by wtfcanada2015@gmail.com | Mar 1, 2017 | BLOG
A lot of people ask me why I became a truck mechanic, a lot of people think I am crazy, a lot of people think it is wrong because it is a “mans” job, some people are can’t express how proud they are that I am doing a “mans” job and doing it pretty good. Once you get past the mechanic part there is the question of why would you pick trucks? Cars are smaller, parts are lighter you’re a girl you can’t lift heavy things. I don’t know if I can pin point what made me want to be a mechanic and there are days when things go so horribly wrong that I question it myself but the good days by far outnumber the bad and I love the carrier I have chosen.
Growing up I was fascinated by trucks. My dad worked for a garbage company driving a front end truck, my favorite memories growing up were getting to go for ride alongs with my dad. When I graduated high school like most 17/18 year olds I had no idea what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I was expected to go to university but my lack of interest in high school impacted my grades so that wasn’t going to happen. I got a job running the scale at the company my dad worked at, and I absolutely hated it. It was not challenging enough, boring, mind numbing. After going through the motions for 4 years I decided to go to school to become a mechanic.
At 22 I attended Fanshaw College’s motive power program I was 1 of 2 females out of 120 students most of whom were gear heads and were ages ahead of me in knowledge when the course started. After 48 weeks of schooling and a 16 week co-op I finished the top of my class, was the only one out of 60 that ended up graduating to make the presidents list (4.0 or higher gpa). Everything was good, until it was time to look for work. I had so many interviews, I would think they were going good but then at the end the interviewer would say you seem like you are eager to learn but being a female I don’t think you will fit in with the shop or I can’t hire you because I am afraid you will get hurt this is a mans world or you won’t be strong enough to do the work here. I kind of expected it to be hard to find a job because I am female but I did not expect them to be so honest about it…discrimination anyone?
I finally got a job at a garbage company where I worked with one other person, this is when I learned that school didn’t prepare me for the working world at all. Almost nothing I learned in school applied and there was so much that was left out. My co-worker grew frustrated with me very quickly because I did not have the hands on experience required and he wasn’t interested in teaching someone. He told me on numerous occasions that women can’t be mechanics because they aren’t wired the way guys are. Two years later I got a job at Challenger Motor Freight. Challenger overall has been a great company to work for. Never once have I been put down for being a woman by management or the other mechanics, everyone is super supportive. Probably 90% of the drivers treat me like one of the guys, they won’t suggest I can do things, won’t ask for someone else, they will clean their language up a bit though or apologize if they do swear. There have been a couple of drivers that don’t think I can do the job but normally I end up proving them wrong.
I think mentors are very important. I do not feel the schools do a great job in preparing people for their carrier. I see it all the time when new apprentices or co-op students come to work at our shop, they are so out of their league and when faced with a simple problem they don’t even know where to begin. I also see it with drivers, when a new driver comes in our yard a lot of times in your head you are wondering how they could have gotten their license, the schools are not preparing people enough. I recently took a course to get my z biggest waste of money ever. Being a mechanic I am pretty familiar about how the brake system works, apparently I knew more than the instructor of the course. He had explained a couple of valves (what they did, how they worked) that I had issue with because that was not at all what they did. He then started explaining how a brake chamber worked I couldn’t take it any more I had to correct him. He told me it didn’t matter, he has been teaching this for 15 years and has a 95% pass rate so he can’t be that wrong. Sure enough somehow everyone in the class passed even though probably 60% of the information we were given was false, he couldn’t answer anyone’s questions, he knew what he was supposed to read off his powerpoint and that was it. Now there are probably schools out there that do a better job but it’s not like I picked the cheapest school, it’s a well known school, but can one expect people to be good drivers when they don’t get the basics they need. I think a lot of people (like I did) finish school knowing they have a lot to learn still but end up getting overwhelmed because they have a lot more to learn than they originally thought.
I just recently got my mechanics license, in April of 2016, well I guess it was almost a year ago now. I kept putting off going to write the exam because a lot of people I knew that had gone to write had failed multiple times. Finally I worked up the courage to go write and managed to pass the first time.
My biggest piece of advice to anyone male or female is to not worry about what other people think and there is no such thing as a stupid question. I find a lot of new drivers or mechanics that aren’t comfortable doing something or don’t know how to do something and they are afraid to ask for help because they think it is dumb or are worried what the other person will think. I know there are people out there that will make you feel stupid for asking a question but as hard as it is do not let them get to you or ask someone else. I for one would rather answer 100 “stupid questions” then have to deal with the aftermath when something goes wrong because someone didn’t know what they were doing.
Author:
Sam Vandermeulen
Diesel Technician
Challenger Motor Freight
https://www.challenger.com
by wtfcanada2015@gmail.com | Feb 10, 2017 | BLOG
Why become a Member ?
If you are interested in starting or furthering your career as a professional in the Trucking Industry , joining a professional association is a good start. There are associations for nearly every profession in the work force. An association is a synergistic group, meaning that the effect of a collection of people is greater than just one person. So, how exactly can becoming part of this synergistic group help further your goals? Here are some benefits of joining an association. For most people, creating professional relationships is important, and joining a group allows you to have a sense of security and trust. From this, you are able to support and help one another in reaching your professional goals. Associations can sponsor numerous events throughout the year that allows you to connect with your peers. You can share ideas, ask for advice, volunteer to be a speaker or become a member of a committee. Since most associations have International or local conferences, you can participate and have the opportunity to learn about breaking news in your group, learn “best practices” or new ideas, hear about key achievers in your field and also meet and brainstorm with others who are also looking to share and learn new information. Another benefit of enhancing your association is that you may find a mentor to help you with your professional needs or you may be in a position to become a mentor to someone else. Giving back can be the greatest reward and benefit. Participating in forums, chat groups or discussion boards sponsored by the association is also a great way to grow your network. This allows you to use your peers as sounding boards and often make some great friends with the same interests as you. And don’t forget, listing your association membership on your resume is impressive to current or future employers as it shows that you are dedicated to staying connected in your profession.
