Today’s Trucking VOLUME 27, NO. 3 March 2013

The Business Magazine of Canada’s Trucking Industry

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20122012

March 2013 www.todaystrucking.com

60OPPOSITE PAGE

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DRIVERS WANTED

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IT’S ABOUT LEADERSHIP:MEET THE NEW BOSS AT DAY & ROSS, PG. 38

Top 100A Special IssueOur annual tally of Canada’sbiggest for-hire carriers, PG. 28

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MARCH 2013 5

OPINIONS

7 LETTERS

9 ROLF LOCKWOOD

15 JASON RHYNO

22 BOB TEBBUTT’S THOUGHTS ON FUEL

27 DAVID HENRY

70 PETER CARTER

SERVICE DEPT

46 WE DRIVE A CUMMINS GAS ENGINE

53 SAFE CAR CARRYING

57 MEET ACE MECHANIC LINDSEY GIRVIN, AGE: 25

60 LOCKWOOD’S PRODUCT WATCH

67 GUESS WHERE THIS IS, WIN A HAT!

69 COMPANIES IN THE NEWS

70

NEWS & NOTES

10 DISPATCHES

No help required

67 And the winner is… ExpoCam!

VOLVO GOES NOSE-TO-NOSE WITH DISGRUNTLEDCUSTOMERS

FEATURES

24 STREET SMARTSOUR MAN ON THE A-TEAM

As the first driver for a Canadian fleet to be named aCaptain on America’s squad of elite operators, DaleWilliams’ passion for trucking safety is born of bothlove and loss. — BY NICKISHA RASHID

28 COVERTOP 100

Presenting our annual survey of Canada’s biggest for-hire carriers; plus why you should keep an eye on these players.

— BY TODAY’S TRUCKING STAFF

38 PROFILE DAWN OF A NEW DAY&ROSS

Meet Doug Harrison, newly tapped overseer of theMcCain family’s venerable fleet. Harrison’s weaving anew-style leadership into a tightly wound outfit. What does that say for trucking in this country?

— BY JASON RHYNO

42 COMPLIANCEPRACTICES MAKE PERFECT

You know the regulations. But do you have your own rules for obeying them?

— BY TOM BRAY

March 2013VOLUME 27, NO. 3

NAVISTAR HEADS OFF-ROAD: As promised,International Trucks are ramping up theirconstruction site presence.

14 Trucking events to pencil in

16 Is now the time to buy new iron?

16 How Home Depot wags the dog

17 What’s hot on todaystrucking.com

19 News from around theindustry

23 Truck Sales Statistics

60

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THE CURVES MAKE IT EFFICIENT.THE EDGE MAKES IT OURS.Western Star is known for building good-looking trucks. But with the Fuel Effi ciency (FE) package on a 4900SB, we’re also known for being the company that combined classic styling with aerodynamics, lightweight options and up to 530 horsepower under the hood to create the fi rst fuel effi cient truck that is all Western Star. FIND OUT MORE AT WESTERNSTAR.COM

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Lawyer Melanie Vipond

SLEEP APNEA: “Remember this figure: $6.4 million,” PG. 24

July 2012www.todaystrucking.com

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PAGE 44

Hi-Tech TruckingAugust 2012

www.todaystrucking.com

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A N N I V E R S A R Y

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SPECIALEDITION


TT August 2012_Todays Tr masters.qxd 12-07-19 3:14 PM Page 1

For Industry News, Weekly Features, Daily Management Tips, Truck Sales Stats, Product Reviews, and MORE!

GOnlinetodaystrucking com

@

VICE PRESIDENT, EDITORIALRolf Lockwood, MCILT

[email protected] • 416/614-5825

EDITORPeter Carter


ASSOCIATE EDITORJason Rhyno


CONTRIBUTORS: Steve Bouchard, Guy Broderick, Allan Janssen,

Jim Park, Nickisha Rashid,Octavian Lacatusu (Editorial Intern)

DESIGN LAYOUTTim Norton, Frank Scatozza


PUBLISHERJoe Glionna


NATIONAL ACCOUNTS MANAGERHeather Donnelly


QUÉBEC SALES MANAGERDenis Arsenault


PRESIDENTJim Glionna

CONTROLLERAnthony Evangelista

PRODUCTION MANAGERLilianna Kantor


DIRECTOR OF CIRCULATIONPat Glionna

CIRCULATION INFORMATIONP.O. Box 370, Station B, Toronto, ON M9W 5L3

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 ownersand/or operators of one or more straight trucks or tractor-trailers with grossweights of at least 19,500 pounds, and for truck/trailer dealers and heavy-dutyparts distributors. Subscriptions are free to those who meet the criteria. For others: single-copy price: $5 plus applicable taxes; one-year subscription: $40plus applicable taxes; one-year subscription in U.S.: $60 US; one-year subscription foreign: $90 US. Copyright 2013. 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.

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Canadian Business Press

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NEWCOM BUSINESS MEDIA INC.451 Attwell Dr., Toronto, ON M9W 5C4

416/614-2200 • 416/614-8861 (fax)

MARCH 2013 7

REPORT CARD TIME

36 TODAY’S TRUCKING

Interconnected

panels featuring

the school’scolours gives

the new Truck

& Coach building

a familiar yet

strangely unique

look. The hangar-

style facility has

four bays, full

classrooms and

diagnostics areas.

In September, 2012, Bramalea Secondary School in Brampton, ON., launched Canada’s

first-ever secondary-school TRUCK & COACH PROGRAM, designed to introduce students to

the world of trucking and logistics. Housed in a specially constructed airplane-hangar-sized

workspace attached to the main school, the Truck & Coach Program offers courses in fields

such as diesel maintenance, telematics, parts-handling and operations. Courses are

available at each grade level and if a student completes the four-year program she or he

will know enough about trucking to be immediately employable at an entry-level position.

TODAY’S TRUCKING dispatched writer OCTAVIAN LACATUSU to meet with the program’s

chief engineer and Bramalea Secondary’s Vice Principal Dr. Peter Gibson, PhD.

Lacatusu returned with this report.

To whom it may concern:

Subject: HistoryComments: Gibson is a former driver and small-fleet owner. Not only is he an academic, he’s a lifelongmuscle-car buff, and his office décor has a decidedly internal-combustion theme. That background, combined with his academic credentials, makes him the perfect champion for the program. Goals/Next Steps: No work required here. Would that other high-school programs have similarly qualified teachers!

Subject: BusinessComments: Peter has brought in almost 40 outside supporters, including the Ontario Trucking Association(OTA) and Peterbilt, which supplies a new rig for the students to work on every three months. Goals/Next Steps: Peter must keep the door open to more employers, professionals and suppliers so the program remains au courant and students are kept aware of employment opportunities.

Subject: GeographyComments: Peter strategically located the facility alongside one of North America’s busiest trucking corridors. Distance could be an issue for those wishing to join the program but live too far away.Goals/Next Steps: Demonstrate the program’s efficacy so schools in other jurisdictions can copy it.

Subject: ScienceComments: Peter has proven his ability to secure multiple types of engines, technologies and systems forthe Truck & Coach Program, providing students with an up-to-date understanding of the tractor-trailer andits purposes. Students are all outfitted with laptops to make the fleet maintenance experience even morereal-worldy.Goals/Next Steps: The more support and participants, the better prepared the students will be.

Subject: MarketingComments: As with the rest of the industry at large, more needs to be done to attract women to the program. Goals/Next Steps: On Peter’s to-do list: Find and hire female instructors in the Truck & Coach program.

Subject: CivicsComments: By introducing the Truck & Coach program in a school in which an astonishing 35 languagesare spoken, Peter can be commended for having a program that reflects the true demographics of the trucking industry and making it accessible to as many as possible.Goals/Next Steps: Peter will work on bridging the cultural gaps that continue to unnecessarily plague the Canadian trucking industry. At the same time, programs like this should help improve the public image of trucking.

Subject: Social Studies Comments: Availability of trade programs such as automotive shop and welding in secondary schools hasrapidly declined in the past few years; this has presented Peter and the program with several challenges. Goals/Next Steps: Peter must work to have future high-school graduates “pre-certified” so they get preferential treatment at post-secondary and apprenticeship programs.

Subject: MathematicsComments: Peter expressed ample enthusiasm for helping equate the number of students interested in trucking with the number of job openings. Goals/Next Steps: Peter and his colleagues must grow the program with the aim of putting a dent in the looming technician and driver shortages.

JANUARY 2013 37

Truck & Coach instructor Eugene Odoardidemonstrates the versatility of one of theshop’s manually operated engine stands,allowing students to study different sidesof an engine by tilting or rotating it.

Various components of air compressors and other pneumaticsystems are displayed on this interactive board in order for studentsto understand how they function.

Modern diesel engines of everyclass and capacity add to the general décor of the shop, givingstudents a “real-deal” environment.

Name: Peter Gibson

Grade: Vice Principal

Major: Truck & Coach Program

The Problem with FlakesHad black ice from T.O. to Milton again. Numerous spinouts observed.

Again the people in charge of dispatching plows and salters have done their job of

screwing thousands of drivers.

Let’s see if they can figure this out.

Let’s say you know that the roads are warm and wet but the temperature is dropping

and snow is coming, driven by high winds. And let’s say you still have a bit of time

before rush hour on the busiest highway system in the world. Do you:

1) Mobilize your forces and have a preemptive assault of salt on the roadways?

Or:

2) Finish the sports section, then calculate the best time to retire

in order to maximize retirement benefits, do your daily Sudoku,

check your emails from your buddies, search for best prices for your

Vegas trip, get another free coffee and complain about the quality,

attend the “inclusiveness and diversity” workshop (free brunch

included), grab a magazine and take a 35-minute washroom break,

and then take your doctor’s note to the HR department to claim

your six months’ stress leave?

— John O’Callaghan, Toronto, ON

Passed with Flying ColorsI just want to let you know how much I enjoyed your report on Bramalea Secondary

School’s Truck and Coach Program. (“Report Card Time,” by Octavian Lacatusu, January,

2013.) That was a great format for this story and I look forward to reading more about it

in the future.

— Andrea Harris, Challenger Motor Freight, Cambridge, ON

Email:[email protected] or Send a Letter toNewcom BusinessMedia, 451 AttwellDr., Toronto, ONM9W 5C4

MARCH 2013 9

Sometimes I manage to strike a chord with the things I write

in this space, and that was the case last June. My subject

was mental health, and this is how I began:

“The point I’ll try to make is that we must understand mental

health better because about 20 percent of us will experience a

mental disorder during our lifetime. It’s all around us. And we

must deal with that reality better than we do. In our families, in

our companies, in our society at large, we cannot continue to

sweep it under the rug.”

I didn’t know what to expect in terms of your response, not

least because I wrote briefly about my own family’s experience—

with their permission—and my youngest daughter’s multiple sui-

cide attempts (she’s doing well now). Was I getting too personal?

Did this have any place in a trucking magazine?

I’d written previously that “over-worked, under-paid, and hyper-

regulated drivers” might well find themselves with mental health

issues, guessing that depression could be “utterly rampant, espe-

cially amongst the driving crowd.” I further guessed that “almost

nobody knows how to recognize the signs of trouble.”

Well, I was right. And rarely have I had a bigger response to

an editorial. I couldn’t possibly publish any of the more serious

e-mailed notes I received, because all of them revealed even more

about other lives than I had about my own. Very private stuff.

I heard from a trucking mother suffering the anguish of losing

a kid by suicide. I had one heart-rending e-mail from a driver who

described his symptoms and asked if I thought he needed help.

They and many, many others thanked me for raising the general

issue of mental health publicly. Everyone urged me to stick with

the subject.

I promised I would but the opportunity didn’t arise again until

now, prompted by a message from a driver I’ve known for some

time. Seems he suffers quite severely from something called

Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. He told me about his afflic-

tion in some detail and wondered if maybe I should write about it

here, thinking it might be common—and commonly misunder-

stood—in the tough-man world of trucking. So I looked into it.

And as he suggested, I’d bet my next pay cheque that SAD is

hardly known at all, though I think it’s universally recognized. If

that seems like a contradiction... well, it is. SAD, you see, can start

as what we normally dismiss as the simple winter blues.

I get them, you get them, pretty much everyone in Canada

does. For most of us, a sunny day that speaks of spring will lift our

spirits. Two or three such days in a row and we’re ready to fight

again. But it seems not everyone can break out of it quite so easily.

For some folks, things are much darker than that.

Of course I went to the Internet to bone up on SAD and found

a useful video at the website of a place I know all too well, the

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, CAMH for

short (www.camh.ca, search for ‘SAD’).

In that video Dr. Robert

Levitan, the hospital’s senior sci-

entist and research head in the

Mood and Anxiety Disorders

Program, explains SAD in its

various forms, everything from

clinical depression to the simple

winter blues. He says that two to

five percent of Canadians suffer

from severe clinical depression

that appears as the days get

shorter and we slide into winter.

Another ten to 15 percent show a milder but still serious depres-

sion, and a further 25 to 35 percent of us just have those blues.

I also found cogent explanations at the Mayo Clinic’s website

(www.mayoclinic.com/health/seasonal-affective-disorder/DS00195),

where I learned that SAD can also start in spring and summer,

though more often in fall and winter. Symptoms include: depres-

sion, hopelessness, anxiety, loss of energy, a heavy, leaden feeling in

the arms or legs, social withdrawal, oversleeping, loss of interest

in activities you once enjoyed, appetite changes, weight gain, and

difficulty concentrating.

SAD is diagnosed more often in women than in men—by a

ratio of four to one—but men are more likely to have severe

symptoms. If not treated, SAD can get worse and lead to suicidal

thoughts or behavior, work problems, and substance abuse.

If you’re a manager or supervisor, I’d urge you to do a little

learning yourself and keep an eye out for these signs, especially

amongst your driving staff. Who already have a lot on their

shoulders. Call it preventive maintenance. TT

Editorial

Driving The Blues AwayHow to know when a bad mood’s more than just a mood, and what to do about it.

By Rolf Lockwood

Rolf Lockwood is vice-president, editorial, at Newcom Business Media.You can reach him at 416-614-5825 or [email protected].

I’d bet my next paycheque that SAD ishardly known at all,though I think it’s universally recognized.If that seems like a con-tradiction... well, it is.


DISPATMonthly Surveys, pg.18

Adding Equipment in 2013 Between the Lines, pg.15

7, 560,000 Reasons Why One Axle Matters

Grady (Pete) Carpenter started

trucking with his wife in 1983,

and it wasn’t long before they

expanded. His company, Pac Trucking, is

now contracted to FedEx Ground, and

he owns roughly 21 trucks, the majority

of them Volvos purchased from Nacarato

Volvo Trucks in Lavergne, Tennessee.

That’s where he is now, walking

around the dealer’s recently expanded

facility, shaking hands and talking shop

with technicians. You can tell he’s been a

customer for a long time by the way the

guys in the shop joke with him.

Earlier, however, he was sitting in a

meeting with other Nacarato customers,

members of the trade media press and

representatives from Volvo’s head office,

including the company’s new president

of North American Sales and Marketing,

Göran Nyberg. And when Volvo asked

their customers to share their “chal-

lenges and expectations,” and to be hon-

est about them, the local trucking com-

pany owners didn’t hold back.

What followed was a healthy exchange

between the OEM, the dealer and the

customers. What became apparent was

that everyone has their struggles when

it comes to new equipment, new tech-

nology—the OEM, the dealer, and the

customers, much of it unforeseen.

What makes the difference is the level of

customer service.

“Expectations? Get my truck fixed,”

Carpenter said bluntly, after acknowl-

edging that he predominantly buys

Volvo. “Information is more important

New engine technology has brought with it a host ofproblems—problems that take time and money to fix.

Yet what doesn’t take time or money is thoughtfulcustomer service. And you shouldn’t have to ask for it.

COMPLAINING ISHALF THE BATTLE

B Y J A S O N R H Y N O

NEWS AND VIEWS FROM THE TRUCKING INDUSTRY

SQUEEZING IN THE CUSTOMERS: Volvo askedtruckers to air their concerns, and air they did.

LogBook 2013, pg.14Trucking Events To Pencil In

MARCH 2013 11

CHESSleeping with Giants, pg.18

Muir’s Cartage Forced to AdaptHeard on the Street, pg.21

A TransForce to be Dealt WithFuel For Thought, pg.22

Bob Tebbutt’s Crude Outlook

than the truck. I’d like to know that we’re

waiting on a part, I’d like to know that

it’s going to take two days. ‘We’ll get to it

the best we can, Mr. Carpenter’ is not the

answer I need; I need to be told ‘three

days’, then fine, I can move forward. I

can’t have a team sitting there, waiting

and waiting, and then I find out last

minute that it’s ready. That’s not accept-

able with me.”

Mike McFarlin of M&W Transport -

ation stressed the downtime, “particularly

when you break down from your home

dealership. If it’s not the dealership

where you’re buying trucks, you don’t get

quite the attention that you do if you

have a truck in the shop where you are

buying them.” Kurt Rutherford, an LTL

guy with Bridgestone America’s Tire

Operation, agreed with McFarlin, adding

“We can take a truck into one shop and

it can be fixed in three hours. We can

take the same service failure to another

shop and we get billed for five hours.”

Technicians, too. “Some of the prob-

lems in regard to the timeliness of getting

trucks in and out has to do with the

ability, training and staffing of the techs,

given the complexity of these new

engines with all the emissions equip-

ment and all the electronics on them,”

McFarlin said.

