by wtfcanada2015@gmail.com | Jan 26, 2023 | BLOG
Labour force data released from the latest Canadian Census is disheartening to say the least.
In 2016 barely 3.5% of Canada’s 300,000 truck drivers were women, and now, over six years and enormous efforts later, gains of less than one percent brings that representation to a mere 4.3%.
Before we go any further, a bit about the data. These statistics look across occupations, which the government breaks into classifications using National Occupational Classification (NOC, or NOC codes). This is Canada’s national system of organizing and describing occupations.
It is also important to note that there is a variable when comparing 2016 data to 2022. Statistics Canada is no longer using the same criteria when it comes to male and female representation in the labour force. In the latest statistics “gender” refers to an individual’s personal and social identity as a man, a woman, or a non-binary person. They go on to note that “Given that the non-binary population is small, data aggregation to a two-category gender variable is sometimes necessary to protect the confidentiality of responses provided. In these cases, individuals in the category “non-binary persons” were distributed into the other two gender categories and denoted by the “+” symbol.” The 2022 data is representative of those changes and is referenced as Men+ and Women+. As such, the 2022 data showing 4.3% representation is for Women +, and these numbers are significantly deficient considering that women account for almost half of Canada’s workforce.
Despite the growing list of federal, provincial and industry programs that have tried to move the needle, these gains are minimal at best. Efforts ranging from training scholarships for female candidates, mentorship options, incentive programs, free driving schools with guaranteed placement, to programs targeting school age females, has not moved the needle 1%.
Trucking is not alone as skilled trades also continue to be largely dominated by males. While women have made some progress in the trades, the sectors share significant barriers with inclusion that prevent women from embracing work in these male dominated industries.
In terms of inclusion, the trucking industry is doing well at the more senior levels with Human Resources, Health & Safety, Administration, Finance, and Senior Management. In fact, the latest Census shows that 24.5% of Managers in Transportation (NOC 70020) are Women+. However, gender equity is needed throughout the corporate hierarchy. Representation at all levels is not only critical, but also a great place to start. Inclusion matters. And when representation is a mere 4.3%, that is a problem from an inclusion perspective. We need to create workplaces where women and other diverse candidates can say “I can belong here”. We know part of inclusion is about sharing things that we have in common with others. Most people do not want to be the odd person out or feel isolated in their job or at the workplace.
Consider a time you felt different from those around you. Now, consider the words or images that come to mind as you reflect on that time. Likely, those words or images have a negative connotation, like isolated or awkward to discriminated or harassed.
We, as humans, have a need to be included, a feeling of security, safety, acceptance, and of a workplace that at the very least reflects and includes us. Having female workers and leaders to serve as role models is not only critical to the advancement of women in this industry, but also leads to larger societal impacts on issues like pay equity, gender equality in recruitment and promotion, changing workplace policies in ways that benefit all genders, and in attracting a more diverse workforce.
Photo Credit: Joel Muniz
So, lots to do, how do we get there?
Start with the understanding that nothing can stifle DEI efforts any faster than a work culture that discourages looking for new ways to improve. Leaders need to challenge the caustic “We’ve always done it that way” mindset and create company cultures where women can thrive, have new ideas rewarded and feel included.
Increasing the inclusion and representation of women in this industry should not be a one and done initiative. It is about a culture change. Employers must start by looking inward and examining what they are doing to be an inclusive workplace. And if the old methods aren’t working, take some risks and try something new.
Check in with the women on your team, a recent article by Catalyst found that aside from isolation, harassment, lack of mentoring and career opportunities, women working in male-dominated industries experience higher stress and anxiety compared to women working in other fields.
Organizations are fighting for every bit of available talent out there, and study after study has found that the majority of Canadians would take less pay at a company where they feel respected and included, than remain with one they’re unhappy or unaligned with. Employers of choice make gender equity a company-wide effort that’s not limited to the leadership ranks. At their core, great companies are inclusive throughout.
Notes :
Data was compiled by the Workforce Planning Board of Waterloo Wellington Dufferin. Data source Statistics Canada 2021 Census .
