Page 23 - Newcom

23
Canadian truckload volumes increased in February
TRUCK NEWS
April 2016
and the other panelists adding that, “Brand recognition is another advan- tage for private fleets looking to hire. You know what Molson Coors is, you know what Home Hardware is...so you’d be willing to drive for brands you know.”
Because recruiting on the for-hire side of things is much harder, MacK- innon said that for his business, driv- er referrals are the best way to com- bat the shortage.
“Today we put a lot of weight on our referral bonus,” he said. “By far, our best recruiters are our drivers. When one of our drivers tells another driver how awesome it is to work at MacKin- non Transport, it’s a little more pro- active than when I tell a driver how great it is to work at MacKinnon.
“We used to do a sign-on bonus, and we still have a small sign-on bo- nus...but we found that when we put a lot of weight on the sign-on bonus, a lot of those individuals jumped at the next sign-on bonus, which was frus- trating. So we use our current fleet to help promote MacKinnon.”
Bison’s Pitzel said he thinks the key to solving the driver shortage is to change the driving culture complete- ly, and getting long-haul drivers back home in a timely fashion.
“I think as an industry we need to make the working conditions better. Today, asking somebody to work two to three weeks in a row on the road
is not okay,” he said. “And I think we need to be up-front with them about wages because they want to know what they’re making and how much they are taking home to their families every week.”
Blais said Kriska is trying to battle the shortage by working with entry- level drivers.
“At Kriska, we have a philosophy that it’s easier for us to grow a Kriska- quality driver from scratch than it is to try to rehabilitate an experienced driver with issues,” she said. “We be- lieve that the company that has the best drivers, not necessarily the most experienced drivers, but the best drivers will win.”
Private fleets are also taking this approach and when looking for new hires, the panelists unanimously agreed that attitude trumps all other qualities on a resume.
“Attitude is huge,” said Shantz. “You can always gain experience and knowledge with us through proper training. But I’ve always been a be- liever that it’s very difficult to change someone’s attitude. An attitude is go- ing to reflect how they are going to be representing your company and that’s important to us.”
Attitude is so important to private fleets because Shantz says that driv- ers are much more than just people who move product, they are brand ambassadors.
“Our drivers see our dealers more than anybody in the company and they are seen by the public more than anybody in the company,” he said. “So they’ve got to have that right at- titude and they’ve got to be willing to go that extra mile.”
Shantz, Walker and Harrison said they are even willing to overlook a driver’s experience if their attitude is right.
“If they have a great attitude we are willing to bend on experience,” said Walker.
However, said Millian, what fleets shouldn’t and won’t bend on is a poor driving record.
“That cannot be overlooked,” said Millian.
TORONTO, ONTARIO
TransCore Link Logistics dis- closed that load volumes for Cana- dian and cross-border loads in- creased 1% month-over-month from January 2016 to February.
However, year-over-year, load vol- umes were down 21% from February 2015. Intra-Canada load volumes rep- resented 26% of the total volumes
– down by 18% year-over-year.
Cross-border loads averaged 69% of the total data; loads leaving Cana- da decreased by 18%, and loads com- ing into Canada decreased 25% year- over-year.
Posted equipment increased in February, up 9% month-over-month and up 30% year-over-year.
The equipment-to-load ratio also increased to 3.42 from 3.18 in Janu- ary. Year-over-year, this ratio in- creased from 1.90 in February 2015.
Finally, compared to last month, changes in the distribution of cross-bor- der equipment entering Canada were
observed in three regions: Ontario de- creased 5%, Western Canada increased 7% and Quebec decreased 3%.
TransCore Canadian Spot Market Freight Index, 2009-2016 400.0
375.0 350.0 325.0 300.0 275.0 250.0 225.0 200.0 175.0 150.0 125.0 100.0
2009
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
DON'T LET
WINTER STOP YOU
CRITICAL HEATING FROM EBERSPAECHER
Don’t let winter conditions keep you off the road. Trust Eberspaecher Climate Control Systems to keep your engine running smoothly.
Eberspaecher’s Hydronic D5 heater offers engine and supplemental cabin preheating so you can combat winter temperatures with ease. With a Hydronic D5 on board, you can expect fuel savings of 0.84 gal* on every start, reduce engine wear and emissions, and eliminate slow or non-starts in the field.
Learn more about Eberspaecher online at www.eberspaecher-na.com or call 1-800-387-4800
*Based on field test data – Fairbanks, Alaska, February 2013
Drop by our Booth 1313
January 2002 = 100