foreign: $90 US. Copyright 2016. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without prior written consent of the publisher. The advertiser agrees to protect the publisher against legal action based upon libelous or inaccurate statements, unauthorized use of photographs, or other material in connection with advertisements placed in Today’s Trucking. The publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising which in his opinion is misleading, scatological, or in poor taste. Postmaster: Address changes to Today’s Trucking, 451 Attwell Dr., Toronto, ON M9W 5C4. Postage paid Canadian Publications Mail Sales Agreement No.40063170. ISSN No. 0837-1512. Printed in Canada. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage. Kenneth R. Wilson Award Winner Member Canadian Business Press A Bridge Too Far Gone The following is an open letter to Ontario’s Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca from NDP MPP Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls), who is also the Transportation Critic. EMAIL: peter@ newcom.ca or Send a Letter to Newcom Business Media, 451 Attwell Dr., Toronto, ON M9W 5C4 Mr. Del Duca: I am writing this letter in the aftermath of the Nipigon River Bridge failure which occurred just two months after the construction of the bridge. As you know the failure of the bridge and ensuing delays caused a great deal of stress for Northern families, brought Canadian trucking to a halt and revealed serious safety concerns for Northern Ontarians who depend on that infrastructure. The bridge failure not only severed Western Canada from Eastern Canada but caused the delay of millions of dollars’ worth of economic activity which routinely crosses the bridge. More troubling than that is the fact that the failure has left Northern communities wondering whether or not the infrastructure they depend on is safe and reliable during Canadian winters. Coupled with the concerns over snow removal on the province’s highways, the Nipigon bridge failure follows an unnerving trend of failure to properly ensure that our Northern roadways are safe. Northern Ontarian families deserve to know if they can depend on their government to keep the roads they travel on safe for use. Following the revelation that the Nipigon Bridge will not be fully usable until the end of February it seems evident that there was no proper contingency plan which accounted for the importance of this roadway in the instance of such a failure. Minister, should the families of Northern Ontario expect any more structural failures on their vital roadways? Are there contingency plans in place to ensure that failures like the Nipigon Bridge do not happen again and that our economic activity and community safety is priority in Northern Ontario? Lastly, I would like to request that your office provide weekly progress reports to the people of Northern Ontario who depend on the Nipigon Bridge for their livelihoods and to be forthright and transparent should any new delays push back the projected repair completion date. Thank you for time and attention to this matter. — Wayne Gates, Niagara Falls Riding THIS JUST IN! Nominate Your Shop’s Lead Hand March 4 is the nomination deadline for the 2016 Canadian Fleet Maintenance Manager of the Year award. The 26th presentation of the award will take place on April 13 at the International Centre near Toronto Pearson International Airport during the Canadian Fleet Maintenance Summit. (The next day, April 14th, is the opening day of Truck World.) The nominated manager is selected based on criteria such as scheduled maintenance programs, in-house training initiatives and contributions to the industry and community in general. Those nominated must have their fleet located in Canada, at least 25 Class 8 vehicles in their fleet, and at least 80 percent of the fleet’s repairs must be done at its own facilities. Those nominated must also have a minimum of five years of fleet maintenance experience, three of which must be as a full-time fleet maintenance manager, superintendent or director. The award is presented by Volvo, but judging is independent of the company. To learn more, visit trucksummit.ca MARCH 2016 5 YOU MAY TAKE A BREAK. BUT YOUR DREAMS DON’T. Even on a coffee break, you’re dreaming up ways to grow your business. And you won’t rest until you do. Neither will we. That’s why Shell ROTELLA makes products that help your hard work go further. Shell ROTELLA T6 Full Synthetic Heavy Duty Engine Oil gives you improved protection in extreme temperatures, the engine cleanliness and wear protection you expect from Shell ROTELLA , and up to1.5% in fuel economy savings.* All to help your engine work sun up to sun down, and then some. So you can work harder to bring your dream closer. Find out more at www.shell.ca/rotella ® ® ® Shell ROTELLA® Available at THE SYNTHETIC ENGINE OIL THAT WORKS AS HARD AS YOU. *As demonstrated in 2009 on-the-road field testing in medium-duty trucks, highway cycles, compared to Shell ROTELLA® T Triple Protection® 15W-40. Editorial By Rolf Lockwood Uncooked Books Minute-my-minute management via ELDs means making use of every available hour. Is this really a good thing? E lectronic logging devices, as we now have them mandated in the U.S. starting next year, put me in a quandary. I don’t see the need for ELDs, but I can see benefits for larger fleets in making the back office much more efficient. And in further controlling drivers, if that’s how the relationship is to be seen. Proponents claim fuel savings, but there are other ways to reduce idling, speeding, and out-of-route miles. Small fleets will complain about the expense and yet another example of Big Brother ruling their businesses. Safety gains? Maybe some, but I maintain that the absurd one-size-fits-all nature of hours-of-service rules probably causes accidents because drivers are forced out of natural rhythms and sleep patterns. And don’t get me going about parking issues. I’d venture a guess that a bunch of HOS violations are the direct result of drivers being unable to find a safe and legal place to park for their mandated downtime. They drive and drive, maybe going over hours in the search. ELDs will simply make it worse. Yes, for drivers and owner-operators there will be a gain on the paperwork side with no logbooks to manage, but one cost will be a total absence of HOS flexibility. Which brings me to efficiency on the road. I call a loud and rowdy BS! when the boosters claim ELDs will improve productivity. Nonsense. If anything, in operational terms it will suffer, precisely because HOS rules will be managed by the minute. No big deal for the squeaky clean, ultra-compliant fleet, likely already using an on-board recording device or EOBR. Aside from the task of switching to ELD technology, those folks won’t burp. Drivers for such fleets appear to be at worst ambivalent about ELDs from what I can gather. But what about drivers who are used to being urged by dispatch to fudge their logbooks? Don’t try to tell me this happens rarely. Nor that it happens only in cowboy fleets. It happens even at reputable carriers with over-zealous dispatchers who, with only the customer top of mind, push drivers to do more than their hours allow or simply more than they’re able to do. As always, the law is one thing, company policy is another thing, but the relationship between driver and dispatcher is where reality happens. Happily, the new U.S. mandate ‘strictly’ prohibits using ELDs to harass drivers. A separate rulemaking further safeguards drivers from being coerced to violate safety regulations and provides the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) with the authority to take enforcement action not only against carriers, but also against shippers, receivers, and transportation intermediaries. We can thank the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association for that, resulting from a legal challenge that shut down the first onboard recorder proposal back in 2011. A U.S. Court of Appeals sent it back to the FMCSA for further work, specifically on the driver harassment issue. Even with that corrected, some observers fear that dispatchers will force drivers to use every available hour, since strict HOS compliance will be required. That’s 13 hours and that’s too much for most mortals, despite what the HOS regime would have you believe. How could anyone drive truck safely day after day at that pace? Veterans know when to shut down long before they’ve maxed out, and sensible dispatchers understand this. Newbies and yes-men don’t have that luxury, except for those with backbones. An ELD is very precise, automatically recording driving time down to the minute. It monitors engine hours, vehicle movement, miles driven, and location information. It will be hard, if not impossible, for a driver to fudge his hours. And that’s where productivity will be sacrificed. Take this example, a simple one as told to me by an Ontario owner-op who uses an onboard recorder... “The problems with the EOBR can occur when we’re held too long at U.S. Customs in Detroit for an inspection,” he says. “That’s when, if I can’t get far enough away from Detroit, a normally two-day trip to Indianapolis becomes a three-day trip. There’s where the lost productivity comes in.” To make it clear, Canadian drivers operating on American roads will have to comply too, but we have no ELD mandate in Canada yet. The federal government has however said it will introduce ELD regs aligned with the Americans sometime over the next two years. But again I ask: what on earth is the point of HOS rules in the first place and then ELDs if there’s nowhere to shut it down for 8 hours? TT The law is one thing but the relationship between driver and dispatcher is where reality happens. Rolf Lockwood is vice-president, editorial, at Newcom Business Media. You can reach him at 416-614-5825 or [email protected]. MARCH 2016 7 Gold Sponsors: Platinum Sponsor The Meeting Place For Canada’s Trucking Industry International Centre, Toronto, ON Thursday April 14 – 10:00 am to 6:00 pm Friday April 15 – 10:00 am to 6:00 pm Saturday April 16 – 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Z See more than 250,000 square feet of new trucks, trailers and equipment Z New Products Z Recruitment Pavilion Z Fleet Managers’ Breakfast Z Canadian Fleet Maintenance Summit www.truckworld.ca Endorsed by: Official Media: South Asian Partner: Nipigon Bridge Disaster. The “Crown Jewel.” You don’t say. It was supposed to last 100 years. So why did it last only 42 days? When it opened, the Ontario Liberal government said the spectacular new $100-million bridge spanning the Nipigon River was built to last a good 75 to 100 years. Would you believe 42 days? Ironic then, the local Liberal MPP for the area, Michael Gravelle, has been known to refer to the new bridge as the “crown jewel” of a highway twinning project, linking the communities of Nipigon and Thunder Bay. Maybe it’s because the bridge — known in the industry as a ‘cable-stayed’ bridge — is the most expensive in the entire province. Researchers are still trying to determine why bolts snapped, rendering the structure impassable from Sunday, January 10 to mid-day January 11. Even now, traffic is limited to single file, and although early reports say engineers hope to have traffic flow back to normal by March, nobody 10 TODAY’S TRUCKING has stated a firm re-opening schedule. Meantime, your trucks are slowed; the cost to the Canadian economy continues to soar; and Canadians get a daily reminder of just how fragile this country’s commercial transportation infrastructure really is. As ministry officials are investigating what caused the cables on the structure to tighten to the point that they broke bolts, another engineer, in fact a former truck driver turned engineer, has his own views on what he calls a bridge that is fundamentally flawed. And that cost five times what a perfectly safe structure should have. And broken bolts have nothing to do with it. Michael Hogan was a structural designer of the world’s first cable-stayed post-tensioned steel structure; the Baxter Labs headquarters in Deerfield, Ill. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in eight Canadian provinces, and a life member of Structural Engineers Association of Illinois. He shared the following with a publication called Wawa News and Today’s Trucking. “These bridge spans are far too short for a cable-stayed bridge design. Ironically, these bridge spans are far longer than need be,” says Hogan. “The cables close to the expansion joint are a serious mistake and unnecessary because there is a bridge abutment there. They magnify the temperature lift forces. “Why are they there? For looks?” “There is no method of keeping this bridge from lifting in the cold weather,” adds Hogan. “The longest cable, unrestrained, will contract three inches in a temperature change of 100 degrees F. Expansion joints are not tie-downs and they lifted two feet. “Regarding the failure, in addition to the two-foot lift, the expansion joint twisted. The north end lifted twice as much as the south end. This means the expansion joint unbuttoned — like ripping the buttons off a shirt from top to bottom. This puts tremendous loads on each bolt, progressively, one at a EMISSIONS — PG. 13 Canada Needs Own GHG Strategy INFRASTRUCTURE — PG. 14 Yay! No Tolls for New Brunswick IN MEMORIAM — PG. 16 Sledding Tragedy Claims Ice-Road Pioneer Architectural rendering of the Nipigon River Bridge. Image: MTO/MRC time. My very rough calculation suggests the 7/8-in. diameter bolts had a strength of about 40,000 lbs. each and the force created by the cold weather was approximately 600,000 lbs. or 15 times their capacity. “Media attention suggesting the cause of the failure was 40 defective anchor bolts is a red herring across the trail.” The Structural Design: Form follows Function? Not here! HOGAN: The bridge span that failed is only 113 meters, far too short for a cable-stayed bridge. The top 100 cablestayed bridge spans in the world are all over 400 meters in length. The economical design for this bridge span is a box girder or truss. The cost of the span goes up roughly by the square of the distance spanned. It was not necessary to span 113 meters. If you look at the old bridge or the train bridge beside the new structure, you’ll see much shorter spans. A rough rule of thumb is to put down as many piers as possible for economy. Our predecessor engineers did just that. The fundamental purpose of the cable stays is to replace piers and reduce spans. This principal was not applied here. Two or three cable stays would have been effective, but 11? Ridiculous! This makes the deck so light that it is no help in holding the bridge down when the weather gets cold and the cables shrink. So many cables close to the expansion joint greatly magnifies the temperature forces. Why is there a cable right over the expansion joint? There is a bridge abutment there to carry the end on the bridge (and hold it down). There isn’t an ill wind that doesn’t blow some good. Bad design detail resulted in a favorable result. HOGAN: The bridge spans are not symmetrical about the mast. West span is 113 meters and east span is 139 meters. The cables for the longer east span do not go to the expansion joint and so it was spared the humiliation of the west span. MARCH 2016 11 LIFE•CYCLE GET MORE MILES WITH GOODYEAR’S EXCLUSIVE UNICIRCLE® RETREADS Goodyear® can help extend the life cycle of your tires with innovative, spliceless UniCircle retreads. With retreads available in matching tread designs, you’ll get a repeat performance of the same great benefits of your original Fuel Max® or DuraSeal™ tires at a fraction of the cost. See how you can make Goodyear retreads part of your fleet’s total solution of products, services and fleet business solutions at goodyeartrucktires.ca. ©2016 Goodyear Canada Inc. All rights reserved. Dispatches Does economics mean