“And often, the fault codes are not the

underlying problem. You’ll get a certain

fault code, it’s brought in, triaged, you

wait on a certain part, they work on it,

take it out of the shop and 45 minutes

down the road it’s right back on. Then

you go right back through the same

process and you’re down for another

TRENDINGThe Best from TodaysTrucking.com

What’sTweetin’? Our Favorite Tweets from the

Tweeterverse, PG.19

Sales OfficesMontreal: 800 361 7900New England: 877 653 7091

Ontario: 800 956 2622Western Canada: 877 626 2622

www.manac.cafacebook.com/manacinc

CANADA’S #1#1TRAILER MANUFACTURER

MARCH 2013 13

three days,” McFarlin said, his colleagues

nodding in agreement.

But the customers also agreed that

the problems they were airing were not

only Volvo problems. “It is a problem

industry-wide, through all the OEMs,

due to the complexity of these engines.”

While Volvo may have asked for their

customers to be “honest,” the passion in

which their “challenges” were shared was

not. Given the serious facial expressions

on Nacarato owners and Volvo brass, the

concerns hit home.

Volvo and its dealership had answers.

Mike Nacarato was first up. “We invest

$100,000 a year in training and upgrad-

ing our technicians,” he said. “We’d like

to do more. The better trained he is, the

more people want to steal him, but we’re

under the impression its better to have

people you want to steal.”

Volvo had kicked off the meeting with

a short presentation on how they have

been working to expand their dealership

coverage in North America, but not

before admitting that, yes, their

dealerships were their weak link a

number of years ago. But that has and

is changing, Volvo said, pointing to

new locations, new investments and

standards being set.

The Nacarato dealership was being

used as the ideal model of what their

dealerships should be able to do.

And what level of customer service

is expected.

Speeding up repair time has been a

focus for the dealership. “The new hours

of service regulations are putting extra

pressures on our customers. If they are

wasting time in the shop, they aren’t

making money,” Joe Nacarato said.

The dealership keeps $2 million worth

of parts on hand, too. Nacarato doesn’t

want its customers waiting two days for

a $5 part.

Here’s the thing: the new 80,000-sq-ft

Nacarato facility with its 28 service bays

reached capacity four months in. The

challenges continue.

Volvo wrapped up the day with a list of

new services and improvements, and a

couple of demonstrations as their cus-

tomers scribbled notes. Nyberg had left by

this point, off to visit other dealerships.

Later, the Canadian journalists on

hand experienced their own downtime

when numerous flights were cancelled

going in and out of Pearson Airport

in Toronto due to a software system

malfunction.

“Why are you guys still here?” asked

a Volvo representative standing in a

nearby line.

“Delays. System malfunction in

Toronto.”

“Is there anything we can do?” There

wasn’t. But at least he asked and offered

help. It was the bare minimum of customer

service, someone caring about our needs,

communicating, trying to find a solution.

And when it comes down to it, that’s

probably the most important thing. TT

DISPATCHES

#1

Fact:

You don’t make money when your trucks are stopping to change headlamps.

without replacing the lamp

GE


logbook2013

Go Onlinefor more events, visittodaystrucking.com

March 3-6Truckload Carriers Association Annual ConventionThe Wynn Resort, Las VegasWebsite: www.truckload.org

6-8The Work Truck Show and NTEA ConventionIndiana Convention Center, IndianapolisWebsite: www.ntea.com

10-12International Warehouse LogisticsAssociation Annual ConventionLoews Portofino Hotel, Orlando, FloridaWebsite: www.iwla.com

12Manitoba Trucking AssociationAnnual General MeetingHilton Winnipeg Airport Suites, WinnipegWebsite: www.trucking.mb.ca

11-14Truck Maintenance Council of theAmerican Trucking Associations Annual MeetingGaylord Opryland Hotel, Nashville, TNWebsite: www.trucking.org

11-15Truck Renting and Leasing Association Annual MeetingNaples Grande Beach Resort, Naples, FloridaWebsite: www.trala.org

15Club Des Professionels du Transport QuebecSugar Shack TripWebsite: www.cptq.ca

21-23Mid-America Trucking ShowKentucky Exposition Center,Louisville, KentuckyWebsite: www.truckingshow.com

April 2-6Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association (SCRA) Annual ConferenceThe Westin Kierland, Scottsdale, AZ Website: www.scranet.org/

15Club Des Professionels du Transport Quebec Annual meetingWebsite: www.cptq.ca

21-24National Shippers Strategic Transportation Council (NASSTRAC)Shippers Conference & Transportation ExpoRosen Shingle Creek Hotel, Orlando, FLWebsite: www.nasstrac.org

April 11-13, 2013Place Bonaventure

Montreal, QC, Canada

www.expocam.ca1-877-682-7469 x.247

The Meeting Placefor Canada’s

Trucking Industry

23-26National Fleet Management Association NAFA Institute and ExpoAtlantic City, NJWebsite: www.nafainstitute.org

26-27Alberta Motor Transport AssociationAnnual ConferenceBanff Springs Hotel, BanffWebsite: www.amta.ca

May 2-4Association du Camionnage du QuebecManoir Richelieu, La Malbaie, QCWebsite: www.carrefour-acq.org

6-8Transportation Maintenance andTechnology ConferenceKingbridge Conference Centre & Institute,King City, ONWebsite: www.cfmsonline.com

May 30 - June 1Great West Truck ShowSands Expo & Convention Center, Las VegasWebsite: www.greatwesttruckshow.com

June 1-4Heavy Duty Distributors CouncilAnnual ConferenceMarkham, ONWebsite: www.hddc.ca

7-8Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association Truck ShowMoncton Coliseum Complex, Moncton, NBWebsite: www.apta.ca

DISPATCHES

MARCH 2013 15

Aside from it being a milestone for the company itself, what does it matter that Meritor recently celebrated its 10 millionth trailer axle coming off the production line?

I ask the question not to take away from the achievement—and it is an achievement—but rather out of journalistic habit: how is this good for our readers? How does this improve their day, help them make money orsave money? Basically, what does it matter?

Via an invite from the company, I—along with a handful of other trade media press—flew down toLexington, KY, to attend Meritor’s 10-millionth-axle presentation. The event was held at their Frankfort, KY plantwhere local politicians, Meritor customers and the axle facility’s staff were on-hand. After the speeches were done,

the workers went back to work and the rest of the visitors were treatedto a plant tour.

During the tour, being guided through roughly 22 manufacturingprocesses and watching staff do whatever their particular stationrequired them to do, I realized that what was truly special about the 10 millionth trailer axle wasn’t its number; it was the amount of peopleneeded to manufacture one, single axle.

Over dinner later that evening, I asked Brent Fisher, site manager forthe Frankfort facility, how many people handle one axle, from start tofinish. Not a special axle—just your simple, regular Meritor trailer axle.Thirty-six people, rough count, Fisher said.

Let’s do some fun, probably not very accurate math. (Note I’ll besticking with U.S. numbers because the plant is located in the U.S.—although this particular facility services Canada, too.)

The average number of persons per household in Frankfort in 2011was 2.10. Let’s say each of the 36 workers who touch that axle supportsa household.

So 36 multiplied by 2.10 equals 75.6 people. So, one axle helps feedand house 75.6 people.

Now, for the sake of argument, let’s say there are 100,000 components on your tractor-trailer and it takes 75.6 people to manufacture each one of those components: 100,000 X 75.6 = 7,560,000. (If you’ve counted andI’m way off, let me know, but 100 grand is easy to multiply.)

By that math, one tractor-trailer is worth 7,560,000 people. Clearly, I’m taking some large mathematical allowances to illustrate my point (rest assured I don’t apply this

logic, if it can be called that, to stories that actually need legitimate number crunching). Every component on your truck or trailer has a handful of people—somewhere, in some part of the world—

working on it. That one person has a house, a couple of children to feed maybe, and likes to spend money on boththe big things and the small, but important stuff: college tuition, vacations, NHL tickets, a big fat steak for a summer BBQ with friends. Maybe a nice bottle of Kentucky bourbon to take back to Canada—*cough.

That’s why the 10 millionth trailer axle to come out of that plant is important, why Meritor’s attention to manufacturing processes, to how it runs its business in a fiscally and socially intelligent manner is important.

People and their families. Work. A living. Things that help other people build and maintain a living. Our businesses extend beyond what they provide. So does the work of each individual in those businesses.

That’s a lot of responsibility. But maybe that’s something we should realize more. And maybe that’s somethingwe should celebrate when we successfully do it 10 million times.

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DieselPrice Watch

CITYPrice (+/-) Excl.

cents per litre Previous Week Taxes

WHITEHORSE 142.4 0.0 124.4VANCOUVER * 144.5 4.6 99.9VICTORIA 136.4 1.7 99.7PRINCE GEORGE 133.9 0.8 100.9KAMLOOPS 132.5 0.8 99.5KELOWNA 132.6 1.2 99.6FORT ST. JOHN 134.2 1.3 101.1YELLOWKNIFE 140.9 0.0 121.1CALGARY * 117.4 -0.3 98.8RED DEER 114.9 -1.0 96.4EDMONTON 115.2 0.3 96.7LETHBRIDGE 120.9 0.8 102.1LLOYDMINSTER 115.2 -0.7 96.7REGINA * 126.4 5.3 101.4SASKATOON 121.9 0.0 97.1PRINCE ALBERT 119.9 0.0 95.2WINNIPEG * 121.7 1.8 97.9BRANDON 123.5 1.4 99.6TORONTO * 132.4 2.7 98.9OTTAWA 136.4 3.0 102.4KINGSTON 135.4 2.5 101.5PETERBOROUGH 132.9 4.1 99.3WINDSOR 129.9 1.1 96.7LONDON 131.4 2.2 98.0SUDBURY 138.8 2.8 104.5SAULT STE MARIE 136.5 2.1 102.5THUNDER BAY 135.2 1.7 101.3NORTH BAY 137.4 2.1 103.3TIMMINS 139.2 1.8 104.8HAMILTON 132.1 1.9 98.6ST. CATHARINES 131.9 3.0 98.4MONTRÉAL * 147.9 5.0 105.4QUÉBEC 143.9 1.3 102.0SHERBROOKE 144.9 2.0 102.8GASPÉ 145.9 2.0 107.5CHICOUTIMI 143.9 1.3 105.8RIMOUSKI 144.9 1.5 104.7TROIS RIVIÈRES 145.9 2.0 103.7DRUMMONDVILLE 139.9 0.0 98.5VAL D'OR 143.9 2.0 105.8SAINT JOHN * 144.4 2.5 104.5FREDERICTON 144.7 2.3 104.9MONCTON 143.8 2.4 104.0BATHURST 147.0 2.5 106.9EDMUNDSTON 146.3 8.0 106.3MIRAMICHI 146.1 2.5 106.1CAMPBELLTON 146.2 2.5 106.2SUSSEX 144.0 1.5 104.2WOODSTOCK 146.3 2.3 106.2HALIFAX * 141.8 2.1 103.9SYDNEY 144.6 1.9 106.3YARMOUTH 143.6 1.8 105.5TRURO 142.7 1.9 104.7KENTVILLE 142.7 1.9 104.7NEW GLASGOW 143.8 1.9 105.6CHARLOTTETOWN * 134.8 0.0 104.2ST JOHNS * 147.1 2.6 109.7GANDER 146.6 2.7 109.2LABRADOR CITY 152.5 2.7 114.5CORNER BROOK 147.8 2.6 110.3

CANADA AVERAGE (V) 132.7 2.7 100.8

HIGH PERFORMANCEENGINE OILStotal-lub.ca

Today’s Trucking Associate

Editor Jason Rhyno’s monthly

column “Between the Lines.”

If you want to let him know

what you think, email him at

[email protected].

DISPATCHES

BETWEEN THE L NES

7,560,000 Reasons Why One Axle Matters— By Jason Rhyno


STATISTICS

This Month in Surveys:Adding Equipment in 2013If your profits are declining and your fleet isaging, maybe it’s time to consider reinvestingor looking for the exit door.

Still hesitant on refreshing your fleet?

According to Transport Capital Partners’

(TCP) Fourth Quarter 2012 Business

Expectations Survey, you’re not alone.

Results from the survey showed that

carriers will be “very conservative” in

replacing equipment over the next

12 months.

There was, however, an increase in

carriers planning to acquire between

11 and 25 percent of their tractor fleets

(that’s in line with a four-year trade

cycle, TCP noted), 60 percent of smaller

carriers and 45 percent of larger carriers

said they were going to replace no more

than 10 percent of their tractor fleets.

“In essence,” said TCP, “smaller carriers

will be relying on older equipment, which

has higher maintenance costs and is more

prone to poor CSA road inspections.”

A small majority of the larger carriers

(51 percent) reported getting enough

returns to justify reinvesting in equip-

ment, compared with 40 percent of

smaller carriers.

“Well-managed carriers with adequate

profit margins will continue to grow and

gain market share,” advised Steven

Dutro, TCP Partner. “Carriers with

declining profits and aging fleets should

consider if, and when, they should rein-

vest in their business, or if the time has

come for an exit.”

OPERATIONS

Sleeping with GiantsMuir’s Cartage was inextricably linked toHome Depot, their biggest customer. Butwhen the hardware giant decided to turnover in its slumber, the carrier was forced toadapt and make some hard decisions.

It’s no secret that the 20-year relationship

between Ontario-based Muir’s Cartage

and Home Depot has been mutually ben-

eficial. But when the hardware retailer

changed from a vendor pre-paid model

to a vendor-collect program five years

ago, Muir’s was forced to adapt.

“Muir’s had been so inextricably

linked to one customer for so long that

its impact on the company was signifi-

cant,” Executive Vice-President Ted

Brown told Today’s Trucking after Muir’s

announced it was laying off 33 company

drivers in early January. (Muir’s is a

division of the much-larger Calyx Group,

with almost 2,000 employees across

North America.)

Muir’s, Brown said, “is faced with the

need to change the way it does business,

the way we deploy our fleets and people,

and diversify the customer base so that

we’re a good supplier to not just Home

Depot, but others.”

TT

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spotthetrucker:

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tank_yanker: @Todaystrucking may want closeyour exterior air vents… saltdust isn’t the healthiest thing tobe breathing.

SteveRock66:@Todaystrucking I say, no need toget your best china out ‘cos of myBritish accent. You do make a jollygood cuppa though, thanks oldboy. (He stopped by the office tosay hi. We made him a cup of tea,and apparently, it was good byBritish standards.)

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Recent maintenance performed on my truck has mefuming—borderline irate.

My truck is a 2013 Peterbilt 587. It’s my home, I live init. The house that my family lives in I tend to visit on a weekly basis. My time at myfamily house is usually 48 hours per week, while the time spent in my truck is the restof my life. It’s abnormally clean inside, for a vehicle; however it’s not just a vehicle. It’smy home and it has everything in it: a fridge, a microwave, Internet, phone, and bed.Like my house, the floor in my truckhas a carpet and a throw rug. I don’twear shoes or boots in my house,and I don’t wear shoes or boots inmy home (truck) either.

It’s more than an average vehiclenot only because of all of the abovereasons, but because it’s value isexponentially higher than mostvehicles. For what a professionaltruck driver pays for his truck at the dealer, in Canada he can purchase the following:

■ 2007 Lamborghini Gallardo ■ 2011 Bentley Continental■ 2012 Porsche 911 Turbo ■ 2009 Aston Martin DBS■ 2012 Porsche Panamera TurboI promise, if you returned one of the vehicles listed above to its owner the way

some people have returned my 2013 Peterbilt to me, it would be your last day working at any particular high end dealer or repair shop.

FOLLOW US todaystrucking@

Low-Rolling Tires Good for Canadian Winters: StudyAccording to a study conducted by the National Research Council

on behalf of Transport Canada, low-rolling-resistance tires offer a

similar level of snow traction performance as conventional tires,

provide better fuel economy and reduce emissions.

The study, titled Packed Snow Performance of Low Rolling

Resistance Class 8 Heavy Truck Tires, examined several brands

of tires to assess their performance in

packed snow winter conditions. (Tires

used were chosen from the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency’s

SmartWay Program’s approved list,

Transport Canada noted.)

The need for the study came out of public consultations on

Canada’s proposed Heavy-duty Vehicle and Engine Greenhouse

Gas Emission Regulations, which are “expected to come into

force for 2014 model years and beyond,” Transport Canada said.

There were concerns that low-rolling resistance tires would

reduce traction performance in Canadian winter conditions,

particularly when equipped on class 8 long-haul heavy trucks.

The study’s results, as well as other test results from the

ecoTechnology for Vehicles program, will help shape Canada’s

proposed emission regulations for heavy-duty vehicles and

Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

Visit todaystrucking.com for NEWS as it happens or sign up for our newsletters at

http://www.todaystrucking.com/newsletters.cfm

DISPATCHESTRENDING The Best from TodaysTrucking.com

— IN THE —

NEWS

FROM THE BLOGS

MARCH 2013 17


The decision to drop the company

drivers was one of many changes over the

last five years, Brown said. As an example,

he pointed to the company’s 205 Doney

Crescent facility in Concord, ON. It used

to be Muir’s cross-dock but now it’s occu-

pied by Home Depot.

“We have considerably

less emphasis on our cross-

dock activity as a result—we

still have some element of

that for smaller customers,”

he said.

But now, Brown said,

they’re focusing on “dedicated contract

carriage and transportation fleet provi-

sions for Home Depot, Best Buy,

Loblaws, Winners and some others that

we work with in the retail sector.”

