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 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.
by wtfcanada2015@gmail.com | Jun 16, 2018 | BLOG
Ester Rony
I joined the trucking industry in 2010, by that time I was pregnant, here when you get pregnant after high school you become a disgrace in society, I was 19 and naughty as any young teenage girl would be, I was told to get out of the house by my Dad who was so angry about me getting pregnant, I wasn’t annoyed at all because that’s how any parent would have reacted, I was strong yet I had nothing, but I don’t know where I got the courage to move out, the father to my pre born baby was a high school sweetheart so he couldn’t do much.
So I went in an abandoned house and started a life, let me get to trucking now.
Esther Rony
Female truck drivers face a lot of challenges in my society, its a job of single mothers, orphans, drug addicts and any bad behavior you may think of, so the public talks poorly about anybody in the trucking industry, I joined the trucking industry, at first I approached a female driver and asked to be her helper, I told her my story of being a single mom and she took me in, we started traveling together from Kampala heading to the east to the border in Malaba then crossing over to Kenya which is another country.
She didn’t know my intention was learning to drive, but I helped her whenever she needed my help, as time went on, I learnt routes, how l am supposed to behave on the road, she became my friend and she taught me slowly how to drive, how to identify problems and fault, how to handle simple mechanical problems , we got along well.
Esther Rony
I finally got in to business, started getting money and applied to a university where I pursued a degree in information systems, I got my father’s attention and other family members back, it was through a lot of hard work, toil and sleepless nights that I achieved my degree, I started talking to different female drivers whenever i met them on stop overs, they thought they are doomed, I started empowering them and I told them we also are needed in this society, if we cut off supplies of food the society will lack. I used my opportunity of being exposed and we formed a women’s committee in a big Association called Uganda National Lorry drivers and Transporters Association.
Written and submitted by :
Esther Rony
Uganda East Africa
Spokes person of Uganda National Lorry and Transporters Association
by wtfcanada2015@gmail.com | May 31, 2018 | Career Board
CAREER OPPORTUNITY
AZ/DZ Driver Equal Opportunity Employer
POSTING DETAILS
Posting Opened on: May 31, 2018 # of Positions: 4
Posting Closes on: June 28, 2018 Location: Elmwood, ON (Bruce County)
Contact: Andrea Zanetti, Manager HR Email: awzanetti@energysolutions.com
Summary:
Responsible for the transporting of general freight, dangerous/hazardous goods, radiological material and
other loads as contracted with customers and as scheduled by the dispatcher.
• $0.51 to $0.59 per mile
• 37.5 to 60 hours per week
• Company match Group RRSP
• Company paid benefits, incl. Health, Dental, Life, AD&D, Dependent Life, Short Term Disability
• Company provided steel-toed shoes and cell phone
• Quarterly Bonus Program
• Driver Mile Program
• Paid biweekly by direct deposit, paperless paystubs
Must be able to report to work at Elmwood, Ontario within 1 hour.
Key Accountabilities:
• Secures loads to trailers with chains, binders and straps to hold load securely while in transport.
Maintains permit compliance.
• Tarps loads when necessary to ensure nothing is blown away or damaged to protect the load, the
transportation vehicle and the surroundings.
• Completes logs, reports and other required forms and paperwork in accordance with laws and
regulations.
• Meets schedules established by dispatcher to ensure loads are delivered safely and as quickly and
efficiently as possible.
• Maintains the inside and outside cleanliness of assigned vehicles including power units and trailers.
• Other duties as assigned.
Other Requirements:
• AZ/DZ Driver’s License.
• Must be willing and able to be on the road for up to 10 days at a time.
• Must be available to work days, nights and weekends.
• Must be available on standby on weekends on a rotation basis.
• Satisfactory driver’s abstract with no more than 3 minor violations/accidents in past 3 years and no
major traffic violations in the past 5 years.
EnergySolutions is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard
to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability or any other characteristic protected by law. Accommodations are available
on request for all aspects of the selection process.
PHTS Logistics
CAREER OPPORTUNITY
AZ/DZ Driver Equal Opportunity Employer
• Must maintain a professional appearance. When on call, must be willing and able to report to
designated location within 1 hour.
• Complies with legislation, policies and practices, including those regarding respect in the workplace,
harassment, bullying.
• Complies with applicable health and safety legislation and policies.
• Able to interpret and apply transportation laws and regulations. Able to identify and resolve loading and
load security problems.
• Must be able to communicate effectively orally and in writing to receive instructions and communicate
with customers. Maintains a high level of professionalism and customer service
• Must be able to enter log, mileage and other data into electronic systems when required.
• Able to read, write and comprehend written and oral instructions in English. Able to work in a team
environment
Interested candidates please email Andrea Zanetti at
awzanetti@energysolutions.com as soon as possible! Thanks very much!
EnergySolutions is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard
to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability or any other characteristic protected by law. Accommodations are available
on request for all aspects of the selection process.
by wtfcanada2015@gmail.com | May 31, 2018 | BLOG
Since I was a teenager I had it in my head I wanted to be a truck driver.
I’m not sure where it came from. At 19 I got my licence. A friend of my dads, who owned a self loading logging truck let me go to work with him and he would let would me drive.
I’m not sure where it came from. At 19 I got my licence. A friend of my dads, who owned a self loading logging truck let me go to work with him and he would let would me drive.
I loved it!!!! At 20 I got a local job hauling freight. Flat decks, B trains, vans, I drug it all around. It was great experience. About a year and a half later I started driving logging truck and haven’t looked back. I drovehighway log trucks all over B.C for 6 years. 
I’ve been driving off highway log trucks for 8 years now. Same awesome company for 8 years. I’ve learned to run all kinds of equipment and do a lot of low bedding. Most of my closest friends I’ve met in this awesome industry.
The first year of logging was a little tough. I had to prove myself and toughen up a bit. “Fit in or f**k off” they told me. They would of treated a 20 year old guy the same way though.
I can only remember a couple guys who tried to run me off. The rest treated me great! Long days and hard work in the bush but I love it!
I can only remember a couple guys who tried to run me off. The rest treated me great! Long days and hard work in the bush but I love it!
I’ve made well over a million bucks with my $1200 ticket.
Work your butts off ladies!! Ain’t no mountain you can’t haul off????????
Jill Telosky
British Columbia Canada
