Private, regional and city trucking combine to make up the quiet Goliath of the Canadian trucking industry. While their over-the-road counterparts capture most of the government attention and much of the media spotlight, the private and government municipal and regional fleets make up a large and important component of the Canadian trucking community.

The for-hire transportation industry itself accounts for about 3.7% of economic output as measured by gross domestic product, but when private transportation services are included, the contribution of the entire transportation sector rises to 6.3%. Truck and delivery van services dominate such “own-account” transportation, accounting for nearly 89%.

Not only do the private and municipal or regional fleets that ply our nation’s city infrastructure have an important role to play, they also have equipment and informational needs distinctly different from their over-the-road cousins. Having easy access to the information necessary to formulate sound management strategies can be difficult, however, when the primary focus of the business is on the product or service it provides rather than the trucks necessary to deliver it.

That is the reason we launched City Smarts last year and why we have continued with it this year. It is designed as a guide to help private and municipal and regional fleet managers make more informed and strategic decisions in a variety of areas ranging from spec’ing components to managing safety and green practices.

In this year’s supplement, available with the November/December issue of Fleet Executive and your next issue of Truck news, you will find information about the latest emissions standards and how they will affect medium-duty truck buying practices; driving practices no sound safety plan should be without; a primer on the ins and outs of ergonomic city driving; and everything you need to know to make a smart decision when buying tires for city or regional applications. In addition, we have pulled some highlights from our research on private fleet practices.

More information is available in the City Smarts module on www.trucknews.com.

We trust the information provides the fleet managers in this sector with an insightful and rich source that will help in their every-day decision making.

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The other day I recalled a speaker who often came to speak at Markel Insurance Company of Canada Safety Seminars. He was from the United States, and I know I for one learnt from him, and respected what he had to say. He usually either finished his presentation or somewhere before the break would always say "REMEMBER I AM NOT AFTER ALL OF YOU, I AM AFTER THE ONES THAT DID NOT TURN UP THIS MORNING".

It occured to me while heading back to my office, what can I do to help our company operate smarter, better, more efficiently, more effectively, and safely. One of our company's partners often tells me I am like a bull in a CHINA SHOP. I admit it I am. Those of you that have met me know how I approach things. Even as a BULL IN A CHINA SHOP though you can still do things Professionally.

Recently I read somewhere, comments by a few different carriers, about CSA 2010, about the CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS IN OUR BUSINESS, and about life in general. What I found surprising though, was the same theme. Not so much DOOM AND GLOOM but when we we come out of it, how we would come out of it, what it will take to come out of it. NOW IF WE COULD JUST GET THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT TO RECONSIDER THE HST PART, it may even help us as an industry.

Transportation as an industry needs many things to operate effectively. It usually requires a General to direct. Then down the line, to ensure the orders are followed. However for any company to operate effectively, both the GENRAL AND THE PRIVATE, have to be able to speak freely and communicate effectively. Mr. Covey wrote a book on Seven Habits of Highly Succesfull People. I bring it closer to home, My father taght me many things, some of them too late for me to express my gratitude, to him. That however is another conversation altogether.

What most of these topics cover, are COMMON SENSE! However even the best of Shippers and Consignees, (our Customers) have to also realize we as carriers are also in business to make money. Are you really serving a purpose to anyone, when you offer a carrier a load that translates to $1.00 per mile or less, for that matter a $ 1.50 per mile or less. Two up front costs are The driver and Fuel. Average pay to a company driver these days is roughly $ 0.42 cents per mile. Average cost of Fuel these days is approximately (D.O.E. in the U.S. as of yesterday) $ 2.79 per gallon of Diesel. That translates at 6 miles per gallon to approximately $ 0.47 per mile. Convert that into Canadian dollars and you are looking at roughly $ 0.50 per mile. Add the together and you come up with $0.92 cents per mile. Insurance, Maintenance, Tolls, Bridge Crossings, Customs Delays, H.O.S Training, Administration, A/R and Cash Flow turnaround, all in add in as well

