Finding the Right Carrier

This post was originally published in the February 2018 edition of Truck News

The trucking industry as a whole doesn’t display much empathy for its drivers. Drivers are about the passion for what they do day in and day out. Corporate trucking is about profit. The ground between these two poles is a no man’s land at present when it should be seen as fertile ground on which to grow common interest.

It is a challenge that isn’t unique to the trucking sector. We are facing divisive issues between large corporate interests and their employees & independent contractors across our society. In fact I would say that entrepreneurs, small & medium businesses, along with employees share many of the same concerns when it comes to dealing with and competing with the global titans of the business world.

On one hand we (individuals, small companies) have no choice but to adopt new technologies. This, at first blush, may seem detrimental to our well-being both financially and logistically.  On the other hand we can find the silver lining and flourish in markets Trans national companies are simply too large to be responsive to. In fact many large companies can be a lucrative source of partnerships for this reason alone.

If you’re a driver that holds a passion in your heart for driving. If you value your independence & freedom but still desire to work in an atmosphere that will provide you with a sense of security in return for your commitment & loyalty, then allow me to recap yet again a few things I’ve learned working for a family owned trucking business.

First let’s set the stage. You need to do your homework as a driver. Companies with a fleet that is operated by employees and not owner operators are far more likely to be empathetic to your needs as a driver. These companies may be easier to find in the private fleet sector but are certainly not limited to it. I work for a common carrier. As a driver you need to a recruit a carrier to work with you as much as they need to recruit you to work with them. Honesty and integrity are at the heart of everything that transpires between the owners and drivers where I work. With the founding family’s same passion for trucking that I share there is always fertile ground for both parties to grow and prosper.

As an employee, not a contractor, (owner operator) my employer has made a large commitment to me from day one. Our relationship is symbiotic not parasitic. My employer is in tune with my needs as an employee. Things such as family time, job security, steady income, and so on are a priority to them. In turn I am in tune with their needs. Meeting customer service, operating, and safety standards are important to me. I know I will be rewarded further for my ability to deliver above the expected standard. My employer is in touch with how I feel about what I do. This is incredibly important.

The result of this relationship is a team approach as we compete against those titans of global business I mentioned above. Working together we are able to respond far more nimbly to the needs of our customers. Just as my employer is empathetic to my needs I as a driver are far more in tune with the needs of the company as they respond to a rapidly changing business environment.

The rollout of electronic logging devices (ELD’s) is a great example of our relationship. It was a non-issue for either party. I was able to depend on them to plan years ahead for these changes and they were able to depend on me to adopt new technology and provide critical feedback well in advance that enhanced their competitive ability.

We spend far too much time working against one another rather than with one another. Drivers and employers are partners, not competing interests.

Striving for Vision Zero

This post was first published in the January 2018 edition of Truck News

Every single driver on the road can aspire to driving in a manner that reduces traffic fatalities to zero, but we don’t. Vision Zero is a multi-national road safety initiative started in Sweden in 1997.  It’s a paradigm shift in the way we approach road safety and our attitude as to how we share our road infrastructure. Drop “Vision Zero” into your search browser and check it out.

I’ve always believed that road safety is about attitude. Skills can be learned, practiced, and developed throughout a drivers career but how we employ those skills makes the difference between a driver that spends a lifetime on the road free from accidents & violations and a driver that ends up with an abstract that reads like a novel. Both types of drivers broadcast messages to the public about the trucking industry. One is positive. One is negative. The negative one catches most of the public attention. The positive one is what the majority of us aspire to and for the most part achieve. This is a fact. The statistical evidence is on our side.

The times require that we set the bar as high as possible for ourselves as professional drivers, as knights of the road, as truckers. No matter how you think of yourself as you do this work Vision Zero should be the goal. We need to take the lead in road safety and set the example if we want to change attitudes of other road users.

We know that about 95% of collisions are the result of human error. We need to stop thinking that being involved in a smaller percentage of those collisions is good enough. We need to stop thinking that being involved but not being at fault is acceptable. That’s difficult to swallow but that’s the high standard we need to judge ourselves by. We should expect and demand that universal training & support programs are put in place to help us all get there.

But is it too late for all that?

We’ve allowed decades to slip by that should have been used to build a network supporting drivers and making the objective of zero road fatalities a reachable goal while addressing the problem of recruitment & retention to the industry at the same time.

Now, just around the corner, we face a network of a different type. A network based on machine learning and Artificial Intelligence. A network that doesn’t tire, learns at an exponential rate, and always follows the rules to the letter. A network without ego, without emotions, that will always pull over and shut down when conditions require it. It’s a network that can deliver the Vision Zero goal, or very close to it.

