The Truck of Tomorrow by Truck News I had the pleasure of getting behind the wheel of a medium-duty hybrid truck and going for a little test drive during the Great American Trucking Show in August.
Transportation now on the wrong side of the growth hump by Lou Smyrlis Revenues for Canada’s largest motor carriers shrunk in the second quarter, decreasing 1.3% on average. To me that’s further indication that trucking, and transportation in general actually, is now on…
What’s wrong with this picture? by James Menzies Mark Richards, a professional driver based in Windsor, says he’s being punished by the MTO for simply doing the right thing. The trucker admits that last year he was signed…
Boom in automotive shipments only a short-term reprieve by Lou Smyrlis Anyone feeling optimistic about what the summer’s rise in automotive shipments from the Detroit Three indicated about the future, should be sobered by this week’s news from General Motors about…
Emissions standards should apply to older trucks too by James Menzies Over the past few years I’ve been telling anyone who would listen about the environmental leaps and bounds being made by the trucking industry. I am always quick to point…
Why 100% scanning of containers is 100% wrong by Lou Smyrlis If you think congestion can make picking up containers at our international ports a real hassle now, wait till July 1, 2012. That’s when the US wants to have…
How NOT to help truckers with their costs by Lou Smyrlis When I discuss with industry suppliers the cost challenges their owner/operator and fleet customers face, I’m often asked what would be the best way they could help truckers reduce their…
It’s so crazy it might just work by Truck News In the medical profession there’s a saying used, comparing horses and zebras, when a physician comes up with the misdiagnosis of an ailment. Something about looking for zebras instead…
Trucking may be the lion of the transportation industry but it’s not exactly growing fat on its kills by Lou Smyrlis In my past two blogs dedicated to understanding the changes driving today’s motor carriers, we examined the increasing importance of accountability and the greater amount of complexity fleets face today.
Complexity will radically change the trucking industry by Lou Smyrlis In my last blog I began examining the three major trends – accountability, complexity and cost — that I think drive the success and fuel the fears of motor carriers.
Infrastructure upgrades desperately needed by James Menzies The tragic collapse of a Minneapolis bridge this week has demonstrated the need for immediate upgrades to North American infrastructure. The deadly collapse comes just weeks after Transports Quebec announced…
It’s just lip service until you drink from the fountain of youth by Truck News I’m sure there has yet to be a generation of young people who have not felt slighted by their predecessors. And likely, along the same lines, there probably has…
What drives the success and fuels the fears of motor carriers? by Lou Smyrlis I’m often asked by companies selling products into the transportation industry to outline the major trends that are both driving the success and fueling the fears of their motor carrier…
Ontario waste oil heater ban now official by James Menzies The June 29 version of the Environmental Registry confirmed Ontario Regulation 280/07, a law that prevents companies from burning waste oil for heat as of June 1, 2009. Truck…
Keeping fit is a constant challenge for drivers (and writers) by James Menzies It’s no secret that professional drivers are generally not the fittest of folks. Of course there are exceptions to the rule, but it’s not easy to stay in shape when…
