by wtfcanada2015@gmail.com | Oct 8, 2024 | Career Board
Company Overview
Founded in 2018, Environmental 360 Solutions (E360S) is dedicated to becoming North
Americas leading and most trusted environmental management company. Growing through
acquisition and organic growth, E360S provides environmental and waste management
solutions to municipalities and commercial customers.
Job Description
A great opportunity exists for an experienced DZ TRUCK DRIVER to support our team and
ensure our fleet service standards are met. Working in a team environment all job duties
support the collection and recycling of batteries, and hazardous waste, preparing/packaging of
material for shipment, and loading/ unloading materials.
Position Responsibilities
Operate one or more vehicle types with both automatic and standard transmissions and
collect solid waste, yard waste and/or recyclables on a collection route. Route may vary
daily based on service needs
Complete pre-trip and post-trip safety lane inspections and reports, daily truck report,
route sheets and other documentation requested by the supervisor daily
Communicate vehicle mechanical problems to mechanic and supervisor immediately.
Operate truck and equipment using prescribed techniques to eliminate driver-induced
mechanical failures.
Follow safety standards, equipment checks and precautions in performance of all duties.
Comply with all national, provincial, local and rules on safety and vehicle operation.
Maintain a clean vehicle by cleaning cab interior and exterior of vehicle.
Attend daily safety meetings as per site requirements.
Qualifications and Experience
Valid class DZ drivers’ license (required)
2+ years of commercial driving experience
Clear driver’s abstract
Experience working in safety regulated environments
Ensure safety is a priority
Excellent interpersonal, service skills and ability to develop effective working
relationships
Strong commitment to excellence, accuracy, and attention to detail
Exceptional time-management skills
Demonstrated flexibility in adapting to a wide variety of tasks and functions
Ability to wear protective equipment (metatarsal work boots, ear/eye protection, hard hat,
safety vest/gloves)
Prioritizations skills with the ability to adapt to change
Ability to work in demanding environments (noise, dust, contamination)
Ability to lift 50 kg
What We Offer
Competitive hourly wages with premiums
Company sponsored benefits
Paid training
RRSP/DPSP Contributions
Candidates can email recruitment@e360s.ca and put the name of the job and location in the subject line
by wtfcanada2015@gmail.com | Mar 19, 2024 | BLOG
The Canadian trucking industry currently shows over 20,000 vacant driver positions, according to a recent report from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). And 34,300 truck drivers were expected to leave the industry in 2024, according to Trucking HR Canada’s Labour Market Snapshot: November 2022. As the trucking industry struggles with how to solve the increasing driver shortage, many companies are taking a different approach to recruiting.
The demographic pool is widening as organizations focus efforts on hiring veterans and recruiting young talent out of school, but there is one key demographic the industry is ignoring. According to data from Omnitracs, women account for only nine percent of drivers. The opportunities are endless when it comes to recruiting women truck drivers, but it doesn’t stop at just filling the driver’s seat. When you do the analysis, women are a proven asset to organizations, as female drivers have lower turnover rates, fewer accidents and more miles logged.
Reasons why Trucking Companies Should Focus on Women Drivers
Women are a huge part of the economy
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women now represent 46.6% of the total workforce, yet they are still underrepresented in trucking jobs.
Women have shown they make safer truckers than men
Hiring women drivers could actually increase your safety record. According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, women are safer drivers. They’re less likely to be distracted by their phones or other devices and are more attentive to safety.
Many women lost jobs during the pandemic
The pandemic hit everyone hard, but women were hit even harder. That’s because women tend to work in industries that were disproportionately impacted by business closures. Think residential and home nursing care, childcare, food service, and the hospitality industry.
It shatters the stigma
The only way stereotypes can change is by major players in the trucking industry leading the way. Some of the most frequently cited reasons for not having more women in trucking are that driving a big rig for hundreds of miles at a time isn’t family-friendly, and the industry is male-oriented and unwelcoming to women.
Sources:
https://www.newcanadianmedia.ca/canadas-trucking-industry-needs-thousands-of-drivers/
https://kjtransmedia.com/4-reasons-to-focus-on-women-drivers/
https://www.transforce.com/carriers/carrier-resources/benefits-of-hiring-female-truck-drivers
https://wt.memberclicks.net/index.php?option=com_dailyplanetblog&view=entry&category=member-spotlight&id=80:why-women-are-the-right-answer-to-the-trucking-industry-s-driver-shortage
Opinion Piece by :
Mariah Tacanga
mariah@bigrigwraps.ca
by wtfcanada2015@gmail.com | Oct 17, 2018 | BLOG
I wanted to share with you about my PTSD. I am not going to go into details of my past trauma but I wanted to show what living with my brain has been like all these years. When people hear I have PTSD most do not understand which is normal actually, its hard to describe and subject to individuality.
To start I am going to describe what I remember when I realized the full scope of what I had to deal with. Imagine living in fear with a flight or fight response continually. That’s what I remember as well the panic attacks, the anxiety and feeling bad that I felt this way. I tried so many ways to cope and nothing would or could relieve me. When something traumatic happens it actually causes your brain to change, neurons are made and your brain changes to cope. It is individual because there isn’t just way one for things to change.
In 1997 I had a boyfriend who transferred vehicles, trucks for a living and I used to go with him. The garbage trucks were stinky but for the most part I enjoyed hanging out. I got in my first Peterbuilt, it was an old one and I was agog over the dash and gauges. I decided right there I was going to do everything I had to drive one. I was 27 and never even had a driver’s license when I went to get my first permit. I was terrified as usual but determined and I made a firm plan of 5 yrs and how I was going to accomplish my goals. My boyfriend enjoyed torturing me for 2 yrs teaching me to drive, he never let me drive during the day and always during the worst weather mother nature could throw at me. I panicked all the time, would stop and center myself and begin again. Over and over this cycle continued until I could cope and not panic, then he let me drive on a sunny day. I am always grateful to Bill Coates for taking on me with my issues and making sure I knew how to drive and to be able to do so without panicking. I did accomplish my goals and end result being my AZ and it was a difficult journey but not my last. I made myself work at a job driving through every license, GZ, D, A. I stepped up as I was capable and felt comfortable. I planned and executed this despite my PTSD.
In 2007 the auto industry went to Mexico and drivers were laid off. I was one of them and I decided to attend college and study accounting. School was exhausting really because dealing with people for so long in a day stressed me out considerably. Determination and hope I would get used to it kept me going and I finished with a decent average. So now I had my AZ and a college diploma and was quite happy because I started with just a damaged brain really and no education, no hope for the future. I got a job just out of school covering a maternity leave as a CSR with a trucking company. I have to say I hated the job but I needed to make money so I went and did my job. It was then that I found out about a brain retraining program for PTSD. I was excited and attend the orientations and was interviewed and accepted into the program only to have my boss say it’s the program or the job and since I needed the money I stayed with the job. I decided to research and try to change my brain myself. I discovered my limitations but slowly with self analysis I figured out what kind of triggers, what happens during a trigger and how to catch myself before my brain does what it does to shut off a lot of the panic. I learned how to ignore my impulses to react that used to frustrate me to no end.
So now I have my new challenge which is owning and I have slowly through the years become quite balanced. I still have a brain that has impulses to panic and fear but I have learned how to do what I want anyways. I still am struggling with relationships and until I figure out a way to get through that limit I am just loving, accepting myself with all my flaws, there’s really no use beating myself up over something I cannot change.
Carol and Sassy
Carol Pritchard is an owner operator at Pride Group Logistics. Carol is also a director of the Women’s Trucking Federation of Canada .
You can reach Carol at carolp@wtfc.ca
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.
