• transportes2

    Rand McNally’s DriverConnect back in service

    TORONTO, Ont. – Rand McNally says its DriverConnect ELD platform, which suffered a cyberattack taking it offline last week, has been restored. It was returned to service in the earl hours of Nov. 30, and is now functional for drivers. “As a result, drivers using the ELD systems are compliant, able to view, edit, and certify logs as well as provide them in the event of a roadside inspection,” the company said in an update today. The back-end DriverConnect portal should be back to normal soon, as should corporate and fleet websites, the company announced. The GPS functionality of the devices was never impacted. “We have taken significant steps forward…

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    OOIDA boss eyes FMCSA’s top role

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) president and CEO Todd Spencer has expressed interest in the role of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) administrator. He officially notified President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team of his ambitions. Todd Spencer “Representing our nation’s small-business truckers has been my life’s work,” said Spencer in the letter. “I still aspire to do this for many years to come, but sometimes we are compelled to make a difference in other ways,” Spencer said. “There are more regulations in place today than ever, and there is more enforcement and compliance with those regulations, yet highway safety isn’t improving.” Spencer said too often, trucking regulations…

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    Featured Centennial Paper – Freight Rail: On Track to the Future

    The genesis of the Standing Technical Committee on Freight Rail Transportation dates back at least to the 1970s, when the future of light density railroad branch and secondary lines concerned many state and local governments. The Committee is concerned with the spectrum of strategic, operational, technical and planning issues related to rail freight transportation. The committee’s areas of emphasis include: capacity, demand for freight services, including intermodal traffic; the economic viability of railroads and related topics; integrating rail freight transport into federal, state and local transportation planning processes; public and private investment strategies including public/private partnerships; assessing regulatory issues and impacts; identifying areas of needed technical research; and promoting implementation…

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    Alberta boosts access to trucking jobs

    EDMONTON, Alta. – Alberta has announced two programs to make driver training more affordable and less time consuming, thereby improving access to trucking jobs. The $3-million Driving Back to Work grant program will cover up to 90% of the cost of the Mandatory Entry-Level Training (MELT) for 300 unemployed Albertans to earn a Class 1 commercial truck driver licence, the government said Thursday. The Experience and Equivalency Class 1 MELT Training Program will reduce the time it takes for Class 3 drivers to upgrade to a Class 1 licence. “These changes do not affect the high training and safety standards required by MELT in order to keep Alberta’s roads safe,”…

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    P.E.I. clarifies Covid-19 rules for truck drivers

    CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. – Prince Edward Island’s truck drivers continue to face some of the tightest Covid-19 restrictions in the industry, but they won’t have to completely self isolate when waiting for regular test results. The clarification emerged today in a bulletin distributed by the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association (APTA). The Confederation Bridge links PEI to the mainland. (Photo: iStock) Still, truck drivers who routinely travel in and out of the province are now being asked to apply for the rotational worker status that clears them to interact with family members and enjoy outdoor activities when returning. They’ll also need to complete Covid-19 testing on Days 0-2, 4-7, and 10-12, depending on…

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    Loblaw takes the autonomous plunge

    TORONTO, Ont. – Canada’s largest grocer is set to become the first company in the country to deploy self-driving delivery vehicles. Loblaw Cos. will roll out the autonomous fleet in January. It is being done in partnership with the California-based autonomous vehicle startup Gatik AI, which focuses on business-to-business short-haul deliveries using light- to medium-duty trucks. Loblaw is set to become the first Canadian company to deploy autonomous delivery vehicles. (Photo: Gatik) Initially, a fleet of five delivery vehicles swill serve the Greater Toronto Area, transporting multi-temperature goods from Loblaw’s automated picking facility to its retail locations, Gatik said Monday. The company will operate the vehicles on five routes with…

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    Law regulates immigration consultants

    OTTAWA, Ont. – A legislation that will regulate immigration and citizenship consultants is now in force, the federal government announced Thursday. The College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants Act will provide a statutory framework to regulate the consultants, it said. Ottawa says it is committed to the implementation of a new professional governance regime. (Photo: iStock) The college, aimed at protecting newcomers and applicants to Canada from unscrupulous and fraudulent consultants, is expected to open next year. Immigration consultants have been under scrutiny for some time for alleged malpractices, especially in the recruitment of truck drivers from abroad. In October, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) issued a warning against…

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    Ontario cancels road tests for Toronto, Peel Region

    TORONTO, Ont. – Ontario is cancelling in-vehicle road tests for would-be truck drivers in Toronto and the Peel Region, as the province enforces a lockdown to fight Covid-19. The cancellations immediately apply to Brampton, Downsview, Etobicoke, Metro East, Mississauga, and Port Union DriveTest centers. (Photo: Ontario Ministry of Transportation) While the road tests are being cancelled without penalties, residents in the affected areas won’t even be able to book road tests at DriveTest centers in other regions as of Nov. 30. If someone from the lockdown area has booked a road test in a different region, it will be cancelled as well. The Toronto and Peel locations will still be…

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    The importance of a strong finishing program

    TORONTO, Ont. – Carriers that hire entry-level drivers need to provide additional training, document it, and continue monitoring their performance after putting them on the road. Companies that don’t employ a strong finishing program, or can’t prove it, can find themselves without insurance or worse, causing a crash and fending off nuclear verdicts. The Truck Training Schools Association of Ontario (TTSAO) brought together its carrier and insurance groups to discuss finishing programs during a virtual meeting Nov. 25. Anatomy of a finishing program Steve Newton, director of safety and driver development with Challenger Motor Freight, outlined the company’s four-phase finishing program. It generally runs about eight weeks but is adapted…

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    Erb named chairman of Ontario Trucking Association

    TORONTO, Ont. – Wendell Erb, president and CEO of Erb Transport, has been named chairman of the Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) and begins a two-year term at the helm. Erb, who succeeds One for Freight’s David Carruth in the role, has served for several years on the association’s board of directors. Wendall Erb (Photo: Abdul Latheef) In 2011, he took over Erb Transport from his father Vernon Erb, who launched the business with a single dump truck in 1959. Since then the business that specializes in refrigerated freight has grown to employ about 1,500 people. And the new associated chairman says he will apply lessons learned from his father in…