I was reading an article just recently that both intrigued me and gave me hope; it was written by Adam Ledlow and was based on the rise of Social Media in the trucking industry and how Facebook, Twitter and personal Web Sites are gaining in popularity at light speed in the industry.

I was particularly interested when Adam quoted Trucker Sean Sutherland and I read these words “Sites like Twitter are bringing back some of the brotherhood that has disappeared. I’m following trucker friends all over the country; meeting up with them, and building friendships and a brotherhood with them I may not have had any other way. These sites are starting to give truckers a feeling of togetherness, and I am finding that we are starting to find a voice again. We can use these tools on the Web to further the industry and ourselves.

This article gave me hope and made me think back to an article I wrote some time ago about my youth and growing up a trucker’s son, I started it with. At the age of 10 I began spending parts of my summers driving cross-country with my father in his truck. At 18 I took the next logical step and began driving on my own. For the next 10 years I drove a truck and learned what I now call “the code of the road.”

I quickly learned that truck driving was a craft like any other and I looked up to older drivers for advice. They taught me that drivers were a road family and when you are in the position to help a fellow driver you did it without question. Even driving through most of North America at a young age I was confident that if I needed a hand on the road I would get it from a fellow truck driver. Beyond respecting fellow drivers, I was also taught the importance of respecting and maintaining my equipment so that it would not let me down. The third principle that I learned on the road was the importance of a work ethic. Drivers respected their employers, appreciated their jobs, and went the extra mile if asked.

My experience was not so different from most drivers of my generation. Many of my peers were either second-generation truckers or grew up on a farm where it was becoming more and more difficult to earn a living. We were proud to be truck drivers and took our profession very seriously. In the years since I left the cab for the office, things changed swiftly and dramatically.

First the industry’s labor pool changed. A decline in farming and second-generation truckers was followed by an increase in ethnic and inner city drivers drawn by the higher than average wage level. Then due to the lack of minimum driver training standards, many of these candidates were trained by substandard schools and given just enough information and experience to pass their driving test and enter the industry.

These new drivers by no fault of their own were not equipped for the demands of life on the road and companies, unable or unwilling to respond to the industry changes left them to flounder on their own leading to record turnover. The industry must adjust to this new reality, but adjusting is not as hard as many think, it requires common sense and a sense of our own history.

Drivers themselves have potentially one of the biggest roles to play in this whole scenario they need to rediscover the code of the road as I call it. The sense of community that was the glue of this industry 25 years ago has suffered greatly but it is still there it just needs to be dusted off and updated to today’s reality. I feel that the sole of the trucker has been trampled on. Those values that used to define the task have, but for a few, missed the past few generations and somehow they need to be brought back to the forefront of the drivers and trucking company’s frontal lobes. A huge collapse or conspiracy to mislead did not happen in trucking but a severe neglect did and we need to ask ourselves what we can do to repair the damage”.

Even back when I was driving full time I thought that there needed to be a coming together of commercial truck drivers, an North American association of truck drivers that would ban together to look after its own. United drivers could defend themselves against ridiculous legislation like Alberta’s ban on CB’s and Ontario’s delayed ban on CB’s. It could express influence over FMCSA’s proposed rule making on entry level truck driver training, that is taking far too long to become reality and could be severely watered down from its original version, when it does come out. Where is the unity of voice from the folks who live behind a steering wheel to comment on the entire book of proposed rulemaking coming from FMCSA and Canadian Ministry of Transports?

The driver behind the wheel is not being heard on issues that affect their daily lives and livelihoods, this is wrong! Think about the clout of such a banding if it could be put together to include all of North America, somewhere between 3-4 million drivers, it would include for hire, private fleets owner operators, union and non union, believe me people/politicians notice this type of clout and they will listen and be influenced.

Using social media tools and other more traditional methods of communication, this group could mobilize support and assistance efforts to assist its own members when called upon by national emergencies or for the reviving of the Code of the Road. How about developing a seal of approval for trucking companies that demonstrates their support and respect for their drivers, identifying them as a good place to work as a starting point?