A load broker, 3 PL 4 P.L. or any other such entity, has to be smart enough to take all of these costs into account when offering the loads to the carriers. If not the carrier will not be around, and neither will the customer that based a years Transportation Costs, on an unrealistic figure. In a recent interview Julie Tanguay stated "We show customers what it costs to serve a lane"

If everyone understands what it takes to run a company (SERVING A LANE) and have a profit left over, they will survive. If everyone flies by the seat of their pants, and are constanly making Reactive decisions they will not survive, at least not in the long term. Most carriers, are firing some of their customers. it is just not economically viable anymore to do work for them. Do not be afraid, Do not be ashamed, Do not worry, they may call back, and you will still be here to call upon.

I hope everyone is preparing for the oncoming Holiday season and Driving Season. I hope everyone is safe and enjoys time with their family. Oft times, we forget those around and just stop to thanks. Roy (Craigen), at one of his presentations, mentioned saying to the person he gets a coffee every day at the local (Tims) I presume Thanks for being here every day. I AM SURE MONEY COULD NOT REPLACE HOW THAT PERSON FELT AFTER THAT COMMENT. MEAN WHAT YOU SAY AND SAY WHAT YOU MEAN
Take Ownership of What You Do! and BE PROUD OF IT! As for me, I hope in 2010 TRUCKNEWS .COM will let me continue for the next few years to come. KEVIN SNOBEL

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I would have thought the decision by Ontario superior court judge Michael Quigley to dismiss the drug charges against Avtar Singh Sandhu of Brampton, Ont., would have drawn howls, but there doesn't seem to be much reaction. The judge felt the evidence was impugned because of the way it was gathered. On Feb. 7, 2007, an MTO official entered the trailer Sandhu was pulling after hew was brought to a stop and chased down by Mark Dorken from Truck Town Terminals of Milton who noticed Sandu "acting suspiciously." Halton Regional cops joined the group on a 401 ramp. What the cops and MTO officer Jonas Leeman found was 208 kgs of uncut cocaine in brown packages nestled among crates of baby carrots--one of the biggest all time drug busts in Canada, let alone Halton.

Evidently, the judge thought that there was no reason to open the back doors of the trailer as the matter was a regulatory one and didn't require a search of the cargo. Personally, I've always thought the MTO were supreme beings who could do anything they liked to your truck, so this is news to me. Mr. Sandhu is very lucky to walk away. Had this occurred in the US he'd be doing some serious time. I don't know this man's story or how he came to be hauling this commodity, but a google search reveals lots of this kind of activity. Jail sentences are stiff on both sides of the border, 12-20 years in the slammer, but that hasn't stopped the flow via truck.

Recently CBSA intercepted two containers that were headed to Calgary, loaded to the hilt with poppy heads, the raw source of opium, morphine and heroin. Labelled as "dried grasses" the stuff was probably on its way to get processed in Calgary where the chemicals are available. Processing opium requires lots of chemicals, and you may or may not know that the processing of Afghani opium takes place in Pakistan where the chemicals are more readily available.

Regardless, this kind of trucking is a scourge, and it's disturbing to note that this manifestation of evil sometimes involves new Canadians and immigrants, who may be more easily exploited or duped into hauling contraband. I certainly hope Mr. Sandu didn't get to keep the coke, but what happened to the baby carrots?

Lastly, we truck drivers have been displaced by retail clerks as the most prevalent Canadian profession for men, according to the 2006 census. We've held this title for more than ten years so it's a shame to see it slide away.

"Although there was a relatively large increase in the number of truck drivers between 2001 and 2006, truck driving was replaced by retail salespersons and sales clerks as the most common occupation among men.

"Nearly 285,800 men reported that they were retail salespeople or clerks, taking over the top spot from truck driving, which was reported by about 276,200. The third most prevalent occupation among men was still retail trade managers, at 192,200."

