Opinion: Truck fleets should quit ‘disturb me’ marketing

Historically the trucking industry has relied on outbound marketing to attract new business. But inbound marketing can be an effective tool for fleets.

Opinion: Fleets must embrace a digital transformation

It should be no surprise to anyone that big tech companies are set on disrupting the fragmented trucking sector. There is certainly room to improve.

Opinion: Captive insurance has its benefits

Insurance captives are a way for best-in-class carriers (which apparently we were) to lower their costs by eliminating class underwriting while retaining profits and investment income. Simply put, when you join a captive you become a minority partner in an insurance company owned and managed by like-minded carriers.

Opinion: The day of insurance reckoning is upon us

Carriers with poor safety records are learning that insurance is a privilege not a right. They’re dealing with huge spikes in premiums, or worse, the bitter reality that no one will insure them.

Opinion: Big players, real estate, and more forces behind M&A activity

While researching my annual column on Canadian trucking mergers and acquisitions (M&A), I went back and read last year’s commentary to see what changed.

National driver training standard will be a positive step

It was great news to see Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau and his provincial cohorts promise a national training standard for entry-level truck drivers by next year. Raising the bar…

Fuel surcharges? I’ve had my fill.

I was overwhelmed by the feedback I received about last month’s column on fuel surcharges. Some of you really liked what I had to say. Others, not so much. In…

The fuel surcharge conundrum

Recently I was working with a carrier on its fuel surcharge policy and was painfully reminded what a complicated and antiquated system we have for handing fluctuations in the price of diesel.

Take care of truck driver health

With so much focus on attracting new truck drivers, it’s surprising we don’t pay more attention to keeping the ones we have alive longer. According to the U.S. Center for…

It’s time for hourly driver pay

The trucking industry has trouble finding drivers, and it’s no secret that pay is part of the problem. The fact that truck drivers bring home the same dough as they did 40 years ago, when the cost of living was half of what it is today, certainly has something to do with it. Carriers have increased driver pay lately, but all those empty seats indicate that reform is still needed.

Driver Inc. model finally getting attention

From all accounts coming out of last month’s Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) board meeting, the driver contractor issue is finally getting the attention it deserves. With Driver Inc. on the agenda, the alliance brought Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to the table and the government said it’s serious about nailing culprits who are not paying their fair share of taxes or forming sham companies for drivers who have no clue what they are signing up for.

How well do you understand South Asian drivers?

I was disappointed when I read headlines about the “Indian” driver who was criminally charged for the horrific Saskatchewan accident that involved the Humboldt Broncos’ team bus. If guilty he should face justice, but I’m not sure where he was born has anything to do with it. I’m guessing if the driver were Italian it would not have been mentioned.

It’s time to blockchain up

Imagine not having to argue with customers over extra charges because they’re automatically added to the invoice. How about eliminating the physical paperwork needed to move a shipment across a…

Drafting Through Disruption

The only thing certain in trucking is disruption. The massive shift in supply and demand caused by mandated electronic logging devices (ELDs) is a prime example of how one piece…

It’s Our Fault

Like many of you, I was devastated when my two passions—hockey and trucking—collided tragically on April 7 outside of Tisdale, Sask. I was also embarrassed and angry. Embarrassed because the trucking industry I’ve defended at every dinner party for 35 years was somehow responsible for the senseless loss of 16 lives.