Things have changed a lot since I first took the wheel of a commercial truck, but the soul of trucking has not. Helping our drivers find their place in the rich history of this industry and take pride in their future is not just nice, but necessary. This industry was once a proud and intricate part of North America’s moral fibre it can be again, drop me a line if you think this idea has merit.
Safe Trucking
Rjh

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Anyone running into the US should be paying close attention to the firestorm of debate raging over the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s new proposed hours of service rules for trucking.

The proposal seems to have support from no quarter. Over the years I’ve learned that when opposing sides on an issue are critical of proposed legislation, it’s a good indication that legislators have struck a conciliatory and workable solution. But from the stakeholder comments I’ve read to this point and the commentary of experts on this thorniest of subjects (how exactly can you mandate someone to sleep anyway?), it seems the negative reaction on both sides may only lead to legal battles and the uncertainty that stems from a regulatory quagmire.

Most of the trucking industry concerns I’ve identified to this point centre on revisions that would:
- Add one hour of off-duty time within the 14-hour workday;
- Limit consecutive driving hours to 7;
- Reduce the maximum allowable daily driving time to 10 hours from the current 11;
- Require drivers to have two periods of rest between midnight and 6 a.m. during a 34-hour restart

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) claims the proposed changes will be enormously expensive for trucking and the North American economy. So do some prominent shippers. The (ATA) pointed out the FMCSA itself estimated, just two years ago, costs of over $2.2 billion if the daily drive time was reduced by one hour and the restart provision was significantly changed. The ATA contends that the FMCSA’s own research previously found that the eleventh hour of driving time does not increase driver weekly hours; is used for flexibility purposes; does not increase driver-fatigue risks; and that eliminating it would promote more aggressive driving (to meet time constraints).

With respect to the 34-hour restart, the ATA says the FMCSA is needlessly departing from past acknowledgement that requiring drivers used to sleeping during the day to now sleep between midnight and 6 a.m. for two consecutive days would actually be less safe. It would disrupt drivers’ circadian cycle and force them to drive more during the day, adding to congestion and again increasing crashes.

Both safety and efficiency must be taken into consideration but, within reason, safety must trump efficiency. But when it does it must be based on solid science. All stakeholders must avoid the temptation to view truck driving through the eyes of people who work normal hours. It may make perfect sense to someone used to working 9 to 5 that truck drivers should sleep at least two nights in a row between midnight and 6 a.m. before resuming their work schedule. But do we know what that actually does to people used to sleeping during the day or accustomed to sleeping at shifting times? Unless there is solid science that shows such a move would be beneficial, why consider it?

After all, since the current hours-of-service rules were brought in back in 2004, the trucking industry in the US has reduced its crash-related fatalities by 33% while both fatality and injury crash rates reached historic low, even during all the freight growth years.

Is the FMCSA attempting to fix something that isn’t broken? That’s what the ATA charges and accuses the government agency of cooking the numbers to make the situation look worse than it really is. The ATA has certainly made some accusations that I would love to see the FMCSA respond to.

The ATA says that in the legislative proposal’s cost-benefit justification, the FMCSA inflated its estimation of the percentage of fatigue-related crashes in two ways. First it overstated the percentage of single-vehicle truck crashes (which are more likely to be fatigue-related) compared to multi-vehicle crashes. In fact, the FMCSA doubled the weight given to single-vehicle truck crashes in its large truck crash causation study.

Second, the ATA charges that FMCSA is treating any crash in which fatigue is listed as an “associated factor” as a fatigue-related crash. Yet that contradicts the FMCSA’s own report to Congress, in which it stated “No judgement is made as to whether any factor is related to a particular crash, just whether it was present.”

Changing the way it looks at the data, the FMCSA has been able to nearly double the number of truck-involved crashes caused by fatigue. Back in 2008, the FMCSA believed about 7% of truck crashes involved fatigue (even though the best data on fatigue showed only a 2.2% relationship, according to the ATA.) Now, however, the FMCSA has upped that figure to 13% -- hence making it look like there is a need to revisit hours of service regulations.

Unless the FMCSA has solid answers to ATA’s accusations, its numbers, and hence its motives, appear suspect.

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The best definition of recreation I've heard is assessing whether an activitiy "recreates" your energy. For people who have physically demanding jobs it might mean taking a break to exercise their thought with a good book or conversation. For people who sit alot during the day it definitely should look like a killer game of squash with a friend or a good workout at the gym.