Watch out for those retail trade managers, they're making a move too!.

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It’s no secret among professional drivers that there are too few places for truckers to stop for rest. Now it appears the situation is on the radar of some influential decision-makers.

The Owner-Operator Business Association of Canada (OBAC), of which we’re a member, is asking all its driver members to complete a Transport Canada survey that may be used to help direct future funding.

In the words of OBAC: ‘Here's an opportunity to add your two cents to this most important debate. We need every driver to get involved; it's drivers themselves who can identify areas in Canada where designated truck parking is difficult to find, and help determine how shortages of parking impact your safety, productivity, and personal well-being.

‘Take the survey yourself, then get at least five more drivers to add their voice, even if you have to walk them to a computer and help them turn it on.’

If the link above doesn't work, just visit http://www.surveymonkey.com/truckparkingcanada.

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When I reflect on what has happened legislatively this past year from my own prospective I think the speed limiter law should not have happened, but here it is and we have it. From what I see maybe 50 - 70% of the trucks in Ontario are compliant at this stage. I would have preferred legislation similar to the EOBR (Electronic On Board Recorder) rules that should be out sometime next year from FMCSA. Their final rule will likely do away with paper logs and will also likely measure speed and distance at the scale, just my guess as to the outcome of the rule, but it makes sense to me that it would look like that. When this rule is passed mechanical speed limiters would be redundant to a large degree as we will have to be compliant to the US rules anyway and we in Canada should have perused such a rule on our own as an alternative to a speed limiter rule.

Can’t smoke in a truck if you’re a provincially regulated carrier, give me a break and get out of my truck and go fix something that is broke, what a crock, this one is around the bend, although I have to admit the restriction on smoking in a vehicle with a child under 16 is all right with me. If you an adult and want to smoke just don't blow it in my face and I’m okay with that, your call, but with all the science that is well known and accepted as fact that none of should smoke, kids don't have a vote and responsible folks should not lock their kids up in cars that are full of carbon monoxide and nicotine.

A ban on hand held devices while driving, as much as I hate to admit it is probably a good move, I drove professionally for 10 years and did over a million miles with no accidents, I am proud of that, and all the while I was on the CB, difference was I pressed one button to talk, that’s it. Fast forward to today though and I know myself that when I am in my vehicle and I need to make a call, let’s just say I have lost track of my vehicle in my lane from time to time, Not Good. When I am behind a vehicle that is driving erratically and get a chance to look inside while I navigate around the same car two or three times because they speed up and slow down continually, usually they are on the phone. As I reflect on the situation I consider myself to be a very good driver who, other than a couple speed issues, obeys the rules of the road. Some of these other space cadets have no idea what they’re doing behind the wheel of a vehicle let alone try to find, answer or dial a phone while driving, send an email or text. As you know you see it all as a driver, people watching TV reading books and on and on. Truck drivers have a two-three year exemption for CB radios, keep your eyes open for this when the rules effecting CB’s comes down the pipe, who knows what this might look like.

Finally CSA 2010 (Comprehensive Safety Analysis) in the US, if you go to the web site I gave you and read the information provided it really doesn’t look to bad, if they can pull it off as written. If you are a good carrier or a good driver you should be fine with the new process, in fact for those of you who have been prone to suggesting that we need to chase the bottom dwelling scum suckers out of this industry, this could do it.
Under CSA 2010 drivers will have safety ratings just like carriers do now and as part of the screening process this information can be accessed through the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) data bank, so if a driver has had five jobs in three years and had issues at each carrier it will all be laid out there for the world to see.
This could be a game changer folks, think about what a trial lawyer might do if he sees that a carrier has hired someone with a less than stellar FMCSA safety rating? Carriers who pay less and hire drivers who might work for less because they have a history of problems might be looking for new occupations soon? One can only hope!!!!!!!!!!!
Safe Trucking
rjh

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I just got finished reviewing the tape, so to speak, of the latest Driving for Profit seminar held Nov. 3 in Toronto. I was unable to attend in person, but Adam Ledlow recorded it for upcoming episodes of our WebTV show Transportation Matters. I strongly suggest you check out these installments if you operate trucks in the US.