anything? This bridge is five times the cost of a conventional design — before repairs! HOGAN: The cost of the cable stayed structure that I designed in Chicago was 10 times the cost of a conventional design. It was rationalized as a brand symbol. I conservatively estimate the cost of the Nipigon River Bridge to be five times the cost of a conventional design based on engineering principals used to design the bridges right beside it. Did anybody think of twinning the highway bridge beside it? HOGAN: Why did this design evolve this way? It comes down to the respective roles of architect and engineer. The architect defines it. The engineer makes it work. When it succeeds, the architect is a hero. When it fails, the engineer is to blame. EMISSIONS Canada Needs Own GHG Strategy The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) says that while it’s onside with the principles of the Phase II Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards, it doesn’t want Environment Canada to simply piggy back on the GHG plans of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In a whitepaper, the CTA notes that US fleets are often standardized around one configuration, whereas in Canada there are more nnovative multi-axle configurations, trailer body styles, and higher allowable weights. When payload is considered, the CTA says that the Canadian fleet is 22-percent more fuel efficient and produces 22-percent less GHGs than the US fleet, not to mention the effects of differences in climate. The Phase I standards introduced in 2013 covered tractors and engines from 2014 to 2018. Phase II will encompass the entire vehicle — tractor, engine and trailer. “Simply taking the U.S. rule and imposing it on the Canadian fleet would be at odds with the goal of reducing GHG emissions from the sector and would undercut Canada’s superior productivity and environmental advantages developed over the past 40 years,” CTA President David Bradley said in a statement. “It would force equipment on Canadian carriers that is potentially either unsuitable or untested for Canadian conditions and which could expose Canadian drivers to unsafe situations,” added Bradley. CTA is encouraging the introduction of a SMART Approach to the GHG regulation. TOTAL•SOLUTION HELP REDUCE YOUR OPERATING COSTS. Trusted Products Innovative Products For Any Fleet Application HR Making Them Stay Meeting drivers’ requests for time off can improve performance, bonus cash, and retention, a new Stay Metrics study has found. The University of Florida analyzed data on 682 drivers for 6,487 driver months. “We know at Stay Metrics that home time, or the lack thereof, is a predictor of driver turnover,” said Tim Hindes, Stay Metrics CEO. “What this new study shows is that now an argument can be made by fleet operators that home time has productivity and financial benefits as well.” The study modeled time-off requests that were met by the carrier each month to find the effects on three variables for desirable driver performance in the months that followed the requests: Bonus rate. The mean bonus rate for drivers in the study is 3.5 cents per mile. Drivers earned a monthly bonus that was calculated from their scores in four categories — compliance, vehicle care, fuel, and production. The model suggests that for each time off request met, their bonus rate increased nearly three percent the following month. Miles driven. On average, drivers had approximately 8,577 miles per month. For each time off request that was met, the model showed they traveled 218 more miles the following month than drivers who did not take time off. Using a rate of $2.00 per mile for revenue, MARCH 2016 13 Nationwide Dealer Network 2,300+ Dealers Ready To Help Your Fleets In North America Fleet Management Tools Fleet Dashboards With Tire And Retread Tracking To Help Manage Your Business Find Your Total Solution Help lower your fleet’s operating costs at goodyeartrucktires.ca. ©2016 Goodyear Canada Inc. All rights reserved. Dispatches each time off request met generated $536 more in revenue the following month than drivers who did not. Total bonus pay. This is the product of bonus rate and miles driven. The mean is US$344.66 per month and the analysis indicates drivers who took time off earned $17.85 more in bonus pay, per month, than drivers who did not take time off. This is an increase in bonus pay of more than five percent. INFRASTRUCTURE Yay! No Tolls for New Brunswick While the New Brunswick government increased its HST by two percent when it released its 2016 budget, the trucking industry breathed a sigh of relief that highway tolls have been avoided, at least for the moment. In response, the Atlantic Province Trucking Association (APTA) applauded ONE SOLUTION: 1.2 16 17 MILLION KM OR 5 YEAR WARRANTY SPEED DIRECT DRIVE AUTOMATED MANUAL TRANSMISSION % STEP BETWEEN GEARS FUEL EFFICIENCY COMFORT FATIGUE THE RESULT: © 2016 Eaton. All rights reserved. 14 TODAY’S TRUCKING the New Brunswick Legislature, noting that “consumers can’t afford both an HST hike and highway tolls at once.” The APTA had previously expressed frustration over the government’s failure to consult the trucking industry about implementing highway tolls. The association also warned tolls could have serious impacts on the 10s of thousands of New Brunswickers in trucking and the some $1.5 billion they contribute each year to the GDP. “Today’s decision means companies in both our sector and in all sectors in Atlantic Canada can be confident governments will listen to their advice about what works to bring more opportunity to the region,” said APTA Executive Director Jean-Marc Picard. “We know the province is facing financial challenges, but we also know that tolls would have made the economy less efficient and would have impacted not only the transportation sector but every consumer,” added Picard. SECURITY Risky Packages Escape Scrutiny A new report from Canada’s Auditor General has found that one in five high-risk shipments flagged by the Canada Border Services Agency is never inspected. Auditor General Michael Ferguson’s report notes that exports are vital to Canada’s economy and prosperity, but issues such as Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) staffing deficiencies and coverage during vacations and sick leaves are threatening border security. Ferguson found that CBSA also relies on export declarations as a key method for identifying high-risk shipments, but that the agency is often not able to review all declarations. Further complicating the issue is the fact that some exports are exempt from the ENGINEERED FOR FUEL EFFICIENCY ON CANADIAN ROADS. It knows the roads your trucks drive as well as you do. Built for Canadian applications (including LCV) with 80k-110k lbs GCW loads, the Eaton® UltraShift™ PLUS LSE has small ratio steps between all 16 gears to spend more time in the most fuel efficient RPM band, resulting in 2-4% better fuel economy. Gear changes are short and smooth for increased driver comfort and it’s based on Eaton’s proven 13- and 18-speed platform for enhanced resale value. All backed by the solutions, support and expertise of the Roadranger® network. Find your competitive edge at ultrashiftplus.com Because it’s not just a trailer. It’s an investment. At Stoughton, we pay attention to the little things while minimizing the cost of ownership so your operation will be more profitable and more productive. With continuous improvement of our processes, tools and equipment, along with our commitment to develop and train our workforce, we continue to be the highest quality trailer on the road. Whether you’re headed across town or across the country, get a good investment today. Call us at 877-776-5505 or visit us at www.StoughtonTrailers.com. In-House Leasing Available U.S.A. Owned & U.S.A. Made. Dispatches requirement to be declared to the agency, such as shipments under $2,000, and the agency has limited authority to examine undeclared exports. In a recommendation, Ferguson writes, “The Canada Border Services Agency should develop processes to assess risks, measure its effectiveness in acting on its priorities, and respond to priorities and targets identified through risk assessments by other government departments.” The report also found that 11 percent of exporters’ goods were detained for more than a week, creating a “major impact” on corporate operations. In 2014, Canada’s export of goods totalled $529 billion, making up 27 percent of Canada’s gross domestic product. INFINITE POSSIBILITIES FW35 – THE MOST VERSATILE AND PROVEN FIFTH WHEEL ON EARTH Durable cast steel FW35 Series fifth wheels offer fleets more features and options for more applications than any other fifth wheel in the industry. • Approved for moderate, standard and heavy-duty • FW31 NoLube™—the world’s only completely grease-free fifth wheel • Convenient and safe in-cab air release FW31 NoLube™ • Twin lock design—proven and trusted by fleets for over 60 years • Industry’s only Performance Guarantee of 6 years/600,000 miles Why would you spec any other fifth wheel? In-Cab Air Release www.safholland.ca 1.519.537.3494 Specify for Peak Performance 16 TODAY’S TRUCKING © 2015 SAF-HOLLAND, Inc. All rights reserved. IN MEMORIAM Sledding Tragedy Claims Ice-Road Pioneer A verifiable and credible ice-roadtrucking success story, Ricky Robinson, 55, was buried by an avalanche near McBride, B.C., while snowmobiling with friends on Jan. 29. Rescuers managed to dig Ricky out, but unfortunately it was too late. Robinson was one of three brothers who owned RTL Robinson Enterprises Ltd., based out of Yellowknife, NWT. RTL was the largest and most successful ice road trucking company in the world. Robinson, of Spruce Grove, AB, was one of five men killed in the avalanche. All were men from Alberta, ranging in age from 41 to 55. Robinson was never one to don a suit or sit at a desk. His years at RTL were in coveralls either fixing a truck or loading it. A hard-working, kind-hearted man, he was famous for helping those in need. The Robinson brothers sold RTL a few Ricky Robinson years back, and of late, Ricky and his wife Roxanne were enjoying travelling and spending time with family and friends. Robinson sadly leaves behind his wife Roxanne, daughter Brittney, and his granddaughter. I had the pleasure of working alongside Ricky for five years and he will be sadly missed by anyone he ever met. He was a big man with a giant heart. Rest in peace. The four other men were: Vincent Eugene Loewen, 52, of Vegreville, AB; Tony Christopher Greenwood, 41, of Grande Prairie County, AB; John Harold Garley, 49, of Stony Plain. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in Ricky’s memory to the SPCA of your choice or to the Alzheimer Society of Canada. — By Dave MacNevin Dispatches COMPLIANCE TRACTOR TRAILER COMBINATION FLEET GRAPHICS WINNER LAST YEAR: Voortman Cookies Limited (3M film, Turbo Images graphics) Alberta Finds New Rich Resource! You! Through social media, Alberta Commercial Vehicle Enforcement is warning drivers to not exceed bridge weight limits, or else they could find themselves in the same unenviable position as one driver who was recently fined more than $25,000 for travelling over the Oldman River Bridge on Highway 22. The bridge is currently undergoing repairs to one of its key weight-bearing components. Construction signs show that the allowable weight on the bridge is currently restricted to 10 Tonnes GVW for all vehicle combinations. The recently fined vehicle owner exceeded the bridge’s weight limit by a whopping 37,220 kg. For route planning considerations, a list of provincial construction projects through 2018, and a map of where they will be completed, Google Alberta Transportation Provincial Construction Program. DRIVERS B.C. Greenlights Military Training for Trucks, Too British Columbia is now allowing military personnel and retired veterans to transfer their truck driving credentials into commercial driving licenses without the need for additional testing. The Conference Board of Canada has estimated that Canada could experience a labor shortage of 25,000 to 33,000 trained and qualified truck drivers by 2020. This new initiative aims to address labor shortages in the commercial trucking industry while helping veterans transition into civilian life with more economic stability. Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, and recently Alberta, have made similar allowances for military drivers. “By transferring over commercial driving credentials from the military base to B.C. roads, this will save time and will cut unnecessary requalification processes for military personnel and retired veterans who already are fully trained in commercial driving,” said Coralee Oakes, Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction, in an announcement. This agreement will allow retired and active members with a Department of National Defence driver’s license to obtain an equivalent B.C. commercial license (class 1, 2, 3 or 4). This streamlined approach will allow applicants with prior DND credentials to drive semi-tractors, large trucks, buses and limousines. To further support military driver transition, BC will also issue class 5 or 7 passenger vehicle licences without additional testing to drivers with equivalent DND credentials. The agreement took effect Jan. 25, 2016. SECURITY Thefts Hit New Heights At least 10 reported incidents of North American cargo theft exceeded $1 million in 2015, according to new data released by CargoNet. In all, Canada and the U.S. combined for more than 1,500 incidents of cargo theft, ranging from heavy commercial vehicle theft to truck company identity theft. The data reveals that some 881 incidents were specifically associated with stolen cargo. Those thefts are estimated to be worth more than $175.3 million. Food and beverage cargo remains the top target for thieves, accounting for 28 percent of theft in 2015. Electronics comprised just 13 per cent of cargo thefts. FLEET GRAPHICS Get Your Glow On Are you proud of the way your trucks brighten up the truck stop yard? Want your graphics folks to get the recognition they deserve? Every year, the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada (PMTC) holds a Fleet Graphics contest and the results are always spectacular. Even better, the truck graphics contest is open to all fleets—private, dedicated or for-hire as the PMTC members. The winners are announced at the PMTC’s annual conference at Kingbridge Conference Centre in King City, ON., and the 2016 version will run June 16 and 17. In addition to the graphics showdown, the PMTC offers a host of other private-fleet competitions and operations seminars. Competition entry forms and information are available online at www.pmtc.ca. The deadline for all submissions is April 30, 2016. INNOVATION Who’s Surprised? Just Google it, and you’ll find that the world’s Internet search giant was awarded a patent on Feb. 9 for its self-driving delivery truck technology. The patent came less than a week after Google, now known corporately as Alphabet Inc., surpassed Apple to become the world’s biggest and most profitable company. The new patent, titled “Autonomous Delivery Platform,” is based on a self-driving truck that uses a kind of high school locker storage system for its cargo, which is locked up through pin pad codes. The patent suggests the locker could be unlocked by a customer’s credit card, or an NFC reader. MARCH 2016 17 For more than a century, Great Dane has delivered unparalleled Americanmade products. As the times have changed, our products have changed too, incorporating smarter technology, greater innovation and better customization. But running through every refrigerated and dry freight trailer, every flatbed and every truck body we make is one thing that will never change: our commitment to helping you get the job done. Let’s go. GreatDaneTrailers.com GREAT DANE AND THE OVAL ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF GREAT DANE LIMITED PARTNERSHIP Dispatches Trending What’s Tweetin’? 