They’re also diversifying within retail

and outside retail, he added. No more

dependance on one giant customer.

“So with all of that, you just simply

can’t deploy the same model you had for

20 years, and part of that is cost, and

part of that is flexibility that’s required in

servicing those customers.”

“It came to a point where we looked at

the driving groups we had, and the com-

pany guys made up less than 30 percent

of the overall group at our

address in Concord, and

less than 20 percent in

our Ontario fleet all

together.”

The evolution of the

business, he said, “was

happening outside of that

group to begin with.”

Brown said that an alternative course

could have involved incremental layoffs,

over a longer period of time.

“We simply thought it was fairer for

these guys to take the action in one ini-

tiative. We would provide them with the

opportunity to apply through some of

our agency providers or at least one

major in-house provider.

“It was more prudent than death by a

thousand cuts; it was better to do some-

thing that was definitive once and carry

the model forward.”

“This was the most significant deci-

sion that I had to prepare for and carry

out, I can’t think of anything prior that

was this significant—especially with so

many people, good people involved.

“We didn’t do this on a whim and we

didn’t take this lightly. At the same time,

we wouldn’t have proceeded with it if we

didn’t think it was the right thing for us.

“If nothing else, it is just positioning

us to be a player now in areas where we

haven’t been in past—and that can be

different verticals or different geographi-

cal locations, and that’s our full intent as

we march along here in the new year.”

Of the 33 affected drivers, Brown said

that over half have re-applied through an

agency called Interlink Services, “and

[they] are now being deployed on a num-

ber of our routes as we speak.” TT

DISPATCHES

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MARCH 2013 19

HEARD ON THE STREETBull’s Eye? Meet ArrowArrow Truck Sales’ Toronto location has been named runner-up for Arrow’s 2012

Founder’s Award for Most Improved Branch. The branch manager is Vikas Gupta, one

of the top truck sales reps in North America.

Jacobson Hodoh, salesman at the Toronto location, also won runner-up for

Arrow’s Retail Salesperson Of The Year and was a 2012 President’s Club award winner.

Commented Gupta “For our branch, and one of our own employees to receive national

recognition such as this—especially among 16 Arrow Truck Sales locations throughout

the U.S. and Canada—is truly gratifying.”

Driver Dennis shows Cabinet Minister A Thing or Two About TruckingTrimac driver and Road Knight Dennis Hokanson was tapped by the AlbertaMotor Transport Association (AMTA) to tour Cowtown in a state-of-the-art KW

pulling a pair of super-b’s while that province’s Minister of Transportation Ric McIverrode shotgun.

The event, orchestrated by the AMTA, provided the cabinet minister with a driver’s

eye view of the industry as well as a lesson in how to share the road safely with trucks.

The trip began at Trimac’s Learning Centre and continued about an hour along

Calgary’s busiest roadways.

A statement from the AMTA men-

tioned that the ride-along also provid-

ed Minister McIver with a “guided tour

of a modern tractor-trailer which

features the latest safety devices and

environmental technology.” The KW

was outfitted with satellite-tracking

gear, anti-rollover devices and a vari-

ety of eco-enhancing technologies.

GREASE THE GRAPEVINEDON’T FORGET! If you have news you think the rest of the truckingindustry should hear about, send it along to [email protected].

A TransForce to be Dealt WithThe biggest for-hire carrier in the land

keeps growing. Most recently, Montreal-

based TransForce announced that not

only has it assumed Texas-based

Velocity Express, TransForce has also

purchased about 10 percent of another

huge Canadian public company, Vitran.

The Texas deal will add about $160

million to TransForce’s annual revenue.

Velocity has a network of more than

80 locations across the U.S. and Western

Canada and employs 2,600 people,

some staff and some contractors. The

company provides customized, same-

day regional deliveries.

In January, TransForce announced it

has indirectly acquired ownership of and

control over 1,763,478 shares of VitranCorporation Inc. That represents,

according to a statement from the

TransForce, about 10.75 percent of the

issued and outstanding common Vitran

shares. The shares went for about $5.18

apiece and were in fact acquired by

TFI Holdings Inc., a wholly-owned

subsidiary of TransForce.

Happy Trailers to You!East Manufacturing CorporationMidwest Regional Sales Manager JerryShepherd has retired after 54 years of

service to the trucking industry, the last 24

with East. He will be succeeded in this

position by Mark Fletcher, who joined the

company in March, 2011. Shepherd started

his career with Fruehauf Trailers in 1962.

READY, AIM: Assembled for the awards ceremony in Toronto were Arrow TruckSales President Steve Clough, Prizewinner Jacobson Hodoh, Branch ManagerVikas Gupta and Arrow’s Director of Sales Eastern Region Jim Stevenson.

Ric McIver

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FUEL FOR THOUGHT

Bob’s Crude OutlookIf inflation comes, demand picks up, and customers start refusing to play the fuel surcharge game, are you prepared?

— By Bob Tebbutt

Ten years ago, diesel wholesale prices

were under 50 cents per gallon. In 2008,

they rose sharply to over $2.00 then fell

just as sharply to under $1.20 before

rising steadily to their present level of

above $3.

Clearly, prices, because of inflation

and demand improvements, are going to

continue to rise steadily for years to

come. We are not going back to buying

bread and milk for a nickel, especially

now when inflation is set to rise because

of all of the money being poured into the

market to bail out banks.

Of course, there is plenty of crude

available in North America but it is land-

locked at least until outlets to the rest of

the world are developed, which will keep

somewhat of a lid on prices.

Eventually world prices, currently at

a $20 premium to the U.S. price and a

$50 premium to Canadian prices, will

come together.

While surcharges will still be available

for your protection against rising prices,

are your customers starting to command

protection against rising fuel costs?

What if prices reach $4 or $5 per

gallon? What are you going to do?

Gasoline prices are going to move in a

similar pattern to diesel but could lose

some ground as gasoline demand will be

restrained by environmental concerns—

concerns that already have made large

inroads into automobile usage. That

should continue to affect, to a greater

degree, consumption, especially in

North America.

Question is, will the North American

car buyer switch to diesel engines, fur-

ther deteriorating demand for gasoline,

but also increasing demand for diesel?

Again, what are you going to do if

gasoline prices rise through $5 or $6?

How about natural gas (NG) engines?

We have dropped from almost $16 in

2005 to under $3 because of expansion of

shale drilling advancements that have

turned the U.S. from a shortage of NG to

a glut that suffers from a lack of ability to

sell LNG to Japan, with prices currently

five times the North American price.

Long-term, exports will be made to take

advantage of higher world prices. At the

present time, forward prices for natural

gas are trading at a premium of 26 percent

for 2014 and over 30 percent for 2015.

The market is stating that NG will

benefit from expected exports.

Are you contemplating buying natural

gas driven tractors with prices of that

fuel being so much of an advantage to

present diesel prices?

If prices rise to over $10, will that

make your natural-gas driven tractors

less competitive to diesel driven units?

There are ways to stabilize fuel costs

and to take advantage of prices that are

lower than today’s prices. Are you inves-

tigating those ways? There are lots of

questions, to be sure, but you have to

ask, are you prepared if inflation comes

(it will), demand picks up (it will) and

customers start refusing to play the sur-

charge game? (They are and they will.)

This is the first of Bob Tebbutt’s regularcolumn on fuel andfuel management:Tebbutt has been a topbroker in the commodity trading business for over

three decades. He has appeared on BNN, CBC,and has written articles and had his ownradio show on CKO the all news radio stationin Canada. He is currently writing a book onhis experiences and the intricacies in thecommodity markets. He is now a partner inArmour Asset Risk Management.

TT

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12-month Class-7 Sales

200

100

0




Jan

. 201

2

Feb

. 201

2

May

201

2

Jun

e 20

12

July

201

2

Au

g. 2

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Oct

. 201

2

No

v. 2

012

Dec

. 201

2D

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ber

201

2

Ap

ril 2

012

Mar

. ’12

Canada – Truck Sales Index December 2012

DISPATCHES

U.S. – Retail Truck Sales

12-month Class-8 Sales, United States

CLASS 8 This Month YTD ’12 YTD ’11 Share ’12 Share ’11

Freightliner 575 7672 6641 25.1% 25.6%

Kenworth 314 5851 5220 19.2% 20.1%

International 276 4408 4990 14.4% 19.2%

Peterbilt 317 4155 2918 13.6% 11.2%

Volvo 357 3717 2865 12.2% 11.0%

Western Star 263 2456 1681 8.0% 6.5%

Mack 164 2267 1636 7.4% 6.3%

TOTAL 2266 30,526 25,951 100.0% 100.0%


International 38 912 1123 30.3% 36.9%

Freightliner 55 681 660 22.6% 21.7%

Kenworth 36 590 532 19.6% 17.5%

Peterbilt 40 492 353 16.3% 11.6%

Hino Canada 20 337 374 11.2% 12.3%

TOTAL 189 3012 3042 100.0% 100.0%


International 13 377 315 38.3% 33.9%

Hino Canada 12 315 342 32.0% 36.8%

Freightliner 22 276 256 28.0% 27.5%

Peterbilt 1 16 17 1.6% 1.8%

TOTAL 48 984 930 100.0% 100.0%


Hino Canada 52 989 541 57.3% 52.0%

International 26 507 445 29.4% 42.7%

Mitsubishi Fuso 14 196 0 11.3% 0.0%

Freightliner 3 16 28 0.9% 2.7%

Kenworth 1 15 22 0.9% 2.1%

Peterbilt 1 4 5 0.2% 0.5%

TOTAL 97 1727 1041 100.0% 100.0%

Jan

. 201

2

Feb

. 201

2

Mar

. ’12

Ap

ril’

12

May

’12

Jun

e ’1

2

July

201

2

Au

g. 2

012

Sep

t. 20

12

Oct

. ‘12

No

v. 2

012

21,00020,00019,00018,00017,00016,00015,00014,00013,00012,00011,00010,000

9,000

Jun

e 20

12

July

201

2

Au

gu

st 2

012

Sep

t. 20

12

Oct

ob

er 2

012

Nov

. 201

2

Dec

. 201

2

Jan

uar

y 20

12

Feb

ruar

y 20

12

Ap

ril 2

012

May

201

2

3,500

3,000

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0

Jan

. 201

2

Dec

. 201

2

Mar

.’12

Ap

r. 20

12

May

201

2 Jun

e ’1

2

July

201

2

Au

g. 2

012

Sep

t. 20

12

Oct

. 201

2

No

v. 2

012

300

200

100

0

Sept

. 201

2

Oct

ober

201

2

No

v. 2

012

Au

g.2

012

Jan

. 201

2 Feb.

’12

Mar

ch 2

012

Ap

ril 2

012

May

201

2

Jun

e 20

12

July

201

2

Dec

. 201

2

450

300

150

0

Sources: Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association and Ward’s Communication.

Mar

ch 2

012

Canada – Provincial Sales (Class 8)

CLASS 8 BC AB SK MB ON QC NB NS PE NL CDA

Freightliner 52 95 18 58 234 74 32 5 1 6 575

Kenworth 46 132 20 10 45 50 11 0 0 0 314

International 9 33 4 50 110 33 30 3 1 3 276

Peterbilt 11 116 19 32 53 75 10 1 0 0 317

Volvo 20 26 5 6 207 69 6 16 0 2 357

Western Star 71 87 8 24 42 26 1 0 0 4 263

Mack 7 20 16 8 65 26 12 1 0 9 164

TOTAL 216 509 90 188 756 353 102 26 2 24 2266

YTD 2012 2572 7005 1412 2099 10,271 5369 1101 481 62 154 30,526

CLASS 8 This Month YTD ’12 Share ’12

Freightliner 5486 63,975 32.9%

International 2668 34,824 17.9%

Kenworth 2807 27,778 14.3%

Peterbilt 2687 27,255 14.0%

Volvo 2400 20,921 10.7%

Mack 1802 17,327 8.9%

Western Star 279 2623 1.3%

Other 1 12 0.0%

TOTAL 18,130 194,715 100.0%

www.westerncanada.cummins.com

www.easterncanada.cummins.com

EasternCanada

• Wholesale parts distribution

• Retail parts sales

• Engine and power generation equipment sales

• Maintenance & Repair

Feb

. 201

2

MARCH 2013 23


M onday November 15th 2010,

2:30 p.m. Trimac driver Dale

Williams headed out in his

2005 Freightliner Columbia along I-2059

near Birmingham AL., with a load of

sulphur. Except for the driving rain, it

looked like another routine delivery. Or so

Williams thought.

Early into the trip, an on-coming car

lost control and veered into his lane. The

car headed directly toward him.

Williams recalled something his dad

had said to him, years earlier: “Never

take your vehicle and try to make an eva-

sive action.”

Williams held the wheel, kept his truck

straight, took his foot off the accelerator

and braced for a head on.

Sadly, the car driver, an 18-year-old girl,

didn’t survive the crash. Williams says he

never saw her face but instantly thought,

“she’s someone’s daughter.”

It wasn’t the first truck crash to alter

Williams’ life.

On another November night, 37 years

ago, Williams lost his sister, Elizabeth, also

18, in a highway incident. She was driving

home from work at 2:00 a.m. in her fiancé’s

El Camino along I-10, in Vidor, TX. Not

realizing the truck beside her was starting

a turn into a truck stop, she tried to pass.

She was killed instantly.

In both incidents, neither truck driver

was at fault.

However, Williams still wonders if

Elizabeth could have done something

differently and, more recently, why there

was no safety barrier separating the lanes

on I-2059?

There is, thankfully, one in place now.

There’s also one more safety conscious,

responsible trucker on the road now;

Elizabeth’s accident motivated Williams

to pursue trucking. With a passion.

From day one, he committed to being

the best driver he could be, always keeping

Elizabeth in the back of his mind. Hoping

it would mean one less accident, one less

life lost.

But then there was his crash, someone’s

daughter gone. Immediately after the

crash, Williams took a break from driving.

Then, with a whole new attitude, he

climbed back into the cab.

Accidents happen to the best drivers.

But, Williams says, there’s always some-

thing to learn and in turn to teach other

drivers so they are safer on the road.

Nothing can bring back the two lives

lost, but he might be able to save another.

In January of this year, Williams was

named a Captain of the 2013-14 America’s

Road Team.

Along with 18 other Captains, Williams

will spend the next two years representing

the trucking industry and delivering

highway safety messages to the motoring

public.

This team, a project of the American

Trucking Associations (ATA), collectively

has 453 years’ experience and 30.1 million

accident-free miles. They represent the

best America’s three-million-plus hard-

working drivers have to offer. For them,

pride, professionalism and dedication in

making highways safer is job one.

Trucking is always on display. Someone

is always watching. And Williams is a stel-

lar role model; always ready to help a

stranded motorist or treat the people he

comes into contact respectfully. Indeed,

the Road Team simply provides him with a

bigger platform to continue what he’s been

doing his entire career.

Williams, 57, has been driving for over

MANAGING PEOPLE, TECHNOLOGY, BUSINESS, AND SAFETY

Street SmartsStreet Smarts INSIDE:

27 Friend or Four-wheeler?

Our Man On The A-TeamDriver As the first driver for a Canadian fleet to be named aCaptain on America’s squad of elite operators, Dale Williams’passion for trucking safety is born of both love and loss.By Nickisha Rashid

A CANADIAN FIRST: American TruckingAssociations’ Bill Graves with elite TrimacDriver Williams and ATA First Vice ChairmanPhillip Byrd.

Street Smarts

MARCH 2013 25

half his life. He’s been with Calgary-based

Trimac since 1986, first as an owner-oper-

ator and later as a company driver. He

credits his longevity at Trimac to the com-

pany’s flexibility in meeting the needs of

individual drivers. So far, Williams has

clocked approximately 3.5 million miles.

He proudly holds two million-mile safe

driving awards.

“There is no doubt that Dale has the

experience, commitment and knowledge to

represent Trimac and all professional driv-

ers in this celebrated position,” says Tom

Connard, president and chief operating offi-

cer. Williams will be “an inspiration to

everyone he has the opportunity to address

in the coming year,” Connard added.

Williams is honoured that Trimac—as

big as they are —would choose him to rep-

resent the company.

“I think it’s awesome!” he responds

when I tell him that Trimac is the first

Canadian company with a driver on

America’s Road Team, “It’s important for

Canada to be represented because high-

way safety is important everywhere.”

For a Canadian fleet driver, Williams

sure speaks with a rich, delicious

Louisiana drawl. His ‘tawkin’ and ‘fixin’

and ‘y’alls’ make you want a tall glass of

sugary sweet tea.

In 2001, Williams became a driver

instructor. He’s since earned several driv-

er-training certificates. His main focus

with new drivers is always safety first.

“Training and knowledge to make the

right decision on the road could save a

life,” Williams says.

Very soon after meeting Williams, you

realize he’s anything but a know-it-all. He

takes the time to listen and learn from fel-

low drivers.

He’s passionate about teaching: “We

need a younger generation to want to come

in and have enthusiasm for this industry.”

The more I talk to him, the more I think 10

minutes with Williams over a truck-stop

double-double would sure do the trick.

When he’s not behind the wheel, he’s at

home being your all-around good guy.

He met Debra, his wife of 19 years at the

Truck Stops of America in Alabama,

where she worked to put herself through

nursing school.

“She’s blonde headed and she lights up

my world,” he says.

Together they have three kids and three

grandchildren.

The Williams are very involved in volun-

teer work with their church, Victorious Life

Church in Moundville, AL. Together they’ve

done several missions to Mexico and Haiti.