There are big-time changes coming to the way carrier safety ratings are scored by the FMCSA and there are implications for drivers as well. Look for more on CSA 2010 in the January issues of Truck News and Truck West and in future episodes of Transportation Matters. This was far and away the best Driving for Profit event to date and thankfully it was very well-attended. I have a hunch you’ll be hearing more about this well-run seminar series in the near future.

But to my point, I wanted to pass along the opening remarks from guest speaker Jeff Davis, who in addition to establishing himself as the foremost authority on the subject of CSA 2010, still finds time to oversee safety and human resources for Dayton, Ohio-based fleet Jet Express.

Davis began his presentation by telling fleet managers in attendance “I’d like to thank you Canadian carriers for making five days of my week just great.”

He went on to say he commutes 30 miles along I-75 each work day, which gives him the chance to check out the iron he sees along the way.

“I’ve come to appreciate the Canadian equipment that I see running up and down the road,” he continued. “I can tell it’s Canadian equipment two ways: First of all, you’re the guys and gals with the great paint jobs. They are done nice, you take a lot of pride in your equipment and the overall appearance of your equipment is absolutely breathtaking. I know how hard it is to run a fleet of trucks, how hard it is to wash one truck let alone 300, how expensive it is to put nice wheel covers on equipment…the pride that comes through your equipment, in my eyes, is just breathtaking. It’s quite an example to US carriers, how well you maintain your equipment.”

If you think he was just blowing smoke, I doubt it. Davis actually took the time before the seminar to check out the SafeStat records of many of the carriers in attendance and wasn’t afraid to point out some of them had cause for concern in advance of CSA 2010. He seems like a straight-shooter, so if you’re a Canadian carrier or driver operating in the US you can take pride in Davis’ comments and realize the little things do not go unnoticed.

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In my last blog, and especially in my most recent column (which is rolling off the presses as I type this), I was critical of the police and specifically the OPP for what appears to be some overzealous enforcement tactics towards professional truck drivers. I contended that the OPP officer who fined a driver for smoking in his rig and some other police officers who have wrongly come down on truck drivers were undermining attempts by the likes of RCMP Sgt. Rob Ruiters, who has worked tirelessly to promote increased cooperation between police and truckers.

I stand by my remarks, but an incident last night has left me wondering if I was perhaps too harsh towards the OPP?

Let me explain: Last night, my wife (seven months pregnant and a Nervous Nellie at the best of times) blew a tire on her way home from work. Stranded on the side of Hwy. 7 with traffic whizzing by at ungodly speeds (as it always does on that stretch of highway at that time of day), she sat frightened in her car as the realization dawned on her that she had forgotten her cell phone at home.

She flagged down a motorist and called me, I called CAA and then headed out to where she said she was located. By the time I arrived, some 20 minutes or so later, one of Ontario’s finest was just finishing attaching her spare. When I pulled over, Const. Cox wiped the dirt off his hands and said she was good to go.

Well, didn’t I feel like the world’s biggest jackass, having just hammered out a column that took the OPP to task and suggested they are unfairly antagonizing truck drivers? Again, in the cases I cited in my column, I still believe the officers in question were wrong in fining professional drivers for minor or non-existent offences.

However what I failed to do was acknowledge that for every one of them, there are hundreds or thousands of other officers in the OPP and other forces who deserve credit for the many things they do each day that go above and beyond what’s required of them – including Const. Cox, who stopped to help my wife, settled her down in the midst of an anxious situation and then changed her tire – even waving off a tow truck driver who at one point swooped in for the sale.

Those of us in the trucking industry are constantly reminding members of the non-trucking public that the actions of one aggressive or obscene truck driver are not indicative of the profession at large. I suppose it’s also worth considering that the overzealous and inappropriate conduct of a few cops does not speak to the overall professionalism and pride of the force in general. Thanks, Const. Cox, for unwittingly providing me with this important reminder by way of your selfless actions.