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 21, 2018 | BLOG
‘Twas The Run Before Christmas By Ted Light
‘Twas the run before Christmas, in the cab of my truck, A hundred miles from home, I’m in need of some luck.
The kids hung their stockings, but are feeling quite sad, They must go to bed now, and they wonder, “Where’s Dad?”
With a kiss and a hug, all will be right, But alone in the kitchen, Mom grows more uptight.
Earlier that day, the children were grinning, As they speckled the tree, with bright balls and trimming.
Then sipping hot chocolate, and playing Christmas songs, And talking about Daddy, who’s been gone too long.
And now I can see her, her brow creased with fret, As the children start dreaming, there’s no presents yet.
Curled on the couch, running a hand through her hair, In the glow of the tree lights, hoping I’ll be there.
Then I imagine the morning, with my love at my side, In tumbling our children. I must finish this ride.
Howling winds, blowing snow, and ahead all is white, Doubts creeping in. Will I make it tonight?
Beside me in the cab, with the wind unforgiving, Pretty packages sit waiting, for sweet Christmas giving.
I’ve a truckload of wishes, and I must deliver, But the storm keeps on roaring, as my old engine shivers.
It’s hardy and stubborn, and it’s taken me miles, And I’ll need it tonight, to see my kids’ smiles.
Rolling over the drifts, rubber gripping the snow, My big rig keeps moving, but ever so slow.
I’m gripping the wheel, and grinding her gears, And that fierce wind’s just whistling, and I can’t hardly steer.
And great gusts are blowing me, to the side of the road, And I’m fighting my fear, as I steady my load.
What was that I noticed, with a glance to the sky, Could the weather be clearing, did a star catch my eye?
And then, in a heartbeat, not a moment too soon, The night sky emerges, twinkling stars and bright moon.
With clear road ahead, I quickly arrive, The children peek from the window, as I pull in the drive.
I pat the door of my rig, as my feet touch the ground, For on this special night, it brought me home safe and sound.
With a heart full of joy, and a smile on my face, I open our door, to a loving embrace.
The gifts round the tree, make a beautiful sight, Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
From all of us at WTFC we wish each and everyone of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Shelley, Sylvie, Joanne , Margaret, Carol , Caroline, Jennifer, Samantha, Sud, Johanne, Kimberly
We hope you enjoy this new song by our friends The Danny Thompson Band
It’s a Small Town Christmas
by wtfcanada2015@gmail.com | Jul 28, 2018 | BLOG
My name is Nick MacKenzie and I am based out of Cape Breton, NS. I have 20+ years involvement with the transportation and construction industries. My fascination with this industry actually began when I was 15 years old working part time with a fuel company and hasn’t left me yet. I began working part time with a local fuel company as a summer student, keeping up the connection while studying Business Administration at St FX. After graduating University, I had various jobs with financial and accounting companies, but my love of the transportation industry was always in the back of my mind.
A few years later, I was fortunate to meet up with a partner and became involved with a family business having existing start-ups in the construction and transportation industries in and around Cape Breton Island – which I helped them grow and found few additional lines of business, allowing the company to expand over to construction services, waste removal, hauling dry aggregate, liquid bulk, dangerous goods – all servicing an area throughout the Maritimes. During this time I worked with so many insightful contractors, suppliers, employees, subcontractors and owner operators.
Fast forward 15 years later and a lot of changes – children, moving to a new home, a new school, and I now have an amazing partner to remind me of how important care and support is, positively kept me focused, encourage me through all of these ups and downs and reminded me I shouldn’t give up on what I love and want to do – who I must share in turn, also has an amazing career driving truck. So its from there, I decided to found my own company Catou Consulting because I became aware there is such a need for so many diverse drivers, owner operators and individuals with so much potential that just needed that little bit of extra help/advice how to get things rolling in order to make their dreams become a reality. So I currently work on incorporation assistance, book keeping, financing proposals, Business number registrations, safety paperwork, carrier set up … top to bottom – anything you would need to get the ball rolling to accomplish a start up in the industry and if I can’t do it, I have many contacts that are glad to assist the type of projects!