Grateful for the life the trucking indus-

try has given him, Williams says he is

especially excited about being a Captain

because it’s his chance to give back. In the

next two years he’ll cross the continent

meeting with the public in the hopes that

sharing his experiences—both tragedies

and triumphs—could help save a life.

Says Williams: “I believe we can have

safer highways in the Canadian provinces

and across the U.S. It happens one con-

versation at a time, one phone call, one

interview, one one-on-one with a person,

whatever it takes.” TT

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MARCH 2013 27

Morning breaks on a

cool crisp Monday

in the Canadian

Prairies. I kiss and hug my

wife and kids and get ready

to leave.

Pulling my hat down over

my eyes, my boots scrunch on

the snow-packed driveway as

I stride out to my truck. Time

for another trip. Time for more

days of dodging four wheelers.

When discussing road con-

ditions, or driving abilities, if

I’ve heard this phrase once,

I’ve heard it countless times.

“It’s not me I’m worried

about...it’s those d@#* four

wheelers that scare me. I can

handle my truck but you

never know what they’ll do!”

Aren’t you really saying

“I’m a good driver, but if I’m

in an accident it’s not my

fault”? or “Not my problem”?

I’ve been there. I under-

stand that sentiment.

Shouldn’t you expect the

unexpected from amateurs?

Who’s the pro?

What have you done to

help educate them?

I’ve written before that I

work hard at being proactive,

rather than reactive (“The Art

of Offensive Driving,” Today’s

Trucking, October 2012).

Expecting the unexpected is

one more aspect to being a

professional.

Aggressive behavior behind

the wheel and in conversa-

tions is neither positive rein-

forcement nor productive.

Years ago I used to take

some young boys to a rural

outdoor hockey rink. A few

times an ex-NHL’er would

show up and play shinny

with us. The way he did that

made an impression on me.

He didn’t show off. He helped

us become better and

showed us respect. He was a

pro. We were nowhere near

his level (even though we

thought he was old), but we

never felt mocked or laughed

at for our inabilities.

A couple of drivers who cut

their teeth on the two-lane

donkey trails that passed for

national highways in the ’50’s

and ’60’s taught me to respect

all drivers in this same way.

This attitude is the way to

help our public image and

safety for all, and sadly, it’s

not too common today.

While we are pounding

the pavement and grinding

out the miles, this must be

our approach. Treat the

four wheelers with respect

and help them become

better drivers.

I also use every opportunity

to represent my profession off

the highway. There are many

young kids out there with a

picture of a truck on a collec-

tor card or of my LCV that

I’ve given to them with a

smile. There are countless

drivers who have a better

appreciation for what we go

through by listening to my

stories about real life on the

roads and what causes

problems for a trucker.

Keep yourself and your

rig clean. Smile and wave

(all your fingers...) at others

passing you. Be helpful

whenever you can. Stop the

tailgating, running others

off the road and passing on

hills where you are just in

the way. Stay on the road

yourself! In conversations

be positive whether in person

or on social media.

Since many jurisdictions

don’t have Road Knights, here

are some’s additional tips

away from the highway for

when you’re off the highway:.

Volunteer to give presen-

tations at driver-education

classes.

Participate in parades.

Especially fundraising types

like Special Olympics. If

you’re an executive, pay the

drivers’ entrance fee and

washing costs.

Be visible in your

community. It takes relatively

little money to sponsor an

event, raffle items or activity

at your local annual commu-

nity, church or charity event.

When career day comes

up at your high school ask

if you can represent the

trucking industry.

Call your provincial or

municipal trucking associa-

tion. They need members,

your cash and your ideas.

Teach those around you to

become better drivers.

When I strap on my

truck, I’m not out here

dodging four wheelers, but

rather working with them.

They’re like my brothers

and sisters who don’t

always understand the

rigors of trucking.

Do what works for you.

When you have the attitude

to be helpful, most days will

roll by more easily.

We are very visible out

here. Make sure it’s a vision

that others appreciate. TT

Guest Column

Who goes there? Friend or Four-wheeler? drivers A few ways to make nice with the folks who look at you funny from down below.By David Henry

David Henry is an LCV owner-

operator for Penner International

and has been driving for over

25 years.


About 90 days before we completed ranking Canada’sTop 100 for-hire carriers, the company that pro-

duces this magazine, Newcom Business Media Inc,

published a brand new comprehensive and very user-friendly

study of the Canadian medium and heavy-duty truck market.

Subtitled “Opportunities North of the 49th Parallel,” the study

offers any user an ocean-to-ocean perspective on this all important

industry; and it goes much deeper and broader than this, the annu-

al survey of the country’s 100 biggest for-hire carriers. (Contact the

editors at Today’s Trucking if you’d like to learn more about the study.)

What the market analysis shows is that if you look at the trend-

ing on the charts that appear on the following pages; i.e., fleet

sizes are on the increase; the percentage of owner-operators is

generally remaining the same and payrolls are increasing overall,

you should be gratified to know that the same waves are pro-

pelling the smaller fleets, which of course make up the majority

of Canada’s trucking business.

Big players like Trimac, TransForce and Mullen continue their

acquisitive trails, particularly in western Canada, while inefficient

operations continue to evaporate because increased competition

makes it increasingly difficult for inept operators to stay on the

roads. As the recently published market analysis states, “today,

success demands efficiency like never before.”

Technology continues to impose new standards of perform-

ance. As Top 100 perennial Day & Ross’s new COO Doug Harrison

says in his interview with Jason Rhyno, which begins on page 38,

“Whatever past history has been is not what future history will be.”

Many years ago, a Carleton University Journalism Professor was

speaking to a class that included a student who would later be the

editor of this magazine. “Journalism,” the professor said, “is infor-

mation packaged to help readers adapt to their ever-changing

environment.” Which is exactly what we at Today’s Trucking will

do between now and the time we publish the 2014 Top 100. TT

THE COMPILATION OF THE TOP 100 DATA IS ONGOING. All year, Jason Rhyno, Rolf Lockwood, Steve Bouchard, Martin Smith,

Li Li, Frank Scatozza, Lillian Kantor and Peter Carter monitor the for-hire trucking field in anticipation of assembling the next list.

But the fact is, most of the counting is done by the people at the carriers; we’re merely compilers. To them we offer a sincere

“thank you.” You’re under no obligation to help yet you very graciously do and that makes us proud to be the journal of record for the

industry you work in. Thank you and we hope you have a very prosperous year. — P.C.

WHY WE COUNT ON YOU!

Large Carriers

All others 31.1%

Payments to owner-operators 22.9%

Repairs & maintenance 7.0%

Salaries, wages, benefits 25.1%

Fuel 14.0%

Small Carriers

All others 30.6%

Payments to owner-operators 5.3%Repairs & maintenance 12.6%

Salaries, wages, benefits 22.4%

Fuel 29.3%

Top 100CANADA’S

Our annual snapshot ofCanada’s biggest fleets. Why it pays to know how the big guys are doing.

Expenses, For-Hire Carriers, 2010An example of how small fleets can imprint on the large ones.

Small = less than $1.3 million revenue Large = more than $1.3 million revenue

Source: Statistics Canada

— BY PETER CARTER

3

MARCH 2013 29

3012Rank (2012) Company Name, City, Province Total Trucks Tractors Trailers O/O’s Employees

1 (1) TransForce Inc., Saint-Laurent, PQ 16,640 0 4740 11,900 6690 14,630

2 (2) Mullen Group Ltd., Okotoks, AB 11,653 1561 2741 7351 1246 4211

3 (3) Vitran Corporation Inc., Toronto, ON 11,294 192 2405 8697 239 5289

4 (4) Day & Ross Transportation Group, Hartland, NB 6060 486 1630 3944 3318 2137

5 (6) Groupe Robert, Rougemont, PQ 6033 10 1326 4697 400 2450

6 (5) TransX Ltd., Winnipeg, MB 5961 80 1471 4410 845 2275

7 (9) Canada Cartage System L.P., Mississauga, ON 5201 412 1913 2876 620 3500

8 (7) Challenger Motor Freight Inc., Cambridge, ON 5010 10 1500 3500 200 2000

9 (8) Bison Transport Inc., Winnipeg, MB 4784 15 1208 3561 429 2028

10 (10) Armour Transportation Systems, Moncton, NB 4050 150 900 3000 50 1800

11 (11) SLH Transport, Kingston, ON 3679 4 325 3350 425 825

12 (14) Manitoulin Transport Group, Gore Bay, ON 3128 123 629 2376 161 0

13 (13) UPS Canada, Mississauga, ON 2992 2571 142 279 0 10,231

14 (12) Trimac Transportation Services LP, Calgary, AB 2784 0 493 2291 457 1543

15 (15) Contrans Group Inc.,Woodstock, ON * 2664 3 521 2140 631 968

16 (17) Gibson Energy ULC, Calgary, AB 2608 96 694 1818 407 420

17 (16) Siemens Transportation Group, Saskatoon, SK 2465 107 660 1698 159 1557

18 (18) Transfreight, Inc., Kitchener, ON * 2313 0 257 2056 0 1100

19 (19) H&R Transport Limited, Lethbridge, AB 2278 0 553 1725 225 920

20 (20) XTL Transport Inc., Etobicoke, ON 2050 425 425 1200 140 285

21 (25) M-O Freightworks, Brampton, ON 1970 144 403 1423 547 250

22 (na) Erb Group of Companies, New Hamburg, ON 1952 157 655 1140 154 1115

23 (22) Purolator, Mississauga, ON 1886 164 481 1241 13 11,500

24 (21) SGT 2000, St-Germain-de-Grantham, PQ 1838 0 343 1495 22 445

25 (23) Rosedale Group, Mississauga , ON 1825 46 454 1325 112 830

26 (26) C.A.T./Canadian American Trans., Coteau du Lac, PQ 1700 0 350 1350 45 450

27 (27) Gibson Transport, Alliston, ON 1630 0 280 1350 26 461

28 (24) Schneider National Carriers Canadian Division, Aberfoyle, ON 1600 0 400 1200 50 500

29 (31) Groupe Guilbault, Ste-Foy, PQ 1583 3 280 1300 40 617

30 (37) Rosenau Transport, Edmonton, AB 1539 75 330 1134 65 500

31 (28) Allied Systems Canada, Burlington, ON * 1535 0 741 794 75 1100

32 (29) YRC Reimer, Winnipeg, MB 1530 35 460 1035 160 1261

33 (36) Simard Transport Ltd., Lachine, PQ 1494 68 386 1040 209 881

34 (30) Kriska Transportation, Prescott, ON 1467 0 355 1112 59 443

Our annual survey of Canada’s largest for-hire fleets

CANADA’S TOP 100

THE WAIT IS OVER.PROSTAR®+ AND CUMMINS ISX15–

BACK TOGETHER.

Reserve yours today at 1-888-9-PROSTAR or visit InternationalTrucks.com/ProStarISX to see us in action.

© 2

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33012CANADA’S TOP 100

MARCH 2013 31

Rank (2012) Company Name, City, Province Total Trucks Tractors Trailers O/O’s Employees

35 (34) International Truckload Services, Belleville, ON 1433 3 335 1095 190 490

36 (38) B&R Eckel's Transport, Bonnyville, AB 1417 68 269 1080 14 535

37 (35) Northern Industrial Carriers, Edmonton, AB * 1365 0 265 1100 5 200

38 (39) Celadon Canada, Kitchener, ON 1300 0 300 1000 65 200

39 (70) Western Canada Express, Concord, ON 1271 20 380 871 289 210

40 (47) Transport Morneau, Saint-Arsene, PQ 1210 21 311 878 27 765

41 (42) Vedder Transportation Group, Abbotsford, BC 1204 0 296 908 74 435

42 (43) Normandin Transit Inc., Napierville, PQ 1202 1 318 883 30 528

43 (33) Yanke Group of Companies, Saskatoon, SK 1113 12 326 775 76 517

44 (49) Bruce R. Smith Limited, Simcoe, ON 1035 0 235 800 45 290

45 (45) Cooney Group, Belleville, ON 1025 0 200 825 3 250

46 (44) DCT Chambers Trucking, Vernon, BC 1016 26 290 700 60 180

47 (46) V.A. Inc., Boucherville, PQ 1015 11 186 818 1 450

48 (na) Caron Transportation Systems, Sherwood Park, , AB 995 23 296 676 19 402

49 (63) Caravan Logistics Inc., Oakville, ON 990 5 240 745 50 285

50 (50) Shadow Lines Transportation Group, Langley, BC 979 14 10 955 230 87

51 (52) Groupe Boutin, Plessisville, PQ 953 15 277 661 5 470

52 (51) Travelers Transportation Services, Brampton, ON * 950 3 267 680 14 328

53 (55) Penner International, Steinbach, MB 902 0 44 858 310 99

54 (53) Musket Melburne, Mississauga, ON 885 0 225 660 115 320

55 (56) Paul’s Hauling Group, Winnipeg, MB 876 9 256 611 2 369

56 (54) Sokil Transportation Group, Edmonton, AB 865 80 165 620 0 280

57 (48) Team-Transport Services Ltd., Richmond, BC 859 0 48 811 48 11

58 (57) Meyers Transportation Services, Peterborough, ON 843 4 194 645 48 284

59 (40) HBC Logistics, Etobicoke, ON 827 0 74 753 0 225

60 (58) Arrow Transportation Systems Inc., Richmond, BC * 820 0 108 712 219 423

61 (59) Thomson Terminals, Etobicoke, ON 818 3 165 650 2 300

62 (61) AYR Motor Express Inc., Woodstock, NB 800 0 172 628 42 416

63 (na) Cascades Logistique et Transport, Kingsley Falls , PQ 780 0 140 640 20 300

64 (60) Verspeeten Cartage, Ingersoll, ON 759 0 100 659 315 260

65 (32) Calyx Transportation Group Inc., Concord, ON 748 6 9 733 83 443

66 (64) Hyndman Transport, Wroxeter, ON 691 0 155 536 48 207

67 (62) Arnold Bros. Transport Ltd., Winnipeg, MB * 688 15 123 550 120 229

68 (77) Les services logistiques Trans West Inc., Lachine, PQ 640 0 190 450 90 470

69 (65) Wolverine Freight System, Windsor, ON 629 2 137 490 85 247

70 (66) McKevitt Trucking, Thunder Bay, ON * 628 3 175 450 20 260

71 (67) System 55 Transport, Oakville, ON * 614 4 134 476 53 98

72 (68) Transport Bourassa Inc., St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, PQ 610 1 166 443 1 338

73 (69) Mackie Moving Systems, Oshawa, ON 580 30 100 450 125 450


MARCH 2013 33

HOW WE DID IT 1. Companies are ranked based on total vehicle counts, including power units and trailers, as reported in January, 2013. 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]

Rank (2012) Company Name, City, Province Total Trucks Tractors Trailers O/O’s Employees

74 (75) Muskoka Transport, Bracebridge, ON 569 4 150 415 22 220

75 (80) Doug Coleman Trucking Ltd., London, ON 556 48 144 364 39 302

76 (72) Groupe Jules Savard, Jonquiere, PQ 540 0 160 380 1 300

77 (71) BLM Group, Kitchener, ON 520 0 120 400 10 200

78 (73) Williams Moving & Storage, Coquitlam, BC * 516 102 94 320 28 194

79 (76) Transport Herve Lemieux, Saint-Laurent, PQ 510 37 206 267 27 397

80 (na) Jay's Group of Companies, Regina, SK 490 93 116 281 0 411

81 (89) Total Logistics Trucking, Vaudreuil, PQ 490 0 90 400 110 275

82 (74) Fluke Transport, Hamilton, ON 470 15 120 335 62 135

83 (78) ProNorth Transportation, North Bay, ON * 461 3 107 351 2 200

84 (81) Transport Bourret Inc., Drummondville, PQ 452 6 152 294 9 436

85 (82) Con-way Freight - Canada, Mississauga, ON * 438 0 168 270 0 220

86 (83) Groupe Goyette, Saint-Hyacinthe, PQ 435 1 52 382 52 198

87 (84) Empire Transportation, Grimsby, ON 434 1 74 359 2 92

88 (85) Samuel Son and Company Ltd., Mississauga, ON * 410 10 150 250 150 0

89 (na) Transport St-Michel, St-Michel, PQ 400 5 83 312 21 143

90 (86) Transport Bernières, Decary, PQ 395 0 100 295 0 225

91 (87) Transport TYT, Drummondville, PQ 390 0 90 300 40 160

92 (88) APPS Transport Group, Brampton, ON 382 17 65 300 20 250

93 (79) Transport LFL, Vallée-Jonction, PQ 373 39 89 245 4 200

94 (41) Consolidated FastFrate, Woodbridge, ON 365 5 60 300 30 200

95 (92) Transport Gilmyr Inc., Montmagny, ON 342 0 94 248 1 161

96 (90) Transport Bessette et Bourdreau Inc., Saint-Hyacinthe, PQ 335 3 123 209 1 164

97 (91) Gosselin Express, Thetford Mines, PQ 318 10 55 253 2 97

98 (93) Chester Cartage, Toronto, ON * 315 50 65 200 0 0

99 (94) Sylvester & Forget Transport, St-Stanislas De Kostka, PQ * 312 2 85 225 15 105

100 (95) Transport Matte Limited, Donnacona , PQ 288 1 95 192 0 115

GRAND TOTAL 175,037 7,768 41,039 126,230 21,810 96,573

FOOTNOTES: * Estimates. The company was on last year’s Top 100 list, but their numbers were not updated in time for this year’s deadline. na = information not available. nr = not previously ranked.

