The System in place currently has been broken for a long time, and solutions offered by Industry have yet to be acted upon.
(the below is an exert of a communication that was sent by the PMTC to the CCMTA, Transport Canada & The Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation)
Currently Commercial Motor Carriers who wish to operate a trucking fleet in Canada must apply for a Safety Fitness Certificate to the Provincial Authority in which they plan to licence their vehicles. If the Provincial Authority of the base jurisdiction approves the application, a National Safety Code (NSC) will be issued to the Carrier. The base jurisdiction is then responsible for monitoring the motor carrier for safety and compliance, based on National Safety Code 14, which is a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) all jurisdictions agreed to several years back. https://www.ccmta.ca/en/national-safety-code
While in theory this process comes across as seamless and consistent, the reality of how carriers are monitored from one Canadian provincial jurisdiction to the other vary significantly. For instance, if you were to run a Safety Fitness Certificate from a carrier based in Ontario and then run one from a carrier in Alberta, it would be almost impossible to compare the safety rating of the two fleets and decipher which one is the safest of the two.
The substantial differences in how one jurisdiction scores a carriers’ provincial safety rating compared to another, also leads to chameleon carriers simply closing shop in one jurisdiction and opening in another, exploiting the lack of communication between jurisdictions and simply open again in a different location. In addition, there are many carriers in Canada, who exploit the lack of a central reporting system, and the lack of checks and balances in place between jurisdictions. They start several fleets, register each of them in different jurisdictions with different National Safety Code Numbers. When they face challenges in one jurisdiction, they simply continue to operate in the others by transferring vehicles over to the fleet in different jurisdictions so they can continue to operate across the country despite an undesirable safety profile.
The recent case with Chohan Freight Forwarders in British Columbia illustrates the current problem. The fleet had its operating authority suspended in British Columbia but had another federally regulated fleet operating out of Alberta. The absence of a coordinated and centralized system has basically allowed this fleet, deemed unsafe by one jurisdiction, to continue to operate across the country, including into the province that just suspended their operating authority. A fleet should only be allowed to have one National Safety Code Number. A central reporting system would alleviate this type of unsafe practice and ensure a proper tracking system across the country. https://www.trucknews.com/health-safety/b-c-asks-feds-to-reduce-safety-gaps-following-overpass-crashes/1003181013/
To further showcase how the lack of a centralized and uniformed regulated system may cause alarming road safety issues, a simple internet search by one of our insurance company members demonstrates the seriousness of the problem. Back in 2022, it was found that 34 Trucking Companies were listed as operating at the same address in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, while another 54 companies were found to be listed as operating at one address in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Most of the emails associated with these companies were the same, from a consultant in Brampton, Ontario. A quick check at the time showed no trucks were located in either of these locations, despite records showing 88 trucking companies being registered at these locations. This is just one example of “jurisdiction shopping” when trucking companies set up their business in a location to save on operating costs, insurance, oversight, or can easily “relocate” as a result of being shut down in another jurisdiction.
To rectify this issue, we need a national recognized MOU that is more descriptive than what is currently in place and has some teeth, to create a standardized Carrier Provincial Safety Rating. We must ensure that all the regions across the country monitor and audit carriers following the same consistent criteria with results easily accessible from a central reporting system/one stop shop. Hence, everyone will be able to see and compare a carriers’ safety rating score regardless of the region from which it has been completed and submitted. A seamless access to results about the carrier’s compliance/non-compliance must be easily accessible to all, including the shippers who could then verify the safety of the fleet they are hiring.
To achieve this goal, coordinated and harmonized jurisdictional regulations are needed. The current inconsistencies in regulations and enforcement from one jurisdiction to another reduces efficiency and increase burdens and cost to the industry. Sadly, it also leads to some carriers who do not have safety and compliance at the top of their priorities to go jurisdiction shopping to find the one with the least stringent regulations to register their fleet in.
