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.
It’s estimated that we have over 300,000 truck drivers in Canada. Yet we are seeing very few answering this survey. The lack of Truck Parking effects everyone in the industry. Carriers we need you to do your part too !! Take the time to complete the survey, get it out to your drivers. Send a satellite message, post it on your company website, in your employee only forums, why not send them an email with the links. Have you posted it on your Facebook page ?? Contact Ted Harvey: ted.harvey@spr.ca and get a flyer to put up in your terminals. All drivers who travel through Ontario are encouraged to participate in this survey. Even our American sisters and brothers of the highway.
The lack of Truck parking has Major Economic Impacts on The Trucking Industry. In their work, SPR has consolidated considerable research, by bodies such as the American Transportation Research Institute which indicates that the lack of parking costs the trucking sector hundreds of millions of dollars every year. Similarly, an excellent study recently published by Trucker Path indicated substantial costs to North American trucking, of over $5.1 billion, [including Canada], comprised of $500 million in lost profits, $500 million in added maintenance, $1,500 million in lost wages [trucker time], $2.6 Billion in wasted fuel, plus stress impacts detrimental to recruitment and sustaining the trucking workforce. Trucker Path estimated direct costs at $ 7,200 per driver per year, and $720 per driver in lost profits.
These costs of parking shortages impact all segments of the trucking sector, including those directly affected — companies and drivers — and also those serving trucking, in training, recruiting, insurance, leasing ,parts and services — since the total trucking ‘economic pie’ is reduced by lack of parking.
The Driver Survey: Their survey of truck drivers — their main method — has obtained 800+ driver responses. This is good, but they need at least 3,000 driver responses to meet the Ministry’s information needs and bring about real change.
SPR is appealling for your help !! Drivers they need you to complete the survey (deadline is February 28th).
Benefits: The survey is providing very detailed and rich data. Nearly all drivers who come to the survey complete the entire questionnaire even though it is relatively detailed.
For example: the 800+ drivers responding so far have provided over 5,600 ratings of parking difficulty on 25 highway segments. (each driver rates an average of 8 segments of the 401 or other 400 series or secondary highways). This will tell the Ministry where parking is most needed. The same drivers have evaluated 70+ individual truck stops (each driver rating an average of 8 truck stops), so that about 16,000 ratings of truck stops have been obtained. More than half of the drivers report economic losses, stress, anger or loss of sleep.
Other Findings: SPR has recently prepared a report on their consultations which includes submissions from a number of associations, companies and municipalities. Four submissions are of particular interest, from: Ontario Trucking Association, the Women’s Trucking Federation of Canada , ITS, and the US-based OOIDA [all available on request contact Ted Harvey at ted.harvey@spr.ca. They all make the case: that the truck parking shortage is severe, particularly in central Ontario.
This is a question that I hear a lot from many different people. My reply to them is; ask yourself this question
“How long could I maintain my life and pay my bills if I wasn’t earning any money?”
because most of us can’t afford to have a 1, 2, 3 or 4 month unpaid vacation.
When we suffer from an injury or an illness that stops us from working our income also stops our bills and responsibilities however do not. We still have to put food on the table, pay our bills and keep up with our regular family commitments such as children’s sports and clubs. How would you cope if you couldn’t pay your mortgage or rent?
The idea of being unable to maintain our normal standard of living can be very upsetting, the financial strain of mounting bills can put tremendous pressure on you and your family.
By investing in Disability Insurance you can feel secure with the peace of mind that if an accident or an illness should occur your ability to pay your bills and take care of your family need not be diminished.
1 in 3 Canadians, on average, will be disabled for 90 days or more at least once before the age of 65, a disability can last for many months or even years.
You almost certainly know someone who has missed work due to a simple accident or even an unforeseen illness.
•A mechanic breaks an arm on a snow mobile and can’t work for 8 weeks or more
•A car accident can take many months to recover from
•An busy accountant has to recover after a heart attack
•A truck driver with a torn rotator cuff, in acute cases can require surgery or many weeks of physiotherapy.
Choosing the right insurance starts with finding an insurance advisor that you can trust, one that will explain the pros and cons of the different types of disability insurance that are available to you. Don’t just go online and purchase something that sounds great, Disability Insurance is not like booking flights online.
Ask your friends and family who they deal with and ask if they are happy with the service that they have received, if they have had a claim how did it go?