17,000 AND Counting Among the many reasons @todaystrucking has 17,000-plus followers? We can attend industry events while you’re busy working; we take notes and you check back later when you get a break. In January, @todaystrucking attended an HR Seminar seminar at the Toronto Trucking Association’s Monthly dinner, featuring labour lawyer Simon Heath and HR specialist Leona Wilson. Here’re some highlights. Heath: “Before you do any type of accommodation for any disability, make the employee prove with a doctor’s certificate that they need it.” Heath: “Be careful about disciplining weekend warriors.” Heath: “If employees breach the policies, discipline them so down the road another rule-breaker can’t cite the precedent.” Heath: “Science proves marijuana impairs your judgment, period.” Wilson: “Recruitment concerns: Beware small talk before interviews; don’t write notes on their resume; use the same questions for everyone.” Wilson: “If an applicant volunteers protected information, don’t discuss, don’t write it down or comment on it.” FOLLOW US @ todaystrucking on .com From Pete’s Blog & Grille Why Two Eds Are Better Than None Today’s Trucking Editor Carter’s blog Pete’s Blog&Grille was named a SILVER MEDALIST in the 2015 Canadian Online Publishing Awards. Here’s a recent taste: WWWW SILVER MEDAL – Blog – A long time ago, I told my university room-mate Vince about my role in my uncle Ed’s abrupt departure from BUSINESS DIVISION this world. When I finished, Vince–now a lawyer— Canadian Online Publishing Awards, 2015 said, “That’s probably why you’re so weird.” Ignore the “weird” comment for a moment. Until Vince’s remark, it never occurred to me that being in mid-conversation with Ed— who died instantly of a heart attack while joking with 12-year-old me and my 14-year-old brother Ed (his namesake) would have had any measurable or long-lasting effects. Last week, I learned differently. Ed was my father Tom’s slightly older brother. (Just like me and my brother Eddie.) In the late ’40s, Tom and Ed started a bus business in Sudbury, ON. They grew the company into a healthy enterprise, employing dozens of drivers and mechanics and assorted go-fers and providing livelihoods for 100s of Sudburians. My folks alone had 10 kids. That Tom and Ed ran lean and worked all the time is a sentence I don’t really need to write. Then, just when the company was facing one of its many huge crises, Ed That’s my father Tom on the left. His business came to visit our house on Eyre Street, partner/big brother Ed is standing between two other colleagues who I can’t recognize. which he did a lot. At one moment in the evening, Ed was in a big lazy-boy chair, my brother Eddie was sitting on the floor across the room holding his guitar and I was sort of half kneeling beside Ed’s lazy-boy. We were the only three in the room. Uncle Ed asked Eddie to play a tune. My brother had some typically self-effacing comment like, “Nah, I’ll get in trouble, nobody wants to hear my guitar.” Ed’s response—which turned out to be the last thing he ever said—was one of encouragement. Along the lines of “No Ed. Tonight we want you to play.” To read the rest, check www.todaystrucking.com and type “Why Two Eds Are Better Than None” in the search window. For more on Pete’s Blog&Grille visit www.todaystrucking.com MARCH 2016 19 Dispatches Heard on the Street Morneau Looks North Morneau Sego has appointed Sabrina Lévesque general manager with a focus on the company’s services in the Far North. Lévesque will primarily manage the Far North’s administrative and operational teams, optimize related processes and ensure long-term development of the company’s Far North services. Three-Million-Mile Man Roger Maltman of Winnipeg is Bison Transport’s first driver to complete three million consecutive accident-free miles. Maltman has been with Bison since 1994 and reached the milestone on his way to Calgary in late January. Maltman drove 1.8 million of his safe miles as part of Bison’s long combination vehicle (LCV) network. Maltman’s advice for less-experienced drivers hoping to one day reach similar milestones: stay focused on the moment and remain aware of your surroundings. “You always have to concentrate on the next mile,” he said. “You have to know your equipment, always be paying attention to traffic and using clues to anticipate what might happen next on the road.” Roger Maltman Not Going to Kentucky; Not Going to the Fair Cummins Inc. is following the lead of all four major North American truck makers by withdrawing from the annual Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) in Louisville, KY. Cummins and the truck manufacturers have suggested that they intend to participate in the MATS show on a biennial basis. Daimler was the first to announce its intentions to pass on 2016, and Volvo, Mack, Peterbilt, Kenworth, and International later followed. MATS runs from March 31 to April 2 at the Kentucky Exposition Center. Maritime Truckers Celebrate Great Driving The Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association (APTA) is seeking nominations for its new Truck Driver of the Month accolade. Winners will be announced on the last Friday of each month. Canada Cartage Ups Winnipeg Presence Canada Cartage has moved to the 20,000-acre industrial zone in Winnipeg called Centreport Canada, a crossdocking and warehousing facility that deems itself North America’s largest inland port. “With terminals in most major centers, from British Columbia through Quebec, we recognized the advantages of centralizing operations at CentrePort. This is a significant investment in CentrePort and the community at large,” said Tyler Paquin, VP of shared services at Canada Cartage. V Editorial Upgrade Dave Nesseth — Associate Editor — [email protected] 416-614-5813 20 TODAY’S TRUCKING Dave Nesseth is the new Editor of www.todaystrucking.com and the new Associate Editor of Today’s Trucking. Nesseth comes to Today’s Trucking with a wealth of experience. He started his journalism career eight years ago by covering city hall and the criminal justice system for daily newspapers in Ontario. In recent years, he switched over to the magazine industry with a focus on the environment and environmental legislation in Canada. Most recently, he was editor of Solid Waste and Recycling magazine, previously based in Toronto. Dave lives in Toronto with his wife Megan and daughter Penelope. A new day is dawning. Simply meeting expectations is not enough. At Volvo Trucks, we insist on driving progress. Find out more march 21st Volvo Trucks. Driving Progress Dispatches logbook2016 April 14 -16, 2016 www.truckworld.ca March 1-4 SPECIALIZED TRANSPORTATION SYMPOSIUM Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association The Peabody, Memphis, TN www.scranet.org INTERNATIONAL CENTER - Toronto, ON CONTACT: Joan Wilson 416-614-5817 or [email protected] 2-4 THE WORK TRUCK SHOW NTEA Indiana Convention Center Indianapolis, IN www.ntea.com 6-9 ANNUAL CONVENTION Truckload Carriers Association Wynn Las Vegas Resort Las Vegas, NV www.truckload.org 20 - 22 SPRING BOARD MEETING Canadian Trucking Alliance The Scottsdale Plaza Resort Scottsdale, AZ www.cantruck.ca March 31 - April 2 MID-AMERICA TRUCKING SHOW Kentucky Exposition Center Louisville, KY www.truckingshow.com April 8 ANNUAL MEETING Manitoba Trucking Association www.trucking.mb.ca 22 TODAY’S TRUCKING PRODUCED BY: 24 - 26 29 - 30 68TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE National Tank Truck Carriers Marriott Marquis San Diego, CA www.tanktruck.org ANNUAL CONFERENCE Alberta Motor Transport Association Rimrock Hotel, Banff, AB www.amta.ca 24 - 26 MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION National Private Truck Council Cincinnati, OH www.nptc.org 24 - 26 WORKSHOP Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) Sheraton Grand Hotel Chicago, IL www.cvsa.org 26 - 30 ANNUAL CONFERENCE Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek Orlando, FL www.scranet.org May 2 ADVANCED CLEAN TRANSPORTATION EXPO Long Beach Convention Center Long Beach, FL www.actexpo.com Get in the Game! Do you have an event you’d like to see listed on this calendar or on the interactive www.todaystrucking.com online calendar? Contact Nickisha Rashid at [email protected] or 416-614-5824 Dispatches December 2015 Eastern Canada 17.58% 16.70% 3,000 International 215 4,183 4,017 17.21% 13.63% 2,500 Mack 211 2,184 2,183 Peterbilt 206 3,168 0 4,837 Freightliner * Western Star * TOTAL 0 1,136 8.99% 7.41% 2,000 3,890 13.03% 13.20% 1,500 7,450 19.90% 25.27% 1,000 2,507 4.67% 8.50% 1,389 24,304 29,480 100% 100% www.easterncanada.cummins.com www.westerncanada.cummins.com • Wholesale parts distribution • Retail parts sales • Engine and power generation equipment sales • Maintenance & Repair 500 0 12-month Class-8 Sales 42 539 569 16.95% 17.55% International 34 808 745 25.41% 22.97% Freightliner * 0 612 867 19.25% 26.73% TOTAL 195 3,180 3,243 100% 100% 150 U.S. – Retail Truck Sales CLASS 8 0 12-month Class-7 Sales 0 3 0.00% 0.35% 55 936 852 100% 100% TOTAL CLASS 5 This Month YTD ’15 YTD ’14 Share ’15 Share ’14 Hino 81 1,086 984 82.65% 65.95% International 6 146 364 11.11% 24.40% Freightliner * 0 19 17 1.45% 1.14% Kenworth 0 7 16 0.53% 1.07% Peterbilt 0 0 1 0.00% 0.07% Mitsubishi Fuso * 0 56 110 4.26% 7.37% TOTAL 87 1,314 1,492 100% 100% December 2015 0 12-month Class-6 Sales 300 200 100 95,360 38.92% Volvo 3,394 30,930 12.63% Kenworth 3,019 36,194 14.77% Peterbilt 2,419 28,909 11.80% Mack 2,350 19,826 8.09% International 2,166 28,840 11.77% 576 4,854 1.98% 3 72 0.03% 20,773 244,985 100% Western Star Other 0 0 12-month Class-5 Sales YTD ’15 Share ’15 6,846 TOTAL November 2015 December 2015 Peterbilt 100 October 2015 November 2015 31.73% 36.62% October 2015 312 July 2015 297 August 2015 Sept. 2015 0 July 2015 Freightliner * August 2015 September 2015 25.96% 22.77% May 2015 194 June 2015 243 May 2015 13 June 2015 International 200 Mar. 2015 42.20% 40.26% April 2015 343 April 2015 395 March 2015 42 January 2015 February 2015 Hino January 2015 Feb. 2015 CLASS 6 This Month YTD ’15 YTD ’14 Share ’15 Share ’14 Dec. 2015 Freightliner 26,000 25,000 24,000 23,000 22,000 21,000 20,000 19,000 18,000 17,000 16,000 15,000 14,000 13,000 12,000 11,000 Mar. 2015 Kenworth 300 January 2015 February 2015 17.99% 18.62% December 2015 604 October 2015 November 2015 572 Sept. 2015 45 August 2015 Peterbilt 450 July 2015 20.41% 14.12% May ’15 458 June 2015 649 Mar.’15 Apr.’15 74 Feb.’15 Hino January 2015 CLASS 7 This Month YTD ’15 YTD ’14 Share ’15 Share ’14 October 2015 November 2015 Dec. 2015 4,923 June 2015 July 2015 August 2015 September 2015 4,272 April 2015 282 November 2015 December 2015 3,500 Kenworth Sept. 2015 18.61% 15.30% October 2015 4,510 August 2015 4,524 May 2015 June 2015 July 2015 475 Mar.’15 April 2015 Volvo Trucks January 2015 February 2015 CLASS 8 This Month YTD ’15 YTD ’14 Share ’15 Share ’14 May 2015 Canada – Truck Sales Index 12-month Class-8 Sales, United States Canada – Provincial Sales (Class 8) CLASS 8 Volvo Trucks Kenworth International Mack Peterbilt Freightliner * Western Star * TOTAL YTD 2015 BC AB SK MB ON QC NB NS PE NL CDA 35 21 9 10 21 0 0 96 2404 29 38 21 17 32 0 0 137 3405 5 36 6 15 8 0 0 70 932 28 0 3 17 29 0 0 77 1503 267 93 110 97 61 0 0 628 10,092 99 69 28 37 30 0 0 263 4414 5 25 18 13 25 0 0 86 988 3 0 14 4 0 0 0 21 392 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 6 93 4 0 0 1 0 0 0 5 82 475 282 215 211 206 0 0 1,389 24,304 Sources: Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association and Ward’s Communication. * December Canadian sales figures for Freightliner Trucks, Mitsubishi Fuso and Western Star were unavailable at press time. MARCH 2016 23 MANAC CONTINUES ITS PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE PROUDLY MADE IN CANADA, FOR CANADIANS VISIT THE MANAC TEAM AND OUR NEW PRODUCTS AT TRUCK WORLD 2016, BOOTH 2704 APRIL 14 - 16 INTL CTR, TORONTO 6DOHV2IILFHV 0RQWUHDO 2QWDULR :HVWHUQ&DQDGD www.manac.ca IDFHERRNFRPPDQDFLQF Open Mike Growing the Customer Garden By Mike McCarron C ompanies are no different from the plants in your garden. Once you stop feeding them they stop growing and slowly wilt away to nothing. When it comes to tending a garden of customers, big fleets have a real advantage. They have the experienced sales leadership to keep accounts watered and fed. They have the financial resources to buy the patience needed to reap the benefits of an investment in the sales department. Finally, their scale gives them the capital to take a risk to grow through acquisitions. Unless your head’s been buried in the garden sand you’ve seen the big dogs gobbling up smaller competitors. They can afford to take chances that smaller fleets can’t. One of the challenges facing smaller fleets is that they are run by ex-drivers who years ago moved from driving a truck to driving the company. Very few like or understand what it takes to cultivate a book of business. They’d rather spend time fixing a Class B than figuring out how to fill the trailer it’s pulling. It’s hard to grow when sales is not part of the company culture. As discussed in my last column, hiring an experienced sales rep is rarely the best option for these fleets. The math doesn’t add up and usually the business that a rep promises to bring is more manure than fertilizer. And do you really want to hire someone who is bragging about how they’re going to screw their current employer? Growth isn’t an option, it’s a necessity. Here are some things I would consider when looking for ways to tend a healthy garden of customers. Dust Off the Business Cards Growth begins and ends with the company owner. Owners need to own every customer relationship and treat it with the commitment that comes when the family home is securing the operating line. Your owner may despise the sales process but even he can’t deny that customers love dealing with the boss. It makes them feel important and they’ll appreciate the fact that the owner is tending to their business. I guarantee you, more business will follow. Cold Calling Not Required There isn’t a sales rep on the planet who enjoys cold calling. Phoning 60 people a day to beg for a 30-minute meeting is no fun. Cold calling today is as modern as using a horse to plough a field. Any business can generate beaucoup sales leads through the rates desk, website hits, and shipper/ consignees data. Owners and sales reps just need to learn how to cultivate the data to put more prospects in the sales funnel. More prospects in the funnel will produce a more bountiful harvest any day of the week. Smart Phones Not Cell Phones When you send your kids an email do they respond? What about when you send them a text message? Today’s younger and smarter generation of buyers is no different. They communicate instantaneously and on the go. Ditch the 7-lb BlackBerry. Today’s world rolls in 140 characters. So should you. World’s Most Accurate Rolodex Twitter is not for blurting out what you had for lunch. Facebook is not for kids. Pinterest is not a sewing club. You don’t have to be an expert on every social media platform but you do need a basic understanding to have any chance of connecting with today’s customers. People use social media because they want to be found. It’s the world’s best Rolodex. Think about the last time you tried to reach that loyal old shipper who moved on to greener pastures years ago. Your contact info is stale but what about LinkedIn? Fire off a request to connect and send a message — LinkedIn is a great way to keep up with your contacts’ professional lives and stay in touch. If getting the boss on the road isn’t an option, it’s not the end of the world. There are other ways to grow your business. Future columns will deal other ways to keep the garden growing including falling in love with freight brokers and diversification. Speaking of diversification, if