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MARCH 2013 35

Company Directory

AAllied Systems Canada 31 (28) 1535APPS Transport Group 92 (88) 382Armour Transportation Systems 10 (10) 4050Arnold Bros. Transport Ltd. 67 (62) 688Arrow Transportation Systems Inc. 60 (58) 820AYR Motor Express Inc. 62 (61) 800BB&R Eckel’s Transport 36 (38) 1417Bison Transport Inc. 9 (8) 4784BLM Group 77 (71) 520Bruce R. Smith Limited 44 (49) 1035CC.A.T./Canadian American Trans. 26 (26) 1700Calyx Transportation Group Inc. 65 (32) 748Canada Cartage System L.P. 7 (9) 5201Caravan Logistics Inc. 49 (63) 990Caron Transportation Systems 48 (na) 995Cascades Logistique et Transport 63 (na) 780Celadon Canada 38 (39) 1300Challenger Motor Freight Inc. 8 (7) 5010Chester Cartage 98 (93) 315Con-way Freight - Canada 85 (82) 438Consolidated FastFrate 94 (41) 365Contrans Group Inc. 15 (15) 2664Cooney Group 45 (45) 1025DDay & Ross Transportation Group 4 (4) 6060DCT Chambers Trucking 46 (44) 1016Doug Coleman Trucking Ltd. 75 (80) 556EEmpire Transportation 87 (84) 434Erb Group of Companies 22 (na) 1952FFluke Transport 82 (74) 470GGibson Energy ULC 16 (17) 2608Gibson Transport 27 (27) 1630Gosselin Express 97 (91) 318Groupe Boutin 51 (52) 953Groupe Goyette 86 (83) 435Groupe Guilbault 29 (31) 1583Groupe Jules Savard 76 (72) 540Groupe Robert 5 (6) 6033HH&R Transport Limited 19 (19) 2278HBC Logistics 59 (40) 827Hyndman Transport 66 (64) 691IInternational Truckload Services 35 (34) 1433JJay’s Group of Companies 80 (na) 490KKriska Transportation 34 (30) 1467LLes services logistiques Trans West Inc. 68 (77) 640MM-O Freightworks 21 (25) 1970Mackie Moving Systems 73 (69) 580Manitoulin Transport Group, 12 (14) 3128McKevitt Trucking 70 (66) 628Meyers Transportation Services 58 (57) 843

Mullen Group Ltd. 2 (2) 11,653Musket Melburne 54 (53) 885Muskoka Transport 74 (75) 569NNormandin Transit Inc. 42 (43) 1202Northern Industrial Carriers 37 (35) 1365PPaul’s Hauling Group 55 (56) 876Penner International 53 (55) 902ProNorth Transportation 83 (78) 461Purolator 23 (22) 1886RRosedale Group 25 (23) 1825Rosenau Transport 30 (37) 1539SSamuel Son and Company Ltd. 88 (85) 410Schneider National Carriers Canadian Division 28 (24) 1600SGT 2000 24 (21) 1838Shadow Lines Transportation Group 50 (50) 979Siemens Transportation Group 17 (16) 2465Simard Transport Ltd. 33 (36) 1494SLH Transport 11 (11) 3679Sokil Transportation Group 56 (54) 865Sylvester & Forget Transport 99 (94) 312System 55 Transport 71 (67) 614TTeam-Transport Services Ltd. 57 (48) 859Thomson Terminals 61 (59) 818Total Logistics Trucking 81 (89) 490Transfreight, Inc. 18 (18) 2313TransForce Inc. 1 (1) 16,640Transport Bernières 90 (86) 395Transport Bessette et Bourdreau Inc. 96 (90) 335Transport Bourassa Inc. 72 (68) 610Transport Bourret Inc. 84 (81) 452Transport Gilmyr Inc. 95 (92) 342Transport Herve Lemieux 79 (76) 510Transport LFL 93 (79) 373Transport Matte Limited 100 (95) 288Transport Morneau 40 (47) 1210Transport St-Michel 89 (na) 400Transport TYT 91 (87) 390TransX Ltd. 6 (5) 5961Travelers Transportation Services 52 (51) 950Trimac Transportation Services LP 14 (12) 2784UUPS Canada 13 (13) 2992VV.A. Inc. 47 (46) 1015Vedder Transportation Group 41 (42) 1204Verspeeten Cartage 64 (60) 759Vitran Corporation Inc. 3 (3) 11,294WWestern Canada Express 39 (70) 1271Williams Moving & Storage 78 (73) 516Wolverine Freight System 69 (65) 629XXTL Transport Inc. 20 (20) 2050YYanke Group of Companies 43 (33) 1113YRC Reimer 32 (29) 1530

Company Name Rank (’12) Total Units Company Name Rank (’12) Total Units

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R oads thick with snow and

slush, squalls everywhere in

Toronto today. A green Camry

makes a left turn too fast,

sliding sideways along Derry Rd., then

struggles to reposition itself in the right

direction. Turn into the skid… not that…

nevermind. Good thing I left early.

I’m en route to meet Doug Harrison, the

newly minted COO of Day & Ross

Transportation Group, and I arrive in

good time.

Harrison is running late, however. Not

by much, ten minutes maybe by the time

he walks into the lobby of McCain’s

Sameday Worldwide offices, where I’ve

been waiting, flipping through a very-

worn book about the history of McCain

Foods, which owns Day & Ross. It’s the

only thing to read in the lobby. And it’s a

big, hefty book. The potato bag of books.

As I flip through it, I get a sense of just

how large a company McCain’s is, never

mind the size of Day & Ross.

Since Maritimers Elbert Day and

Walter Ross began hauling potatoes from

New Brunswick to Quebec 60 years ago,

D&Y has been on a growth trajectory.

Today, it boasts approximately 2,000

employees in terminals across Canada,

3,500 owner operators, 3,300 company

owned trucks and trailers. There’s Day &

Ross General Freight, Sameday Worldwide

(courier, express and air cargo globally),

Day & Ross Dedicated Logistics (3PL), and

Day & Ross Supply Chain Solutions (4PL).

Hefty book, hefty company, hefty job;

Harrison could be an hour late and it

would be understandable.

When he enters the lobby, black coat

and toque covered in snow, he apologizes

before leading me up a flight of stairs to a

bustling grid of people in cubicles, then

down a hallway to a quiet corner office.

We sit at a boardroom table and it should

feel awkward two people sitting at a large

table, but it doesn’t. Harrison is friendly

and engaging, his smile is sincere, his eye

contact isn’t overly intense. He sits leaning

in, hands on the table, shoulders square

towards you, slightly relaxed.

If you want to get a sense of a company,

examine its leadership and you’ll get a

sense of how they approach their business,

their decisions, the type of culture it has,

where it wants to go, what the values are.

Everything from how they dress—jeans

and a tucked-in plaid shirt or a solid color

dark suit, like the one Harrison is wearing.

If something unexpected happens, throw-

ing their rhythm off—like a shaving knick

that suddenly starts bleeding profusely in

mid-conversation, how do they handle

themselves? Five minutes in, that happens.

It’s his chin. Nothing serious. But

Harrison notices the scratch, excuses him-

self for a moment, takes the necessary

measure with a Kleenex, and doesn’t break

stride. A small thing maybe but a less deci-

sive person might have tried to hide the

slip. Or lose his train of thought.

Leadership sets the culture and work

ethic—or it’s supposed to, anyway. Leaders

must be more than their title. When you

leave their presence, you want to feel good

about yourself, inspired to do a better job

because they made you feel that you can.

Over the course of the meeting, I ask

Harrison about typical transportation

By Jason Rhyno

D-I-Y PROJECT FOR D&Y BOSS: Harrison challengeshimself: “How can we evolve this to a high-growthorganization in a relatively low-growth industry?”

issues: drivers, recruitment, technology,

dealing with customers, etcetera, etcetera.

He’s polished and well-spoken. Harrison

talks in questions. He answers a question,

but then brings you into his thinking by

asking another. They’re not directed at

you but rather at himself. He uses the

word “think” a lot, too; I think, when I

think of…

Through all of it, he stresses the impor-

tance of “people” and “team building”

and “giving people opportunity” and

“straight talk.” It’s almost too much—

they’re buzzwords, I think. And the last

question I’ll ask him is about those words.

I’ll tell him they sound like “buzzwords,”

that they’re thrown around a lot. How do

I know he means all that wonderful stuff

he says about people and team building?

Before he answers the question, he’ll take

the longest pause of the interview, and

look down into his hands.

Google “Doug Harrison Day & Ross”

and you’ll find his LinkedIn profile: Chief

Operating Officer (COO) Day & Ross

Transportation Group, September 2012 –

Present (6 months); President, General

Freight Day & Ross Transportation Group,

October 2011 – Present (1 year 5 months);

President Calyx Transportation Group Inc.

September 2008 – September 2011 (3 years

1 month); President Acklands-Grainger

Inc. 1999 – 2007 (8 years); Vice President

and Managing Director, Canada and

Europe, Ryder Integrated Logistics 1986 –

1999 (13 years).

Then there is the multitude of boards

he has sat on: Material Management and

Distribution, a well-known trade publica-

tion; Horizon Utilities Corporation;

Mohawk College and the Conference

Board of Canada, to name a few.

He’s also a sought-after speaker at

industry events.

It’s an impressive CV already, but what

makes the difference is when you get to his

education, however it’s not what and where

he studied, it’s when: in 1996, at age 37, he

decided to do his MBA at Heriot-Watt

University and in 2007, at age 47, he started

studying for his Certified Management

Accountant (CMA) designation.

“What I’ve learned is the world is

changing so quickly that if you don’t con-

tinue to educate yourself regardless of

where you’re at, the world passes you by,”

he explains. He says he looks at his 18-

year-old daughter and his 20-year-old son

and thinks about how the world has

changed in their lifetime. “I think as an

executive, if you don’t continue to chal-

lenge yourself, you can easily be left

behind. I did my CITT program, I did my

MBA, I did my CMA and I think all of

those things expose you to different

thoughts and information. The reality is if

you’re not learning everyday in your job, if

you think you’ve mastered everything, the

world is probably passing you by. You

need to continue to evolve as a leader.”

All those boards he sits on? He consid-

ers them “downtime.” He learns things on

those boards that he brings back to the

transportation industry. “I’ve had a few

different points in my career where I’ve

worked at an organization that has

undertaken large change—a real look at

who the organization is and the strategy.

I think you can become so inwardly look-

ing at your industry, that it can be hard to

break through and think ‘what is the next

big service offering or what is the next

game changer in an industry?’ By spend-

ing time in other industries, I’ve come to

appreciate that business is generally

business and in reality, all businesses are

generally the same—the challenges are

the same.”

Challenges. That’s another word that

comes up often, and he lights-up slightly

when he says it.

“I love challenges. I love challenging

environments that give me a real goal

MARCH 2013 39

Leadership/Profile

Day&RossDawn of a New

Meet Doug Harrison, newly tapped overseer of theMcCain family’s venerable fleet. Harrison’s weavinga new-style leadership into a tightly wound outfit.What does that say for trucking in this country?

Leadership/Profile

MARCH 2013 41

that’s going to be tough and not easy to do,

so in my career I’ve led a lot of change,

looking at an organization and asking

‘how can we evolve this to a high growth

organization in a relatively low growth

industry?” And then later, when I ask him

what, exactly, a COO does on any given

day, he says the days are long “and they are

very non-routine days. So getting home at

one or two in the morning and leaving at

five in the morning or working through a

weekend—that’s all part of it. I don’t think

there is any successful CEO or president

who doesn’t put in a lot, a lot of hours. And

every now and then the phone rings at

three in the morning and you need to be

prepared to do what you have to do when

that happens,” he says, pausing for a sec-

ond. “So I enjoy it.”

He’s proud of never having missed an

important family event. He mentions

that, twice.

The reason why Harrison frames his

answers in questions is because he’s a

strategist. And like all good strategists, he

loves the puzzle of it, the cognitive agility

it takes to be truly good at it. How do we

do this? What is that? How is this going to

affect us? He’s looking at all the moving

parts, and trying to figure out how to

harness them. “We’ve set a great strategy,”

he says of Day & Ross, “a great focus

and there’s a lot of work to be done

amongst our whole team in producing on

that strategy.”

He says that he enjoys change, another

word that has come up frequently. In fact,

he seems acutely aware of change when

we talk technology, regulations, business,

always referencing the past, but at the

same time, it’s always about the future. In

a changing business world, he tells me,

“whatever past history has been is not

what future history is.”

“I enjoy setting direction and I enjoy

taking a company to the top…” Then

immediately rolls into strategy… “So how

do you take a company to the top in an

industry that doesn’t grow by more than

one or two percentage points a year, but

turn it into a 15 to 18 percent growth com-

pany? How do you create a great environ-

ment for people? I’d say it’s a mix of setting

a strategy for a company, setting the exe-

cution of that strategy and all the tactics

that go with it…” then ends with people

and team building… “engaging the people

in the company, hiring great talent, help-

ing those people be successful. Their suc-

cess is my success.”

On that last note, I think he’s dropping

buzzwords on me again. I list off the words

and tell him that they are thrown around a

lot. He pauses, looks down into his cupped

hands, and then speaks slowly, deliberately.

“Over my career, I’ve learned to choose my

words very, very carefully because I want

to be held accountable for what I say, I

want people to trust me and trust is built

and learned.”

Something he said earlier resonates a

little stronger. “You can’t mandate any-

body to allow you to truly be a leader. You

can mandate people to let you be the

president of a company, but having people

follow you is really their decision.” TT

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To operate safely, a carrier cannot simply declare that “safe-

ty and compliance is everyone’s responsibility” and believe

that everyone will “do the right thing.” Carriers need to

have safety management controls in place that actively

move the company toward compliance and safety.

The safety regulations (in both Canada and the United States),

while laying down the rules, do not go into detail about how to

operate safely. The regulations do not spell out what policies, pro-

cedures, and practices will result in a company operating compli-

antly and safely. They only state what a company must do and

cannot do.

Best practices fill the void between what is required and how to

comply and operate safely. They are intended to provide compa-

nies with plans and ideas that will minimize risk, increase com-

pliance, and lead to safer operations.

A key point here is that best practices are used in addition to

being compliant with the safety regulations. The regulations are

the starting point when it comes to a carrier’s safety program.

Best practices are what move the carrier further down the road

toward operating safely and compliantly.

In this article we are going to look at various areas of a carrier’s

operation and discuss the best practices for the area. Any of the

areas discussed in which you are not up to the “best practices”

level is a “gap.” These gaps can be seen as risks. The more gaps you

see between what you are doing and the best practices used in the

industry, the more at risk you are.

Fleet safety policies and proceduresBest practices in this area include the company having policies

that are designated as “safety policies.” The policies are in writing,

kept current, circulated, trained on, and followed, and all supervi-

sory personnel (including dispatchers) know them.

The safety policies should cover all aspects of the operation:

drivers, dispatchers, customer service, maintenance, and upper

management. They should also cover critical topics such as

defensive driving, hours-of-service compliance, maintenance and

safety inspections, and driver qualification.

Finally, there should be progressive disciplinary measures

such as coach and correct, warn, suspend, and terminate that are

used in cases of noncompliance with the safety policies.

You know the regulations. But do youhave your own rules for obeying them?

PracticesPerfectMake

By Tom Bray

MARCH 2013 43

Recruiting and hiringBest practices in this area generally involve having written stan-

dards for applicant screening that cover driving records, accident

history, and employment history (including gaps in employment).

This is an area in which, clearly, the more “history” you are willing

to accept, the more risk you are assuming.

If the driver meets your standards on paper, a complete

employment background check should be done to verify the pre-

vious five years (at a minimum). All applicants should receive a

standard interview.

Finally, there should be written procedures for the applicant

screening process covering the standards, the process, and the

people involved. By the way, the process should involve at least

two individuals.

Driver policies and handbookDrivers should be given a handbook that contains necessary reg-

ulatory compliance information, company policies, and guidance

on common non-compliance and non-policy issues. There also

should be an update mechanism to keep the manual current.

Operational policies and proceduresFirst and foremost, best practices dictate that the company have

a firm “no compliance = no dispatch” policy that applies to hours-

of-service, driver qualification, and vehicle issues. If a driver is not

qualified, does not have hours, or there is a vehicle problem, oper-

ations staff should not dispatch the driver! To make this work,

operations personnel need to be trained on hours of service,

driver qualification, and vehicle issues.

Another key to making this work is to have a disciplinary

system for supervisors who do not follow safety policies.

Orientation and trainingThis area has several best practices. No driver should be allowed

to operate company equipment until the completion of orienta-

tion and company “certification” of the driver. Orientation

should include defensive driving training, training on the gen-

eral safety regulations, company policies and practices, hours-of-

service compliance, vehicle inspection, and cargo securement (at

the minimum).

A realistic road test should be conducted either during the

screening process or during orientation. To be realistic, the test

should include operating in

the on- and off-road envi-

ronments the driver will be

operating in, and have fail-

ing criteria. Drivers not

passing are either released

or placed into an on-the-job

training program.

If they are placed in an

on-the-job training program,

“getting out” of the training should be based on minimum time

spent in training and on performance-based standards.

If the driver will be operating in the United States, remember

that a negative drug test result must be received before the driver

enters the United States.