In 2012, just five years ago, the Canadian Trucking Alliances’ Blue Ribbon Task Force released its report on the driver shortage. Automation, AI, machine learning and its possible impact on the driver pool was not a factor that was considered. In November 2017 we saw the release of the Tesla electric class 1 truck but more importantly General Motors announced a half billion dollar investment in autonomous technology and a projection of driverless vehicles on the road by 2019. Dealing with a driver shortage has been turned on its head in just five short years. We’re just getting started.

We have a long way to go towards a world that sees trucks without drivers. But the transformation of our industry in the next 10 years will be overwhelming.

We face complex issues without simple solutions. Billions of dollars of venture capital is being invested in a technological revolution that is transforming our society. Reducing road fatalities to zero is but one of its benefits. Our adaptation to the change is an incredible challenge.

I have no idea how things are going to pan out but I’m sure we’re in for one hell of a ride.

Hello 2018.

Are ELD's Being Implemented for the Right Reasons?

This post was first published in the December 2017 edition of Truck News

Implementing the use of Electronic Logging Devices (ELD’s) may be the start of a perfect storm within the North American trucking industry. This law will force all drivers to work to rule. Authorities cite improving road safety as the primary reason for this legislation.  Amidst all the discussion and debate surrounding this topic that’s the predominant message. It’s a weak one at best.

The trucking industry has a big problem. People have always been attracted to truck driving for the independence and freedom that it offers. You don’t have anyone looking over your shoulder and you have the ability to manage yourself. It’s the closest you will get to being self-employed while still enjoying the benefits of being an employee. It’s a great gig in that regard and that was the big attraction that drew me into this line of work.

But the management style for many large companies over the past decade has been to employ a big stick and drive their fleets from the front office. By micro managing each power unit costs could be reduced and profits maximized. Enter big data and the tools it needed to collect all those data points. But these tools and this style of management has taken control away from the driver. Drivers have been disempowered. This is why independent drivers are so opposed to the implementation of ELD’s. They are seen as an unnecessary financial burden and a threat to their way of life. If I was an independent business owner running a couple of trucks what would be the benefit?

I’m not saying that there are not any benefits to switching to a digital system. What I’m saying is that those benefits have never been sold. The choice has always been to implement the big stick. But it doesn’t have to be so.

It’s been about 6 years since I first “tested” an Electronic Onboard Recorder (EOBR). I’ve never used a paper log since and have no desire to go back to using one. Logging my time electronically has proven to be a huge benefit. But discovering those benefits took some time.

A good business plan requires some foresight. The leaders within our company recognized the technology trend many years ago and started to implement change on their own timeline. Now ELD’s are simply another tool we use in our daily business. I don’t think there is a single driver in our organization that sees an ELD as being intrusive or contributing to Big Brother syndrome, the feeling that you are always watched and need to be on your guard. The bottom line is that there is a high degree of trust across our organization. That is powerful.

There is no doubt in my mind that ELD’s have been deployed by many companies to give them eyes into the cab of every one of their trucks with a short term goal of increasing profitability. In the long term this way of thinking has saddled the industry with a crippling shortage of qualified drivers. Why is the broader industry blind to the simple fact that people want to be treated well and compensated fairly?

The ELD debate raging across social media highlights how deep the divide is between drivers and management/legislators. That’s the issue that should be addressed if we want to improve road safety.

As I’ve been working on this column we have experienced another horrific accident on highway 400 here in southern Ontario. It was a fiery inferno that resulted in 3 more deaths. This isn’t something that will be prevented from happening by employing ELD’s in every commercial vehicle. We can only reach zero deaths on our highways if drivers are engaged and focused 100% of the time. That will never be achieved with forced compliance to a set of rules.

My sense is that driver morale across the industry has never been lower. The ELD mandate is only adding to that anxiety.

Staying In Control

This post was first published in the November 2017 edition of Truck News

“Never break traction”.

I received those three words of advice from a driving instructor as I was bobtailing along a secondary highway breaking through snowdrifts. I always thought this was a gutsy move on the part of my instructor. It was the most practical and useful driving lesson I had ever received, although I didn’t recognize it as such at the time. I was learning to keep the vehicle moving by finding a gear that provides just the right amount of torque to keep the wheels turning forward without causing the drive wheels to lock up (skid) due to engine braking when I eased off on the fuel. This experience hammered home the importance of being in the right gear. At the same time it taught me to develop a soft touch with the fuel. But I was as green as green could be at the time so I didn’t fully appreciate the importance of this simple lesson.

When you maintain friction between the tires and the road surface – no matter the state of that road surface – you can say you are in control of the vehicle. Once that grip on the road is lost the odds of your day going to the dogs probably jumps to at least 50/50. Never breaking traction is a simple piece of advice but there are many variables at play out on the road. Some of those variables you have control over, some you can allow for with a reasonable certainty of their effect, other variables come in to play depending on the depth of your experience, and if you’re smart you’ll allow for the unknown.

