A lifetime of tire talk provides valuable learnings

There’s something that I’ve found constantly tiring throughout my trucking career. Tires, and paying for more tires. Actually, my interest in tires took hold before I even got into trucking,…

Hopes for a healthy 2024

Well, here we go barreling from one year to the next like a runaway truck on a 12% grade. As I get older, the days seem to accelerate exponentially. It’s…

Save the sliding for the toboggan hill

Tobogganing down a snowy hill and crashing at the bottom is a lot of fun for kids. It’s definitely no accident. Doing the same as an adult with a semi,…

Look beyond basic skills when hiring employees

I have always loved steering and gearing. It doesn’t matter much what it is, as long as I am piloting something. I have been thinking back on this recently because…

Prepare for three seasons in one day

The good thing about being a Canadian trucker is that you can experience three seasons in one day. The bad thing about being a Canadian trucker is that you can…

Where’s the noise about real driver issues?

Looking through my windshield day after day, I don’t see the same old, same old. Frankly, I see worse. Road conditions are worse than ever, and fatalities keep climbing. I…

Driver attitudes the biggest factor in highway safety

“I will not be writing about – or interviewing anyone during – the Manitoba Truck Driving Championships! I will be a competitor and just enjoy the day.” Those were the…

Focus on image to attract a new generation of trucking employees

I like shiny things. Especially if they rumble to life, pass air like grandpa going up the stairs, and the dispatcher thinks they drive like a supersonic jet. Yeah. Truck…

Clean energy options are not limited to diesel

Diesel is dead. Electric is the way to go. At least that’s what many would have you think. In fact, by 2035, new-model internal combustion engine cars will no longer…

Emissions controls killed my career as an O/O

As the EPA releases yet another round of emissions standards, I’m reminded that these emissions controls killed my career as an owner-operator. More accurately, the imposition of unreasonable targets set…

New trucks and old wisdom will keep drivers safer

The technology of trucking has changed vastly in the last few decades. I would even suggest that there have been more technological changes since the mid 1990s than there were…

ELDs eliminated many problems with logbooks

Hi. My name is David, and I love ELDs. I feel much better now that I got that out in the open. What’s interesting is that there are many drivers…

Trip planning tips for professional truckers

How many drivers who went through a driver education program are ready for the open road? It’s incredible to me that spending $10,000 for training doesn’t prepare you for your…

Hourly pay best way to deal with wait times

“Remember that time I went to deliver at XYZ Company and it only took 20 minutes, and they were happy to see me?” That is a real-life occurrence, but quite…

Time to revisit marijuana rules for truckers

I’ve never been fond of drugs, legal or otherwise. Alcohol, weed, uppers, downers — none have held any appeal to me. It could be that I’m a control freak who…