When you are constantly on the road that often seems difficult. Good News: I just read a Facebook piece that announced that Travel America and Petro Travel Plazas are introducing fitness centres at various locations across the States testing to see driver response and uptake.

I think its a great idea and a big step forward in providing professional drivers with the services they need and can use while on the road.

Survey!: What specific truckstop locations come to mind for you in providing the best and most complete driver services offer in your travels across Canada and the USA?

Safe travels!

David

Have you checked out Canada's Big Rig Websites? www.wowtruckscalendar.com www.wowtrucks.com

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Tweet, Text, MSN, PIN, SMS, and the list goes on. Are we trying to simplify life or make it more difficult. Is it not enough that we ahve so many ACRNONYMS we now need a Transportation Acronym Glossary of Terms.

It really is about time, we got back to basics, and used the tools we are given, and utilize MAXIMUM UTILIZATION OF AVAILABLE RESOURCES. This includes but is not limited to: People in the Business, CTHRC, and any multitude of Associations, that we can. We are probably one of the most utilized industries in North America, and we just like Rodney Dangerfield, We Can't Get No Respect! Why Not?

Each Province has Trucking Association, We have a National Association, We have Private Associaton, We have an Owner Operators Assocaiton, each one has their own agenda and their own platform. Each one seems at times to pat themselves on the back and glad they accomplished what they did. Now of course let's not take anything away from them. The problem is, they should all be owkring to a common goal. I.E. recognizing the industry as an APPRENTICSHIP INDUSTRY. This would allow or help the flow of government money to train people on all the aspects of the Transportation Industry. Once the government shows the Industry as a Whole some respect then we can be proud of who we are, Where We Workr, What We DO, and of course WHO WE DO it With.

I strongly beleive once the government gets out there with us, and actually see what it takes to keep a Transportation company running 24/7, their whole outlook might change a little. We ahve Driver Training Schools, Freight Forwarder Courses, CITT Courses, P.LOG, Courses, and the Designation, We have CMILT Designation, yet talk to someone, and they look at yoiu like you are from outer space when you discuss SUPPLY CHAIN.

As an industry we have to start a lot sooner than College level, or even once in the working field level. We need to get the "KIDS" interested level. Have Open Houses, Show them the trucks, Let them See What it really is like, Show them The Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. SHow them THE SOFTWARE, HARDWARE, WHAT THEY NEED TO KNOW, HOW TO START LEARNING IT. Get them excited and the Grass Roots level.

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If you were a Canadian owner/operator hauling into the US between 1991 and 2002, the carrier you worked for at that time may have a cheque for you. As I first reported last week, a group of about 35 carriers has won a landmark settlement against Canada Revenue Agency that will see up to $15 million returned to their owner/operators.

The issue involves the federal excise tax paid on diesel that was consumed outside Canada. The carriers, represented by Manitoba-based lawyer Israel Ludwig, managed to convince CRA that the diesel they brought into the US qualified as an ‘export,’ making it eligible for an excise tax rebate. Carriers received rebates for company-owned trucks in 2003, however, the battle continued on behalf of owner/operators for several years.

CRA’s position was that, as independent businesspeople, the owner/operators should have filed on their own. Ludwig, on the other hand, argued that’s not how the industry works. Often, the carrier orchestrates fuel purchasing using company cards and then deducts it from their owner/operators’ pay. In November, CRA agreed to reimburse the carriers for the excise tax paid by their owner/operators. The first cheques have gone out to three fleets that served as test cases: Nolan Transport, Bison Transport and Penner International.

Nolan has already made payments to the owner/operators that qualified for the rebate with some of them receiving up to $16,000. Owner/ops who bought fuel in Canada and did most of their driving in the US stand to gain the most. While Israel told me it would be illegal for carriers to pocket the rebate rather than pass it on to the owner/operators who earned it, there are some concerns about just how hard some of the carriers will work to track down owner/ops who may not have worked for them for more than a decade. I visited Nolan Transport the other day, and co-owner Kelly Nolan admitted it’s a lot of work. Yet, she has enjoyed calling past owner/ops, catching up and, oh yeah, telling them she’s got a cheque for them.

Kelly comments on the experience in this video.

