by wtfcanada2015@gmail.com | May 18, 2017 | BLOG
Kim Richardson-KRTS
Early on in my career I had heard the name Kim Richardson. Although I didn’t know him, I had certainly read a lot about Kim and his successful truck training school KRTS. What always intrigued me was his love and passion for the trucking industry. His genuine care and concern about the people working in this industry and more importantly what he could do to make it better.
Kim Richardson and Shelley Uvanile-Hesch
I continued to follow Kim through my adventures in trucking. I’ve seen him speak at various events throughout the years. It always amazed me that this trucking industry executive took the time to attend such events as the professional drivers’ rodeo, trucking for a cure, special olympics convoy and too many other to list them all here. You’re probably asking yourself, what’s the big deal? As a driver I can tell you it’s not often we see the executives at events that are geared for drivers. Kim is one of the few who does and more importantly he takes the time to listen to drivers concerns about the training of new drivers. With Kim, drivers have always been treated like we are ” more than just a driver ” .
WTFC Decal
When I started the Women’s Trucking Federation Of Canada , I knew the direction we wanted to go in but was unsure how to go about it. We had hit many stumbling blocks and many who thought we were wasting our time. So, I decided to reach out to Kim Richardson in the hopes he would be able to offer us some advice and guidance.
Our first meeting was at KRTS in Caledonia . His warm smile and friendly greeting made me feel confident that I had reached out to the right person. The office enviroment and his staff are very friendly and welcoming. Over the course of the last year I’ve personally attended many events that Kim has been involved with either speaking , attending, or sponsoring. I’m honored to have Kim Richardson as a member of our Industry Advisory Board. For me personally he has been an amazing mentor and a good friend.
Shelley Uvanile-Hesch
Shelley Uvanile-Hesch is the CEO of the Women’s Trucking Federation of Canada as well as a professional driver at Sharp Transportation Systems Inc for the past 12 yrs. You can reach her at shelleyu@wtfc.ca
by wtfcanada2015@gmail.com | Nov 25, 2016 | BLOG, Uncategorized
An interview with Ruth Degen-Mackenzie, veteran driver
(By Michel Robichaud / “The Request Project”.)
Sunday 6:30 pm as I stop to park my vehicle in front of the ACS (Armour Courier service) building on Edinburg Dr. in Moncton, a sand colored GMC
pick up truck stops in a near distance. Realizing it’s the security guard, I decide to walk over to let him know about the purpose of my presence. Fifteen minutes later appears a white Freightliner Cascadia carrying a box trailer identified as SLH recognizable to its color scheme .
Ruth Degen-Mackenzie is pulling into the yard as the eighteen wheeler describes a wide loop in the middle of rising dust.
From the time she was dispatched and left with her load at Bridgewater Nova Scotia up in Moncton, less than five hours had passed. On schedule for our meeting, my camera focuses, already zooming on the motion sequence. Looking at the massive semi immobilized and introductions made, yet talking about all sorts and soon completing the photo shoot the ice would soon be broken!
But first things first, “there’s absolutely no lady thing” with Ruth and laughing about it, we then settle for “trucking gal” as her proper way to bring up our subject as far as introducing women in the trucking context.
Born on June 17, 1959 in Digby N.S. Ruth comes from a family whose grand father had been driving box trucks for local companies at one point in his life. Being a second generation driver by following those footsteps, one can surely testify that her fourteen years of experience behind the big wheel (including ten driving as team) runs in her blood. Currently working for SLH (Sears Long Haul) mostly running Canada/U.S. and travelling two main corridors; hauling basically tires from the Nova Scotia Michelin plant to South Carolina, Maryland, Alabama, Arkansas and Illinois states and delivering back to Canada. “We also haul tires from the province to Montreal QC and London ONT amongst other goods”. Finding her comfort zone with this company underlines all the importance and also the meaning of her past experiences. And yes, a million miller she is. Accumulating as well as logging in countless hours of operation is easier said than done she reminds us.
I asked Ruth what kept her there? “The respect and good treatment given to the drivers…” and adding “…It’s so great! The dispatchers have your back and do whatever they can to make things right… The runs are great also!” As I still listen, she replies “This company runs almost exclusive drop & hook, so not being stuck on a dock or unloading. If a tire load isn’t ready, then they will send you to pick up appliances or some other things that Sears sells. So there’s no sitting around; it is very, very rare to get a layover! They give you more than enough time to deliver. But should something happen, you just let them know and no questions asked. They only change the appointment time. If you get somewhere and there is no load ready, you still have driving time; they pay you for lost driving time.” In conclusion she mentions “I wish I had started there from the beginning.”
Trucking from Ruth’s perspective brings her back to her childhood memories when, at the young age of 13, she remembers pointing up at trucks passing by and telling to her friends “I’m going to drive those one of these days which would put them into hysterical laughter.” (I was so short…). And that resonating phrase “you won’t be able to reach the pedals!” surely made its effect; only in her mind it had a much different meaning. Thinking “Where do they go and what do they get to see!”.
Sure enough, her dream came to be, only much later in life after going on a trip in the U.S. with her eighteen year old sun who already had his class 1 driver’s license. She knew at this point in time what to aim for. E.I. (Employment Insurance) had given her the opportunity to join a local truck driving program. More determined than ever, Ruth had also convinced family and relatives of their full support and encouragement. No one, she says, was surprised about her decision. “My mom was proud of me doing it yet at the same time she worried. But she seemed to be a little more at ease as long as I ran team”.
Thereupon, Ruth is part of the growing presence of women whose contribution bring a whole new approach to this way of life as it does within the trucking industry. “Most people have no idea what this industry is about; but when I tell them I get paid to travel, you can see the light coming in their head so-to-speak.” The fact is that in a daily routine, drivers are bound to adapt themselves with numerous situations including driving time and in many cases long sleepless hours.