you’re interested in growing your garden you might consider planting some weed. Understand Pierre, Jr., wants to legalize it. Just saying! TT Mike McCarron is the president of Left Lane Associates, a firm that prepares companies to maximize their value in advance of a sale. A 30-year industry veteran, Mike founded MSM Transportation which he sold in 2012. He can be reached at [email protected], 416-931-7212, or @AceMcC on Twitter. MARCH 2016 25 TRUCK MONTH OF THE CLUB ELI’S COMIN’ “I recently got a phone call from the owner of a small company. He asked where I worked, and after I mentioned the name [Bruce Tait Construction], he says, ‘I know who that is; he’s the one with all the good-looking trucks up there in Sudbury.’” That from Eli Pitawanakwat, who with his canine co-pilot Fred, works this 2007 Mack CL700 with a 565 Cummins, 18-speed, pulling a float and live bottom trailer. The truck’s most important spec, though, is Pitawanakwat behind the wheel. Born and raised on the Wikwemikong Native Reserve on Manitoulin Island and featured in Today’s Trucking’s annual “20 Under 40” feature, Pitawanakwat spends much of his free time cleaning and polishing the rig. “I used to get ridiculed for my obsession with trucks. When I was a kid, I was all about trucks, 24/7; still am to this day. I get up every day and get to drive a truck. I’m living my dream.” DO YOU HAVE A TRUCK THAT DESERVES TO BE IMMORTALIZED? WE WANT TO KNOW ABOUT IT. ³ 26 TODAY’S TRUCKING Canine co-pilot Fred PHOTO: Arielle Hall Send your ideas or photos to [email protected] or Today’s Trucking Magazine, 451 Attwell Drive, Toronto, ON. M9W 5C4 MARCH 2016 27 You don’t have time for surprises, so GuardDog® Connect provides 24/7 proactive monitoring of your truck. When it detects a problem, a OneCall® agent connects you with our coast-to-coast dealer and repair network to quickly get you back on the road. And our fleet management tools further enhance operational performance, reduce cost and increase safety. Because with Mack, it’s always all systems go. MackTrucks.com Top 100 CANADA’S Presenting the annual guide to Canada’s largest for-hire carriers. It’s not just a picture of how big the fleets are; it’s a snapshot of the economy. — By Today’s Trucking Staff If the oil-patch debacle of the last few months has re-arranged Canada’s list of “have” provinces and “have-not” provinces, you wouldn’t know it by looking at the country’s biggest truckers. Yet. Of course sitting atop the Top 100 list for a decade now has been Montreal-based TransForce, and while it has grown its fleet over the past year, it has re-engineered its operations and streamlined staff size by almost 10,000, dropping from 24,810 to 15,940. But the west is still home to the largest chunk of big fleets, led by Mullen, TransX, Bison, and Trimac. In fact, in a time when the Federal Government is considering accelerating transfer payments to a cash-strapped Alberta government, because of very clever planning and astute resource management, Mullen, Bison, Trimac and TransX all report growth year over year. However, don’t expect that to continue. As Murray Mullen said late last year, Mullen Group has slashed the company’s capital spending budget for next year, due in large part to the steep decline in oil and gas prices and activity. And even though Trimac grew and showed a profit, a statement from the company revealed it’s more a matter of good strategizing than it is more freight being carried. “This increase in earnings was the result of lower administration costs, reduced capital expenditures resulting in lower depreciation expense, and lower long-term debt balances resulting in lower interest costs,” Trimac said. Western Canadian pencils will be the sharpest in the land over the next 12 months. Going forward, economists expect the economic engine of the country to shift back towards Ontario and British Columbia. And in Ontario, in particular, some of the up-and-comers on the Top 100 list grew almost exponentially over the last year. After a spate of purchases in the past 12 months, both Titanium Transportation Group Inc., and Kriska vaulted up the top 100 list. Consolidated FastFrate Woodbridge, ON, jumped from 94th place to 41st. The Prescott, ON.-based Kriska moved from number 26 to number 15 and the publicly traded Titanium, which was only launched five years ago after a financial injection from the huge real estate and home-materials builder the ZZen Group, is now the 29th biggest carrier on the list. Who would have predicted that? Then again, who could predicted that economists are seriously thinking about less-than-zero interest rates and a barrel of Alberta oil sells for less than the price of a bottle of cheap Scotch? As the Nobel Laureate physicist Nils Bohr said, “Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future.” — Nils Bohr, Nobel laureate in Physics MARCH 2016 29 Our annual survey of Canada’s largest for-hire fleets 2014 6 CANADA’S TOP 100 Rank (2015) Company Name, City, Province Total Trucks Tractors Trailers O/O’s Employees 1 (1) TransForce Inc., Saint-Laurent, PQ ** 33,720 N/A 15,630 18,090 9580 15,940 2 (2) Mullen Group Ltd., Okotoks, AB 13,645 1504 3183 8958 1137 4410 3 (3) TransX Ltd., Winnipeg, MB 6416 84 1577 4755 915 2449 4 (5) Bison Transport Inc., Winnipeg, MB 5965 20 1595 4350 660 2600 5 (12) Trimac Transportation Services LP, Calgary, AB 5933 0 1327 4606 776 2069 6 (4) Day & Ross Transportation Group, Hartland, NB * 5661 507 1668 3486 3776 1562 7 (9) Challenger Motor Freight Inc., Cambridge, ON 4900 100 1500 3300 160 2000 8 (6) Canada Cartage, Mississauga, ON 4883 312 2043 2528 692 2961 9 (7) Armour Transportation Systems, Moncton, NB 4800 150 950 3700 25 2000 10 (8) Groupe Robert, Rougemont, PQ 4400 0 1100 3300 0 3950 11 (10) Manitoulin Transport Group, Gore Bay, ON 4172 286 907 2979 329 0 12 (11) SLH Transport, Kingston, ON 3351 1 350 3000 350 750 13 (13) UPS Canada, Burlington, ON * 2992 2571 142 279 0 10,231 14 (16) Westcan Bulk Transport, Edmonton, AB 2723 67 709 1947 220 901 15 (26) Kriska Transportation Group Limited, Prescott, ON 2595 0 645 1950 225 900 16 (15) Transfreight, Inc., Kitchener, ON * 2500 0 400 2100 0 1100 17 (17) Siemens Transportation Group, Saskatoon, SK 2174 82 545 1547 139 1415 18 (18) H&R Transport Limited, Calgary, AB 2172 0 553 1619 225 920 19 (25) Erb Group of Companies, New Hamburg, ON 2000 190 560 1250 131 1325 20 (21) Rosedale Group, Mississauga, ON 1949 56 483 1410 98 855 21 (22) M-O Freightworks, Brampton, ON 1948 102 411 1435 513 253 22 (14) Gibson Energy ULC, Calgary, AB 1933 141 516 1276 326 354 23 (20) Hyndman Transport, Wroxeter, ON 1930 0 430 1500 70 550 24 (24) Purolator, Mississauga, ON 1920 170 460 1290 13 12,000 25 (29) Rosenau Transport, Edmonton, AB 1775 90 345 1340 75 650 26 (27) International Truckload Services, Belleville, ON 1721 6 390 1325 205 625 27 (28) B&R-Eckel’s Transport Ltd., Bonnyville, AB 1704 197 282 1225 15 450 28 (23) C.A.T./Canadian American Trans., Coteau du Lac, PQ 1700 0 350 1350 45 450 29 (N/A) Titanium Transportation Group Inc., Woodbridge, ON 1651 1 450 1200 252 550 30 (30) Verspeeten Cartage, Ingersoll, ON 1641 0 354 1287 283 358 31 (19) SGT 2000, St-Germain-de-Grantham, PQ 1625 0 275 1350 10 375 32 (31) Simard Transport Ltd., Lachine, PQ 1608 73 445 1090 222 902 33 (32) YRC Reimer, Winnipeg, MB * 1530 35 460 1035 160 1261 34 (33) Schneider National Carriers Canadian Division, Aberfoyle, ON * 1490 0 390 1100 40 408 30 TODAY’S TRUCKING and strong, like a © 2016 Utilit y Tr a iler Ma nufac tur ing Co. Designed light From the exterior skin to every detail that’s inside, under and above, a Utility 3000R refrigerated van is an on-going commercial commentary on how a company can rise above when it’s committed to making the most innovative, light weight and durable trailers available in the marketplace. Learn more at utilitytrailer.com © 2016 , Inc. All rights reserved. All marks are trademarks of their respective owners. INTRODUCING THE NEW INTERNATIONAL® HX™ SERIES. DESIGNED TO OUTWORK AND OUTLAST. You need more than a truck that’s capable of doing its job. You need it to overperform, week after week, year after year. That’s why we designed the HX Series with the strongest single rail in its class — a 3.5 million RBM rating — a best-in-class steering system and a 150,000-lb front tow pin. So when the others are begging for a break, the HX Series steps up and asks for more. ca.InternationalTrucks.com/HXSeries 2014 6 CANADA’S TOP 100 Rank (2015) Company Name, City, Province Total Trucks Tractors Trailers O/O’s Employees 35 (34) Gibson Transport, Alliston, ON * 1487 0 255 1232 26 433 36 (36) Groupe Guilbault, Ste-Foy, PQ 1469 4 302 1163 53 638 37 (39) Western Canada Express, Concord, ON 1420 25 420 975 295 260 38 (35) XTL Transport Inc., Etobicoke, ON 1408 0 275 1133 95 495 39 (40) Caravan Logistics Inc., Oakville, ON 1390 8 325 1057 112 365 40 (37) Normandin Transit Inc., Napierville, PQ 1386 1 340 1045 30 558 41 (94) Consolidated FastFrate, Woodbridge, ON 1305 20 320 965 301 683 42 (41) Speedy Transport Group, Inc., Brampton, ON 1240 300 240 700 300 310 43 (63) Arrow Transportation Systems Inc., Richmond, BC 1121 72 353 696 245 651 44 (44) Q-Line Trucking Ltd., Saskatoon, SK 1046 34 172 840 212 330 45 (N/A) Landtran Systems Inc., Edmonton, AB 1041 42 361 638 173 512 46 (50) V.A. Inc., Boucherville, PQ 1015 11 186 818 0 450 47 (46) Groupe Boutin, Plessisville, PQ 980 13 276 691 7 537 48 (43) Caron Transportation Systems, Sherwood Park, AB 938 25 287 626 12 394 49 (47) Calyx Transportation Group Inc., Brampton, ON 925 10 165 750 80 407 50 (48) Penner International, Steinbach, MB 920 0 45 875 315 98 51 (49) Wilson’s Truck Lines, Etobicoke, ON 915 0 215 700 150 296 52 (53) AYR Motor Express Inc., Woodstock, NB 894 0 194 700 52 438 53 (51) Travelers Transportation Services, Brampton, ON 890 3 237 650 14 225 54 (60) Thomson Terminals, Etobicoke, ON 890 3 155 732 1 400 55 (52) Musket Melburne, Mississauga, ON 885 0 225 660 115 320 56 (45) DCT Chambers Trucking, Vernon, BC 869 28 350 491 45 201 57 (54) Sokil Transportation Group, Edmonton, AB 865 80 165 620 0 280 58 (55) Team-Transport Services Ltd, Richmond, BC * 859 0 48 811 48 11 59 (57) Shadow Lines Transportation Group, Langley, BC 846 3 182 661 178 62 60 (58) Bruce R. Smith Limited, Simcoe, ON * 840 0 205 635 36 250 61 (59) Meyers Transportation Services, Peterborough, ON 829 7 122 700 54 302 62 (56) Paul’s Hauling Ltd., Winnipeg, MB 823 10 223 590 1 280 63 (61) Cascades Logistique et Transport, Kingsley Falls, PQ 800 0 160 640 0 350 64 (62) HBC Logistics, Brampton, ON 755 0 38 717 0 225 65 (81) Transport St-Michel, St-Michel, PQ 734 7 167 560 29 242 66 (64) Les services logistiques Trans West Inc., Lachine, PQ 715 0 210 505 90 550 67 (66) Andy Transport, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, PQ 705 0 255 450 77 300 68 (65) Wolverine Freight System, Windsor, ON 692 2 140 550 65 220 69 (42) Northern Industrial Carriers, Edmonton, AB 685 5 80 600 6 100 70 (67) Transport Bourassa Inc., St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, PQ 662 1 180 481 1 400 71 (N/A) Falcon Motor Express Ltd., Caledon, ON 662 2 210 450 60 340 72 (83) Easson’s Transport Limited, Kentville, NS 650 0 300 350 20 500 73 (68) Arnold Bros. Transport Ltd., Winnipeg, MB 648 15 205 428 99 208 MARCH 2016 33 2014 6 CANADA’S TOP 100 Rank (2015) Company Name, City, Province Total Trucks Tractors Trailers O/O’s Employees 74 (70) McKevitt Trucking, Thunder Bay, ON 628 3 175 450 25 260 75 (72) Transport Herve Lemieux, Saint-Laurent, PQ 625 42 268 315 29 437 76 (71) System 55 Transport, Oakville, ON * 614 4 134 476 53 98 77 (76) Transport TYT, Drummondville, PQ 550 0 100 450 40 225 78 (73) Doug Coleman Trucking Ltd., London, ON 547 39 143 365 12 350 79 (74) Groupe Jules Savard, Jonquiere, PQ 540 0 160 380 1 300 80 (91) Fleetway Transport, Brantford, ON 490 104 89 297 10 105 81 (80) Transport Bourret Inc., Drummondville, PQ 488 10 154 324 9 441 82 (85) Chester Cartage Ltd., Toronto, ON 465 50 65 350 0 115 83 (79) Samuel Son and Company Ltd., Mississauga, ON 445 10 160 275 135 0 84 (93) Transport Gilmyr Inc., Montmagny, PQ 442 0 122 320 22 263 85 (82) Fluke Transport, Hamilton, ON 432 12 110 310 62 130 86 (84) Groupe Goyette, Saint-Hyacinthe, PQ 428 0 50 378 45 159 87 (92) Transport Bessette et Bourdreau Inc., Saint-Hyacinthe, PQ 428 2 141 285 2 202 88 (77) BLM Group, Kitchener, ON 420 0 120 300 5 180 89 (98) TransPro Freight Sysems Inc., Milton, ON 410 0 110 300 80 80 90 (97) Tandet Dedicated Logistics, Oakville, ON 408 6 107 295 60 162 91 (86) Transport Bernières Inc., Decary, PQ 395 0 100 295 0 225 92 (87) Accord Transportation Ltd., Surrey, BC 393 2 29 362 155 61 93 (90) APPS Transport Group, Mississauga, ON 392 17 75 300 40 250 94 (88) TVM Limited, Cottam, ON * 386 0 151 235 139 42 95 (89) Empire Transportation, Grimsby, ON * 386 0 65 321 0 80 96 (96) Total Logistics Trucking, Vaudreuil, PQ 382 2 30 350 85 250 97 (55) T.E.A.M.S. Transport, Winnipeg , MB 333 0 103 230 0 0 98 (N/A) Vitesse Trucking Services Inc., Lachine, PQ 332 0 91 241 16 152 99 (100) Transport Matte Limited, Donnacona, PQ 327 1 116 210 0 130 100 (99) Gosselin Express, Thetford Mines, PQ 319 9 60 250 2 110 189,939 7700 26,091 95,952 GRAND TOTAL 52,962 129,277 FOOTNOTE: nr = not previously ranked. * Statistics unavailable for 2016 survey. Asterisk donates 2015 survey results. ** TransForce did not separate straight trucks from tractors for the purposes of counting. HOW WE DID IT 1. Companies are ranked based on total vehicle counts, including power units and trailers, as reported in January, 2016. Only trucks of class 6 or above are enumerated unless otherwise noted. Vehicles and employees based in the United States are included provided they are administered from a Canadian head office. 2. Most of the statistics were entered into the Today’s Trucking data base by representatives of the companies themselves. The remaining companies and additions were gathered by Today’s Trucking editors via phone, email or fax. While we strive to present accurate figures, the statistics have not been independently verified. 