The other 30-plus carriers involved in the settlement will be receiving cheques in the next 60-90 days, Israel told me. Carriers that weren’t audited back in 03 or 04 will have to wait till their audits are complete, to determine just how much they’ll receive. While I suspect most, if not all, carriers will do the right thing and pass the funds onto their owner/operators, I’ve filed an Access to Information request with CRA to see who was involved in the settlement and how much each carrier received. (Israel wouldn’t provide me with the list due to client confidentiality obligations). I’m hoping we can play a role in connecting these companies with owner/operators who may be in line for a payment.

It’s a great story, as it’s not every day owner/operators get an unexpected cheque from Revenue Canada. Unfortunately, if you weren’t working at the time for a carrier that was among the few dozen who brought this case to court, you won’t be able to make a claim. The feds passed legislation in 2003 that closed this loophole and prevents any further claims on fuel purchased in Canada and consumed elsewhere.

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Here are a couple of more hitchhiking stories I've collected. These two are from later decades.

Tiss Clark

Hitchhiking died out as a common practice in the late '70s. But many people remained attracted to this independent, cashless form of travel. A few years ago Tiss Clark was driving a streetcar for the Toronto Transit Commission. But a dozen or more years ago, you might have seen her with her thumb outstretched beside the highway. She is in her mid-40s now. She has thick, flaming red hair and a mole over her left eyebrow.

"Hitchhiking saved my life. I'd hitchhiked around Ontario one summer and then moved back home briefly, but I was very depressed--suicidal. So when I turned 18, I decided to kill myself and even picked a day. Then it came to me in a flash: You haven't seen the world yet! Don't kill yourself until you've traveled!

A few days before I left, I told my mother I was going out west, to Yukon and eventually Malaysia. I'm sure it was painful for her to hear this. She said “Don't hitchhike,” and made me buy a bus ticket to Winnipeg.

I met this guy on the bus and we started making out. It got so heavy that we got off in Thunder Bay. We stayed in a motel overnight but it wasn't a very good sexual experience. The next morning I took off and got this ride with a truck driver to Winnipeg.

At a hostel in Vancouver I met this guy, Tony, from Sept Isles. He seemed directionless, too. We got caught having sex in the men's section of the hostel. We were in a bottom bunk bed, and suddenly there were footsteps and flashlight shining in our faces. We had to march shamefacedly to the front desk, where they got us a family room. But the fun was all gone after that.

Tony is one of the few men I've hitchhiked with. We hung out around Vancouver for a couple of weeks but I never really liked it there. I just considered it a stopping point on my way to Yukon.

About five hours out of Vancouver we got this ride with a Native family who stopped along the way. We went off into the woods and they made a fire, cooked up some food, and gave us tea.

We got one long ride, 700 kilometers up the Cassier Highway. Tony and I took turns switching between the back of the pickup and the cap. We froze. I remember endless, endless woods, sunshine and snow. It was very cold.

Everyone should see Whitehorse at dawn. It sits in a valley surrounded by a mountain range, and there was a blue glow around the buildings as we descended. Phil Collins' Something in the Air Tonight was playing on the radio. Very slowly and mysteriously, the mountains opened up on a magical city. It was May 8 and there was a lot of snow up there.

With 25 bucks in my pocket, I realized I wasn't going to Malaysia that year. There was a chambermaid job in Tuktoyaktuk posted in the employment office. I flew up there on a floatplane. But the guy that hired me was not a very good employer. It was a bunch of trailers pushed together that he rented to white construction workers for 95 bucks a night.

John was the owner's name, and he treated the Inuit like dirt. He was basically a prisoner in his own trailer complex because people had threatened to beat him up. I washed the dishes, chambermaided, answered the phone and served ice cream to Inuit children who would come to the back window (of the trailer-park snack bar). I kept the job for two months before getting fired. The old cook couldn't stand my whistling.

At the time I was living with an Inuit man, Sam, who started coming by the restaurant. It was a quick transition to living together. He was an artist who'd been in prison and was very traumatized by that. A kind, gentle man.

Sam wanted me to stay, but I was fighting depression. I was so young, I often think of what would happen if I had stayed and learned about Inuit culture. But there was nothing to hold me there. I'd been gone six months. It was now October.

I was back living with my parents when I found out he'd killed himself. It was disorienting hearing a stranger's voice on the phone telling me he was dead, and then the connection was gone. I still think about him.