M & M Truck
I am an advocate in supporting SME start-ups and support to family, small and medium businesses . I understand the challenges of running a small business as well as the availability required to supply support out of hours of regular operations as when you own your own business, it is your livelihood, and no one should be bogged down with phone calls and red tape therefore, I understand flexibility and availability are crucial and integral to the succession and growth of business.
I believe small business is the backbone of our economy and the spinoffs are directly incurred from supporting each other. My passion and bulk of my experience comes from the trucking and construction industry as well as family businesses. I help set up/support/grow many owner operators, family businesses and understand the requirements, dedication, long hours and circumstances it takes to contribute to your family, economy and trade’s well being. I have extensive work history in working with budgeting, financial reporting, staffing, human resources, compliance with all levels of government, equipment analytics, variety of specter of customer relations and operations management to a widespread operational jurisdiction on an on call basis.
I have witnessed start-ups start, fail, rebrand, grow and also restart. I have experienced families start, grow but the one thing I have witnessed is that every driver, owner operator, supplier, vendor, office administrator, employee all have one common goal – to better themselves and the well being of their families in the attempt to succeed and do what they love the most – the love of the trucks, open road, and supply a customer all at the same time.
Nick & Danielle
I myself do not hold a class 1 license but I have been there, dispatching and trying to coordinate the customer’s crazy idea of loads so everyone is happy, on the side of the road with the driver waiting for a repair in the middle of the night running out parts during a break down, that contractor from out of area that blindsides a bidding process and takes away local work, the phone call that your main contractor has decided to buy his own equipment and try it on his own, as well as that dreaded incident call in the middle of the night and every kind of audit/paperwork request you can imagine all while raising children.
But on the flip side, I have also had the opportunity to be a part of spin offs, the look of pure love the look in someone’s eye when they pick up the keys to a unit of their own, the excitement of being the main hauler to that one particular customer that everyone’s been talking about, the joy in a driver’s eyes when a customer feeds back they only want that particular operator on their job site because they’re so good, the feeling when you leave a customer site after a pickup/delivery knowing that because you arrived with their goods, they can ensure a happy customer, a finance deal for a truck that ended up happening because the unit you dreamed about fell through. The positives always outweigh the negatives if you are patient, even though you don’t always understand why you are going through the hardships.
So, here’s why I do this every single day, I have an 11-year-old daughter, Danielle and my main goal in doing what I do, not only because I love the industry but because it’s important to me that maybe one day, one of the businesses that I work with will hire someone like her and provide them with the opportunity to better themselves while doing something she loves. My only wish for her is that she has all available options open to her and she be accepted in the industry for the career choice of her choosing – whether it be in a traditional trade or a non-traditional role.
When I started as a “newbie” back in 2003, I was ready to conquer the industry head on, but quickly learned it was a male dominated industry and not every problem you encounter has a text book solution on all levels which was an eye opener for me, as this is not what we were taught in school. I do not regret having the opportunity to attend University and I did learn a lot with regards to the management aspect in school, but the bulk of my experience is hands on and direct interaction with the employees, business owners, vendors and customers – all things school does not prepare you for – real life interaction, issues and resolutions.
I feel as though my involvement and continuous persistence in wanting to work with this industry has not only helped myself grow personally and professionally but has brought awareness to much of my network that the ability of that particular individual working with should be measured and determined by their skill and ability in whole, not a gender.
Times are changing, and I have had the pleasure of dealing with so many inspirational and determined women, men and gender-neutral individuals taking on a more non-traditional roles and that is something not only to be proud of, but in my opinion to celebrate the recognition of the changing of times. Positivity can only help it to make it better and therefore, therefore I’m sharing my story – if I can inspire just one person to pursue a career in the transportation industry that they’ve always dreamt about, I will be grateful, it is an amazing industry.
You are not alone, you don’t have to do this by yourself, this is to encourage awareness that there are so many support systems, companies, groups, associations including myself that are out there wanting to assist someone in reaching their goal.