A good insurance advisor will take the time to listen to you to learn about your needs because Disability Insurance is not a one size fits all process. They will answer any questions that you have in with no hard sell tactics.
There are a number of factors that will guide the decision as to the particular set up of your insurance the amount of coverage and the cost can vary a lot. Some types of insurance will be guaranteed issue while others will require answering medical questions.
Do you have any coverage through your work or are you self-employed and therefore completely responsible for your own personal disability insurance?
Setting yourself up with Disability Insurance needn’t be complicated if you work with an experienced advisor. You should also review your coverage of your disability insurance at regular intervals as with you would with your Life Insurance, life changes and your insurance should be flexible enough to change with it.
About the author:
Fiona is a fully licenced independent Insurance Broker working with all types of personal insurance needs. She specialises in Disability Insurance. Her passion for Disability Insurance is born out of a desire to help Canadians avoid the terrible consequences that can be experienced from a short or long term disability be it an accident or an illness.
“No one should have to lose their home and their family for the sake of a broken leg, the ability to keep up with our bills and commitments when we have no income can make this the awful reality of having no coverage”
Fiona works with the self-employed and people who have coverage through their work but who want to make sure that they have sufficient coverage to meet the needs of their family.
She is committed to making your experience with personal insurance as straight forward and simple as possible offering a flexible client focused service. Whether meeting truckers or business owners Fiona will meet you to discuss your needs at a time and place that is most convenient to you.
None of us wake up in the morning thinking that we really hope someone comes to talk to us about our insurance needs today.
We think about what our day holds for us and what we have to achieve at work, is it our turn to bring the coffee, what sports the children have to get to tonight, what we will buy for dinner and many other things that form part of our everyday lives.
Insurance seems to be considered by many of us as the evil non-paying necessity. We have to have insurance if we want a loan. If we drive a car the law makes us have insurance. If we work for a particular company we have to have proof of personal insurance.
Too often when I hear conversations about insurance experiences so many people have stories ‘of how insurance never pays’
Actually insurance does pay. It pays to have insurance.
The important thing is to work with a trusted advisor who will have your best interests at heart. A trusted adviser will work on your behalf with the insurance company when the time comes to claim.
A trusted adviser will know which insurance best suits your needs because they will take the time to sit with you and taking the time to learn about you, your job, your family and your wishes for the future.
This is not the only way to arrange insurance for yourself but remember you are not booking a holiday, you are making a commitment to the ones you love to be able to take care of them in the event of a serious loss, whether it be a loss of income because of illness or injury or a loss of loved one.
It is important to take time to deal with your insurance needs and to review them regularly, we NEVER know what is around the next corner in our life…if only we all had a crystal ball.
One person who was very happy that he did not put off until tomorrow is a Professional Truck Driver from Northern Ontario. He arranged personal accident insurance for himself with a recommended broker a number of years ago. Every month he paid for his insurance and never made a claim but he continued to pay it because he knew that if something happened to him either at work or at home he would be left with no income and no way to support his family.
On Dec 21st 2015 4 days before Christmas, he was driving his truck as usual, there was nothing special about this day. He had his load to pick up and drop off as with every other day and like everyone else in his business. It would turn out to be an extremely different day, a life changing day;
His truck slid on the winter road and he veered into the deep snow filled ditch, unfortunately his truck didn’t stop there. It continued forward colliding with a large culvert propelling him and his truck into the air coming to land in the ditch on the other side. Obviously he was rushed to hospital. He had broken his back and sustained two hernias form the impact, it would be a long road to recovery that would include surgery and physiotherapy and a lot of patience, pain and hard work.
I am delighted to say that he is doing fabulously, he still has a long way to go and will most likely never be able to drive a truck again as sitting for any amount time is painful and his body could not withstand the jolting of the truck, but he is happy.
Why is he happy… because he has a huge weight lifted from his shoulders, the burden of providing for his family! He appreciates that the day he signed up for his insurance was one of the best decisions that he has ever made because every month since the accident he has received his benefit payment from the insurance company and will continue to do so while he is unable to work. Do you have insurance?
Answer these questions…
· Do you have enough life insurance, has your family grown, do you want to leave money for loved ones?
· Do you have too much insurance, have you paid off all of your debt and only want enough insurance to cover final expenses?
· Do you have income protection, how will you pay the bills and put food on the table if you can’t work due to illness or injury?
· When did you last speak to your trusted advisor?