Some people have a definitive trip they take before university, but for me there were several hitchhiking journeys that affected me profoundly. There were trips I made to
Gaspe and Labrador and around Ontario.

A lot happened to me between the ages of 17 and 22, between 1983 and '89. a lot of hitchhiking. I liked being able to say “This is as far as I'm going.” I always had some destination in mind, but not always a good reason for going there.

Hitchhiking influenced the way I see the world. Toronto seemed like all there was until you got outside of it. It still keeps me inspired to know there are people living in fishing villages in British Columbia, without a lot of money. There are other ways to live."

Tahnea Battle

Tahnea Battle was a born hitchhiker. Her mother was thumbing lifts while Tahnea was in her womb. The daughter of a European mother and a Sudanese father, Tahnea is a short, beautiful woman with dreads, and a vine-like Celtic pattern tattooed high on her forehead. At 24 years, she's hitchhiked extensively across North America, crossed Western Canada four times by freight train, and been jailed in Louisiana and Florida for vagrancy. Now working as a bicycle messenger in Montreal, she talks fondly of her traveling days while sitting in LaFontaine Park on a summer evening, pulling on DuMaurier cigarettes.

"I first hitchhiked when i was 17, on my way to pick apples in the Okanagan. I decided I liked it, and after that I hitchhiked four or five years straight, though I did stop to winter once in New Orleans. Most of the time I traveled with my friend Jasmine, a blond girl from Vancouver. We used to call ourselves traveling psychiatrists. People tell you everything thinking they'll never see you again.

If I was hopping freights I'd travel really light, a small bag and a bottle of water. But if I was hitchhiking I could carry a few more things. It was just the basics, though. A change of clothes, shorts, a reading book, a writing book, dental floss and sewing needles, nuts and dried fruit if you had them. I always had a knife on me and pepper spray. I had an old sleeping bag that my mom gave me that I carried around for years.

In the States I had a lot of trouble with the cops. They loved to pick on people like me. They'll stop you, harass you, go through your stuff. It's not as bad in Canada. Nowadays when I see a cop, I go the other way, quickly.

The first time in jail was in New Orleans, and I was 17. I wasn't doing anything, in fact I was buying juice. The cops said I was buying liquor. It was crazy. They put me in a tough section of jail. After four days I called my mom and they made her pay $500. No one even knew I was in there.

One of the weirdest things that happened was when Jasmine and I were waiting for a ride in the desert. This red car screeches to the stop, blaring Janis Joplin. There's this older man driving with a big grey beard. An old hippie named Sam who's on his way to Reno, Nevada, to visit his sister. He's drinking Johnie Walker and I realize hes an alcoholic. So this calms me down, because many alcoholics can drink and handle it. He even stops and buys us lunch. He's a jolly fellow, singing to the music on the radio.

But at one point. he pulls out a gun and points it at my head. “What would you do if I pulled the trigger?” I turned around and looked at him with no expression in my face. “If you pulled the trigger, I would die” He laughed and put the gun away. My girlfriend was freaking in the back, but I trusted him. I think he just wanted to see my reaction.

The absolute scariest time was with a drunk woman who picked us up in Saskatchewan. She drove the wrong way on the freeway. Now that was frightening.

Jasmine and I would always tell the driver “no sex” before we got in the car, but that didn't always stop them from trying. I got tired of always having to talk my way out of it. One of my last rides was back from South Carolina with a pair of truckers. Jasmine rode with this young guy who was nice enough, but I had this grandfatherly type who kept talking to me about sex in a nasty way for hundreds of miles.

I still manage to go for short journeys on weekends. I've been to Toronto to visit my mom and Vermont. Nowadays I travel with Casey, my dog. He's a cross between a shepherd and a pit bull, but he resembles a miniature shepherd.

My job keeps me in Montreal these days, but I miss hitchhiking. It's about freedom. It's times I was the happiest. It took me two years to settle down after I came of the road. But I'm already planning my next trip – I've got itchy feet."

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Listening is one of those skills you can never be too good at.

If I asked each of you to quantify the cost that miscommunications drive in your company I know I would get back some very large numbers!