The Private Motor Truck Council of Canada has been raising this issue at meetings with governments since 2015, and the most recent case in British Columbia highlights the seriousness of this issue. It needs to be addressed promptly by regulators, & the PMTC is ready and willing to work together with regulators on this process.
I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to write to you. It’s not that I’m not thinking of you, but I’ve been busy. As we enter a New Year, it seems like a good time to get back in touch.
It may seem that I sit up here in the cab of my truck, looking out over the roof of your car, not paying any attention. The truth is I am always watching out for you. I’ve learned to see a slight movement of your head that tells me you are thinking of making a lane change. If we are approaching a freeway interchange or off ramp, I try to anticipate your next action. I know when you are on the phone, eating, changing the station on your radio, talking to your passengers, or shouting at your children in the back seat. I can usually tell when you are tired or impaired. I know when you’ve only got one hand on the steering wheel while the other is holding your cell phone as you tap out a text message (and of all the activities that get your attention, that one frightens me the most). I am keeping my eyes on you, all of you, all the time. I have no desire to cause injury to another human being and am well trained in doing whatever I can to prevent a collision, but I am only half of the equation.
Now I’d like to tell you some things about myself, so we can get better acquainted.
When my full sized semi is loaded, it weighs at least 80,000 pounds. If my truck were to land on you, it would be like dropping forty or fifty cars on your head. Since it takes four times the distance to stop my truck than it does your car, you can understand why I don’t like it when you cut in front of me. I am much bigger than you. I really need you to remember that when we are on the road together.
My truck is almost seventy feet long. I can’t make any sharp turns, and I need extra space to go around a corner. Left turns are much easier and I try to plan my city driving with those, but it isn’t always possible. I know you get impatient when I sit at a green traffic light, but I may be waiting to have enough room to make my turn without taking out a pole or running over another car. I always try to avoid starting a maneuver that I cannot safely finish, such as getting through an intersection before the light changes to red. I wish it was easier, believe me, but there is nothing I can do to change the way it must be done.
I have as many as fifteen gears in my truck, and it takes me awhile to go through them. I do wish my truck accelerated as fast as your car does so I could get on a freeway at 60mph instead of 45mph. I sometimes get very tired of having to go slowly up mountains and around curves. I would love to drive faster and I wish there weren’t slower posted limits for trucks in many states. But that’s how it is, and I have good reasons for wanting to obey the rules of gravity and the Law. Please be patient. I’m peddling as fast as I can!
The entire right side of my truck is a blind spot. A lot of the left side is too. And when you tailgate me, I can’t see you. As bad as all that is for me, it’s worse for you. Please don’t pass me on the right unless you are very sure I know you are there; I usually drive in the far right hand lane and I may move in that direction when you are next to me. It also makes me nervous to have you close behind me because I know you can’t see what’s going on in front of me. If something happens that causes me to slow down, you may run into the bumper that hangs off the back. It is called a D.O.T. Bumper, and it is a very solid object. It was designed to prevent cars from sliding under trucks in rear-end collisions, because those drivers were being decapitated. That bumper does NOT give way. Trust me.
I try to pass you carefully and with plenty of clearance. It is perfectly okay for you to flash your headlights to let me know I have room to move back over. I may not always acknowledge it but I do appreciate it, especially at night, in bad weather, and in heavy traffic; sometimes that flash is all I can see. Please only pass me when you know you have plenty of room. We both have to slow down for road construction zones. We both have to merge when lanes end. We both have to give emergency vehicles space. We both should be cautious of stalled motorists on the roadside. Because I’m bigger and wider and heavier, I must be more careful than you. Please give me room to make those changes. Don’t make me choose between your car and the guard rail or the construction worker or the highway patrol officer or the man changing the tire on his motor home.
