by wtfcanada2015@gmail.com | Mar 12, 2019 | BLOG
My name is Jordan, and I am a professional driver. I want to learn to drive truck. Currently, I drive school bus. I have maintained my B now for two years and love what I do. The precision movements, the attention to detail, the constant testing of my spacial awareness, and circle checks, please! To some this all sounds like a burden, but to me it is both gratifying and fulfilling. I take great pride in what I do and I believe that shows in my work.
Like most, I obtained my G1 as soon as I was able. That night, my mother took me out for my first “lesson”. I had of course, like any other delinquent teen, driven many times prior. Little laps around the block when I was just supposed to be switching the cars in the lane way, (sometimes a little further). But nothing like what I experienced that night. A couple of wrong turns left us on a road that emptied onto the 401. We should have stopped and switched, but under my mothers direction, I merged onto the highway. There were three of us in the car, a 1992 forest green Dodge Shadow. I remember the sound of the horn as a truck came up behind us and my Dad in the back seat shouting “Punch it! Punch it!” as he maintained a death grip on my head rest. I looked in the mirror and read ‘MACK’ spelled backwards and kept the pedal on the floor. I laughed as the adrenaline pumped through my body. I knew we were fine, I knew even then that I had full control over the vehicle and that I may have upset the driver with our poor choice, but we were safe. And I was hooked. I drove everywhere from then on. I was good. I am good. I wish that I had been exposed to racing at that time in my life. It is my dream to race. Although the two jobs are very different, they both require a immense amount of skill and a formidable grasp on the movements of the vehicle. That is why I want to drive truck.
I am a professional driver. I started my career as a driver about 5 years ago, a little later in life than most. So far my age has not stood in my way of being awesome and learning new things. My life had just changed rather unexpectedly and I found myself a job working as a car jockey at a local car and truck rental company. I did detailing, customer shuttles, shuttling rentals from city to city as well as small maintenance. What I learned from the experience was that driving the bigger vehicles was the highlight of each day. From there I moved from position to position getting the experience I needed to achieve the credentials I wanted. My goal is to climb my way through opportunities until I achieve my AZ License and am teaching driving to others.
Written and submitted by: Jordan Janse-French
Jordan asked us to share her story in hope of inspiring others to explore the trucking industry.
by wtfcanada2015@gmail.com | Feb 21, 2019 | BLOG
I don’t know about you, but I am always looking at ways to make what I do on a daily basis easier. We only get twenty-four hours in a day and if your driven to succeed or work with someone who is, you want to use your time wisely. This often turns us to technology, it saves us time, money and makes us better but there is so much of it and so many players in the technology space.
One of the players Is ISB/MEE. Have you ever driven down the 401 West and looked over to the right just by the highway 25 exit and see a big beautiful building with the pond out front and wonder what they do and who they are? The company ISB/MEE is one of the largest suppliers of document sourcing organizations in the world. You name it they can probably get it for you. For our industry that means things like driver abstracts, criminal record searches and driver history. The big deal is they do it at lightening speed which is important when your trying to get drivers insured and on the road. They are experts and very good at what they do. They are the chosen service provider of many brand name transportation companies. Fast, affordable, accurate, this is the best way to describe ISB/MEE.
Michael Thompson
This month, in a couple of weeks at the TTSAO Conference, Micheal Thompson, CEO of RSB Global Services (ISB/MEE) is the keynote speaker at the conference where he will talk about technology in our industry. He has broken his presentation into three groups;
- Top Tech Products; to help your business, things like facial recognition, 3D Printing and assessments.
- Technology Disrupters; things that could disrupt the industry like E- Commerce, Drones and Uber for trucking.
- What Does the Future of Trucking Look Like; in reference to social media, the cloud, artificial intelligence, virtual reality and quantum computing.
This excites me and it’s not because I’m a technology geek, it excites me from the recruitment and retention end of our business. In order to hire the right people we must use the right tools to gather correct information in order to insure the driver. This technology is not only important to the companies its important to the person on the other side of the desk, the people your hiring. They want to see our industry using technology and they want to work for companies who are using it. Understanding what is out there to potentially disrupt our industry is important so we can be prepared to challenge and defend the disrupters.