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As Donna and I await our second child which is due November 20th, I"ve begun to think back to when Mia, our three year old was born.

Past the elation and wonder at life's miracles it also hit home as I stared into her beautiful little eyes that, nestled in my arms was someone completely reliant on me. While a part of that was nice, the other realization was the increased importance of my ability to "provide".

Its funny how I tend to act in life. If the only person who is effected by my decisions and action or inaction is me: I tend to take a greater laissez-faire attitude. When someone else is relying on me .. I pay more attention. In the case of Mia, the increased urgency to provide was good. It acted as fuel by providing extra purpose to the speaking & photography businesses I'm building.

In our work lives, accountability serves the same purpose. If we work in a job where we are not accountable to anyone other than our boss, it can be a dangerous place. When work teams are set up such that members are accountable to each other on a regular basis, great things happen:

1) Team Members get regular feedback. As human beings we need feedback. We need it now, tommorrow, the day after. We constantly need feedback. Praise is great, but knowing where we need to improve is also cool. We just need to know where we stand.

While silence should mean "agreement" with a person's performance, we all know that an extended vacuum of feedback is usually filled with negative doubt and not helpful in motivating employees. I've been there. I know many of you have as well.

2) Increased Corporate Profits when misunderstandings are caught sooner than later because employees have expectations of each other that need to be met on a regular basis. Regular expectations of team members from each other, act as "check-ups" to make sure your process is on track to success. When it is not, flags can be raised and misunderstandings corrected (sooner rather than later, when it becomes harder to deal with).

3) Purpose. You've probably all heard of Rick Warren's best seller book the "Purpose Driven Life". The title hits a wish cord in many of us. We all need "purpose" to be motivated and sometimes to simply get us off our butt. I don't know if any of you would say you work better under pressure. I know that is a fact for myself. Regular accountability to each other means regular deadlines which gives me the positive pressure I need to stay focused on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. It can do the same for your team. Use it to your advantage.

Accountability is tougher when you deal with remote employees. The danger with remote employees, those you rarely see face to face is that 'out of sight' can also mean out of mind. A system of regular structured communication is doubly important. We all probably know someone who feels cut-off and unimportant in their remote office.

The Transportation sector is no exception. Long Haul Transport Drivers can be on the road for weeks at a time. If you are a transport company the question should be: What regular expectations of communication are built into their daily routine? Not just to protect the company but ironically and as importantly, to protect the driver's sanity and levels of motivation. Regular feedback can decrease your risk of driver dissatisfaction, abandoned loads etc.

Each accountability point can and should be a feedback opportunity to keep the driver focused on success, yours and theirs.

As for me.. a week or less until some increased accountability comes in to my life and I can't wait!

In the "nesting mode" that parents get into before kids arrive.. I've updated my speaking website: www.marketbeamer.com. I have met many Transport Sector friends in the Leadership & Communication seminars I facilitate. See you soon!

Continue reading "Be Accountable" »

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As the Ontario DriveTest strike drags on (and on and on and on), it seems professional drivers are getting mixed messages on the validity of their expired driver’s licences.

One driver, who ironically called me weeks ago to see if it was okay for him to operate in the US with an expired Ontario A/Z licence, called back to let me know he was in fact pulled over by a police officer while in the US. To his surprise, the officer was aware of the Ontario DriveTest strike and asked our intrepid driver if he had a copy of the MTO letter handy. He did, and was turned loose without further incident.

Here in good ol’ Ontario, however, another reader was involved in a minor accident with an expired licence. He tells me the police officer who arrived at the accident told him that he wasn’t allowed to drive with an expired licence – DriveTest strike or not. His licence was downgraded on the spot.

So there you have it, while the MTO has assured drivers that they can continue to operate with an expired commercial driver’s licence while the DriveTest strike continues, it appears not all officers interpret the situation the same way.