The Women’s Trucking Federation Of Canada was established to encourage and promote the Women of the Trucking Industry whether your ” In the Office, under the Hood or behind the Wheel we’re all pieces of the puzzle ”
Currently we have over 100 participants in our Mentoring Program, and growing !! Some of our Mentors include Safety and compliance officers, parts and service technicians , diesel technicians, dispatchers, office staff, drivers, commercial motor vehicle inspectors, law officials, recruiters, and a few owners. Our program consists of both female and male Mentors and Mentees. We firmly believe that ” In Learning you will Teach and In Teaching you will Learn ” Interested in participating in our Mentors Program ?? Please send an email : inquiries@wtfc.ca or look us up on Facebook at WTFC MENTORS/MENTEES ONLY
We have just teamed up with Perkopolis A Members Only discount program . You will be able to receive discounts on hotels, shopping, travel,Entertainment etc. Upon joining the Women’s Trucking Federation Of Canada you will be given a exclusive access code for our members only.
Interested in becoming a Member ?
Go to www.wtfc.ca
by wtfcanada2015@gmail.com | Nov 30, 2016 | BLOG
Becoming a Professional Driver isn’t an easy decision. Some have personal or financial issues to deal with to obtain their goal. They are often scared of the unknown , yet excited to start a new journey in life.
I’m going to share a recent email I received . I’m leaving out names to protect the identity of the sender.
I researched the Trucking Industry in Canada as a possible career choice, after about 10 years I decided that it was the right choice and fit for my current circumstances . Since I have no spouse ,children , or family commitments to impede on my ability to work long haul.
Since I graduated at the end of October with my full license , I have been in contact with many different Carriers via phone or email in the BC area. Many companies stated they required 1 to 2 yrs mountain experience . Sadly for an industry that is saying they have a driver’s shortage it’s a hard one to enter. Only 3 so far offer a training program for a Novice Driver . 1 stating they don’t train in the winter month’s but feel free to call back in the spring.
BC has some of the largest and steepest mountain highways , with bends and curves of the terrain . I feel this is the perfect training area for a Novice Driver to gain valuable skills and experience . If a Novice Driver can be trained with a trainer in the winter months ,they will gain improved skills prior to the following winter season . It is vital that Novice Drivers gain winter driving skills with a trainer as opposed to spring,summer or fall. Why complete training and send them out on their own with no winter experience.
It is the worst feeling for someone like myself to spend $8000 to $10,000 on training and been successful in obtaining my license . To ultimately get trapped in the never ending funnel of ” experience required “. Hearing this over and over again becomes very emotionally defeating experience to a Novice Driver . As a Novice Driver I believe that my skills as a driver will weaken over time as I wait to find someone to train me.
This is 1 of a few emails or phone calls we’ve received from new drivers. I decided to share this in hopes that we as a whole in the Trucking Industry can find a solution to this problem . This isn’t just a West coast problem, it’s across the country problem .
Drivers if your interested and willing to train please go to your company and let them know. Not sure how or what to teach ? Ask them to send you for a training seminar . Even if your company doesn’t have a program in place, go talk to them…you just maybe what they’ve been waiting for !!
Carriers have you asked your driver’s if their interested in training ? Are you offering a paid training course ? Have you gotten feedback from your driver’s on your training program ?
Some food for thought ….
I quite often hear we only put Women with Women and Men with Men. I know of 1 carrier who introduced the trainer/spouse to the trainee/spouse in an informal social setting a few times prior to the 1st trip. So they could talk and get to feel comfortable with each other . Another carrier puts the trainer in a hotel room and the trainee sleeps in the truck. Another asks the trainers spouse how they feel about it and answers any questions they may have.
This isn’t about pointing fingers , it’s about finding a solution to an area of concern within the Trucking Industry .
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 | Nov 23, 2016 | BLOG
Did you roll your eyes at that 350-pound man in front of you in the all-you-can-eat buffet line? Would you judge him a little differently if you learned that he has an inoperable brain tumor and needs to take steroids that blow up his size?
Remember the way you screamed and glared at that lady who started to drift into your lane? Would you have reacted any different if you knew that she was driving home from the hospital after her daughter just passed away?
Did you judge that guy who stood helplessly by, while the lady in front of him struggled to lift her heavy carry-on bag from the overhead bin? Would you think differently if you knew he was flying home from two spine surgeries and wasn’t allowed to raise his arms or lift anything more than five pounds?
Or maybe that guy you thought was rude, because he didn’t acknowledge your greeting in the elevator? Would you cut him a little more slack if you discovered that he just left his lawyer’s office making a bankruptcy filing for his business, and was thinking about how to tell his family?
You remember what you thought about that lady in front of you at the checkout, trying to sneak 11 items in then 10 or less line? Would it matter so much to you if she had a special needs child at home, or was a caretaker for an elderly parent, and she was desperate to get back to them quickly?
You know that new guy that seemed aloof to you? Would you have given him more of a chance if you found out he has social anxiety disorder and needs extra time to open up to people?
Did you think that guy on the subway was a jerk because he didn’t get up and offer his seat to that elderly lady? What if he’s a wounded warrior and under those slacks are two prosthetic legs that he’s still learning to balance on?
Maybe the better question is simply this…
Are we too quick to judge?
Author unknown