3. Several large fleets do not respond to our requests for information. These include Irving Transportation Services (comprising Midland Transport, Sunbury Transport and RST Industries based in New Brunswick). As well, the Canadian operation of Federal Express is not on the list. 4. If you have any enquiries or if you think your company should be on next year’s list, please contact Peter Carter at 416-614-5828 or [email protected] MARCH 2016 35 ANDROID SYSTEM DRIVER APPLICATIONS VIDEO INTELLIGENCE CLOUD CONNECTIVITY Company Directory Company Name A Accord Transportation Ltd. Andy Transport APPS Transport Group Armour Transportation Systems Arnold Bros. Transport Ltd. Arrow Transportation Systems Inc. AYR Motor Express Inc. B B&R-Eckel’s Transport Ltd. Bison Transport Inc. BLM Group Bruce R. Smith Limited * C C.A.T./Canadian American Trans. Calyx Transportation Group Inc. Canada Cartage Caravan Logistics Inc. Caron Transportation Systems Cascades Logistique et Transport Challenger Motor Freight Inc. Chester Cartage Ltd. Consolidated FastFrate D Day & Ross Transportation Group * DCT Chambers Trucking Doug Coleman Trucking Ltd. E Easson’s Transport Limited Empire Transportation * Erb Group of Companies F Falcon Motor Express Ltd. Fleetway Transport Fluke Transport G Gibson Energy ULC Gibson Transport * Gosselin Express Groupe Boutin Groupe Goyette Groupe Guilbault Groupe Jules Savard Groupe Robert H H&R Transport Limited HBC Logistics Hyndman Transport I International Truckload Services K Kriska Transportation Group Limited L Landtran Systems Inc. Les services logistiques Trans West Inc. M M-O Freightworks Manitoulin Transport Group McKevitt Trucking Meyers Transportation Services Mullen Group Ltd. Musket Melburne 2014 6 CANADA’S TOP 100 Rank (’15) Total Units 92 (87) 67 (66) 93 (90) 9 (7) 73 (68) 43 (63) 52 (53) 393 705 392 4800 648 1121 894 27 (28) 4 (5) 88 (77) 60 (58) 1704 5965 420 840 28 (23) 49 (47) 8 (6) 39 (40) 48 (43) 63 (61) 7 (9) 82 (85) 41 (94) 1700 925 4883 1390 938 800 4900 465 1305 6 (4) 56 (45) 78 (73) 5661 869 547 72 (83) 95 (89) 19 (25) 650 386 2000 71 (N/A) 80 (91) 85 (82) 662 490 432 22 (14) 35 (34) 100 (99) 47 (46) 86 (84) 36 (36) 79 (74) 10 (8) 1933 1487 319 980 428 1469 540 4400 18 (18) 64 (62) 23 (20) 2172 755 1930 26 (27) 1721 15 (26) 2595 45 (N/A) 66 (64) 1041 715 21 (22) 11 (10) 74 (70) 61 (59) 2 (2) 55 (52) 1948 4172 628 829 13,645 885 Company Name Rank (’15) N Normandin Transit Inc. 40 (37) Northern Industrial Carriers 69 (42) O Paul’s Hauling Ltd. 62 (56) Penner International 50 (48) Purolator 24 (24) Q Q-Line Trucking Ltd. 44 (44) R Rosedale Group 20 (21) Rosenau Transport 25 (29) S Samuel Son and Company Ltd. 83 (79) Schneider National Carriers Canadian Division * 34 (33) SGT 2000 31 (19) Shadow Lines Transportation Group 59 (57) Siemens Transportation Group 17 (17) Simard Transport Ltd. 32 (31) SLH Transport 12 (11) Sokil Transportation Group 57 (54) Speedy Transport Group, Inc. 42 (41) System 55 Transport * 76 (71) T Tandet Dedicated Logistics 90 (97) T.E.A.M.S. Transport 97 (55) Team-Transport Services Ltd * 58 (55) Thomson Terminals 54 (60) Titanium Transportation Group Inc. 29 (N/A) Total Logistics Trucking 96 (96) TransForce Inc. ** 1 (1) Transfreight, Inc. * 16 (15) Transport Bernières Inc. 91 (86) Transport Bessette et Bourdreau Inc. 87 (92) Transport Bourassa Inc. 70 (67) Transport Bourret Inc. 81 (80) Transport Gilmyr Inc. 84 (93) Transport Herve Lemieux 75 (72) Transport Matte Limited 99 (100) Transport St-Michel 65 (81) Transport TYT 77 (76) TransPro Freight Sysems Inc. 89 (98) TransX Ltd. 3 (3) Travelers Transportation Services 53 (51) Trimac Transportation Services LP 5 (12) TVM Limited * 94 (88) U UPS Canada * 13 (13) V V.A. Inc. 46 (50) Verspeeten Cartage 30 (30) Vitesse Trucking Services Inc. 98 (N/A) W Westcan Bulk Transport 14 (16) Western Canada Express 37 (39) Wilson’s Truck Lines 51 (49) Wolverine Freight System 68 (65) X XTL Transport Inc. 38 (35) Y YRC Reimer * 33 (32) Total Units 1386 685 823 920 1920 1046 1949 1775 445 1490 1625 846 2174 1608 3351 865 1240 614 408 333 859 890 1651 382 33,720 2500 395 428 662 488 442 625 327 734 550 410 6416 890 5933 386 2992 1015 1641 332 2723 1420 915 692 1408 1530 MARCH 2016 37 Perhaps you need to be surrounded by actual human drivers out on the road to actually understand what it feels like to drive a truck, and of course, you can’t run a business without people. That ability to fully interact with one another isn’t yet a virtual option. It has to be learned through life’s trials and errors. No simulations. [SCS] VIRTUAL CEO — By David Nesseth I’m told I don’t have enough capital to buy my own truck right now, so I’m a driver for hire with a ramshackle office and an overdrawn bank account. Welcome to American Truck Simulator 2016, where we’re not just driving trucks in a virtual world, but trying to survive in the trenches of the trucking economy. We’re in business, just without the realword consequences. This brand new game’s been off to a hot start, too, selling more than 100,000 copies in its first week alone. People don’t just want to be behind the wheel anymore, they want missions, just like real truck drivers. They want to sleep in the berth and scan Satellite radio, even able to adjust their driver’s seat to perfection, despite the fact that you can’t actually feel it. They want to be responsible for, as the game allows, some 22,000 lbs. of certified cargo, like rice or tires. Players even bid for these delivery opportunities on the virtual market. There are budgets. Delivery deadlines. Maintenance costs. And, of course, speeding tickets. When it’s all said and done, and you’ve parked your trailer just so, there’s the satisfaction of a solid Simulators are starting to give the public not just a feel for driving a virtual truck, but creating budgets, repairing engines, and building a fictional fleet. pay day, too, and inspiration enough to set me on the path to buying that first garage, building a fleet, hiring my own drivers. The pressure to succeed feels real, but right now, I’m plain broke. It’s just me and the Peterbilt 579 that I’m told my boss has so generously supplied for me. “Don’t let anyone down and arrive on time,” a voice from the game warns me. At the depot, my engine’s humming; eight different camera views are ready; sat nav is set; and there is an array of controls at my hands. Just nine measly miles to sunny Bakersfield, CA, where I’m transporting a massive reservoir tank. What could go wrong? A lot, it turns out, but we’ll get to that. This isn’t the first trucking game that allows users to build a company from the ground up. Euro Truck Simulator 2, also created by SCS Software, has sold some 3.5 million copies since late 2012 and created a passionate fanbase. There are even popular online forums (the website Reddit even has a group called “truck sim”) where thousands of players wait for updates to games like these. For example, before we went to press, gamers were anticipating the virtual release of the iconic Kenworth W900 to American Truck Simulator’s vehicle options, plus the addition of a new state to add to the MARCH 2016 39 This is an undercover Ryder truck. The logo is True Value, but the truck and its driver are Ryder. When True Value hits the road, they do it with Ryder Dedicated vehicles at their disposal, all powered by our industry-leading supply chain operations. So while you see True Value, they see savings, efficiency, and the ability to be Ever Better. Discover how outsourcing with us can improve your fleet management and supply chain performance at Ryder.com. Ryder and the Ryder logo are registered trademarks of Ryder System, Inc. Copyright ©2016 Ryder System, Inc. Ever better is a trademark of Ryder System, Inc. Virtual CEO game’s scenic arsenal of Nevada and California’s finest roadways. However, it turns out that adding a new truck to the fleet isn’t as simple as it seems: “[…] It did not turn out to be the best choice for the first vehicle to approach Kenworth with during initial licensing discussions,” explained SCS in a recent blog post. “Truck manufacturers tend to be very careful about their image, and Kenworth, as the pioneer in aerodynamics in cabin design with their T680, had a rather different idea of the ideal truck to have in our game at the moment of release. So, it was back to work for us to finish the other truck first before we could hope for the licensing deal to be successfully signed.” Since 1992, the Smart Money has been on our 5-Year Warranty Testing The Game Our confidence in the exceptional performance of our RT600 is equaled only by our commitment to stand by it. Our complete line of commercial tires are built with special tread compounds that fight irregular wear and provide long life. In fact, every Double Coin tire is engineered for excellence and long-term performance, and that’s why we warranty our tire casings for five years or more. So relax and enjoy the durability that every Double Coin tire delivers. ©2016 CMA , LLC. Simulators are becoming an integral part of the modern classroom, having even become top training tools in university medical labs. Studies are revealing that our brains tend to interpret data in similar ways — whether that data is real or not. Studies are also showing that driving simulations can reduce training time by about 30 per cent, which makes it difficult for simulation skeptics to ignore the industry completely. To help me assess and navigate the virtual trucking biz, I’ve recruited some real-life help in the form of Jason Goudreau, a 46-year-old driver who’s been behind the wheel for 23 years now. I want to get his take on the game, and determine whether it has any real-life benefit to the prospective entrepreneur. As some drivers seem to benefit from using high-end driving simulators, I wonder if this game can show us the ropes for building a fleet. Goudreau, complete with a degree in economics, started his driving career as an owner-operator, so he seems perfectly equipped to determine whether the game has any actual business savvy, or if it’s just an opportunity for gamers and gearheads to tune out on the open road without leaving the couch. Goudreau leans over the laptop, his eyes scanning the Driver Jason Goudreau cargo delivery options availcompetes against Today’s Trucking staff in a trucking able. As a nod to his real-world business simulation game. delivery merchandise for RT Systems in Brantford, ON, he selects an ice cream delivery request in Nevada. The delivery destination is only a few miles away, not so different from the short southwestern Ontario routes he’s grown accustomed to. Our GPS barely shows us the way out of the depot, and we’re gone. “Sometimes I miss looking at maps,” Goudreau muses. After a couple of keyboard adjustments, Goudreau finds the best position to drive our truck. He’s not much of a gamer, so it’s not very intuitive to drive a truck with a laptop. He plays it safe, cautiously making his way down the boulevard looking for the on-ramp to the highway. As he navigates the game, Goudreau thinks out loud about trucking. Why he loves it, and why he www.DoubleCoinTires.com MARCH 2016 41 THERE’SS ONLY THERE TO GET IMPROVED FUEL ECONOMY AND ENGINE PROTECTION IN A 5W-30. 2x* better wear protection AND 4%** better fuel economy. my. Now you don’t have to compromise engine protection for fuel economy. DURON -E UHP 5W-30 30 delivers up to 2x* better wear protection AND 4%** better fuel economy. TM Ready to start saving? See 10 steps for Success When Shifting to a Lower Viscosity Engine Oil and find out what it can mean for your bottom line. Visit us at DURON-EUHP5W30.ca * Based on results from the Daimler OM 646 LA industry recognized test. ** Fuel economy results are based on the generally accepted and industry recognized SAE J1321 Type II fuel consumption test. Comparison of fuel economy is relative to DURON-E 15W-40, and in combination with TRAXONTM Synthetic 75W-90 (relative to a TRAXON 85W-140) gear oil. Actual results are dependent on external factors including, but not limited to: driving terrain, weather conditions, tire pressure and severity of operating conditions. Petro-Canada is a Suncor business TM Trademark of Suncor Energy Inc. Used under licence. Virtual CEO thinks the general public may be curious about his profession. A simulation game about one’s own occupation must be, after all, inherently flattering, no? He says for him, at least, his love of trucks is quite uncomplicated. “My mom says that since I was three, every other toy but the trucks collected dust,” recalls Goudreau, who paid $82,400 for his own first truck, a 1994 Ford AeroMax L9000, paid off in one year. Goudreau studies his computerized dashboard. In reality, he’s snacking on a burrito at a café in Toronto’s west end. It’s 20°C out; but on screen he’s cruising through the soothing heat of the Nevada desert. “It’s a good game, but the parking at the end seems a bit odd,” he says. We arrive at our destination, told to unhitch our trailer, but we’re not sure where. “The actual driving out on the highway is good, too, it’s all very detailed. I wonder if that’s the actual state scenery we’re seeing.” We start a new mission and I take the wheel for a stretch. Soon enough, I’ve damaged the engine, and I have to pull over and call for driver assistance. And believe me, they actually come, even if summoned, say, 12 times in a shift. As much as the other drivers on the road around seem to be remarkably patient with my jackknife parking skills, if I do violate the legal rules of the road, like running a red, my dashboard gets lit up with a hefty virtual fine to reign me in, however in vain. Goudreau says it’s good that maintenance is part of the game, as it can be the source of many a headache for the real-world owner operator. “There’s always something wrong with a sensor,” he grumbles, still smiling. Goudreau says no matter which simulator he uses, “there’s always something missing.” And he would know. Goudreau was selected as a top driver from his company to fly to Saskatchewan to compete in a truck simulator face-off, testing the best technology available. He thinks about how the driving feels, and says the illusion may be ruined by such a simple truth: “Maybe it’s because I’m not actually moving,” he offers. Nor is any fake money earned in American Truck Simulator going to help buy that first truck that Goudreau’s parents lovingly made the down payment for. There are no advertised parent loan options in the game, which now advises me that I appear to be getting tired and that perhaps I should park my rig for the night. Probably right. As much as I can grow this virtual trucking business into a flourishing company. Maybe. It’s impossible to escape the fact that I’m the only one who’ll ever work there. Perhaps you need to be surrounded by actual human drivers out on the road to really understand what it feels like to drive a truck, and of course, you can’t run a business without people. That ability to interact with one another isn’t yet a virtual option. It has to be learned through life’s trial and error. No simulations. American Truck Simulator is out now for Steam on PC, Mac, and Linux for $19.99. TT MARCH 2016 43 OVERBOOTHS B BOOKED 60 LARGEST RECRUITMENT OPPORTUNITY UNDER ONE ROOF Friday,10:00 am to 6:00 pm Saturday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Again this year, Truck World Driver Recruitment Pavilion. Interact with 5,000 DRIVERS International Centre Toronto, Ontario April 14, 15, 16, 2016 over two days. Turn-key booth packages available. One call, we’ll do the rest. Contact Kathy Koras, 416-510-6892 [email protected] www.truckworld.ca Gold Sponsors: Platinum Sponsor Endorsed by: Official Media: In Gear INSIDE: 50 Caterpillar’s CT680 57 Lockwood’s Products 60 You Can’t Get There From Here EQUIPMENT NEWS, REVIEWS, AND MAINTENANCE TIPS 5 Things You Need to Know About Tires Make better buying and spec’ing decisions by understanding what happens where the rubber meets the road. By Jim Park TIRES ARE ROUND AND BLACK AND COST LOTS OF MONEY. Some say that’s all you need to know about tires. We beg to differ. While tires remain a commodity in the buyer’s eyes, the engineering and sophisticated production that goes into a modern tire begs a little understanding from the consumer. Here are five things about tires you may not know that will help you get full value from your tire investment. 