…And if you have children, you’re not alone, this industry career path in whatever aspect you are thinking about – is doable if that is what’s holding you back! Think of this – would you rather see your children watch you work at a job every single day doing something that you don’t love to do and not come home with that spark of positivity in your eye …..or would you rather inspire independent little people showing them that hard work, determination and courage pays off? Because in my opinion, those are the skills they will need to acquire to have later in life to purse and succeed in accomplishing their dreams and aspirations.
So, in conclusion, if a career of any kind in the transportation industry is what you’re thinking about and you’re on the fence – don’t wait! If it’s in your blood, don’t fight it, you can try to stay away from it, but you’ll always come back to it one way or another. It might be overwhelming to think about making that change but step up to make yourself happy and just know you’re not alone. There is much support available in so many aspects – Trucking is not only an industry, it’s a family of support in so many ways you can’t imagine. So, if you’re ever down in Cape Breton, don’t be shy to message anytime for a coffee & a chat if there’s anything I can help with or if even just want to swap a “you wouldn’t believe what happened to me on the road today” story! ????
Nick MacKenzie
Email: catouconsulting@gmail.com
Phone: 902-295-0369
by wtfcanada2015@gmail.com | Jul 5, 2018 | BLOG
As a child, on those numerous occasions when I thought that a task was too large or too complex for me, my father had one response that he used without fail, always phrased in the form of a question: How do you eat an elephant- answer: one bite at a time.
Much has been published in the last seven months in both industry publications and mainstream media outlets about the ongoing capacity shortage an elephant sized issue if there ever was one- particularly as it relates to the limited supply of trucks. In many ways, the solution to this industry challenge is no different than that of perceived challenges of my childhood. We need to simply start to fix the parts of the supply chain that we have allowed to break – one bite at a time.
I was thinking of this universal truth in light of an experience I have repeatedly experienced over my two decades in this industry- yet another typical example of the myriad ways that this industry attempts to diminish the value of drivers limited on duty hours.
We had a driver scheduled to load for a 3PL this morning- 6 am Pickup appointment with strict instructions for the driver to be on time. As often happens, the driver arrived at 6 am only to find out that the brokerage dispatcher on the order had neglected to provide us with the correct pickup number and trip number needed for loading, even though they were in her custody. After 90 minutes, the confusion was finally clarified at the cost of 90 minutes of the drivers on duty time.
Assuming that we have this issue happen once per day with half of our trucks, for a duration of 30 minutes per event – it means that in a small fleet like ours- 12.5 hours per day are being wasted with delays that are entirely avoidable. Most of us are aware that preventable delays are one of the main sources of driver frustration and exodus.
However, the other thing I would like us to think about is this when we think about our elephant eating challenge: that’s more than one 11 hour driving shift- so by extension for every day of operation, we have one truck running free of charge because simple things like pickup numbers are not provided – simply because people do not care enough to think about the downstream effects of their inaction.
In essence, this means that we have one truck that could be moving freight but is not- taking one trucks capacity completely out of the market, even though all of its associated expenses are there. If that’s true for a small 50 truck fleet like ours- imagine the number of trucks wasted if that math holds true industry wide?
Perhaps, instead of complaining about shortage of capacity and rising rates, forward thinking shippers and receivers can look internally at simple cost and efficiency improvements. I hope to explore a number of these themes over my next few posts.
However, with this challenge – there is also a call to action for those people responsible for operational decisions at asset based carriers. As an industry we need to stop saying “this is part of Transportation”- there’s no need for inefficiencies like this- and no need for the same folks who cause the inefficiencies to be complaining about rising costs. It takes true collaboration and partnership to drive inefficiencies out of a supply chain- the picture is much bigger than pure Transportation cost. It takes everyone’s proactivity and effort to improve conditions for everyone.
How do you eat an elephant: To solve our capacity crisis, we all need to be serious about one bite at a time!
Bio: Tony Gerber has been one of the Managing Directors at Flash Freight Systems of Guelph, ON since 2004 – an asset based provider of crossborder and domestic transportation and warehousing solutions. He’s passionate about operational excellence, the application of the lost art of common sense, coffee, and reimagining the status quo in the supply chain to improve everyone’s quality of life and service levels.