You have complete control over the speed of the vehicle, over how aggressively you accelerate, and over how you employ your brakes and engine brake.

You have complete control over what is happening between your ears. That is, you are engaged/attentive and driving defensively at all times.

You can adjust your driving for variables such as tire wear, vehicle weight, how weight is distributed in your trailer, visibility, condition/type of road surface, and topography (grade, curves, cant of road, construction zones, etc.). I’m sure as an experienced driver you could name many more.

Recognizing areas that attract deer & moose and roads that are subject to frost heaves in the spring are two examples of how you may adjust your driving based on your experience rather than what you are seeing through the windshield. That long curve you rolled around without any issues a month ago may be a rollover waiting to happen if there is a frost heave around the blind corner and your load has a higher center of gravity than it did a month ago.

Can you allow for the unknown? Sure. It can be as simple as always keeping a big space cushion around you that gives you the time to react to those unknown hazards.

In the course of an average day all of these factors may come into play. The same stretch of road holds a different experience each time you drive it. You never stop learning. Out on the road everything is fluid and constantly changing. Maintaining traction in all conditions is the key to control and minimizing risk to yourself and others.

Winter is already happening. Take care out there folks.

The Real Issues behind the Driver Retention Problem

This post first appeared in the October 2017 edition of Truck News

I’ve been thinking about what’s different in the trucking industry today compared to the autumn of 1998 when I decided to take the plunge into this trucking career. I don’t mean from a hardware or a systems perspective but from a human perspective.

My motivator was money and a steady job. I needed to support my family and dig myself out of a financial hole. I don’t think this basic fact has changed. Most people are attracted to trucking as a source of financial support but many people find in a short period of time that life on the road is no cakewalk and not worth the money. They never become infected with the trucking bug. I was. If you’ve been driving for more than a couple of years you have too. Despite all the talk of promoting trucking as a career with young people - that all we need to do is talk it up, dress it up, and call it a profession – it all comes down to money and time. If you like the money but despise the time and effort away from home it takes to earn it you won’t survive. That fact remains the same.

Is breaking into this business different than it was in ’98? I’m not sure that it is. I worked for a number of companies in my first four years. The majority of them aren’t in business today. I was hired as an independent contractor for an owner operator and told after being “hired” I was financially responsible for any damages & insurance deductibles. As an employee for another carrier I never received one cent of vacation pay for statutory holidays or otherwise. I had a union job for a car hauler but was laid off 4 months after starting and never went back. The irony with the union job was that I was referred by my co-workers to a temp agency for drivers and most of the work was scab work. I continue to hear experiences along these lines from new drivers today.

In 2003 with a clean driving record and a wide array of driving experience under my belt I decided it was make it or break it time. I started a job search and didn’t want to work for any company that didn’t start with an in depth interview that focused on me. The driver shortage has been constant throughout my career and I was sick of faxing in a resume and getting a response that was: Can you start Monday? No questions asked. I don’t think this has changed much either.

As drivers we make our own bed. Most of the time. There are plenty of good companies out there, mostly small to mid-sized, that are run by people with integrity. You have to find a company that is a good fit for you and you are a good fit for that company. It takes a little time and it takes a good deal of patience. Building loyalty and trust doesn’t come in the space of a few weeks or months. You may not always succeed on your first try. This definitely has not changed over the past 20 years.

There is a lot more corporate trucking now than there was 20 years ago. Empires are built by absorbing the smaller companies I described above. That is a definite change. But it is not unique to trucking. That’s a change we’ve seen across our society as a whole.

The “all for profit” approach is fueling the adoption of technology that drains a drivers potential rather than fuel his passion.  It’s a dead end road in my opinion. The true leaders are passionate about their business, practice good business ethics, are savvy in their business dealings, and treat their employees well. That hasn’t changed.

My boss has the trucking bug in his blood. As do I. I’m not going anywhere.

Corporate Cultures Have Evolved

This post was first published in the September 2017 edition of Truck News

The fall fanfare of annual general meetings, roundtables, panel discussions, and training seminars is about to kick off for all the movers and shakers. Most of the topics will focus on profitability as the goal. There was a time when profit was the result of good management and not the reason for it. It wasn’t that long ago but if you’re under the age of 45 you may not have a clear memory of it.

A 37.5 hour work week, health & dental coverage, twenty percent of pre-tax profits shared with employees, mentorship, regular training, job postings promoting growth from within. This was the culture of retailing I was introduced to in the 70’s. Yes I said retailing.  Those perks of the job were not the result of a negotiated contract between workers and management. It was the founders’ values that determined the quality of the workplace.  Those values extended beyond the workplace and into the social network of employees lives. There was an annual children’s Christmas party, wide ranging support for community events and fundraisers, company hockey & baseball teams, and generous financial support for an employee association headed by long term employees that organized these events. Best of all the company was profitable and grew steadily from year to year adding jobs as it went. There was no lack of financial reward for the founders.