With the TTSAO Conference on February 27th and 28th you need to get registered, there is limited space left. The TTSAO Conference is billed as highly educational, very affordable and is attended by all industry sectors; schools, insurance, carriers, government, and suppliers. Day one will feature meetings led by both the TTSAO Insurance Group and the TTSAO Carrier Group. Both groups will talk about important issues they are working on collectively with the industry and government. The annual general meeting is on Day 1, followed by a networking cocktail party that gives you a chance to mix and mingle with other industry people. At the cocktail party there will be a conversation between Dave MacDonald, President of Revolution Staffing and Glenn Caldwell, Vice President, Corporate Development of NAL Insurance on the Power of Networking. Other agenda items on Day 2 include; Social Media for Business Strategy led By Kimberly Biback of Sharp Transportation, Best Practices For Training featuring leaders from Bison Transportation, Quail Transport, KRTS and CHET moderated by Geoff Topping of Challenger Motor Freight, Kelly Henderson of the THRSC will moderate a panel of industry association leaders from the PMTC, OTA and the Fleet Safety Council to discuss the value of industry associations and how you can benefit from them. This year’s conference will also feature the presentation of the first TTSAO/ PayBright Instructor of the Year.
As President of the TTSAO I know I speak on behalf of the entire board of Directors that we are proud that the TTSAO is the only association in the Province of Ontario which number one objective is representing the best interest of our full member truck training facilities. The TTSAO includes strong representation of insurance, for hire and private trucking companies, industry associations and suppliers. The companies who are members of the TTSAO represent tens of thousands of people who are employees in the transportation industry across Canada.
I want to thank the entire TTSAO Board of Directors who have been actively involved in the success of the association over the past two years. Your commitment of time, knowledge and expertise has made our association better and our industry stronger. Never under estimate the power of the donation of your time.
Kim Richardson has been in the Transportation Industry for 34 years. Currently he is the President of Kim Richardson Transportation Specialists Inc. a family owned and operated business which has won multiple awards. Under the KRTS group of businesses is Transrep Inc. and The Rear View Mirror. Kim is currently on the board of directors for the Professional Truck Driver Institute (PTDI), on the board of directors with Private Motor Truck Council of Canada (PMTC), on the membership committee of the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA), on the advisory board of the Women’s Trucking federation of Canada (WTFC), and in the past, Chairman of the Board for the Truck Training Association of Ontario (TTSAO) and Chairman of the Board for the Allied Trade Division of the Ontario Trucking Association (OTA). Kim is a proud Husband, Dad, Grandpa and loves his community of Caledonia. He can be reached at krichardson@krway.com or phone 1-800-771-8171 ext. 201.
Kim Richardson regularly blogs on The Rear View Mirror
by wtfcanada2015@gmail.com | Dec 18, 2017 | BLOG
The Women’s Trucking Federation of Canada is a non-profit organization established to encourage the employment of women in the Transportation Industry. We want to celebrate and promote these accomplishments as well as address obstacles and issues faced by women working in the industry. Our purpose is to promote personal growth and responsibility whether you’re” In the Office, under the Hood or behind the Wheel”. Despite the name, “Women’s Trucking Federation of Canada “, our membership is not limited to women. We welcome the involvement of anyone who is positive and supportive of women in the Transportation Industry. We aim to provide a platform and open environment for women across the Transportation Industry to come together, problem solve, share ideas and help to promote our industry to future generations as a viable career option.
This is not just an organization, this is a network. We hope you will join us !!!
You can read more about WTFC in the latest PMTC Magazine.
http://www.kelmanonline.com/httpdocs/files/PMTC/pmc-issue5-2017/index.html
Eastern Ontario Transportation Career and Job Expo
Sat. Jan 20th 2018 Kingston, ON
Register by Dec 31st and you’ll be entered into a draw for a $200 gift card from Canadian Tire.
Hurry as the booths are filling fast…
For more information please visit our website at www.wtfc.ca
by wtfcanada2015@gmail.com | Nov 24, 2017 | BLOG
St. Lawrence College Employment Service is a free service to both employers and job seekers. We are open to the public, and funded by Employment Ontario. Our services
are available to Employers and Job Seekers, who may require some assistance in the hiring and employment process; this can provide substantial time and financial savings for the Company or Individual. Should you have any current, or anticipated hiring needs
our team would be more than happy to provide assistance. In my role as Employer Liaison, I can help to promote and advertise Employer opportunities, find and pre-screen applicants, help plan job fairs that are tailored to your company, or assist with career
fairs at larger events with multiple employers. We can also provide interview and meeting space, if required. All of the services we offer are at no cost to you! Additionally, if you choose to hire a candidate that is registered with our office, we can help
you gain access and information about our wage subsidy programs, and grants which can offset the cost of hiring.
If you have any questions about our services, and how I might be of assistance to you I would be more than happy to connect with you further at your convenience.
Thanks,
Steven Csanyi
Employer Liaison
Employment Service,
St. Lawrence College