1 Retreading lowers the lifecycle costs of tires. Retreaded tires get a lot more bad press than they deserve. It’s a common perception that much of the tire debris we see at roadside is the remains of retreaded tires. A study of those carcasses done several years ago by the U.S. Department of Transportation put that message to rest, concluding that more than half of those former tires were in fact virgin casings, not retreads. That study also proves a point with which any tire expert would concur; it’s underinflation that causes tire to overheat and explode. That applies to both new and retreaded tires. If fleets could get past those perceptions, they’d find retreaded tires can save thousands of dollars every year in tire costs. “The larger fleets know retreads will save at least 50 percent over the acquisition cost of new tires,” says Harvey Brodsky, managing director of the Retread Tire Association. “They’d have to be out of their minds not to use retreads.” One very sane fleet happens to be one of the largest in North America. Ryder Systems has more than 1.25 million tires on the road on any given day, and a significant portion of those tires are retreads. “In a full-service lease, we carry the burden of the maintenance costs including the tires,” says Scott Perry, vice president of Supply Management and Fleet Management Solutions at Ryder System. “It’s our call all the way so we try to optimize uptime and reliability as well as the best possible operating expense. Retreads allow us to do that in the right application.” According to a study conducted by the American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council’s S.2 Tire & Wheel Study Group in 2015, retreaded tires in drive and trailer positions in linehaul applications, retreads outlasted virgin tires. Surprisingly, low-rollingresistance retreaded trailer tires outlasted standard tires by a margin of 20,000 miles or more on average. The results come from a survey of 51 fleets running more than 20,000 trucks in total. “As to why LRR tire outlived standard tire retreads, perhaps it is due to more diligent maintenance or improvements in the raw materials used in tread rubber that reduce rolling resistance while providing good tire mileage,” guesses Peggy Fisher, president of Tire Pressure Monitoring System provider, Tire Stamp, and regular contributor to TMC’s S.2 task force. While it would probably be a combination of all the factors Fisher mentions, none of them would get you very far without solid maintenance. “Tire related failures can be proactively avoided with a tire pressure monitoring program or automatic tire inflation system,” notes Paul Crehan, director of product marketing with Michelin Truck Tires. “Those tools will not only prevent or reduce the frequency of on-road failures, they also help protect the fleet’s tire and casing assets.” MARCH 2016 45 In Gear 2 Your steer tires are probably underinflated. Steer tires tend to run very close to their maximum load even when the truck is lightly loaded, thanks in part to all the emissions hardware we now carry around. The standard steer axle weight in most of the country is 5,500 kg (12,000 lb). In order to support that load, steer tires need to be inflated to 105 psi in most cases and as high as to 115 psi in some cases. The actual pressure required varies with the exact size of the tire and the load range. A typical pair of 11R22.5 load range G tires needs 105 psi to get comfortably over 5,500 kg, while a pair of typical 275/80R22.5 G tires would need 110 psi. All western Canadian jurisdictions now permit up to 6,000 kg (13,200 lb) on steer axles in some instances. To get to 6,000 kg, you first need an axle rated for that weight. Then you need tires capable of handling the load, and the tire has to be properly inflated. The 275/80R22.5 G noted above is not even rated for 6,000 kg. The table we looked at shows its max load at maximum pressure is 6,175 lb at 110 psi, or 12,350 lb per pair. That’s nearly 1,000 lb less that maximum weight permitted in those provinces. To get to 6,000 kg or 13,200 lb, you’ll likely need a load range H tire and you’ll need 110 psi, or in at least two cases we found by perusing various load and inflation charts, 120 psi. There aren’t many load range G tires that will accommodate a 6,000-kg (13,200-lb) load. “Simply put, maintaining correct inflation pressure is the single most important tire care practice that a trucking operation can employ,” notes Brian Buckham, general manager, product marketing, Goodyear Commercial Tire Systems. “Tires are engineered to run at specific pressure levels based on the load they’re carrying. To determine the correct inflation level for your tires, first gather information about your axle loads and then refer to [the load and inflation charts for your specific tires.]” Arbitrarily running 100 psi in your steers may be costing tire life and fuel economy. And if you don’t check your pressure regularly, like weekly, you may be running as low 85 or 90 psi. You won’t know unless you check. “Multiple studies have been conducted in both Europe and the U.S. showing in general there is 12 percent under-inflation across all fleets,” says Prosser Carnegie, Continental’s Product Development Manager for NAFTA Truck Tires. “Hence, this can be interpreted as 12% of tires running are being run under-inflated vs. the fleet’s inflation guidelines.” 3 These factors are really one and the same thing. It’s the air inside the tire that supports the load, not the tire itself, so the tire must have the minimum inflation pressure for the load on the tire. “Tires must be inflated for the heaviest load the tires will carry,” says Paul Crehan, Michelin’s director of Product Marketing. “The problem is, when empty, the tires are wildly over inflated. The condition exists DON’T GET RATTLED BY LOOSE CARGO. SMART SOLUTIONS THAT PROTECT YOUR PERFORMANCE. Unsecured cargo can rattle any driver – it’s a violation often cited in CSA roadside inspections. Be sure to C.Y.A. with superior Doleco® Cargo Restraint Systems for both vans and flatbeds. Doleco delivers. For more information, visit MeritorPartsOnline.com. ©2016 Meritor, Inc. 46 TODAY’S TRUCKING Overloading and under inflation are the same thing to a tire. In Gear with duals and wide base tires, but it’s more apparent on wide base.” People tend to get the pressure right when they are operating closer to max GVW, notes Crehan. “People who operate slightly lighter tend to be over inflated. If you run a lot of variable weight loads, you might not be aware of exactly how much you’re carrying on a daily basis and your weight and inflation pressure might not be an exact match.” Since overloading and underinflation are basically one and the same. The tire sidewalls are not able to support the weight of the load, thus they tend flex more dramatically each time the wheel rotates. “Overloading, under inflated or excessive speed can cause damage because of heat buildup,” said Patrick Gunn, director of sales and marketing for Giti Tire (USA) Ltd. “These factors would affect driving safety and will also accelerate wear. Tire failure rates are higher because tires run hotter due to the increased load. Excessive heat can weaken the construction of the tire.” 4 Irregular wear is probably not the tire’s fault. It’s a classic case of “shoot the messenger.” A tire starts displaying irregular wear, so the fleet yanks the tire and complains long and loud to the tire maker. A closer examination would likely reveal the problem lies with the truck; perhaps and alignment issue or improper inflation? Maybe something mechanical, like worn steering components, bad shocks or mismatched tire sizes in dual assemblies. “Keeping a truck in correct alignment might seem like an expensive proposition, but it’s an investment that can pay big dividends when it comes to extending a tire’s service life,” notes Goodyear’s Buckham. “Fleets should keep in mind that traditional front end alignments aren’t always enough. Drive axles need to be brought into alignment, as well. This can have a number of positive effects above and beyond the prevention of irregular wear, including improved truck fuel economy.” Mechanical problems also extend to worn and loose components, like kingpins, spring shackles, bushings, shock absorbers etc. But wheel bearings can have an impact as well. “Loose wheel bearings will cause a negative camber condition, though small, which can impact the inside shoulder of the tire,” notes MD Alignment president, Mike Beckett. “We see the problem with wide base tires mostly but duals as well.” While it may seem like closing the gate after the horses have left the barn, it pays to closely inspect scrap tires to discover why they came off the truck prematurely. “Tires tell a story,” says Crehan. “A good understanding of your scrap pile will tell you when you’re running over inflated or under inflated, or if there are alignment or mechanical issues. There are different signs for different causes of wear.” You’ve Got to Get Meaner... than the Deposits Constantly Attacking Your Engine. Internal diesel injector deposits are a serious problem for trucks all year long. Clean them up with our new, stronger detergent package. Nothing protects your engine and boosts your power like Howes Meaner Power Kleaner. Grab a bottle today! PLUS: Increases Fuel Economy Lubricates Entire Fuel System Removes the Water that Promotes Microbial Growth From the mak makers of Diesel Treat and these other premium products. Howes Deluxe Long-Sleeve T-Shirt 1-800 GET HOWES (438-4693) • www.howeslube.com when you purchase 3 bottles of Meaner Power Kleaner. Visit www.howeslube.com or call 1-800 GET HOWES Offer ends: 9/30/16, available while supplies last. MARCH 2016 47 In Gear 5 Low-Rolling-Resistance (LRR) tires are outliving standard tires. The perception on the street is that LRR tires do not last as long as standard dual tires and that may be holding some fleets back from reaping their benefits. Judging by the results of a another fleet tire survey conducted by TMC’s S.2 Tire & Wheel Study Group last year, fleets might be off the mark assuming the LRR tires aren’t going the distance. The results from that survey showed that LRR steer tires outlived standard tires by an average 10 percent. The aggregated mileages reported in the survey showed standard steer tires ran 106,700 miles while the more fuel efficient tires saw an average of 114,000 miles WE NEVER REST 24/7/365 CAT Scale is the largest truck scale network in the world and growing all the time. With more than 1,650 locations in the United States and Canada, there’s always a CAT Scale open when your drivers need one. CAT Scale delivers a reliable, accurate, certified weigh with an unconditional guarantee. IT’S THE BEST WAY TO WEIGH! Find out how the Weigh My Truck App can save your drivers time weighing. 1-877-CAT-SCALE (228-7225) catscale.com | weighmytruck.com 48 TODAY’S TRUCKING before they came off the truck. “The numbers seem a little low, but the interesting thing is that low-rollingresistance tires, in general, outperformed the standard tires,” said Fisher. “The results of the drive tire section showed similar results.” “In the average truck tire, for every one-percent improvement in rolling resistance or reduction in force, a one-thirdpercent improvement is realized in fuel economy,” writes Double Coin’s Dave Smothers. “But engineers must make sure they manage improvements in rolling resistance without affecting the other performance characteristics of the tread area, including wear rates and irregular wear-fighting capabilities.” On single drive axles, wide single tires outlive the others by quite a margin. The range wasn’t quite so stark for the tandem axles. Where no external factors are chewing up your tires, calculating mileage to take-off is easy once miles-per-thirty-second of an inch of rubber is established. Comparing a deep tire with 32/32 of tread to a low-rolling-resistance tire with 26/32 of tread, you subtract the tread depth a typical pull point like 6/32. “You could make the assumption that since the deeper tire has 18% more usable rubber that it should last 18-percent longer,” says Rick Phillips, vice president of sales for Yokohama Tire Corp. “In a perfect world that might be the case but there are too many variables in play to make that assumption.” One final consideration, or perhaps it should be the first, is putting the right tire on the truck for the application. Easier said than done, to be sure, but Bridgestone’s Loos suggests smaller fleets lean heavily on the advice of their tire dealers, or do a little snooping around truck stop parking lots. “Larger, more sophisticated fleets with maintenance managers and a good relationship with their tire providers are probably doing more things right than wrong,” he notes. “Watching what big fleets in similar lanes and applications are doing is an educational opportunity for the smaller fleets and owner-operators that don’t have the testing and evaluation luxuries big fleets have.” TT Re-introducing a 53 year old institution. 'HGLFDWHGWRWUXFNÁHHW maintenance professionals. (WYPS0U[LYUH[PVUHS*LU[YL;VYVU[V*HUHKH 0UJVUQ\UJ[PVU^P[O70;.YV\W5L^JVTPZWYV\K[VIYPUN[VNL[OLY[OL(;::( Y[LK*-4:[VILOLSKH[ *;,(6;(HUK;4;(MVY[OLÄYZ[PUK\Z[Y`^PKLZ\WWVY[LK*-4:[VILOLSKH[ H[[OL0U 0U[LYUH[PVUH U S ;Y\JR>VYSK[HRPUNWSHJLVU>LKULZKH`(WYPSH[[OL0U[LYUH[PVUHS *LU[YL4LYNPUN^P[O[OLWYL]PV\Z70;*VUMLYLUJL[OPZWHY[ULYZOPW^PSSIYPUN WHY[UL LYZOPW^PSSIYPUN 4: [VNL[OLY[OLILZ[L_WLY[PZL[VLUZ\YLHZ\JJLZZM\S*-4: Join us for a full day of education and networking orking g ÷ Discover intelligent maintenance and equipment spec’ing ec’ing strategies str t ategies s from om m the the experts exp per erts t ts ÷ Participate in lively discussions about the future of the he indu industry ustry ÷ Learn strategies that can be applied to your operation on ÷÷Canadian Can Fleet Maintenance Manager of the Year Award ward presentation pre r sentatio on 9LNPZ[YH[PVU[V*-4: PUJS\KLZ! *-4:7HZZ ;Y\JR>VYSK2PJRVɈ)YLHRMHZ[ ;Y\JR>VYSK:OV^7HZZ SHOW PASS SHOW To register or for more information, visit:: T www.trucksummit.ca Award Sponsor: Silver Sponsor: Produced by: Lunch Sponsor: In conjunction with: Association Partners: PASS In Gear Cat’s CT680 joins the CT681 and the CT660 bringing the Cat fleet to three. Who Let the Cat In? SPEC The CT680 cements Caterpillar’s place among the world’s Class 8 truck builder. By Jim Park C aterpillar has plenty of experience building equipment that thrives in tough environments. It looks like they pulled a lot of that through in the design of their first long-hood highway truck, the CT680. I say highway truck, but on-/off-road would be more accurate. The truck is engineered to be equally at home on a jobsite or out on the four-lane. The truck we drove for this test was spec’d as a heavy-hauler, which fits with the CT680’s target market: the folks who own and operate Cat equipment. “That group already knows us and what we’re all about,” says Rob Hall, key account manager for the truck division at Toromont Cat in Concord, ON. “We don’t have to sell them on the relationship. With these trucks we can now offer a complete line of Caterpillar products for every part of their business. But believe me, that doesn’t mean we’ll be turning away anyone else who wants one.” Cat unveiled the CT680 in May 2015 bringing its truck lineup to three. It joins the CT681 medium-hood set-forward-ax- 50 TODAY’S TRUCKING le truck introduced in late 2014 and the CT660, a medium- and long-hood truck and tractor with setback steer axle that came out in 2011. The truck is available in two exterior trim packages; the flashy and stylish L line and the more austere LG series. The LG comes with a one-piece fiberglass hood, a three-piece bumper, sealed-beam halogen headlights and LED parking-turn signal lights. In L trim, the CT680 comes with a three-piece metton hood with chrome and stainless steel grille surround, three-piece chrome bumper, composite halogen headlights and incandescent parking-turn signal lights. Also available are a pair of cowl-mounted stainless steel air cleaners. The modular design of the L-series hood enables easier and less costly repairs to the hood, grille, fenders and bumper without any special tools. The stylish looks of the CT680L will help keep the company name front and centre in drivers’ minds while giving the competition pause as well. It certainly makes its presence known in a crowded landscape. SHEET CATERPILLAR CT680L On-off highway tractor: 140,000 lb GCWR Frame: 12.250 x 3.380 x 0.375 in. Engine: Cat CT13 12.4 litre (EPA 2015) 475 hp @ 1,700 rpm, 1,700 lb-ft @ 1,000 rpm Transmission: Eaton Fuller 16918B 18-speed 0.73:1 double-over Front axle: Meritor MFS-14-143A 14,600 lb Suspension: Parabolic taperleaf springs, 16,000 lb Drive axles: Meritor RT-46-164EH 46,000 lb 4.10:1 ratio Suspension: Hendrickson HAS-460-55 46,000 lb Emissions package: undercab, RH side, switchback horizontal Wheelbase: 224 in. Bumper-to-back-of-cab: 124 in. Dry weight: 17,828 lb In Gear In, On, and Around the CT680L There’s no such thing as a one-size-fitsall vocational chassis, and Caterpillar has designed a ton of flexibility into this platform. Starting with the big stuff, it’s available in 6x2 and 8x6 configurations with tandem axles from Dana and Meritor in ratings up to 