I spend much of my work day driving in unknown areas. I may have no idea where my customer is, much less which street I need to turn on to get there. If I make a mistake, I might find myself trapped on a cul-de-sac in a residential area where I’m not supposed to take a truck in the first place. At the least, it will be a difficult situation to resolve; at worst I could cause damage to a building or a person as I try to get out. I prefer to drive slowly and get it right the first time. I know YOU know where I need to be but I can’t ask directions, and you honking your horn or gesturing isn’t making it any clearer. I’m not trying to be stupid or in your way. I’m trying to be careful.
I admit I’m not always driving at my best either. I may be tired, hungry, sick, or just wanting to get to my next stop so I can go home to my family. I may be thinking of my kids, worrying about my finances, mourning a loss, regretting the chili I had for lunch, or wondering which off ramp I need to take to get to my destination. I try to pay attention, to not get impatient, to be courteous to others, but sometimes being Human gets in the way. Please try be as aware of me as I am of you.
It will make both our travels easier and safer if you also pay attention to what I am doing. If I slow down, it may be because I can see something up ahead from my higher viewpoint. If our paths are about to cross as you merge onto a freeway, please either decrease or increase your speed so I don’t have to do it. You can slow and accelerate your car much faster than I can my truck. That also applies if I pull out to pass a slower vehicle in my lane; it will slow you down a bit if you let me in your lane, but it can grind my progress to a halt if you don’t. If I am merging left for what appears to be no reason, I may be trying to avoid a traffic jam or emergency vehicle or road construction. If you follow me it will go much smoother; if you try to out-distance me, we will still meet up farther down the road and you will save nothing. Please pay attention to those signs that are directed at truck drivers. Be aware of a reduced truck speed limits, an approaching weigh station, and travel lane restrictions. I must make those adjustments every day. I don’t make the laws, but I am expected to obey them. I’m always trying to be cooperative, and appreciate the same effort from you.
As a truck driver, I make deliveries to your grocery store, restaurant, mall, hospital, car dealership, and every other place you visit in the course of your day. Sometimes I am there when you are trying to conduct your business, and I may be in your way. I apologize. I do not set the times for my arrival, my customer does. Just as you expect good service, so do they from me. You cannot walk into any establishment and find an item used for business that did not spend at least part of its journey on a truck. Please let me do my job so you can do yours.
Truck drivers are vital to the economy of this nation. Without us, all commerce would come to a skidding halt within a week, probably much less than that. We aren’t being boastful because we know it’s the truth. We are proud of the role we have in making our country strong and giving our fellow citizens a good life. Please help us do our best for you.
And speaking of life, please remember I have one too. I spend a lot of time in truck stops because there is plenty of room for me to park. The truck stop offers showers and food and sometimes a few diversions, but after a while I get tired of the same old, same old. It’s a nice change to go to Walmart. Many Walmarts offer truck parking, but it isn’t always easy to thread my way through the lot. Sometimes I want to shop at a mall, or eat at a different restaurant, or go to a movie. I may get in your way, and I’m sorry. I just want a different view, a change of pace. Please take an extra moment of your day to make me feel welcome. I won’t stay too long and I may never be back.
We are out here together, you and I. We can make this work.
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.
So I’m running Fort Nelson BC to Whitehorse Yukon, hauling groceries every day. I see some very beautiful scenery, climbing Steamboat, driving through Muncho Lake, etc. Gorgeous even on the worst days.
This is hard to see, but down in the shade is a grader cleaning the edges on Summit. There are usually sheep on this cliff, and it’s a stiff sharp hill, with a guardrail that has saved trucks from sliding off.
This post is for the hard working folk who take care of the roads so I can get you your food. I can’t do my job if you aren’t out there. You can’t eat if I don’t get out there. We work together to create a safe country where everyone has food, shelter, an education, meaningful employment and a worthy lifestyle. Thanks to the the guys who care enough to actually show up and do their job. It’s easy to do on a beautiful day like this. Not so easy when the road has 12″ of snow, and tractors are running off the road by the handful.