The company also should be conducting regularly scheduled,

mandatory, on-going training “safety meetings” for all drivers.

Topics such as defensive driving, company policies, and problem

areas in terms of compliance and safety should be covered during

the ongoing training.

Driver retention and recognitionBad behavior staying unchecked will continue and grow, and

good behavior unrewarded may end. Therefore, best practices in

this area involve recognizing drivers for each year of employment

and for each year of safe driving. To have a united driver retention

effort, the company should consider training all personnel that

have supervisory responsibilities over drivers.

One good retention strategy is to conduct exit interviews on

all drivers that leave. The exit interview information should then

be compiled, tracked, and acted on.

Accident investigation and follow upBest practices in this area involve investigating and acting on all

accidents. All accidents should be investigated and root cause and

causal factors assigned. During the investigation, preventability

should be decided. Drivers that are involved in preventable acci-

dents should then be retrained. A database of all accidents should

be maintained and tracked in order to attempt to locate trends,

Compliance

Carriers need to havesafety managementcontrols in place thatactively move thecompany toward compliance and safety.

Compliance

MARCH 2013 45

and systemic fixes should be put in place

when a trend is spotted.

Finally, disciplinary measures must be

in place for the non-reporting of accidents,

repeat accidents, and accidents that can be

attributed to driver negligence or a viola-

tion of company policy.

Hours-of-service policies and proceduresBest practices in this area involve finding

and fixing problems quickly. To start

with, all logs submitted should be audit-

ed for over-hours violations and form-

and-manner. At least 10 percent of the

logs and supporting documents should

be audited for falsification (the more the

better!). Finally, any driver found to have

a problem in the area of hours of service

is quickly counseled and disciplined

(if necessary).

Maintenance policies and practicesBest practices in this area include making

sure that drivers are trained on pretrip,

post-trip, and enroute inspections, and

that drivers know the procedures for

requesting repairs.

Also, the maintenance department

should have a written maintenance sched-

ule that is followed by drivers and opera-

tions. The maintenance department

should also have maintenance records

that show a systematic method of inspect-

ing, maintaining, lubricating, and repair-

ing all equipment.

Finally in this area, all maintenance

personnel can, by virtue of documented

in-house training, outside training and/or

certification (SAE, OEM, etc.), or experi-

ence, be considered “qualified.”

Disciplinary policiesFinally, the company should have detail -

ed, progressive disciplinary policies in the

following key areas:

■ Accidents

■ Hours of service

■ Treatment of coworkers and/or customers

■ Unauthorized use of equipment

■ Illegal or unsafe activities

Any area in which you could not hon-

estly say you have policies, procedures, or

practices in place that meet or exceed

what we discussed is where you have gaps.

These gaps can be seen either as risks you

are willing to live with or as areas where

you need to make an improvement. Which

way you look at it is your decision. TT

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Thomas Bray is Senior Editor – Transportation Management for J.J. Keller &Associates, Inc. Bray came to J.J. Keller with 20 years of experience in themotor carrier industry, from over-the-road driver, trainer, and claims managerto lead instructor and safety director. During his tenure in the industry hewas responsible for DOT compliance, policy development, driver humanresources, driver training, and accident prevention. Contact him at [email protected] and check out www.kelleronline.com


T his engine could be the one that

lights the fire, so to speak, under

natural gas as a viable alternative

fuel for heavy trucks. Its diesel counter-

part, the Cummins ISX12, has already

earned a reputation as a good performing,

durable, medium-displacement engine.

Since the ISX12 and the ISX12 G share

many common components, there’s no

reason to believe the natural gas version

won’t be widely accepted as well.

Just to clarify, the ISX12 diesel is made

by Cummins, and features high-pressure

common rail injection, a variable geome-

try turbocharger, and all of the currently

accepted emissions technology, such as

EGR, a diesel particulate filter and an SCR

aftertreatment system.

The ISX12 G is produced by Cummins

Westport Inc. (CWI)—the joint venture

between Cummins and Westport Inno -

vations. It features the same engine archi-

tecture as its diesel cousin, minus the

common rail fuel system, minus the

VGT, and minus much of the emissions

system. It has, instead, a wastegated turbo,

a spark ignition system, stoichiometric

cooled exhaust gas recirculation (SEGR), a

three-way catalyst (TWC) aftertreatment

system, spark ignition and a throttling

mechanism that mixes intake air, recircu-

lated exhaust gas and gaseous natural gas

fuel prior to combustion.

All that to say the ISX12 and the ISX12

G are not two of the same engines burning

EQUIPMENT NEWS, REVIEWS, AND MAINTENANCE TIPS

In GearIn GearINSIDE:53 Auto-Theft Immune Systems57 Truck mechanics of the world60 Lockwood’s Products

Less Sparkle, Same Punchtest drive A brief test drive of Cummins Westport’s ISX12 Greveals it has all the oomph of its diesel cousin, with some slightly different performance characteristics. By Jim Park

It’s hard to resist the urge to comparethe ISX12 diesel to its natural gas cousin,but they are different engines. Period.

In Gear

MARCH 2013 47

different fuel. The performance curves

and ratings indicate they are similar in

that regard, but there are performance

and handling differences.

We had a chance to drive the ISX12 G

last summer at the Paccar Technical

Center in Mt. Vernon, Wash. The truck is

one of a handful of Kenworth/CWI field

test units currently in beta testing. That’s

important to remember as operating

parameters are constantly being tweaked

and tinkered with. Christopher Matheis, a

Cummins Westport Divisional Field

Service Engineer based in Denver told me

he couldn’t be 100 percent certain which

calibration was in the test truck I drove.

So, my observations may be inconsistent

with other experiences. There, that’s my

disclaimer and I’m sticking to it.

A New Old-fashioned ThrottleThe ISX G is different from the smaller, 8.9

ISL G engine used in medium-duty trucks

in that it has an engine brake and it can be

used with manual transmissions. Both of

these valued assets caused a few

headaches for engineers, but the results

are notable and customers will be forever

grateful for the extra effort I’m sure it took

to make them both work.

Getting right down to basics, these nat-

ural gas engines do not use fuel injection

like their diesel brethren. They are throt-

tled in a manner similar to a carbureted

gasoline engine, but still very differently.

The fuel, stored in pressurized tanks in

liquid or compressed form, is delivered to

a metering/mixing module at about 100

to 110 psi where fresh intake air, recircu-

lated exhaust gas and fuel in its gaseous

state are blended together. This module

sits physically on the engine in the same

place as the EGR mixer on a conventional

diesel—that is, at the far end of the

engine’s intake manifold.

“With the ISL-G were at a bit of a ‘dis-

advantage’ regarding fuel flow because the

fuel is injected into the incoming air

stream in the intake manifold, or intake

plenum, coming into the engine,” Matheis

explains. “It’s physically several feet away

from the cylinders, if you think about it

from a volume standpoint. Unlike diesel,

with today’s common rail engines, you can

stop or start fueling almost instanta-

neously. With a natural gas engine, there is

still a charge of fuel-laden air between

what we’ll call the throttle plate and the

cylinders. It takes a split second to burn

that fuel off until the driver feels the

engine respond to the throttle pedal.”

To slow the engine, the fuel supply is

cutoff at the metering module, but a

charge of air and fuel still has to make its

way through the intake manifold and into

the cylinder. That takes roughly half a sec-

ond—based on my driving experience

(and Matheis confirmed this).

This was noticeable when downshifting

with the manual transmission—but easily

corrected for. When revving the engine

prior to the downshift, there was a

moment’s hesitation (yes, about half a sec-

ond) before the engine responded to the

throttle pedal command to increase

engine speed. As I said, it’s an easy adjust-

ment for the driver when he or she knows

what to expect.

The same thing happens on an upshift,

but in reverse. The engine revs continue

climbing for a moment after releasing the

throttle pedal.

That’s why many natural gas engines

are mated to automatic (torque-converter

type) transmissions. The driver keeps the

throttle pedal depressed and the trans-

mission shifts under power, so the slight

lag in engine response is eliminated.

However, since automatic transmis-

sions haven’t found a place in the heavy-

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Engine: 11.9-liter ISX12 G (400 hp/1,450 lb-ft)Exhaust: Single back-of-cab w. horizontal catalystTransmission: Eaton 13-speedmanualFuel Capacity: Dual 40.5 gal DGE(diesel gallon equivalent)

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In Gear

MARCH 2013 49

duty on-highway market (Allison’s new 10-

speed TC-10 twin-countershaft automatic

could change all that), being able to use a

manual transmission with a natural gas

engine is a game changer.

The other welcome addition is the

engine brake, but it came for a few engi-

neering challenges as well. Since compres-

sion brakes need large volumes of air to

function, Matheis says they couldn’t sim-

ply close a throttle plate to cut the fuel/air

supply to the engine to decelerate.

“Unlike ‘conventional’ throttled

engines, we do not use the throttle to slow

the engine down. When you let off the

accelerator pedal, the throttle plate on the

ISX12 G engine actually opens. This allows

air to pass into the cylinder so the engine

brake will function,” he says. “If you closed

the throttle plate, there would be no air in

the cylinder to compress, and the engine

brake simply wouldn’t work.”

A Work in ProgressThe delay characteristics are due to the

hardware, i.e., the length of the intake

manifold pipe, or the distance the fuel/air

mixture has to travel from the throttle

plate to the combustion chamber. Matheis

says engineers are working to keep the lag

as short as possible.

“Engine calibrations can make a differ-

ence,” he explains. “We’ve recently made

some table changes to allow for better

shift quality. As you adjust the throttle

pedal position, the engine calculates that

and determines a torque value that it is

trying to achieve depending on rpm. So,

for example, the driver may have to push

the pedal down a little farther before the

engine responds so it will feel more like a

diesel.” In that regard, CWI has succeeded

handsomely. It pulls the way you’d expect

a diesel would, and the torque and horse-

power ratings are very similar. This one

boasted 400 horsepower and 1,450 lb-ft of

torque (compared to 425/1,650 in a

diesel), so it’s not noticeably lacking.

What is missing is the noise. The ISX12

G is exceptionally quiet, and that has a lot

to do with the way the fuel burns. The

compression ratio in the gas engine is

lower than a diesel, and the fuel is less

‘potent.’ That’s why they talk in terms of

diesel equivalent gallons of fuel. The bot-

tom line is the combustion event is less

violent, if you will, softer feeling—lacking

in sparkle, but certainly not in punch. It

feels and sounds more like a gasoline

engine than a diesel, but it’s got diesel

pulling power at cruise rpm.

A Few Miles LaterWe had the truck for a couple of hours of

track driving and then out on the high-

ways around the Technical Center. While

hills were in short supply, the basic

maneuvering, up and downshifting, decel-

erating, etc., gave me a pretty good feel of

what the engine would do. We had 75,000

lbs. in a dry van, so the engine was cer-

tainly earning its keep.

Once I had adjusted for the lag in

engine response to the throttle pedal, I

nailed every shift and found myself wind-

ing up and down through the gears like it

was a favorite old ride. The throttle pedal

response is very snappy in the first 5 or 10

percent of throttle position change, but

under load that goes away and it responds

much the same as a diesel.

The torque curves on the ISX12 G are

very similar to the diesel’s curve for the

400/1,450 rating. The real beef is between

Rather than a fuel pump and injectors, the fuel system has anintegrated fuel module/mixer that blends recirculated exhaustgas with the natural gas fuel and throttle-controlled intake air.

In Gear

1,200 and 1,400 rpm, but even down at

1,075 rpm there’s still about 1,425 lb-ft

underfoot. It’s very drivable.

I think if a driver were to get into a

truck with an ISX12 G, not knowing what

was under the hood, his or her very first

impression would be that it’s a smaller

engine than the ratings would suggest.

That’s because it’s quieter and softer feel-

ing—especially at low speed and low

rpm. However, once the driver got up to

cruise speed and started taking advan-

tage of the available torque, he or she

would be thinking the engine is punching

above its weight.

I walked away more than satisfied with

the ISX12 G, and slightly bemused by the

differences between the diesel and gas

versions—given all the hoops the engi-

neers are jumping through. They are try-

ing to make a natural gas engine work and

feel like a diesel. They are very close, and

the differences are inconsequential in

my opinion. TT

Trucks fueled by LNGhave methane leakdetectors onboard.

With all the hype surrounding natural gas, some of

the issues surrounding its use have been lost in the

rhetoric. There’s nothing bad here, just a few things

that need to be considered—mostly by the regulators—that

haven’t yet been addressed.

Claude Robert, one of the biggest proponents of natural gas

in Canada, and president of one of the first fleets to embrace the

fuel, says the weight of the fuel tanks has to be addressed.

“Compared to a similar truck running diesel only, the LNG-

fueled truck is roughly 2,200 pounds heavier,” he says.

The difference is not as pronounced with compressed natural

gas fuel, but that’s not inconsequential either. While manufactur-

ers are improving tank designs, Robert says fleets using natural

gas need an axle weight tolerance so payload won’t suffer.

“Our trucks scale 22,500 to 22,700 lbs. full of fuel without a

driver or his personal effects,” Robert says. “As a consequence, we

are scaling 12,200 lb on the steer (bobtail) and we positioned the

5th wheel to run at 13,200 lb, loaded, on the front, so we now

have to use heavier capacity tires.”

As well, and this is an engineering issue with regulatory

implications, because the LNG fuel tanks are longer than diesel

tanks, it’s impossible to build a truck with less than a 228-in.

wheelbase. Open it up long enough to hang an APU on the frame

and you’re pushing the 244-in. limit.

“The regulators need to address the Canadian wheelbase

restriction,” he says, adding, “but more importantly, stretching

the truck out that long widens the gap between the truck and

the trailer, and that hurts fuel economy.”

Natural gas is clearly a case of a technology getting ahead of

the laws. If the fuel is to gain wide acceptance, as many on the

environmental side of the lawmaking house would like, the

crowd sitting across the aisle that regulates weights and

dimensions are going to have to pull up their socks and get the

ball rolling.

In Gear

THE OTHER SIDE OFNATURAL GAS

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In Gear

MARCH 2013 53

U nlike much other freight, it’s hard

to disguise cars. And because few

commodities appeal to a thief ’s

greed more than glittering shiny wheels,

keeping autos safe is an art in itself.

Today’s Trucking asked a few veteran

auto-haulers how they keep lip-smacking

jackals away from their specialized trucks

and their precious cargo.

“It’s not a matter of if you’re going to

get robbed, it’s a matter of when you’ll

get robbed,” says Wally Horodnyk, VP of

operations and security at Toronto-based

specialty hauler TFX Transport, adding

that vigilance is key when looking out for

the “left hook” in this business.

“It’s that left hook, the one you can’t see

coming, that gets you. Theft is that left

hook, because thieves don’t ever stop,

they’re always trying to find out a new

angle to everything,” Horodnyk says.

Complemented by a royal-blue coat of

paint, TFX’s enclosed trailers carry any

cars but TFX’s speciality is the carriage

trade: Ferrari, Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce,

Bentley, among others.

The entire TFX fleet contains an undis-

closed number of monitoring devices

and other electronic wizardry that keeps

watch on virtually every part of the

tractor-trailer.

That includes anything from high-defi-

nition cameras, to fingerprint ID sensors,

sensors capturing real-time speed, idle

time, geo-fencing, pin-locks, as well as the

ability to lock up the tractor and trailers

online by clicking your mouse. “You want

to create as many little traps, because

thieves are generally single-minded, they

want it and they want it quick,” Horodnyk

said. “They don’t want to work for it, so

that’s what your security should reflect:

‘you want it, you work for it’.”

“You don’t want to get the call, ‘Wally,

where’s the truck?’ What you want to hear

is, ‘Wally, window’s broken but every-

thing’s still here.’”

Gerry Dowden, owner of St. John’s NL-

based East Can Transport Ltd., hauls cars

all over the Maritimes. His number-one

security device: A driver who doesn’t leave

the vehicle.

Because he carries back and forth

between Halifax and St. John’s, most of the

trip is aboard the ferry.

“They load the cars on the trailers and

they unload at the destination, so they’re

with the load 100 percent of the time,

except for when they’re on the ferry, and

the chances of somebody stealing a vehicle

off a carrier on the ferry is unlikely,” he said.

Though Dowden said he’s not too con-

cerned, his drivers are still tasked to employ

Auto-Theft Immune Systemssafety Carrying cars? Here are some old hands’ tips for keeping them safely aboard. By Octavian Lacatusu

CARRIAGE TRADE: TFX’S Horodnyk says he’salways on the lookout for “left hooks.”

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In Gear

MARCH 2013 55

standard procedures in order to keep them-

selves and the tractor-trailers safe.

“When we load the vehicles, we will lock

the doors on the vehicles, particularly

those vehicles on the bottom of the trailer,

because you wouldn’t be able to unload

the top deck of the trailer unless you

unload the bottom deck first,” he said.

Some risks remain, such as someone

using a pumping mechanism to power the

hydraulics and manoeuvre the ramps in

such a way that could get the load off, but

Dowden said that’s not something easy to

pull off either.

“It’s not impossible and it’s certainly a

risk, but I mean, we have pin locks, so if we

ever have to drop the trailer at any time,

we would lock the trailer. But that’s so rare,

I don’t think the boys ever used them,”

Dowden said. TT

THE ELECTRIC NAG

Picture this. You’re driving your truck. You

decide to go for a lane change, but then

suddenly, a voice comes out from your

dashboard and stops you cold.

It’s serene and restrained, the tone very seri-

ous. Perhaps a little 2001: A Space Odyssey-like.