70,000 pounds. Meritor steer axles are available up to 20,000 pounds. Rear suspensions are available from Chalmers and Hendrickson in capacities up to 85,000 pounds. There won’t be much you can’t do with a CT680. Powering the truck is the Cat CT13 engine. It’s built by Navistar, but programmed by Caterpillar to serve vocational applications. It comes in ratings of 410, 430 and 475 horsepower with torque output of 1,450, 1,550 and 1,700 lb-ft. A 15-litre is said to be coming, but we have nothing firm to report on at the moment. The truck is offered with the Eaton Fuller UltraShift Plus AMT, as well as a full line of applicable manual transmissions. You can also spec the Cat CX31 automatic transmission with a cast-aluminum torque convertor, six forward gears and an ECM optimized for the CT13 engine. It boasts two side and one high-output rear PTO openings along with an optional hydraulic retarder. The aluminum alloy cab is a nice bit of work. Cat’s says it’s about 250 lbs lighter than a comparable steel cab, leaving that much more room for payload. It’s thoroughly insulated and has nice thick floor covering and upholstery on the walls and doors. That helps deaden road and powertrain noise to a remarkable degree—especially for a day cab. While shooting a video on the CT680L, my in-cab narration required almost no noise reduction in post production to make the speech intelligible. Had there been someone in the cab with me, we could have easily carried a conversation at a normal speaking volume. The driver environment is nicely appointed and featured the premium trim option. I found no shortage of storage compartments, including on the doors, the back wall and up in the header above the dash. One of my favorite design elements was the sculpted dash surface. It too has several small trays or nooks for putting stuff like keys, wallets, phones, etc., but best of all it’s level and does not slope down to meet the windshield. In many of today’s trucks, that tSignificantly Lighter Than Conventional Self Steers tLonger Life Dual Draw Key King Pin t9’’ Up Travel tPre-Set Caster Stays In Constant Alignment tHighest Lateral Stability Increases Component Life tIndustry Standard Service Kits tMuch Less Expensive Than Conventional Self Steers The CT680 dash bears a resemblance to Cat’s heavy equipment. It’s attractive and has several storage trays on the top. 5, 5SBJMFS4FMG4UFFS A big wrap-around windshield (available in 1- or 2-piece) offers stunning visibility from the driver’s seat. Email a request for more information to: [email protected] MARCH 2016 51 In Gear is more than an arm’s length away. Often, objects placed on the dashes of those trucks wind up slipping down out of reach, or worse, down between the dash and the windshield never to be seen again. Thanks, Cat, for resisting that design trend. I was particularly pleased with the overall visibility from the driver’s seat. It’s a pretty tall cab, so that helps, but the big windows, side and front, were a treat. TRAILER Even with the big square hood, seeing clear in tight spots was easy and didn’t require much craning of my old neck. A special mention here for the hood-mounted mirrors. Some drivers eschew these things as something for rookie drivers but they help immeasurably with the side view and they are as solid as a rock. Getting under the hood for the driver’s daily inspection was surprisingly easy. RENTAL | LEASING | SALES | SERVICE | PARTS | STORAGE Safe, dependable & professional Make Trailer Wizards your first call. Cat has designed a clever hood latch that requires a single motion of the hand, not a complicated arrangement of hooks and handles and catches. Even slicker still, the hood is designed to be opened from the side, where the latches are. You don’t have to walk back out front again to pull in the hood up. In fact, there isn’t even a grab handle on the front of the hood. Nice touch. The inspection points were all easy to access, even with the large splash guard in place. There’s a lot of room under the hood and much of the engine is accessible from a position in the wheel well. Because of its high ground clearance, getting at it from below would be easy too, even for a tech with a pretty big belly. It’s a small item, but I think the CT680 has the easiest-to-change headlights of any truck in the business. It’s literally a 30-second job and requires no tools. Getting on and off the truck is clean and uncomplicated, and it’s a pretty big step up to the cab. Well-placed grab handles help, and the aggressive step plates will help lessen the chance of a fall. One of my only unflattering comments about the truck comes with the width of the door opening. True, it has big air cleaners outside and that limits the swing of the door a little, but I’m not a big guy compared to some drivers. That said, I just fit in the door without a struggle, so if I was 50 pounds heavier it might have been a challenge. Driving the CT680 25+ locations across Canada 25,000+ diverse rental & lease trailers 50+ years of expertise Giving you convenient, coast-to-coast coverage Delivering the trailer you need, when you need it Providing you award winning trailer solutions 1 855 327 9757 | trailerwizards.com 52 TODAY’S TRUCKING Driving the CT680 was anything but a chore. The driving position was great, the visibility even better. Cab noise and ride quality were outstanding, and the manoeuvrability surprised me. In fact, I like everything about the way it steered. I bobtailed the truck from Concord, just north of Toronto, to Stoney Creek, ON, on the Niagara Peninsula to pick up a trailer, and ran into some stiff head and crosswinds. The truck ignored them completely and maintained its lane position perfectly. The CT680 has twin Sheppard M100/M80 steering boxes, for times when the front end is loaded right up. The feel of the steering was very confident with a nice over-center reaction. I turned into a coffee shop on the way to Stoney Creek and found a few extra In Gear Price C Critics might want to call attention to the big square hood on the CT680. I say it doesn’t really matter in this case. Aerodynamics certainly aren’t the primary concern with a truck that will be hauling heavy equipment on an open deck trailer. There’s enough of a hit there that sloping the nose down a little won’t make much of a difference, and it won’t be running at highway speed all the time, like an OTR freight hauler. Personally, I rather like the styling and its big commanding presence. Cat’s line of CT truck has been on the market for fewer than five years, yet with some help from Navistar they have managed to craft a really stylish and competent vocational truck. I admit to being a little skeptical when I first heard about Caterpillar’s entry into the Class 8 truck market. But today, less than five years later, I think the CT680 cements Cat’s position as truck builder, along with everything else it does so well. TT MARCH 2016 cents per litre Previous Week (+/-) Excl. Taxes WHITEHORSE VANCOUVER * VICTORIA PRINCE GEORGE KAMLOOPS KELOWNA FORT ST. JOHN ABBOTSFORD YELLOWKNIFE CALGARY * RED DEER EDMONTON LETHBRIDGE LLOYDMINSTER REGINA * SASKATOON PRINCE ALBERT WINNIPEG * BRANDON TORONTO * OTTAWA KINGSTON PETERBOROUGH WINDSOR LONDON SUDBURY SAULT STE MARIE THUNDER BAY NORTH BAY TIMMINS HAMILTON ST. CATHARINES BARRIE BRANTFORD GUELPH KITCHENER OSHAWA MONTRÉAL * QUÉBEC SHERBROOKE GASPÉ CHICOUTIMI RIMOUSKI TROIS RIVIÈRES DRUMMONDVILLE VAL D’OR SAINT JOHN * FREDERICTON MONCTON BATHURST EDMUNDSTON MIRAMICHI CAMPBELLTON SUSSEX WOODSTOCK HALIFAX * SYDNEY YARMOUTH TRURO KENTVILLE NEW GLASGOW CHARLOTTETOWN * ST JOHNS * GANDER LABRADOR CITY CORNER BROOK 106.9 99.7 91.9 92.3 89.7 89.5 91.4 88.2 95.9 77.4 74.6 76.7 82.6 78.3 78.2 78.2 83.1 78.7 78.9 90.2 89.5 88.9 87.8 85.7 89.6 90.9 94.8 89.0 92.9 96.8 89.3 89.7 88.6 87.3 89.9 88.5 87.1 99.1 98.9 99.5 98.9 93.8 98.6 97.9 98.9 95.4 96.2 94.5 98.6 99.5 100.3 99.1 98.9 96.2 97.9 88.9 93.3 93.7 90.8 89.8 92.5 98.7 99.9 97.7 108.2 104.2 7.0 0.8 1.0 0.0 -0.6 -0.4 0.1 0.4 0.0 0.9 -1.0 1.2 0.0 -2.6 1.0 0.1 -1.5 0.2 0.0 -0.4 -0.1 1.1 -0.4 -1.0 0.3 -0.6 -0.5 1.2 -0.2 -0.9 -2.0 -0.6 0.1 -0.6 -1.0 0.0 0.0 0.9 0.3 1.6 0.0 -0.7 -0.3 0.0 0.4 -1.6 2.9 -0.8 3.9 3.5 6.2 2.8 3.5 2.3 0.7 2.9 3.9 5.3 4.1 3.9 5.3 0.0 3.4 1.8 3.3 7.5 90.6 57.3 57.4 61.3 58.7 58.6 60.4 57.3 78.2 56.7 54.1 56.0 61.6 57.6 55.5 55.5 60.1 56.9 57.1 61.5 60.9 60.4 59.4 57.6 61.0 62.1 65.6 60.4 63.9 67.4 60.7 61.1 60.1 58.9 61.3 60.0 58.7 62.0 61.8 62.3 65.6 61.2 63.4 61.0 61.8 62.6 59.6 58.2 61.7 62.6 63.3 62.2 62.0 59.6 61.1 57.9 61.7 62.1 59.6 58.7 61.0 62.4 67.9 65.9 75.3 71.7 CANADA AVERAGE (V) 89.7 0.5 59.4 CITY ATERPILLAR announced in November that it would begin designing and building its CT-model trucks during the first half of 2016 at its manufacturing facility in Victoria, TX. Currently, Navistar builds the CT trucks for Caterpillar in Escobedo, Mexico. “The on-highway vocational truck product family is important to our product line,” said Chris Chadwick, Caterpillar’s director of the Global On-Highway Truck Group. “To continue to provide the best solution for our customers, we will bring the design and manufacturing of this product into Caterpillar, and the production specifically to Victoria. Our updated strategy reaffirms our commitment to grow and develop our presence in the vocational truck industry moving forward.” Navistar will continue to manufacture trucks for Caterpillar through the end of 2016 as Cat transitions production to Texas. Bill Kozek, president, Navistar Truck and Parts, confirmed the split, saying, “This next phase provides Navistar with an exciting opportunity to introduce new technologies and product features into our new line of premium vocational trucks that we’ll launch in 2016.” In February Navistar launched the HX, for Heavy eXtreme, in four models to replace its PayStar model on which Cat’s CT product line is based. While unveiling the CT680 last May, Cat executives acknowledged that there would soon be a 15-litre diesel offered in the CT series, but offered no hints as to where it would come from. Rob Hall, key account manager for the truck division at Toromont Cat in Concord, ON, confirmed for Today’s Trucking in February that “an announcement from Caterpillar on a 15-litre engine option is pending.” 53 HIGH PERFORMANCE ENGINE OILS total-canada.ca Updated prices at www.kentgroupltd.com • Prices as of February 9, 2016 • V-Volume Weighted. (+/-) indicates price variations from previous week. Diesel includes both full-serve and self-serve prices. The Canada average price is based on the relative weights of 10 cities (*) Price Watch CAT BRINGING CT PRODUCTION IN-HOUSE, ADDING 15-L ENGINE turns of the wheel. It’s obviously set up for vocational work and the extra turns of the wheel make the steering that much more precise. The ride and handling of the truck was above my expectations too. With its heavy suspensions fore and aft, it felt no different from my seat than your typical well-crafted highway truck. There are two air springs under the back of the cab, set about as wide apart as they can be. That added a nice stiffness to the cab when turning, but it didn’t compromise the ride at all. In fact, coupled with the parabolic taper leaf front springs, I’d say it felt as nice as anything I’ve driven lately. After we grabbed a loaded trailer from Battlefield Equipment in Stony Creek, I wheeled around the area for awhile, running mostly on the back and sideroads and around the yard. Again, the manoeuvrability stands out, along with the general smoothness of the ride. Diesel $15,000 lN CAS AND A CHANCE FOR YO 2016 HlGHWAY STAR OF THE YEAR We’re looking for one driver who embodies the term “professional”. A driver with that certain outlook on life and the industry that sets them apart from the rest. A driver who gives to the community, operates with the highest regard for other road users, and who generally sits tall in the saddle. In short, we’re looking for a driver with STAR quality to be the 2016 Highway Star of the Year. The Highway Star of the Year award is open to ALL drivers — company drivers and owner-operators alike. If you know someone worthy of such an honor, please submit your nomination as soon as you can. We’ll be presenting the award during Truck World 2016 in Toronto, ON., on Saturday April 16, 2016. Winner will receive... FORMS ARE AVAlLABLE ON-LlNE + $10,000 IN CASH + An Eberspaecher Heater System + Road-ready, trucker-friendly laptop from OBAC + Special-edition leather Today’s Trucking jacket with winner’s name and Highway Star of the Year logo 6 + Travel and accommodations for two to Toronto for Truck World 2016 todaystrucking.com/hsoy Having a winning driver on your team pays huge dividends. There’s free publicity. It’s a morale boost, a proud flag to fly, and just entering somebody’s name shows you care. The winning driver and his or her carrier are often used as expert sources in subsequent magazine stories. Nominate as many drivers as you want. PLATINUM SPONSOR: PROUDLY SPONSORED BY: HUR FLEET ANDTO SHlNE PRlZES +THEHlGHWAY STAR OF THE YEAR + HALL OF FAME 2013 2012 2011 Michael T. Rosenau Brian Bertsch Stephen McGibbon Reg De DDelahunt lahhunt Rosenau Transport, Calgary, AB Hi-Way 9 Express Ltd., Drumheller, AB Milltown Trucking, Oak Bay, NB lndependence Transportation Lanark, ON 2015 2014 Guy Br Broderick oderick d APPS Transport, Brampton, ON 2009 2008 2007 2006 Cliff Lammeren Budd Rush Rushh Dale Hadland Jean-François Foy Terry Smith René Robert Praxair Edmonton, AB Armstrong Moving/ United Van Lines Oakbank, MB lnternational Freight Systems (IFS) Beachville, ON Transport J.C. Germain Neuville, QC Highland Transport Miramichi, NB Classy Transport lnc. Libau, MB 2010 GOLD SPONSOR: SILVER SPONSOR: 2004 ASSOCIATION SPONSOR: '+(+*)$(* )'$%#$+)+&*'" $+&)'$%#$+)+&*%!(*$ (&(*+)'*(+'!#+)*+ $(!#+)'+ &)+'$(+*'" +%#+*%!(* )'+)#&+%(+&)+&% (+ )*+)*+!&+%$ +)'*+"'$&)(*$++ ((+")!#+%" &*'" %#&*%!