Our job is a whole lot easier when you four wheelers slow down, move over and let us pass in a SAFE PLACE. Please look ahead, and think is this a place I would just love to run off the road? If it’s not, then please maintain speed, do NOT STOP or pull over in a corner or on a hillside. If a truck is lining up to pass, they will be the judge of when it’s safe. Let them make that decision.
This moment (see picture) was a time for me to stop, as the road was blocked by someone doing their job.
I didn’t mind the wait. Please don’t criticize these hardworking drivers, they are making it safer for you.
According to a survey completed and published by Insurance Business Canada only 15% of Canadians surveyed said that they were confident that they feel ‘very prepared’ financially if the get too sick to report for work. 23% of Canadians answered that they are not at all prepared financially if they pass away too soon, the study also discovered. Only 16% said that they have purchased life insurance that would cover their remaining mortgage payments should they ever pass away.
If like me you can sometimes feel somewhat sceptical about stats it does however strike me that far too many of us are not prepared for the unexpected, the chances of experiencing a financial loss if you are unable to work due to injury or illness are frankly very worrying. There are of course a number of reasons that can be attributed to this; perceived cost, understanding of coverage, availability, where to get it.
As someone who works largely with Income Protection Insurance and other living benefits my advice would be to work with a broker, a broker works for you their client and not a specific insurance company this means that they can take the time needed to understand your needs and then advise you as to the best options available from the very many insurance companies.
Insurance has to be exact and legally binding for your own protection but it does not need to be difficult to understand, when you work with the right broker it will be explained clearly and without jargon so that you have the peace of mind of knowing that if and when the time comes you and your loved ones will be properly protected.
We all know that at some point we will die and we hope that it is at a ripe old age and so we can more readily accept the need and payout of life insurance.
Income protection of the other hand is a different story because we are more easily swayed that we will be fine because; • ‘I’m a healthy person’ • ‘ I’d just carry on going to work’ • ‘I can’t afford it’ • ‘I’ll dip into my savings’ • ‘my family will help’
The reality is that if we lose our ability to work and earn a living everything else will suffer, friends and family while might be willing to help will usually themselves be using all of their income for their own needs. Savings will be depleted this will have a negative impact on the subsequently growth of any capital that was invested and there will also be tax implications of withdrawing from your RRSP.
The bills will continue to come in and the family needs will not be reduced in fact if you have a family member in need of medical care it is more likely that the other wage earner in the family may need to take time away from work to become a carer, long or short term. If you are self-employed you may need to employ someone to carry work load of the lost worker, you.
When I am speaking with clients about their need for Income Protection far too often I am asked to complete insurance for them for accident coverage only. It is my job and ethical responsibility to explain the pit falls of this choice, what if you get sick? It might be that you are newly starting in business and so may need to start at a lower amount than you would like in order to suit your budget or that money is tight. Start where you can and work your way up to where you need to be if you have to. Just don’t have nothing. If I were to ask you how many reasons do you think there could be for not being able to go to work what would you say?
The answer I give is easy, it’s 2, if you become injured or if you become ill. It’s that simple. If you can’t work how will you keep the lights on, put food on the table and keep your home warm or even just keep your home. I could quote stats again but I don’t need to, I have firsthand experience of having to remind clients or their partners that no they are not covered for the sickness that has befallen them because they wanted to wait and add it later or they just didn’t think they needed illness coverage. It is the worst, the very worst phone call because by the time I receive it it’s too late, there is absolutely nothing that I can do about it.
The solution to making sure this is not you is simple: 1. Work with a broker that you like and trust. 2. Get insurance while you are healthy if you can, but you can still get good coverage if you have pre-existing conditions. 3. Review your coverage regularly 4. Just don’t have NOTHING, please. Be prepared for the unexpected and rest easy with the peace of mind that you and your family will be financially secure when the time comes. Make the call today to speak to a trusted adviser.
Fiona Stone – Owner Contact Fiona at fiona@stoneinsurance.ca