It’s definitely not rocket science. Any truck driver on the road today that brings a passion for driving to the job will tell you that their enjoyment is enhanced when they are treated well and compensated fairly. The sweet sauce is how you are treated by the people you depend on – supervisors & co-workers – from day to day.

The workplace has changed across all industries in the past 30 years. The sense of social responsibility employers held towards their employees was not limited to smaller family owned businesses as it is today. Large public companies invested heavily in their workforce. There was a social contract between employers & employees that didn’t exist on paper. It filled employees with a sense of security for themselves and their families. That doesn’t exist anymore. That’s not a trucking issue, it’s a societal one.

I think when we talk about old school values within the trucking industry this is what we are talking about. When I left the retail sector it was five to six years after the founding family sold the business. It ended up in the hands of a large multinational company and its “unprofitable” parts that did not fit into the master plan were dismantled or sold off. Employees were “downsized”. Any sense of responsibility to the individual employee was not part of the corporate agenda. We see this scenario playing out regularly across the trucking industry these days.

Some of you reading this may feel I’m simply filled with sour grapes, pining for a time that no longer exists and unable to adapt to a changing world. On the contrary I’m simply questioning the path we have chosen to take, or perhaps, the path we are being led down. I encourage anyone reading this to do the same.

In my youth I saw capitalism as a catalyst that enabled growth and financial security up and down the social ladder. Today capitalism is an ideology. A contentious statement on my part? Sure. But what’s the good of holding an opinion if you don’t voice it. The values of the corporations we are dependent upon should be questioned.

The job of a truck driver is all about independence and initiative. I don’t want or need anyone to hold my hand or reward me for something that is not my due. I believe we all need to be accountable for our individual performance. At the same time we are all better off when we are valued for that performance. That’s why I’ve been 14 years with my employer. Respect.

Disconnect, and Rediscover Joy of the Open Road

This post was first published in the August 2017 edition of Truck News

A few weeks ago I was camped out by the side of a lake in northern Ontario between the towns of Wawa and White River. It’s a peaceful spot just shy of the half way point between my home terminal in southwestern Ontario and our companies’ terminal in Winnipeg. It’s peaceful to the point of not having any cell or data service available. You’re truly off the beaten technology path when parked here as I discovered when I woke to a flat tire on my tractor on Sunday morning. I had satellite service to the truck so I was able to communicate with dispatch and get a tire repair service out to me but it took a few hours. The funny thing was even the local repair service didn’t have cell service in this area which was a gentle reminder to me about the accessibility to our technology infrastructure.

The thing is that we, as truckers, can still choose to turn everything off if we want to. The world doesn’t end as we know it when we make that choice. In fact the cost of freedom that comes with life on the open road has always been ingenuity, independence, and the ability to survive on your own devices.

There is much discussion at the present moment of the impending deadline for electronic logging devices in our trucks. One of the key points in support of not adopting this technology is the negative impact is has on the driver because it enforces the 14 hour cap on our workday. It’s hard for people outside the industry to get their heads around that point. Exactly why would anyone be upset with having their workday limited to 14 hours? The answer to this of course is simple. Truckers are being forced to work within a set of rules designed to protect them, ostensibly, while continuing to perform their daily tasks as they always have done. You can’t just change the rules that affect daily life without changing the culture that goes along with it. That takes time.

So waking up to a world that I could not contact through my ever present hand held device really drove home the point that the future of being constantly plugged in to the global network is totally dependent on accessibility to everyone, everywhere. How ironic that accessibility to the internet and constant contact is a cause of daily stress whether your connected or not.

But that’s a choice we make not something that is imposed on us. I constantly see drivers heading down the road with their Bluetooth headsets on engaged in heated discussion over something or other. Throw the dam things into the overhead and enjoy the drive. Turn your ELD enabled satellite service off by killing the volume so you can’t hear it and turning off the screen so you can’t see it, it will still work behind the scenes while you go about your day. This is the best way to take back your freedom or at least your perception of it.

Put your devices in airplane mode, turn off your data or roaming feature, send your incoming calls to voice mail. Being constantly connected takes away your sense of freedom it doesn’t imbue it.

There is nothing like driving in parts of the world that leave you disconnected from everyone and everything. It is a reminder of what it is to stand alone and the sense of personal independence that comes along with it.

I spend a good deal of time thinking about how technology, especially artificial intelligence, is going to change the world for my grandchildren. I believe we are at a turning point in our social evolution and how we deal with one another and the world around us. The need to be able to step away from the hive is one of the keys to our health and well-being. That’s what waking up to a flat tire served to remind me of.