You can start an effective listening revolution in your company. Follow the link below to a short clip on Youtube of me presenting in Missouri for Rockhurst University around the power of reflection in helping you listen for understanding and all the benefits that brings with it. Listening Skills are a big part of the two day Leadership Boot Camps I run for First Time Managers looking for a Great Start and/or Experienced Managers looking for a Fresh Start.

Click Here for a 3 minute training clip on Effective Listening

David Benjatschek is a professional speaker/workshop facilitator in the areas of Leadership & Communication. He brings powerful training workshops to companies that set up New Managers/Supervisors for a Great Start and helps experienced Managers/Supervisors get a Fresh Start. Contact David more info: web - www.marketbeamer.com or email: david@marketbeamer.com

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This is your opportunity to make 2011 the Year of Choice.

One principle I've learnt over the years is this:

EVERYTHING in life will be managed.

If I don't manage something then there are hundreds & thousands of people/things that will manage it for me.

If I don't cut my lawn , the City of Calgary will eventually cut it for me (at the small fee of $250)

If I don't manage my budget, my bank will offer to "tide me over" with the credit card they sent me. (at 28 percent interest)

If I don't manage the use of my time, the great news is there are a multitude of people out there who will. (I'll meet their goals, not necessarily mine)



The lesson is that many of us are paying a heavy emotional & financial price for not addressing the choices we need to make in life.

The beginning of a New Year represents an awesome opportunity to starting making choices in those areas of our job/life that remain unresolved. It is our chance to manage something positively before it will be managed by someone else at a high cost.

From a leadership perspective I've narrowed it down to 5 choices we all need to make to become effective leaders. Stay tuned for much more information on my book "A Game of Choice: 5 Choices to Effective Leadership" and the workshop that follows.

Happy New Year! I wish all of you every success in 2011.

David Benjatschek is a professional speaker/workshop facilitator in the areas of Leasdership & Communication. www.marketbeamer.com (403) 874-1044

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Most recently in Ontario, there was a ban placed on handheld devises, this is an excerpt from a piece I wrote on the subject recently “I like most of you think that this is a no brainer, we have all seen people weaving all over the roads while they text away or the folks I love are the ones that come flying up beside you like their late for the free buffet and when they get right where they block you in, they slow down to the same speed your doing. After a few minutes of back in forth they floor it again and that’s when you see the cell phone in the ear. I used to fantasize about having a hydraulic battering ram strapped to the frame rails of my truck and when Citizen Joe pulled this stunt I would wait for him to get in just the right position and, well I think you can figure the rest out. I hope someone is watching the politicians so that they don't get to stupid and try and ban the CB’s, just a watch out, politicians doing something stupid can you imagine?”

Hard to imagine the timing, I just wrote that piece for a magazine I contribute to and now I see Alberta has decided to not only follow the Ontario example but add a twist, they have decided to throw truckers and their CB’s under the bus with this new proposed legislation called Bill 16. For those politicians who are unaware of this industries record, we are the safest vehicles on the highway with less accident per million miles than any other vehicles on the road, check this out www.transportation.alberta.ca/Content/docType47/Production/2009AR.pdf the numbers don't lie.

There are many good reasons for this and part of that reason is the CB radio, I am years away from when I drove truck and I must admit to having a love hate relationship during my later years with the CB. I only used it for certain situations, I got tired of all the complaining that was taking over the airwaves. That being said it is an invaluable tool to find out weather conditions, to take warnings of what lies ahead or just around the bend from another trucker coming the other way or to warn all those around you of an emergency situation that should be avoided, like NOW!
Texting while driving is stupid and should not be done, I have done it and you cannot look at the key pad of a phone/Blackberry whatever and stay in control of your vehicle all the time, dialing a cell phone same thing, don't care what you say it’s dangerous. Grabbing a microphone and pushing one button to while staring out the windshield, give me a break, I would hazard a guess that the CB radio has saved ten times more lives over it existence than it has cost, I would win that bet, hands down.

Don't get me wrong I am all about thinking outside the box when it comes to safety, a good friend of mine and past Chairman of TCA Mr. Jimmy O’Neil President of O&S Trucking said it best, when at the start his reign of TCA he said that safety is a “Moral Imperative” of the trucking industry. Bill 16 needs to be amended and changed to leave truckers and CB radios alone, it will have the exact opposite effect should it be enacted into law.