A new device called the inthinc waySmart,

comes pretty darn close to sci-fi, as it can “coach”

the driver in real time when it detects unsafe

driving behavior.

Or, in other words, it’ll know something’s

wrong before you do.

Installed as a box beneath the driver seat,

waySmart plugs into the vehicle’s onboard com-

puter and “watches” the driver, checking speed

via both the vehicle’s sensors, as well as its own

sensors, in real time, monitoring vehicle motion

and aggressive driv-

ing behavior. Notably,

pumping the brake

too hard, accelerating

too fast, or making

sharp turns. The sys-

tem also alerts drivers

if they drift outside their lane, or if their cushion

of distance is too small.

Inthinc’s Communications Manager, Daniel

Ashby, stressed that waySmart technology does

not, in fact, have any control over the vehicle and

that it merely acts as a monitoring entity.

“When the driver is speeding down a street, a

voice prompt will tell them to slow down and let

them know they’re speeding. The driver then has

15 seconds to comply with that violation, other-

wise, it’s reported to inthinc’s online portal where

managers can see,” he said. “The idea isn’t so

much to punish the driver, but rather coach them

to become safer drivers, so we give them that

opportunity to slow down.”

WaySmart also acts as a GPS tracking device

that communicates via wi-fi, cellular, or satellite

signals that are directly sent to inthinc’s online

portal. There, fleet managers can track their

vehicles’ location and drivers’ performance.

Uniform giant Cintas reported that since their

fleets were equipped with waySmart technology,

speeding incidents were reduced by a staggering

85 percent.

“The verbal coaching feature has had a huge

impact, keeping our drivers safe on the road,”

said Josh Moore, Cintas project manager. The

waySmart can be installed on anything from a

Ford F150 pick-up, to a colossal mining hauler.

Canada and U.S. (800) 387-4800www.espar.com

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In Gear

MARCH 2013 57

I f you take your broken-down rig into

Carlson Fleet Maintenance (CFM) in

Abbotsford, BC, chances are it will be

tended to by Lindsey Girvin, mother of

two, step mother to one; and a ripe-old 25.

CFM is a family-owned repair shop with

five staff at the Abbotsford location and

another five in Burnaby. Says Girvin, “We

work on a couple of fleets; we work on

highway trucks; smaller five-tons, three-

tons, logging trucks, dumps, anything that

has a diesel engine.”

Carlson founder and owner Glenn

Carlson hired Girvin when she was only 22

and now, he says, he would put this lead

mechanic up against any tech in the field.

He also says—given the lack of young

people choosing heavy-duty mechanics

as a trade—Girvin would make a good

ambassador for the industry, much like

elite teams of drivers serve as role models

for driving.

Today’s Trucking caught up with Girvin,

and turns out Carlson’s right: Not only

does this tech talk about her role with

breathless enthusiasm, making it sound

attractive to career choosers everywhere,

she had some pretty good advice for old-

timers, as well.

Today’s Trucking: Tell us about the

most recent job you completed.

Lindsey Girvin: At CFM we look after a

fleet that has a lot of trucks with the CAT

3126 Engine. These trucks are all about 10

years old and starting to need more main-

tenance. I just changed injector o-rings on

several different trucks.

TT: Tell me about it.

LG: This job is slightly more time-

consuming than most and takes care

and attention. I first access the valve cover

and remove it to confirm my diagnoses. I

then drain all the oil and remove injectors

and replace o-rings as needed, which most

of the time is all of them.

Before re-installing the injectors, I take

some time and use a pneumatic vacuum

system to make sure all the oil in every

individual cylinder is out of the engine. I

then lube the injectors up with the appro-

priate oil for the job, and re-install every-

thing with care. After I re-install the valve

cover or anything I had to remove to

access it, I start the truck and check for

leaks. If all is in working order I fasten

everything back into place.

TT: Where’d you learn this stuff?

LG: I’m an only child and a daddy’s girl.

My father used to be in the lumber indus-

try but quit that in 1997 and then went

back to school. He has been a certified

tech since 2004.

When I was young my dad did a rebuild

on an old chevy truck: the engine, body

and flat bed box. I remember trying to be

involved in anyway possible, whether that

meant just standing there holding tools

or actually working beside him. And this

continued with any maintenance work

he performed.

Then when I was 10, my dad changed

careers and his new garage had him work-

ing Saturdays. That meant he could bring

me into work and I started performing

simple services such as grease jobs. As I

got older, I realized how much more I

loved commercial transport, compared to

automotive. I ran with my passion and

got a $1,000 bursary towards my post-

secondary education in grade 12 and

attended University of Fraser Valley

straight out of high school for my entry

level. I’ve been in the industry since.

TT: Do you ever notice things that

require fixing that wouldn’t, if the driver

behaved differently? Are there actions driv-

ers could do differently to avoid mainte-

nance costs?

LG: There are many things that would-

n’t need fixing if it weren’t for driver error.

For one thing, in a big rig, you’re supposed

to double-clutch, which means you use

the clutch to come out of gear and then

again to go back into gear, but drivers

don’t like to use the clutch at all if

they don’t have to. This is very hard on the

clutch and entire drive train and could

potentially do a lot of damage. I’ve seen

clutches come out in pieces before.

Another big thing that drivers do that is

not good for their truck is ignoring auto-

matic slack adjusters, which are supposed

to automatically adjust your brakes.

Problem is drivers think they no longer

have to do a brake check before every trip.

The brakes don’t inspect themselves

automatically. How do they know they

always work? They don’t and to me, this is

the number-one big mistake.

TT: If you ran the truck and truck-engine

manufacturing world (and there’s no rea-

son why someday you shouldn’t) what is

the one biggest challenge you would take

on to make trucks more service-friendly

and/or lower maintenance?

LG: There are already some great sched-

uled-maintenance programs out there for

fleets, but the biggest problem is repair

shops and drivers don’t stick to them.

And lots of smaller operators don’t have

any programs at all. The best way I can

think of to lower maintenance on trucks is

to use these already-established programs,

to make them a code for the industry so all

trucks and not just fleet vehicles have to

follow the program.

TT: Give us three tricks to make any job,

no matter what, easier, cheaper or more

effective:

LG: One, collect all the necessary tools

for the job you’re doing before starting and

put them in a tool tray to avoid going back

and fourth from your job to your tool box;

Future TechQ&A Why you should meet Lindsey Girvin, a 25-year-old lead hand and role model for the truck mechanics of the world.By Peter Carter

DIRTY HANDS MAKE NICE WORK:Girvin’s been fixing vehicles sinceshe was 17 and Glenn Carlson saysher future is very bright indeed

THE NEW ALLISON TC10 TS TRACTOR TRANSMISSION

Testing has shown the Allison TC10 TS offers better fuel economy than a manual or auto-mated manual transmission in the target duty cycles. Regardless of driver experience or expertise, it automatically achieves the best fuel economy. The TC10 TS shifts at just the right points on the power curve with virtu-ally no loss of acceleration, right into cruise gear. And because it’s an Allison Automatic,

it doesn’t require regular clutch maintenance or replacement, like manuals and automated manuals do. This results in signifi cant savings in service and downtime over the life cycle of the truck. Make your next tractor less expensive to operate.

Ask your truck dealer about the new Allison TC10 TS.

In Gear

MARCH 2013 59

Two, grab a parts container for every job you do, no matter how

big or small, and make sure you put everything you remove from

the truck in the container right away. This way, you know exactly

where all of your parts are and small pieces are less likely to get

lost; And three, always start and end with a clean work area.

TT: Some people think the looming tech shortage is a bigger

problem than the driver shortage. Why aren’t more young people

interested in your trade?

LG: There are way too many Internet and desk jobs out there that

pay just as well. And the tech industry is very dirty and labor inten-

sive. It also requires a certain amount of strength and motivation.

If you’re female, it’s even more challenging to break into this

trade; you need a very thick skin. You have to know how good you

are and almost be slightly arrogant about it to be taken seriously.

I had some crazy experiences when I first tried to break into this

trade; I actually had a service manager laugh at me and throw my

resume in the garbage right in front of me. I learned quickly to let

it go and move on... and if you can’t do that you won’t make it. TT

FLIGHT SYSTEMS ELECTRONICS GROUP (FSEG), has just released aWhite Paper discussing reasons for failure and replacement optionsfor failed turbos.

To read the entire document copy and past this into your browser.

http://www.fseg.net/diesel/news/Turbo_White_Paper2.pdf

Meantime, here’s an executive summary:

There are three major reasons for turbo failure: ■ LUBRICATION FAILURE: In a “Burst & Containment” document authored

by Honeywell, their Garrett Engineering group provides an operating

description of its smallest turbo product.

The article states that the turbocharger’s

impellers operate up to 200,000 rpm and the

exhaust gas temperature can reach a max of

1,800F causing the turbine housing to glow

red under certain driving conditions.

A lack of lubrication from degraded engine oil or insufficient delivery

from an obstructed oil line can cause increased friction and temperatures.

In extreme cases of poor lubrication and high operating temperatures,

moving components can become seized, locking up the turbocharger and

disabling operation of the vehicle.■ EXCESSIVE CONDENSATION: Seized or sticking vanes cause failures.

Rust formations on the vanes, created by excessive condensation build-up

when a vehicle is idle for extended periods of time, is the cause of failure.

Condensation can enter the tail pipe or an exhaust manifold gasket

leak. Regular on-the-road vehicle use will help burn condensation and

prevent rusting. ■ LACK OF MAINTENANCE: Catastrophic failure can occur when

engine oil changes become infrequent and fail to meet recommended

scheduling intervals.

At 100,000 miles, inspecting and cleaning the intercooler system and

removing any cause of FOD is highly recommended. After excessive miles,

turbochargers sometimes experience pressure loss caused by worn seals

(leakage) and/or worn impeller (leakage). Seals will easily damage under

extensive pressure cycles, especially sealing rings for rotating parts.

SHADETREE TURBO LORE


NAVISTAR’S new boss Jack Allen

told us at Christmastime that he

would soon be revving his com-

pany’s off-road equipment, and at last

month’s World of Concrete trade show

in Vegas, he came good.

At the show, Navistar trotted out its

commitment to the construction seg-

ment with an array of updated severe

service truck offerings from International

Truck and a comprehensive line-up of

mixer products from Continental Mixers.

Updates for the International

WorkStar include adding SCR for 2013.

Navistar’s 13-liter engine with Cummins

SCR (selective catalytic reduction)

aftertreatment system will launch in

International ProStar highway tractors

in April and in WorkStars in May.

Other new features for the

WorkStar include:

■ New 96-in. break-away mirrors

that minimize cab and door damage that

result from low-speed collisions. They’re

narrower than the usual mirrors and can

be equipped with remote control, heating

or lighting.

■ Standard LED lighting for almost all

lights except headlamps.

Navistar hooked up with Continental

Mixers to showcase its lightweight

integrated mixer, which utilizes a

proprietary high-strength steel specifi-

cally formulated for concrete mixers.

This design delivers a nearly 2,000-lb

weight savings vs. comparably spec’d

steel mixers.

The lightweight mixer includes the

optional ZF gearbox which integrates the

hydraulic pump in the gearbox housing.

In addition, multiple barrel sizes are

available to meet customer requirements.

The new lightweight mixers are

available on both WorkStar and

PayStar chassis.

Continental Mixers also featured its

trailer mixer designed for 9.5-12 cubic

meter applications and can also utilize

Continental Mixer’s new lightweight

components. The mixer is integrated

with the WorkStar and features a low

center of gravity to prevent spillage

going over inclines and a hopper height

equal to conventional mixers. In addi-

tion, the trailer mixer touts Continental

Mixer’s high-performance load charging

and discharging as well as wireless con-

trols and Navistar’s integrated Diamond

Logic Builder for ease in body installa-

tions and upfitting.

www.continentalmixers.com

www.navistar.com

NEW FIFTH WHEELASSEMBLYFONTAINE PROMISES WEIGHT REDUCTION AND VERSATILITYFontaine Fifth Wheel introduces

the LWB lightweight slide bracket

assembly. This new assembly replaces

Fontaine’s ATB slide and will provide

additional weight savings without

sacrificing strength.

“We’ve designed the LWB to be lighter

than its predecessor without sacrificing

8WHAT’S NEW AND NEWS FROM SUPPLIERSPRODUCTWATCH

NAVISTAR STOKES UP

VOCATIONALSTEAMNEW TOUCHES FOR DUMP TRUCKS AND MIXERS SIGNALNAVISTAR’S COMMITMENT TO OFF-ROAD APPS.

nline Resources:For more new product items, visit

PRODUCT WATCHon the web at todaystrucking.com

MARCH 2013 61

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Reduce the risk of cargo securement violations, accidents and liability with J. J. Keller’s new Cargo Securement FLATBEDS training program.

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MACK TRUCKS is offering its 13-liter Mack MP8 engine in the

Mack TerraPro concrete pumper. The high-horsepower, high-

torque MP8 features three ratings and special performance calibrations unique

to the concrete pumping industry. Ratings of the MP8 range from 425 to 505 horsepower

and 1,760 ft.-lb. torque, offering maximum power for demanding concrete pumper applica-

tions. “The higher horsepower and torque available with the MP8 provide effective and

efficient operation of the concrete pump under the demanding and variable engine loading

conditions that are routinely encountered during operation,” said Curtis Dorwart, Mack

vocational product marketing manager. Mack says the TerraPro cabover offers superior

visibility and remarkable durability and is specifically designed to easily navigate tight

turns. Equipped with the Mack Maxitorque ES manual transmission, Mack C150/151 and

C202/203 axles and the MP8 engine with ClearTech SCR System, the TerraPro concrete

pumper has a completely integrated Mack Pedigree powertrain.

Mack has also launched the new Mack Twin Y Air Suspension,

the first suspension to utilize an innovative Y-shaped high-strength steel design. Offered

with proprietary Mack axles, the Twin Y Air Suspension, according to Mack, delivers

unmatched comfort, handling and fuel efficiency for highway customers desiring a smoother,

more stable ride. The Twin Y is up to 400 lb. lighter than other air suspensions.

Mack has also introduced its own proprietary axles on its

Mack mRIDE spring suspension, designed for vocational customers

demanding a durable, stable ride with greater articulation. Customer field tested for

more than three million miles and available on the Mack Pinnacle Axle-Back and Axle-

Forward models, the Twin Y features Mack S38 and S40 series axles with C125/126 and

C150/151 carriers.

The design of the Mack Twin Y air suspension includes two stamped high-strength steel

Y-shaped blades per wheel end. The Twin Y blades are joined to the axle with both upper

and lower axle seats, which greatly reduces suspension windup and significantly improves

tire traction and braking control.

The axle seats are clamped to the

axle housing by Huck U-bolts on both

sides and never need to be re-torqued.

Bushings in the upper and lower

axle seats offer greater roll control and

deliver easier handling and a more

comfortable ride. Lighter weight and

non-torque reactive, the Twin Y

requires less maintenance and extends

tire and component life, significantly

improving customer ROI.

The Twin Y’s design means the load on the suspension is entirely on the air ride and not

on the pivot bushing.

The Mack mRIDE spring suspension uses spring leafs over four separate rubber block

packs to offer stability and articulation, while also allowing the needed clearance for larger

tires and brake components required in construction and vocational applications. The

mRIDE provides constant ground contact for all wheels over its articulation range, which in

turn maximizes traction on any jobsite. The parallel pinion angles of the Mack axles extend

the driveline joint life. Coupled with the greaseless mRIDE suspension, the offering boasts

easier maintenance. www.macktrucks.com

MACK NOTCHES UPVOCATIONALSMP8 now available in TerraPro; new suspension system introduced

Product Watch

“We now have 37 Volvos in our fleet and running them has substantially improved our uptime. That’s huge for us - if our trucks aren’t on the road they’re not making money for us.

Our dealer response has also been phenomenal - with two-hour diagnostic triage service and Volvo Link for fuel economy and service.

We have a mix of – 670’s and 730’s all D13 500hp. We chose Volvo engines because we are dealing with one vendor and can get things resolved quickly, and the D13 power, fuel efficiency and weight give us everything we want.

We will definitely continue to grow the Volvo side of our fleet.”

Darcy Hammond, President Muskoka Transport

Test drive Volvo advantages at your nearest Volvo dealer. Visit us at volvotruckscanada.com

“Uptime with our Volvos is Incredible.”

Volvo Trucks. Driving Success.®

©2013 Volvo Group North America, LLC

MARCH 2013 63

capacity or strength,” says Aaron

Puckett, Fontaine Fifth Wheel director of

fleet sales. “Our R&D team used computer-

aided design to develop this bracket’s

smaller footprint that uses steel rein-

forcement in key areas to provide greater

durability and strength. As a result, the

LWB is more robust than the ATB slide.”

The LWB accepts a variety of Fontaine

No-Slack top plates, including model

6000 stamped steel, model 7000 cast

steel and model 7000CC cast steel,

low-lube. Mounting

heights start at an

industry low of

6 3⁄4 inches

and go up to

10 1⁄4 inches.

The LWB’s

Quad-Lock four-

point locking system

increases the locking surface area, prom-

ising greater stability and improved wear

characteristics.

The two-inch increment positioning

capability provides greater versatility for

improved payload distribution. Its

greaseless bracket liner offers consistent

lubrication, reduces wear and diminishes

maintenance costs.