On a related note, I became concerned about whether professional drivers would be insured in the event of an accident with a seemingly expired driver’s licence, and so I posed this question to my contacts at Markel. Here is what they had to say: ‘I checked with our Underwriting department to confirm. If a person’s license has expired and they are unable to renew because of the Drive Test labour dispute, they will still be covered by insurance in the result of a crash. The Ontario Government has implemented a regulation that speaks to this issue. Please see the attached link to the regulation below.’

The link, if you’re interested, is here.

Meanwhile, the Ontario Liberals need to get over their fear of unions and step in to put an end to this strike. Imagine the backlog that’s going to exist when the labour dispute does come to an end. Thousands of new drivers as well as those requiring upgrades and renewals will be in the queue. It’s time the province extends signing authority to outside agencies and re-evaluates why this essential service is outsourced to a publicly-trade, profit-motivated, foreign company in the first place. Mind you, I suspect that’s exactly what the union wants.

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In our business there seems to be a PLETHORA of information, contacts, resources, and people ready willing and able to help, and give advice.

Well we are into November, and for the first time in a few years in TORONTO it did not snow on HALLOWEEN. Rest assured it will snow during November. I make the prediction based on my own experience, nothing to do with consulting the FARMER'S ALMANAC. I'm just going out on a limb here. In order to get ready what should we be doing.
1) Reminding drivers every chance we can about THE HAZARDS OF WINTER DRIVING
2) Any Handouts we can give them to read, Lets do it. If they don't read it, we cannot do much about that. At least we have tried. You would be amazed however, who will actually read that little booklet, 10 line note, etc.
3) While preparing for the Annual Safety Meeting (since most companies have them this time of year) be sure to include a video/presentation of WINTER HAZARDS, and driving in WINTER.
4) Make sure everyone is onboard. THIS MEANS DISPATCHERS, AS WELL AS SALES. Schedules have to be adjusted and changed frequently.
5) There are and always will be customers that demand the impossible, are unreasonable and just do not want to work with the carriers. They demand everything. A little education goes a long way. If not (DON'T BE AFRAID TO FIRE THE CUSTOMER) Better than having an accident
6) Include something with their paycheques, to illustrate, winter driving. Put posters up in the driver's room, put posters up in the dispatch area.

Personally I cannot stress how important it is to take steps in advance, if you wait much longer it will be too late! Even if you prevent one accident, then as Safety Managers, Responsible Transportation Managers, Owners, Dispatchers, and so on we have done our job. We all know the statistics. We all know that more accidents occur in July and August then in Winter. WAIT ! I'm not making this up, every Insurance company will tell you the same thing. People are more relaxed, they are on vacation, they have the family in the car, they have to stop more frequently for the rest area breaks, the pets are jumping around in the car,in July and August, then in the Winter. People are usually more attentive in Winter.

Please for everyone on the road, WHETHER A TRUCK DRIVER, BUS DRIVER, COURIER, OR JUST PLAIN PASSENGER CAR DRIVER, BE PREPARED AND ALLOW THAT EXTRA SPACE AND EXTRA TIME. PLAN THE ROUTE, AND LISTEN FOR TRAFFIC UPDATES. BE ESPECIALLY CAREFUL AROUND SCHOOL BUSES, ESPECIALLY ON RURAL ROUTES, AND PLEASE WATCH OUT FOR THE OTHER GUY/GAL PERSON ON THE ROAD!

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This happened to me back in the summer of 1988.. At the time, I was hauling autoparts for a medium/large trucking company in St. Thomas, Ont.--that's the place where Jumbo the Elephant was killed by a New York Central freight train 110 years ago, bumped from behind as he was running along the tracks in front of the locomotive; the impact sent him careening headfirst into an embankment and the stem of his tusk buried itself in the soft tissue of his oversize brain—but that's another story.