And the industry itself is in a constant changing mode. Finding your place and fitting in is a matter of three important elements in Ruth’s book: education, mentoring and security. Her advice to future generation who seek or ambition the specific profession would be the following recommendation: “…It would be nice to get the gals out there on career day, bring the truck and show things off, help them getting a good start on trucking life”.
A lot of drivers, such as Ruth Degen-Mackenzie, travel with a pet as companion. Mr. Chewie was seeking for a home and was offered as a gift to her husband as she states it: “This day I know because it was the hubby’s birthday gift…
Now this is the kicker, I’m getting a free Main coon cat, and his answer is no! (I never understood why he said that)”. As for me this cat made an impression on me just by its size. I never thought how big they could be.
Spending time on the road means making some for our interview when at a stop, at the end of the day (when extra energy can be spared) or on her days off. It made me realize that Facebook came in handy as more than half of our conversation was done over the keyboard.
A full working week has passed, crossing a long period of heavy rain stretching from Tennessee to Ohio state (640 miles) really puts you on your toes. Having logged in 3846 miles all combined and waiting for the next trip. As she recalls, the Freightliner is her rolling home; being away most of the time has develop Ruth’s sense of steady routine, particularly on well managed organisation around pre-trips. From home cooked meals to last minute verification’s of her truck prior to departure time.
On another note, Ruth describes herself as a ‘witch’ “To me a Witch is someone who listens to your feelings, pay attention to surroundings, learn to read and see the signs so to speak”; Being connected with life and people is a rule and fitting in a man’s world takes much determination even today; only in Ruth’s opinion it’s all in the mind and pretty simple: “If you want it bad enough you will become a trucker”… “We have more patience and we are more careful… I think the mother side of us really wants to make sure we don’t hurt anyone or anything”. In conclusion her professional background can be described as a hard one but well earned as far as experience is concerned.
Ruth Degen-Mackenzie to me is a living example for the younger generation although strength of character is definitely an asset . “… the fact we hit the road and live the excitement of travelling long distances is a great thing, but most importantly, I keep my beloved ones in mind…”
Interview realized in June of 2016 in Moncton N.B.
Photo credits: On Silver Wheels Photography.
Check out Michel’s Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/On-Silver-Wheels-Photography-783159908374048/
Email Michel Robichaud at michelrobichaud88@yahoo.ca
Website coming in 2017
by wtfcanada2015@gmail.com | Aug 27, 2016 | BLOG
I drive truck, a big truck. I pull trailers behind me. Sometimes they are empty and sometimes they are full.
When my trailers are empty, my rig weighs in at 19 and a half tonnes. When it is full, it weighs 63 tonnes. I drive as sensibly as I can, I have a family to go home to and I am sure that many of you do as well.
Here are a few tips to help us all do just that:
When you pass a truck and duck back in front, do not slow down. We are moving and usually building speed as we just came up a hill or just got some open room. When you cut in front and drop down to the legal limit right away, you are becoming a speed bump. So, please……leave about 40 or 50 feet between you and me, you and your family will appreciate you making it home.
If your road to turn onto is close ahead, do not pass me and then jam on your brakes. It takes a good distance for me to stop, especially if my trailers are full. If you do cut in front and decide to make a sudden turn, I will do everything in my power not to hit you. I will swerve, I will lock up all my brakes and if it is not too much of a slope, I will even take the ditch and roll my truck. But if I do end up hitting you, I can promise you that only one of us is going home to see our families, and it won’t be you.
When a truck does hit a car from behind, we do incredible damage to our units. First thing that happens is we climb your vehicle and rip out our front axle, we land on top of your car and now you become my steering wheels. You are probably dead at this point, so don’t trouble yourself trying to think of an out. There is none. The only problem is I go where you last pointed your wheels, I hope that was in the direction I wanted to go and not a sharp turn that could possibly flip my truck and hurt other people.
When a truck is slowing down for a light, you may notice a lot of room in front of them, that is not a spot that the nice driver reserved for you. It is a safety buffer for him to slow down without danger. It is also a zone that the driver will use to keep moving so he doesn’t have to burden other drivers with stopping and crawling up a hill or impeding the flow of traffic too much. When you think that it is a spot just for you, think again. If you look in your mirror, you know that thing that hangs in the middle of your windshield, you may notice a bumper that is inches from your car and bouncing up and down because you took the safety zone away and forced the driver of that truck to stop quicker.
When we are approaching a downhill grade, we do slow down. Especially in areas where some great politician decided that he did not like the sound of engine brakes. Yes, they can be loud. Yes, they can be annoying. But, when you see a big truck coming down a hill and he is having trouble slowing down and you see a busload of kids at the bottom of that hill, then the noise of the engine brake is something you should want to be hearing at that moment.
So, when we go downhill real slow into a town or city, it is not to annoy you or create a line up of pissed off drivers, it is for the kids at the bottom or your wife taking the dog for a walk. It is for safety. We would like to go down the hills and stop in 50 feet while talking on the phone, but we can’t. We plan every stop and every start to the best of our abilities to keep you and us safe.
I am not saying that all truck drivers are safe drivers, God knows that is far from the truth, and I am not saying that everyone driving a car is a bad driver, but they do exist. I am saying that we get into such routine every day that we sometimes forget that the laws of physics still apply to vehicles in motion. The bigger the vehicle, the longer it takes to stop. I hope I never have to look at a person and know that I was involved in the death of their loved one. I never want to see the face of a child that just lost his mommy or daddy to the crushing weight of my truck. I don’t want your death on my conscience.
I want you and me to go home to our families. Please, use some common sense. Look at the vehicle you are passing and give them room to keep you and others safe. Please
