Newcom

June 2017 Volume 37, Issue 5
TRUCK NEWS
Eastern Canada’s Trucking Newspaper Since 1981 Delivering daily news at trucknews.com
Page 19
Losing it
Wheel-offs continue to be an issue, largely caused by sloppy pre-trips.
Page 26
Mark your calendar
A look at four summer truck shows that will be worth attending.
Page 28
Turning 50
Western Star turns 50 this year, and its future has never
looked brighter.
Page 54
Slick thinking
How to choose the right engine oil in an increasingly complex marketplace.
Puff, puff, pass
The feds have tabled
legislation to legalize
marijuana. What does
this mean for trucking?
By Sonia Straface
OTTAWA, ONTARIO
Well, it’s official. Prime Minister Jus- tin Trudeau has made good on his campaign promise to legalize the rec- reational use of marijuana. On Apr. 13, the long-awaited suite of bills was
Continued on page 17
Exercising a good work culture
Free healthy meals. Paid workouts. Is Scotlynn Canada’s healthiest trucking fleet?
By Sonia Straface
VITTORIA, ONTARIO
Imagine getting paid to eat a nutritious, catered lunch after a personalized 30-minute workout by an accomplished trainer every workday.
The office staff at Scotlynn’s Vittoria facility don’t have to imagine. This is their reality. They get paid to eat healthy and work out every single day as part of their wellness program, which was rolled out 18 months ago.
The program was created entirely by the president and CEO of the company, Scott Biddle, who believes hav- ing healthy, productive workers translates to having a healthy, productive business.
Biddle said the idea came to him a few years ago when he found himself training for Cain’s Quest – a 3,100 kilometer snowmobile endurance race in New- foundland. He hired a young trainer to meet him every morning at 6 a.m. before work to get prepared for the race.
“Right after I started training, I just realized how good I felt and how much better my days were, and how much more productive I was,” Biddle explained. “And I thought if I can take those benefits, the way I feel, and if everybody that worked for me felt as good as I did, you know, the things we could accomplish could be endless. So, I hired that trainer full-time and brought him into the office.”
The trainer, Wayne Barnett, sees groups of office staff throughout the day and personalizes their workouts according to their needs. Each of the 60 or so staff mem- bers enrolled in the program (Biddle says about 90% of the office staff participates in the program) get a 30-min- ute workout during the day. Workout plans depend on the person, but Wayne says he likes to combine cardio and strength training when he can.
“And when I first thought of introducing the pro- gram, I thought I’ve got to pay them to do it,” Biddle said. “They’ve got to do it during their workday. Because people aren’t going to come in before or come in after – everybody’s always got an excuse why they’re not going to go to the gym.”
So, staff members work out during work hours, and literally get paid to do so.
To complement and round out the fitness program, Biddle also hired a trained chef to join the company to prepare staff nutritious lunches and snacks every day, free of charge.
The chef, Andy Murdoch, worked locally in Port Dover, Ont. for a while before Biddle picked him to join the com- pany. Every day he creates a morning snack at 10 a.m., which consists of things like fresh fruit, yogurt, and gra- nola, a lunch, like grilled chicken and salad, served at noon, and an afternoon snack at 2 p.m., consisting of fresh vegetables and hummus.
Careers: 36-53 Ad Index: 65
Continued on page 16
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