Ray’s Rules for Safety Managers by Ray Haight Hello folks hope all is well, I am going to continue down the Ray’s Rules path and this month I am laying the framework for all the safety personnel that…
Hourly pay: Is there any way? by James Menzies I’m going to wade into meslippery’s favourite subject for a moment; paying drivers by the hour. Just how realistic is this? I was surprised to see Lou Smyrlis tweet the…
Let’s not bury the Fergus Truck Show before it’s dead by James Menzies The 25th edition of the Fergus Truck Show came and went over the weekend and already there are rumblings it will be the last. The body’s still breathing folks, so…
No better time than the present to determine your best path out of this mess by Lou Smyrlis For at least 18 months now I’ve been hearing about “zombie” truckers, motor carriers which are barely able to meet payroll from week to week yet somehow manage to hang…
Life is Hard. Get over it. by David Benjatschek Life is hard. Get over it. My father is 85 years old and last week while attending a family wedding in Toronto suffered a mini-stroke or T.I.A. While not a major stroke it has required him to move from his "Seniors Complex" to a higher care facility. It is another blow in a storied life, that on the surface, hasn't been kind to him.
jobs, power drinks, bicycles and planned obsolescence by Harry Rudolfs I checked the ads for truck drivers in the Montreal papers last week, and it would seem the good times are back again. Lots of camioneur jobs in the Journal…
Why AEDs should be part of any safety program by James Menzies A professional tanker driver unloads at an Ontario plant. He’s from the States and far from home. Unloading can be laborious at times, especially following a long run and all…
Ray’s Rules for Dispatchers by Ray Haight July 2010 Ray’s Rules for Dispatchers, part 1 Hello folks hope all is well, I thought I would go right to the group of individuals who are either…
Four fuel-saving tips from Volvo by James Menzies On a recent tour of Volvo’s New River Valley truck plant in Dublin, Va., I had the chance to listen to truck expert Frank Bio discuss aerodynamics and fuel efficiency.
In Praise of Pristine Fleets: Part Deux by David Benjatschek I liked the fact that James took the time to get the discussion rolling on pristine fleets out there. As per a previous blog , my speaking travels gave me the chance to spend a weekend in Winnipeg a couple weeks back. I spent 2 great days on special shoots for Mark Brandt Trucking, Rik Dhaliwal and a visit to the prestigious, mystical "Winnipeg Cabover Club". Here's your chance to take a peek at a couple of those shoots. For photos of the 4 Kenworth Cabovers click on the link below: http://www.windows2thesoul.com.temp.livebooks.com/#mi=1&pt=2&pi=11000&p=-1&a=0&at=0&pw=cabover If you have a Cabover, feel free to leave the year, make and town in which its at in the comments. Tell us your story! Mark Brandt has one of the nicest fleets anywhere. This is a guy who takes pride in what he does. To check out the photo shoot of one of his Petes click on the link below: http://www.windows2thesoul.com.temp.livebooks.com/#mi=1&pt=2&pi=11000&p=-1&a=0&at=0&pw=lasvegas Full stories on Mark Brandt and the Kenworth Cabover Club will be subject of future wowtrucks.com emails. If you'd like to subscribe, send an email from the email you wish to get them at to david@wowtrucks.com with the title "subscribe". I promise I won't bombard you. Usually 1 to 2 emails are sent each month honoring cool things in Canadian Transport. To all you "pristine" fleets out there. Keep doing what you do! David P.S. As Rick Mercer would say.. If you find yourself in Central Alberta this weekend... why don't you check out the Pro-Trucker Alberta Big Rig Weekend at Westerner Park in Red Deer.
Ditch Your Expectations! by David Benjatschek A couple weeks ago an experience taught me the value of being flexible around expectations I have. I was flying into Winnipeg and then driving to deliver a couple workshops on Conflict Management in Sioux Lookout Ontario. I speak in Winnipeg usually twice a month and my rental with National Rent a Car on a previous trip was this great Volvo coupe. It had it all I thought: stylish, sunroof, great handling, the most ergonomic seats I'd ever ridden in.. it was just one of those cars that makes you feel good.
Fear may drive markets but solid fundamentals drive economic recovery by Lou Smyrlis Last month we held our second annual Profitability Workshop for carriers in partnership with Dan Goodwill and Associates and with the support of Peoplenet Canada. Profitability, of course, has been…
Freight Rates are on the Rise by Dan Goodwill With the financial problems in Europe, the world stock markets in freefall and the gulf oil spill, it makes one wonder if we are heading into a double dip recession.
Is it time for a much different approach to infrastructure funding? by Lou Smyrlis Over the past decade I’ve chaired or otherwise participated in a number of panels dealing with the considerable and growing gap between what we should be spending on infrastructure every…
Ray’s Rules for Owner Operators by Ray Haight Howdy, folks. With the exception of a fellow named Bob many of you seemed to enjoy my Ray’s Rules column from a few months ago, so I thought I would…