It's a hot Friday afternoon and I end up in Wooster, Ohio, the Home of Rubbermaid as the billboard proclaims (“who is this Rubbermaid, and how can I meet her?”), and I know my hours of service are getting long. After three hours in the loading dock of a trim plant, I'm running back to the Canadian border through traffic snarls outside of Toledo, and then the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit is backed up onto the I-75--even though I know a shortcut down Fort Street, I've got 17 hours on the clock when I clear customs on the Windsor side. Dispatcher insists they're going to put me to bed, and after I growl, the operations manager comes on the line and insists some more. So I drop the trailer with disgust and a burning sensation in my pocket where I've got three Toronto Blue Jays tickets behind first base for tomorrow's game and I was hoping to take my boys, Matthew and Alex, nine and eleven years old, who live in Toronto and who I only see every other week, or not even. Never make the1:05 pm start, I realize. After laying over eight hours, dispatch will expect me to pick up a load down here. Hopefully, I'll find something going east, but I'll never make it to the ballpark in time...But it looks like I'm going to make last call at the Golden Nugget--across the street from the motel.

The motel is owned by an Indian family where the company lays us over, tucked behind a donut shop in a quasi-industrial part of Windsor, the lights of the airport blinking in the distance. Country Style Donuts on one side of the road and a country bar on the other. The motel owner gives me a Labatt's Blue as I check in. And after a quick shower, I'm hoofing it across the road to quaff a few more.

It's an edgy country bar, with its own Windsor rent-a-cop stationed on the premises because it's Friday night. The band is called the Southern Diplomats and there's a Stars and Bars flag draped over the pedal steel. They play straight ahead, hard-driving country and safety-boot rock, spliced with some Bob Seegar from across the Detroit River. Imagine “Katmandu” done to a driving four-beat, steel-toed shuffle.

A few beers later I can still hear the trucks rattling along Howard Ave., on their way to the 401 or the border, or Chrysler or Ford or GM plants. Without sleep I can feel a major headache sweeping in like a summer storm. I'm shooting pool with some CanTruck drivers and their dates, and they joke about one of them who stops at every rest stop from Oshawa to Windsor. They chant the names in unison: “Cambridge, Ingersoll, West Lorne, Tilbury.” Outside it’s hot summer night, cars vying for parking spots in the gravel lot, their occupants anxious to make last call.

The band finishes with a Waylon Jennings tune and the beer glasses smack the tables demanding an encore. “Dance with me trucker,” this small gal whispers to me, dark feathered hair, leaning into me. The Southern Diplomats strike up “Freebird” and we sway across the floor for eight minutes. She drives me in her little Acadian to a bungalow in the east end. I remember a porch light radiating green light, spilling into the suburban emptiness.

In the morning I'm hung over like a split rock and try to shade my eyes taking a taxi back to the motel. The dispatcher sounds cheery enough and sends me across the river to a Ford windshield plant in Wixom, Michigan to look for an empty trailer. My last hope to make Toronto before supper just evaporated. No empties in Wixom, so I'm sent to look in Taylor, Michigan, and finally to a Chevy bus plant on Charlevoix in Detroit, where there's an empty three-legger waiting in the parking lot. Two hours to load 26 skids of road salt by the river in Windsor, and I'm finally heading back home, windows wide open in the old Ford Louisville, the 318 Detroit singing and slightly streaming grey smoke from the stack. The ball game crackling on CHYR Leamington: Jimmy Key of the Jays pitching against Jack Morris for the Tigers, and Key has a no-hitter going into the top of the eighth, and they both have one-hitters at the end of the ninth. I'm just taking the ramp off the 401 at Hwy. 4 when the static roars as Buck Martinez homers in the 13th to win the game for the Jays, 2-1.

Back home in my converted chicken house in St. Thomas: no ballgame, no kids, just the scent of that girl's feathered hair still lingering in my nostrils, and the sound of the Norfolk and Southern freight train chuffing outside my window. “Dance with me trucker,” she said.

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