The LWB is rated up to 55,000 lb

vertical load and 150,000 lb drawbar

pull rating.

www.fifthwheel.com

WELDER OVERCOMESLIMITED POWER SUPPLY SNAP-ON’S NEW UNIT SUITS 110VA good number of shops have 110-V

wall outlets, limiting their choices when

selecting a welder with power and per-

formance. The new easy-to-maneuver

Snap-on MIG140 welder offers a

solution. Says Mike DeKeuster, category

manager for Snap-on: “The new Snap-on

MIG140 is ideal for repair shops, body

shops, as well as farm and metal fabrica-

tion shops. With a 60-percent duty cycle

at full load, this welder allows you to

weld thicker material for a longer period

of time.”

The MIG140:

■ Welds 1/4-in. material in a single pass

with 140A maximum output at 60-

percent duty cycle.

■ Features all-copper-wound trans-

former insulation and

bolted laminations to provide precise

voltage control and repeatable welds.

■ Has a capacitor bank and diode set that

delivers consistent voltage and industry-

leading smooth-arc characteristics.

www.snapon.com

www.monroeheavyduty.com

Replacing worn shocks may help prevent costly, abnormal wear to a new set of steer and/or drive tires. Protect your investment with the premier name in ride control. Monroe® Shock Absorbers.

©2013 Tenneco

Tires Are Expensive.Shocks Are Not.

A smart decision now may save money later.

Product Watch

SILVER SPONSORS:GOLD SPONSORS:

ASSOCIATION SPONSOR:

PLATINUM SPONSOR:

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY:

$15,000 IN CASH AND PRIZESThat’s what’s up for grabs for the next Highway Star of the Year. The winner receives:

★ $10,000 in cash ★ An Espar Heater System ★ Road-ready, trucker-friendly laptop from OBAC

★ Special-edition leather Chevron jacket with winner’s name and Highway Star of the Year logo

★ Travel and accommodations for two to Montreal during ExpoCam 2013

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, oper-

ates 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 2013 Highway Star of the Year

The Highway Star of the Year award is open to ALLdrivers — company drivers and owner-operators alike.

If you know someone worthy of such an

honour, please submit your nomination as soon

as you can. We’ll be presenting the award during

ExpoCam 2013 in Montreal, on Saturday

April 13, 2013. Forms are available on-line at www.todaystrucking.com/hsoy.

★ 2013 HIGHWAY STAR OF THE YEAR ★

Terry SmithHighland

Transport Miramichi, NB

René RobertClassy Transport Inc.

(contracted to SLH Transport) Calgary, AB

Reg DelahuntIndependence Transportation

Lanark, ON

Jean-François FoyTransport

J.C. Germain Neuville, QC

Dale HadlandInternational

Freight Systems (IFS) Beachville, ON

Cliff LammerenPraxai

Edmonton, AB

Stephen McGibbonMilltown Trucking, Oak Bay, NB

THE HIGHWAY STAR OF THE YEAR ★ HALL OF FAME ★

HIGHWAY STAR OF THE YEAR

2011

2008 2006 20042010

2012

2007

Bud RushArmstrong Moving/

United Van LinesOakbank, MB

2009

MARCH 2013 65

Product WatchNEW CORDLESS TOOL LINEINGERSOLL RAND PROMISES PNEUMATICPOWER WITH CORDLESS CONVENIENCEIngersoll Rand claims to be redefining

cordless tools with their latest line of

IQV20 series cordless tools and 20-volt

lithium-ion batteries. The IQV20 series

platform allows for all the tools in the

line to run longer between charges—

giving technicians the ability to complete

a full shift on a single charge. The first

Impactool of the series, the W7150, pro-

duces 1,100 ft-lb torque and 780 ft-lb

reverse torque, is 9.4-in. from tip to tail

and weighs 6.8 lb. Other new releases in

the line are the W5130 3/8-in. 20V

Mid-Torque Impactool and the L5110 LED

Task Light. Additional tools will be added

to the IQV20 Series portfolio in 2013.

www.ingersollrandproducts.com/iqv20

FLEET TECH TERMINAL SETELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS NEED CLEANING? FLEET TECHNICIAN OFFERS A LINE OF TOOLS FOR THE JOBThe HD Fleet Tech’s ElectricalTerminal Maintenance Set provides

tools necessary for cleaning and main-

taining the most common electrical

connectors and connections found in

today’s fleets. Applications include

seven round-pin trailer harnesses,

weather packs,

bullet connec-

tors, common

ABS sensor

and power con-

nectors, trailer

light plugs and

more.

A set includes: two sizes of flat

male and female terminal cleaners,

two gold 7-round-pin socket harness

cleaners, one black ABS sensor/power

connector cleaner, 10 super-hard round

diamond-coated micro files, trailer

light bullet connector cleaner and

DeoxIT contact chemical cleaner;

and it all comes packaged in a custom

leather-type holster.

www.ipatools.com

PHILLIPS LAUNCHES MINILED REPLACEMENTSLIGHTS DESIGNED TO UPGRADE OR REPLACE INCANDESCENT BULBSPhillips Automotive Lighting NorthAmerica is offering a new line of LED

miniatures that add flexibility and style

to a vehicle’s interior and exterior. The

replacement bulbs are based on high-

powered LEDs and offer significant

advantages when used as upgrades or

replacements for incandescent

miniature lamps.

My name is Tom Quinton and not many guys know cold weather driving like I do. I’ve been driving 34 years in severe weather conditions in Canada, where temperatures reach -40 degrees C. With the help of Mobil Delvac oils, I’ve never had any trouble starting my trucks, no matter how cold it has been.

Next time you change your oil, switch to Mobil Delvac. Find your nearest distributor at mobil.ca

MARCH 2013 67

Phillips X-tremeVision LED Interior

bulbs are designed as direct replace-

ments for a vehicle’s standard incandes-

cent miniatures. Philips says they deliver

high-power LED illumination and up to

5x more light output while consuming

substantially less energy.

They’re available in two light color

temperatures: 4,000 K and 6,000 K. The

4,000 K white light is much closer to day-

light than a traditional incandescent

interior bulb. The 6,000 K version takes it

up a notch and delivers the bright white

look of Xenon HID, yet consumes 13

times less energy.

www.phillipsind.com

PRESTONE ADDS DEF TO LINEUPANTIFREEZE AND COOLANTS JOINED BY DIESEL EXHAUST FLUIDPrestone has introduced a new

antifreeze/coolant product as well as their

very own Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF).

As part of its new line, dubbed

Prestone Command, the company is

offering its antifreeze/coolant products

in two formulations:

■ Extended Life provides 600,000-

mile/12,000-hour CAT EC-1 protection

for any diesel-powered heavy-duty

engine, the company said. The formula

protects aluminum and all other engine

metals against temperature extremes,

rust, corrosion, scale and water-pump

failure, and is compatible with any other

heavy-duty antifreeze/coolant. A predi-

luted 50/50 formulation is available for

convenient top-off applications.

■ Extended Service is SCA pre-charged,

Prestone said, and provides protection

from freezing, overheating, cavitation ero-

sion, corrosion, scale and foaming in any

heavy-duty engine with need-release filter

technology that is used in normal to

severe duty cycles and extreme tempera-

ture conditions.This formula is also avail-

able in a prediluted 50/50 antifreeze/

coolant formulation, and demineralized

water dilution for top-off applications.

www.prestonecommand.com

A Guaranteed GoodAdventure!Last month’s mystery location is no mystery to anyone interested who might want

to be at the center of the Canadian Trucking Universe next month. Montreal’s

Place Bonaventure will be, from April 11-13, home to the fabulous ExpoCam Truck Show. The show is produced by Newcom Business Media Inc., the same

company that produces this magazine. If you’re thinking about attending, contact

[email protected] or [email protected], and they’ll get you in for free! And while

this month’s mystery joint is not quite on the Trans Canada, it strikes us as an

ideal place for our next editorial meeting. We’ll give a free Today’s Trucking Capto the first 10 people to i.d. the establishment. Think you know where it is?

Contact Jason Rhyno at:

YOU CAN’T GET THERE FROM HEREc/o Today’s Trucking Magazine

451 Attwell Drive, Toronto, ON M9W 5C4

Phone: 416-614-5827 • Fax: 416-614-8861Or email: [email protected]

FebruaryAnswer:

Place Bonaventure,Montréal, QC

Product Watch

YOU CAN’T GET THERE FROM HERE


TRP INTRODUCES NEW ALUMINUM WHEELS ALL-MAKES WHEELS SAID TO DECREASEMAINTENANCE COSTSTRP announced the availability of alu-

minium wheels for all makes of trucks

and trailers, offering significant weight

reduction and fuel efficiency benefits to

operators everywhere.

Available in 22.5-inch and 24.5-inch

sizes in both machined and high-polish

finishes, TRP alumini-

um wheels are forged

from one piece of cor-

rosion-resistant alu-

minium for added

strength and durability.

They also come with a

five-year warranty.

“TRP aluminium wheels can reduce

truck and trailer weight by several hun-

dred pounds compared to steel wheels,”

said Jeff Hughes, TRP development man-

ager. “So weight-conscious operators

looking for more payload capacity can

greatly benefit by switching to lighter

TRP aluminium wheels.”

The cooler-running TRP aluminium

wheels also improve tire and brake life.

www.trpparts.com

FREIGHTLINER LAUNCHES CNG MIXER SEVERE DUTY TRUCKS TO RUN ALTERNATIVE FUELFreightliner has introduced its first

114SD concrete mixer with compressed

natural gas (CNG).

The 114SD CNG concrete mixer is

equipped with the Cummins Westport

ISL G natural gas engine, which is

designed for superior fuel economy,

performance and dependability with

near-zero emissions.

Built on Freightliner’s severe duty

platform and designed for a variety of

applications, the 114SD CNG concrete

mixer is available in a wide range of

vocational rear suspensions and frame

options up to 5 million RBM. A heavy-

duty frame, steel reinforced aluminum

cab and flexible specs make the 114SD

CNG concrete mixer ideal for the most

demanding jobs, says Freightliner.

Freightliner Trucks collaborated with

McNeilus Companies to build the truck.

“The combination of our severe duty

concrete mixer with natural gas technol-

ogy is the ideal blend of power, perform-

ance and efficiency,” said Robert Carrick,

manager, Natural Gas Sales, Freightliner

Trucks. “We are providing the mixer

market with another solution for cus-

tomers seeking an economical way to

reduce emissions and fuel costs.”

www.FreightlinerTrucks.com TT

Product Watch

FOR THE TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY

PAINT SOLUTIONS

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Also available in over 200 distributors

including participating stores accross Canada.

Now available our direct program,

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Simple. Quick.Effective.

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TruckandTrailer.caWe Move Iron!

MARCH 2013 69

Free Product Information

NATIONAL ADVERTISERSAllison Transmission 58www.allisontransmission.comBridgestone 48www.trucktires.comBrossard Location de Camions 40www.locationbrossard.qc.ca Cummins Canada 23www.cummins.comDetroit Diesel Engines 4www.detroitDiesel.com Espar 55www.espar.comExpoCam 20-21www.expocam.caGE Lighting 13www.gelighting.comGlass Shield 68www.glass-shield.com Goodyear 56www.goodyear.ca/truckGreat Dane Trailers 71www.greatdanetrailers.com Hendrickson 32www.hendrickson-intl.com

HighwayStar of the Year 64www.todaystrucking.comHino 8www.hinocanada.comHowes Lubricator 16www.howeslube.com Imperial Oil 66www.mobildelvac.ca Innovative Hydrogen Solutions 18www.innovativehydrogen.comInternational Truck & Engine 30www.InternationalTruck.com/ProStarISXJ.D Factors 22www.jdfactors.comJ.J. Keller 61www.jjkeller.com Kärcher 45www.karcher.caMack 36-37www.mackpinnacle.comManac 12www.manac.caPaccar Parts 2-3TRPParts.comPeopleNet Communications 50-51www.peoplenetonline.caPeterbilt back cover www.peterbilt.com

Peterson Manufacturing 52www.pmlights.comPetro Canada Lubricant 54www.fightsoot.comProlam 26www.prolamfloors.comRidewell 47www.ridewellcorp.comSAF-Holland 25www.safholland.ca Shaw Tracking 59www.shawtracking.caTenneco Monroe 63www.monroeheavyduty.comTotal Lubricants Canada 15, 34www.total-lubricants.ca Truck & Trailer 68 www.truckandtrailer.caTruckPro 65www.truckpro.caVolvo Trucks North America 62www.volvotruckscanada.comWestern Star 6www.westernstartrucks.comYara 41813-222-5733Yokohama Tire 44www.yokohama.ca

Today’s Trucking makes it possible for you to make fast, convenient connectionsto the advertisers in this issue. Log on to todaystrucking.com

COMPANIES IN THE NEWS

A

Armour Capital Management . . . . . .22

Arrow Truck Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

B

Bridgestone America . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

C

Carlson Fleet Maintenace . . . . . . . . . .57

Cummins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

D

Day & Ross . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

E

East Can Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

East Manufacturing Corp . . . . . . . . . .21

F

FedEx Ground . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Flight Systems Electronics Group . .59

Fontaine Fifth Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

Freightliner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23, 68

H

HD Fleet Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65Hino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23Home Depot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

IIngersoll Rand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23, 53inThinc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

JJ.J. Keller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

KKenworth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

MM&W Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12Mack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23, 61Meritor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15Mullen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28Muir’s Cartage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

NNacarato Volvo Trucks . . . . . . . . . . . . .10Navistar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

PPac Trucking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10Penner International . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27Peterbilt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23Peterbilt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19Phillips Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65Prestone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67

RRobert Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

SSnap-on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

TTFX Transporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53TransForce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28Transport Capital Partners . . . . . . . . .18Trimac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24, 28TRP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

VVitran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28Volvo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10, 23

W

Western Star . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23


M y 20-year-old son Michel is ripped, fit, and agile. From

a standing position he can do a front flip in mid-air

and land on his feet.

We don’t look much alike, either.

That was made clear to me once during a little-league baseball

game. One of the moms asked me which player was my boy. I

pointed to Michel. She said, “Oh, he’s so good looking.” After

which the woman with her added, “He doesn’t look anything like

his dad.” (Thanks lady.)

Another dissimilarity? Michel can make

stuff out of nothing. We have a pair of

splendid Muskoka chairs on our front

porch that he built when he was 15. Two

years ago, he constructed a cool eight-foot

mahogany speedboat.

A third big difference between me and

Michel: He has the rare ability to work

productively for long periods of time

alone, without talking to anyone.

I’m not like that.

Indeed, between the time I started

writing this column 162 words ago and

right now, I’ve sent about eight emails to

my brother Tom, I got a coffee and talked

with my colleague Nickisha Rashid about

funny things people do, like learning to

say their names backwards.

In contrast, Michel and I once drove

from Toronto to Manitoulin Island and

the only time he talked was to ask if he

could change the radio station from

C&W to rock.

I envy Michel’s ability to keep himself

company.

In one way though, Michel and I are a

lot alike. We have a trait that I bet is shared by most of the guys

you work with. I should also mention it’s a trait I really don’t

like much.

We loathe asking for help.

Michel is so averse to seeking assistance, I’m pretty sure that

he would, if he could, perform his own dental work.

With guys like Michel and me, there’s something in our very

DNA that keeps us from asking other people for help, which is

just plain nuts.

I suppose asking for help is unmanly or something.

I remember a long time ago when I started a new job at one of

Canada’s other great magazines, Chatelaine. My third day in, one

of my colleagues, whose job description was the very same as

mine, entered my office looking for help with a story. I remember

thinking, “Wow, I hope she’s okay.”

I said “She.” All my colleagues at Chatelaine were “she’s” and

they were free and easy about asking for help. It took some

getting used to.

I don’t think any of the men I’ve

ever worked with have asked me for

help unless it was to do something

they didn’t want to do themselves. But

to let on that they couldn’t do a task

singlehandedly? Fat, rather morbidly

obese, chance.

This all came to mind when we were

compiling this month’s Top 100 list-

ing. Every time I contacted a company,

I opened with, “I need your help with

this project I’m working on.” And they

all obliged.

But on a day-to-day basis? It goes

against every platelet of red-Canadian

blood in my and Michel’s veins to seek

assistance.

Which is weird because I am certain

nobody has ever thought less of an

individual seeking help.

In fact, I consider it an honor to

be asked. When you ask for help,

you’re actually paying the askee a

huge compliment.

People feel good when they can help.

I also find that if the person I ask can’t

help directly, they’ll actually suggest at least two others who

can. I call it the three-for-one helpline theory. (This doesn’t apply

to institutions, just people, BTW.)

And get this. When people help you, as alarming as this

sounds, your life gets easier. There’s less work for you! Go figure.

Like my late father Tom used to say, “Too soon old, too

late smart.”

There. I just got help from my Dad. If only Michel would do

the same. TT

Rear View

Help, hired.The Beatles asked for assistance and became

gazillionaires. Why don’t the rest of us?

By Peter Carter

GETTING A LEG UP: Guys like Michel (picturedabove, giving his mother grey hairs) can do many things but asking for assistance isn’t theirstrong suit.

drive away with moreWhen everything depends on delivering on time and on themoney, you can’t afford to drive away with anything less thanthe best built, most reliable, highest standard trailer on the road.Powered by industry's best innovation, Great Danes are made tomaximize your payload so you can get more return on yourinvestment.

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To learn more, visit Booth #34075Mid-America Trucking ShowMarch 21-23, 2013 • Louisville, Kentucky

Documents

Today’s Trucking VOLUME 27, NO. 3 March 2013