(*"% +(&+ Canada’s #1 Source for Heavy Trucks and Trailers PRODUCTWATCH WHAT’S NEW AND NEWS FROM SUPPLIERS INTERNATIONAL HX The PayStar is Reborn The venerable PayStar is gone, replaced by the new International HX Series, a line of heavy vocational trucks and tractors aimed at severe-service work. They’re the company’s first new vehicles since 2010. There are four models, with set-forward or set-back steer axles and long- or medium-length hoods. You can order one now, with delivery starting in April. “The launch of the HX Series is an opportunity for International to recap- ture a leading position in the vocational market, a segment we previously led,” said Troy Clarke, Navistar president and CEO, at the recent Las Vegas introduction. The four HX models include: The HX515, a 115-in. bumper-to-back of cab truck with a set-forward steer axle. Its primary vocations include concrete mixer, construction dump, refuse/rolloff and crane carrier. Offered only in 6x4 trim, front or rear PTOs are available. nline Resources: For more new product items, visit PRODUCT WATCH on the web at todaystrucking.com Its brother, the HX615, also comes with a 115-in. BBC, in this case with a set-back steer axle in truck or tractor form. It will serve similar vocations plus construction dump and platform. Only a rear PTO is offered. The HX520 is a 120-in. BBC set-forward axle truck or tractor with primary vocations covering heavy-haul, construction dump, and platform stake/crane. And the HX620, with the same BBC and a set-back axle, is also available as a truck or tractor. But with this one you can get a front axle rated up to 22,000 lb and tandem rears to 70,000. A 69,000-lb tridem version is also offered. Like the HX520, it can be ordered with dual external air cleaners. The HX515 and the HX615 models are powered by Navistar N13 diesels rated up to 450 hp and 1550 lb ft, while the HX520 and HX620 models get the Cummins ISX15 with ratings up to 600 hp/2050 lb ft. A sloped hood helps with forward vision while a 40-degree front wheel MARCH 2016 57 Product Watch cut makes for good maneuverability. The frame is huck-bolted together, and available on all models are 12.5- by 0.5in. main rails rated at 3.5 million resistance-bending moment at 13 percent less weight than a 10-in. rail, allowing room for a heavier load. The HX sports industry’s only aluminum cab on a vocational truck, and the three-piece Metton LMR (liquid molding resin) hood is said to be stronger and lighter than fiberglass and is designed to resist cracking. Doors feature stainless steel piano hinges, which will please many. The HX Series also gets the new DriverFirst cab air suspension, designed with 52-in. springs to produce a comfortable and quiet ride. See www.internationaltrucks.com Pass the toughness test with Eco-flaps®. TERRAPRO GETS TELEMATICS GUARDDOG CONNECT TELEMATICS NOW STANDARD ON MACK TERRAPRO MODELS WITH THE MP ENGINE GuardDog Connect, Mack’s integrated diagnostics and telematics product, is now standard in all Mack TerraPro cabover trucks equipped with a Mack MP engine. It monitors fault codes that could potentially shut down a truck or lead to an unplanned visit to the shop. It quickly diagnoses problems and automatically schedules dealer repairs, also confirming that needed parts are in stock and ready to install, all while the truck is still on the job. Mack made GuardDog Connect standard on the TerraPro concrete pump chassis last year, the first OEM to offer such support service for pump applications. GuardDog Connect has been standard on the Mack Pinnacle, Mack Granite and Titan models since 2013. Aside from a concrete pumper chassis, TerraPros can be configured for applications like dump, mixer, and refuse collection. See www.macktrucks.com Made from durable, high-impact nylon, Eco-flaps® splash guards pass the toughness test by increasing durability and providing longer life than competitive flaps. Molded, aerodynamic channels reduce wind resistance, moving air and water through the flap surface with minimal drag to improve fuel economy up to 3.5%. Boasting a full 2-year warranty. Available in 18- and 24-inch widths, and 24-, 27-, 30- and 36-inch lengths. Call us at 866-543-5277, or visit us at ecoflaps.com. 58 TODAY’S TRUCKING MERITOR EXPANDS CLUTCH LINE MERITOR’S NEW LINE OF ALLFIT CLUTCHES COVERS HEAVY-, MEDIUM- AND LIGHT-DUTY TRUCKS Meritor is releasing a new line of aftermarket AllFit clutches that includes both manual-adjust and self-adjusting models that covers heavy-, medium- and light-duty trucks. The new clutch line — with brand new internal components — includes a standard one-year product warranty with labor reimbursement up to $800. Product Watch Meritor AllFit clutch wheel prior to initial refinishing. The company says its EverSteel product enables customers to save as much as $105 in refinishing and maintenance costs, as well as the downtime associated with taking wheels out of service. Independently-performed cyclic corrosion testing (GM9540P) showed that EverSteel wheels, according to Accuride, demonstrate six times longer life than its North American and offshore competitors and double the operational life of its own Steel Armor steel wheels. The new technology is available initially on two Accuride 22.5 x 8.25 steel wheels: 50408 (2 hand-hole) and 50487 (5 hand-hole). The wheels are available now in white, black, and grey. See www.accuridewheelendsolutions. com The clutch launch is supported by a new catalogue that covers the full line of AllFit clutches, clutch accessories, and installation kits. It includes essential replacement details, product views, an installation guide, and key crossreference charts. A guide helps users determine the proper clutch for their application. The manual-adjust model is designed to maximize uptime and offer more comfort for drivers, says Meritor. The high-torque, easy-pedal-effort clutch reduces severe drivetrain vibration to lower maintenance costs and minimize downtime. The self-adjusting model is designed to help extend service life by eliminating the downtime typically associated with regular clutch adjustments. See www.meritor.com ANTI-RUST WINTER WHEELS ACCURIDE IS OFFERING A FIVE-YEAR WARRANTY AGAINST CORROSION FOR ITS NEW EVERSTEEL WHEELS Accuride is offering a five-year warranty against corrosion for its new EverSteel wheels, marketed as a must for fleets operating in ice and snow. Traditional steel wheels need to be refinished about every three years to maintain performance and appearance. By delaying the onset of corrosion for up to eight years, Accuride says its EverSteel coating extends the usable life of the MARCH 2016 59 Product Watch LONGER DPF CLEANING INTERVALS CUMMINS ANNOUNCES AN EXTENDED DPF ASH-CLEANING INTERVAL ON ITS ISX15 ENGINE Cummins has announced two enhancements for its ISX15 engine: an extended diesel particulate filter (DPF) ash-cleaning interval and the Encore Xtra protection plan. The 2016 ISX15’s DPF can reach an ash-cleaning interval reaching up to 500,000 miles (804,672 km) for conventional linehaul applications with fuel economy greater than 5.5 mpg. How did they do it? Cummins credits design enhancements that reduced oil consumption and ash accumulation. Encore Xtra is a new in-service extended protection plan available for 2010 and 2013 ISX12 and ISX15 engines. The plan must be registered by 6 years/650,000 miles and after any current extended coverage has expired. While traditional Encore plans have only been available to used-truck buyers, Encore Xtra is also available to the first owner in recognition of some customers’ longer trade cycles. With extended maintenance intervals and increased peace of mind, Cummins says the result is lower cost of ownership for the first owner and increased residual value at time of resale. See cumminsengines.com EXPANDED VOCATIONAL AMT LINE designed to improve vehicle control for vocational use. The transmissions can be spec’d with optional Urge to Move, Creep Mode, and Blended Pedal functionality for better low-speed maneuverability in situations such as backing into a loading dock or moving around a construction site. Eaton says other benefits, compared to its UltraShift Plus automated manual, include reduced weight, increased efficiency, and lower maintenance costs. The Fuller Advantage is ready for vocational duty with 110,000-lb GCW capability, 6- and 8-bolt PTO openings, and driver confidence features such as Hill Start Aid and intelligent gearselection logic. See www.eaton.com/roadranger EATON HAS EXPANDED COVERAGE OF ITS FULLER ADVANTAGE SERIES OF 10-SPEED AUTOMATED OVERDRIVE TRANSMISSIONS Eaton has expanded coverage of its Fuller Advantage series of 10-speed automated overdrive transmissions to include use in more vocational applications. Initially launched in other applications in 2013, the Fuller Advantage has now been configured with features Eaton Fuller Advantage YOU CAN’T GET THERE FROM HERE Ice Work If You Can Get It From around Christmas ‘til Valentine’s-ish, Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade, a few klicks south of Quebec City, is the tomcod ice-fishing Capital of the World. Hundreds of electrified huts appear on the Sainte-Anne River; as if the whole town takes a month-and-a-half off to icefish. There’s no place like it. As of press time, readers Eric Poulin of Scott, QC, Gene MacDonald of Charlottetown, PEI, and Randy Post of Tilbury, ON, identified the location. If you know where this month’s statue is, call Dave Nesseth at 416-614-5813 or email him at [email protected]. The first 10 correct guessers win a swell Today’s Trucking cap. February Answer: Sainte-Annede-la-Pérade, a few klicks south of Quebec City. YOU CAN’T GET THERE FROM HERE c/o Today’s Trucking Magazine 451 Attwell Drive, Toronto, ON M9W 5C4 Phone: 416-614-5828 • Fax: 416-614-8861 Or email: [email protected] P.S. If you call your answer in, don’t forget to leave your contact details! 60 TODAY’S TRUCKING National Advertisers Canadian Fleet Maintenance Summit www.trucksummit.ca Cat Scale www.catscale.com Cummins Canada www.cummins.com Detroit Diesel Engines www.demanddetroit.com Double Coin www.DoubleCoinTires.com Eaton www.ultrashiftplus.com Eberspächer www.eberspaecher-na.com Eco Flaps www.ecoflaps.com Goodyear www.goodyeartrucktires.com Great Dane Trailers www.greatdanetrailers.com Hendrickson www.hendrickson-intl.com Hino www.hinocanada.com 49 48 23 2 41 14 43 58 12, 13 18 4 38 HighwayStar of the Year 54-55 www.todaystrucking.com Howes Lubricator 47 www.howeslube.com International Truck & Engine 32 www.InternationalTrucks.com Isaac Instruments 59 www.isaac.ca/transport Location Brossard split insert www.brossard.com Mack Trucks 28 www.macktrucks.com Manac 24 www.manac.ca PeopleNet Communications 36 (split ad) www.peoplenetonline.ca Peterbilt back cover www.peterbilt.com Petro Canada 42 www.petrocanada.ca/osr Prolam 63 www.prolamfloors.com Ridewell 51 www.ridewellcorp.com Ryder 40 www.ryder.com SAF Holland 16 www.safholland.ca Shell 6 www.rotella.com Stoughton Trailers 15 www.StoughtonTrailers.com Today’s Trucking 36 (split ad) www.todaystrucking.com Total Canada Inc. 53 www.total-canada.ca Trailer Wizards 52 www.trailerwizards.com Truck & Trailer 56 www.trackandtrailer.ca Truck World Show 2016 8-9, 44 www.truckworld.ca Utility Trailer 31 www.utilitytrailer.com Volvo Trucks North America 21 www.volvotruckscanada.com Watson & Chalin 34 www.watsonsuspensions.com COMPANIES IN THE NEWS A Accuride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 B Bison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20, 29 Bridgestone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Bruce Tait Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 C Canada Cartage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Caterpillar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Consolidated FastFrate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Continental Tire. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Cummins Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20, 26, 60 E Eaton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50,60 F Freightliner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 G Giti Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Goodyear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Google . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 H Hendrickson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Hino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 I International. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23, 57 K Kenworth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23, 39 Kriska. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 L Left Lane Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 M Mack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23, 26, 58 MD Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Meritor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50, 58 Michelin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Mitsubishi Fuso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Morneau Sego . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Mullen Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 N Navistar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 R RT Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RTL Robinson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ryder Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S SCS Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T Tire Stamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Titanium. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TransX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Trimac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . V Volvo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . W Western Star . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Y Yokahama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Z Zzen Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 16 45 41 45 29 29 29 23 23 48 29 P Peterbilt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23, 39 MARCH 2016 61 Rear View By Peter Carter Roger. Over but Not Out. Why you should always talk to strangers. S cientific fact: If you’re at an all-inclusive resort on a sunny warm morning and an attractive woman in a bathing suit sipping on a straw that’s stuck into a huge coconut smiles at you, it is physically impossible to not smile back and say “Hi!” I made this breakthrough at about 10 a.m., Jan. 1, 2016, when my wife Helena and I were staying at the Melia Cayo Santa Maria Resort in Cuba. Roger Perry Even more interesting? The subsequent conversation with that coconut-milk woman taught me a few things about the Canadian trucking industry. And life. After she and I started talking, she asked where I was from and what sort of work I do. “You have to meet my husband,” she said, “He’s an owner-operator.” “Name’s Roger Perry,” a guy who looked like a C&W bass player said from the beach chair beside hers. Then, taking me completely by surprise, added, “I know you. We met a few years ago.” Since I started this job, I’ve met, oh, a few thousand truckers. Most encounters were brief. Many were on the phone or via snail mail. I don’t remember every meeting (though I’d like to) and I feel bad when I can’t immediately recall them. Which was the case here. He said I had interviewed him on the phone when he and his sons were travelling from their Beamsville, ON., home to Nicaragua, on a charitable mission to help locals source fresh drinking water. It was the kind of project I love writing about. For some reason, a story never materialized. That happens, too. I interview someone but the account never sees print. I feel guilty about those, as well. However, if Roger had any hard feelings, you couldn’t tell. Rather, he and his wife Catherine were super kind and fun to talk to. I often carry a Today’s Trucking cap and magazine around with me, for occasions like this. I fetched them for Roger, but Catherine very charitably snatched the hat and gave it to somebody who 62 TODAY’S TRUCKING needed it more than her husband. She gave it to Alex, a Cuban groundskeeper hard at work raking the grass beside the pool. The more we talked, the more we learned we had in common: Catherine, like my wife Helena, is Polish-Canadian; we each have three kids we worry about; I was the youngest of 10; Roger’s the second-last of eight. Grew up in religious households. Roger fell in love with trucks when he was being raised by his missionary father in India. And like most of the preacher’s kids I know, he’s a riveting storyteller and intent listener. Solid citizen, too. Not only did they help Nicaraguans with their wells, this past January, the Perrys sponsored a family of Syrians to a new life in Beamsville. Making friends with Roger and Catherine was one of the highlights of my winter. But remember a dozen paragraphs ago I said she taught me something important about the Canadian trucking industry? It was actually more a case of “reminding” than “teaching”. Reminder A: If you’re born in Canada, you’ve already won the lottery. Odds are not many Cuban truckers vacation at allinclusive resorts. Reminder B: Almost every driver I’ve met over the years has had great stories to tell and they are almost all goodhearted. What truckers do, by definition, is help people get stuff they need. And I once profiled a 72-year-old Sikh driver who was so proud of the story that he gave me a little gift after it was published. Only in this industry would that happen. Reminder C: For reasons I won’t go into here, this is my last issue as editor of Today’s Trucking. I hope I’ve been entertaining and reassuring; and I leave happy, confident that the friendships I’ve made over the years will remain intact, never mind what road I head down next. Getting to know you readers has been a privilege and a joy. Keep up the good work. TT ONCE YOU HAVE IT, YOU NEVER LOOK BACK. 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