Safe Trucking

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I'm not consciously looking for a new driving job, but I'm always browsing transportation ads, and there seems to be more and more demand for lorry drivers as we pull out of the recession. This being the start of a new year, at least some drivers are thinking about switching jobs and looking for a fresh start. So who's good out there and who's hiring?

I'd really like to hear some positive feedback, forget the horror stories this time. With any employer there is always going to be some negative experiences with dispatchers and management, but I'm looking for the good carriers and fleets.

Money is not the sole object. Thank goodness that pay packets overall are starting to move up, but there are lots of other factors to consider when choosing a carrier. Pension, dental plan, personal days, enough work to keep you busy, good equipment, pet and rider friendly vehicles. Do you want to haul short or long haul, work regional or city, flat bed or dry van, and how often do you want to get home? Do you want to work for a big company like FedEX, or would you rather stay with a mom and pop operation? Each situation has its pros and cons.

It all depends on what you want to do. My experience with driver services wasn't always good, but I know gear jammers who wouldn't work anywhere else. They like the freedom and variety of the work. I tried to balance a couple while attending university, but they were like jealous girlfriends and got really annoyed if you turned down work, especially if they found out you were working for a rival agency.

With a student loan hanging over me, I went to work on a contract for an agency and stayed too long. The money wasn't great and the work was back-breaking, but I stuck around because I liked the managers and the co-workers. Somehow I then smartened up and went to work for a variety of private fleets. Starting with Eaton's until they folded, followed by a few years at a couple of big bakeries, who eventually third partied the work and/or asked us to buy the trucks. I've never been interested in being an owner operator, but the guys that bought contracts and trucks with this last outfit have made out pretty good.

I can always tell a good employer by the comments from the drivers. Usually when I interview drivers with good carriers, they will be happy to talk about their job and employers, and go out of their way to tell you why they like them. I ran into an old timer last night (I guess I'm getting long in the tooth, too), who was running Toronto- Winnipeg for Arnold Bros. "Good company?" I asked him. "Yeah they treat me fair. You work for them and they'll work for you."

And this is the case with many of the good carriers. Here's a few that drivers have gushed about over the years (sorry if I left anyone out): Kriska, Mackinnon, TransX, Yanke, Muir's, Bison, Rosedale, Mackie, LMB, and Challenger.

So what do you look for when shopping for an employer? How do you tell the good from the bad and the mediocre? Let me know your thoughts and try to keep them positive, will ya?

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A New Year. New Challenges, Similar Challenges, THe Same Challenges, Different Challenges.
1) My Father (I realized way to late was a lot smarter than I gave him credit for) Always told me, BE A MAN and take responsibility for whatever you do. Well everyone BE AN ADULT AND TAKE RESPONSIBLITY FOR WHATEVER YOU DO.
2) There is never anything wrong in making a mistake! Especially if you learn from it and grow from it. there is only something wrong if you never try something. WELL EVERYONE LETS TRY!
3) Instead of having seminars and meetings and blogs and writeups and on and on and on abut CSA 2010 (OR 2011) by now, lets accept it, and learn to work within it. WE HAVE NO CHOICE.
4) Customs on both sides here (U.S. and CANADA), are not infaillable, in fact they do make mistakes as well. They may never admit it, though, as those famous 3 words will always haunt us SUBJECT TO INTERPRETATION. Of course we can also add THE DRIVER IS ALWAYS RESONSIBLE.
5) Yes our industry is male dominated, however that does not preclude us from opening our arms and accepting anyone and everyone who wants to get in it. ALL LADIES ARE WELCOME. (P.S. Claudia, Jane, Kathy) are already trailblazers in it and are a great source of information and anyone in this business should NETWORK with them.
6) Think Big, Think Strong Think Postitive, Think For The Future, not today! That is the present, not yesterday, you cannot change the past, think and plan for tomorrow and beyond. That is how we will be here tomorrow and beyond.

Everyone in this industry should hide nothing and share everything. Of course other than personal information, or something we may regret. Forget the Politics, the RED TAPE and the B.S> in everyday life. I for one want to be around POSTIVIE PEOPLE, FRIENDS and BUSINESS ASSOCIATES, Who will always BLAZE THEIR OWN TRAIL!

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