by wtfcanada2015@gmail.com | Apr 26, 2017 | Career Board
Have you recently obtained your AZ License? Larway Transportation New Driver Training program is an excellent opportunity for people to start in the transportation industry as a Professional Driver. The program was established to assist developing Drivers who have successfully obtained their Class 1/AZ License. The program also applies to Drivers who have previously obtained their Class AZ License but have limited experience.
Larway candidates will become professional drivers, one of the elite-and their efforts every time they are behind the wheel of a tractor-trailer are essential to the growth and economic health of our country.
For more information about our New Driver Training Program, please email a copy your resume, CVOR and Drivers Abstract to . Susan@larway.com or fax; 705-725-5379. Or just pick up the phone and give me a call; 800-263-7484. Looking forward to hearing from you!
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 | Jan 27, 2017 | BLOG
There have always been women in trucking.
There are women who provide back office support, women dispatchers, brokerage agents, and women who own their own trucking companies. Elaine Chao was recently appointed Secretary of Transportation and throughout the industry, it seems as though women are making their presence in trucking more visible. The number of female truck drivers has grown 50% in the last decade, according to the American Trucking Associations (ATA). However, a study by the Bureau of Labor states women make up only 5.1% of truck drivers. But that number is expected to increase and here are some reasons why.
Recruiting Women Truckers
With the truck driver shortage many companies are starting to make equipment adjustments to accommodate and recruit women truckers. These modifications to the truck makes driving physically easier for the trucker and safer on the road.
Women truck drivers statistically hold a better safety record than their male counterparts. According to President and COO of Werner Enterprises, Derek Leathers, they are more patient on the road and tend to get into smaller and less damaging accidents resulting in a 25% lower accident cost. Ellen Voie, the founder, President & CEO of the Women in Trucking Association, has found that women truckers are an asset not only on the road, but they are better with the customers and more organized with paperwork making the back office run smooth as well.
Why Trucking?
Why would a woman want to drive a truck? Probably for the exact same reasons that men are interested in the industry! Being in control of their own environment while on the road.
One of our clients, Cynthia, started out driving trucks in 1996 and now owns her own company. She says that her independence is her favorite part of the job. Women are offered just as much earning potential in truck driving as men because the jobs are based on how hard you want to work and less about office politics in other traditionally female dominant industries.
Being on the road and away from family and friends is hard no matter who you are. But cleaning up truck stop rest areas, allowing pets on the road, and other improvements have made it more inviting for women to take to the open road.
All in all the trucking industry is already a diverse work environment with all types of people and is becoming more inclusive to keep them happy and help meet the demand that is out there. Even the Women in Trucking Association has created the WIT index so that women truck drivers can be more accurately counted as the numbers increase. So be on the lookout for more woman truckers!
Are you thinking about being like Cynthia and starting your own trucking company? Let us help you! Give us a call at 855-369-2739. To learn more about what to expect in your first year of trucking, download ourfree white paper and subscribe to our channel on YouTube.
Posted with permission of
Sarah Schimpff
Public Relations Coordinator
Apex Capital Corp.
Link to original article :
The Future of Women in Trucking
by wtfcanada2015@gmail.com | Dec 9, 2016 | BLOG
As you may or may not know, as of August 2016, Foundation Career College has changed its name to Transport Training Centres of Canada Ltd.
This signifies a major change not only in the branding of the company but also in the way the location will operate going forward.
Foundation Career College had typically been run as its own separate entity but with the campus now under the TTCC banner, changes have been made to ensure Transport Training Centres of Canada’s standard of top-notch training will be implemented in Dartmouth, NS.
The changes begin with the introduction of a state-of-the-art Virage Truck Driving Simulator.
The on-site simulator includes real truck parts and full simulation of virtually any type of heavy vehicle from dump trucks to highway tractor-trailer and semi-trailer applications. The unit also includes 3D sound and high fidelity visual scenes with a virtual 360 degree view from the driver’s seat (180 degree forward field of view and rear-view mirrors) using the latest LCD high resolution display technology.
We have seen this simulator training vastly improve the quality of drivers that we produce, as students get added time backing, shifting and more. The additional skill development has greatly improved our students’ confidence and knowledge.
The unlimited simulator training is available for all students (former and current) and demos are available at the campus for those interested.
The change to TTCC also means that we are going to be more involved with companies, as TTCC has done successfully for many years. We are taking a hands-on approach with job placements and internships and have developed systems to ensure students have the greatest chance of success in the workforce. We are very excited to work hand in hand with employers to ensure our graduates exceed employer expectations and to ensure that any concerns over previous experiences with Foundation Career College are those of the past.
If you are interested in learning more about our programs feel free to give us a call at 1-800-805-0662, visit our website at http://www.ttcc.ca/ or stop in to our campus located at 9 Pettipas Drive, Unit 1, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
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
