Page 20 - Newcom

CROSS-BORDER
The state of Canadian fleets discussed during in.sight User Conference
By Derek Clouthier
HOUSTON, TEXAS
Several issues affecting the Canadian trucking industry were addressed in Houston Sept. 10, including the idea of mandating on-board video for fleets.
Discussed during the PeopleNet and TMW Systems in.sight User Conference and Expo, several attendees, who either owned or were employed by a Canadian carrier, were already using on board cameras, both forward
and in-cab facing, in an effort to protect their operations, but more importantly, their drivers in the event of an incident.
Jason Gould, director of opera- tions for PeopleNet Canada, said the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) is looking at how video is used for fleets, and posed the ques- tion if those in the room would support a mandate on cameras.
Bill Shannon, logistics and trans- portation manager for Shandex Truck out of Pickering, Ont., said he would support a mandate for the use of on board cameras, partly
because his company has already employed their use.
Shannon said video evidence can be used to protect drivers from being blamed for collisions where they are not at fault, and can also be used to ensure company drivers are operat- ing their equipment in a safe manner. Whether insurance companies would recognize fleets that use cameras to prove or disprove driver error by lowering premiums, Gould said it’s not just about having video proof of an incident.
“You can install an on-board computer, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to solve your company’s problems,” he said, adding that several insurers he has spoken
to have indicated that a carrier’s use of cameras could mean no increases in rates, but not neces- sarily a decrease.
Shannon said carriers using cameras would see cost savings down the line, particularly if it gets them out of paying a large settle- ment where a driver was not at fault for an incident.
Driver retention was also discussed during the state of
Canadian fleets roundtable, and the consensus in the room was that increasing pay is the best way to keep drivers around.
Shannon said his company has bumped up driver pay around 22% in the last few years, which has had a positive impact.
Other incentives to keep drivers from walking out the door include good equipment, automatic trans- missions, and other driver comfort accessories in the cab.
Technology also plays a role in driver retention, as well as hiring. Some carriers in the room said they use technology as a recruit- ment tool, as they have found that the easier they make the job for the driver, the happier they are.
The upcoming Canadian ELD mandate will soon result in more uniformity between Canada and the U.S., which is coming up on
a year since implanting its e-log regulation.
Canadian fleets have seen mostly a positive impact with the U.S. ELD mandate, according to those in the discussion. Increased rates of up to 25%, better driver pay for less miles,
and making HOS compliance that much easier to follow were reasons many said “it’s a great time to be a truck driver.”
Attendees felt the Canadian
ELD mandate would result in the retirement of some older drivers who simply do not want to make the switch at such a late time in their careers, while younger drivers would welcome the change.
Ongoing negotiation between Canada and the U.S. over the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was an issue for cross-border carriers.
Some believe failure to reach an agreement would result in signif- icant cost increases with added surcharges, and have even seen costs rise with uncertainty sur- rounding NAFTA negotiations and freight coming into Canada from the U.S. decline.
ELD update
By far, the session with the most attendees in the first day of the conference was the ELD update from FMCSA director of the Office of Enforcement Joe DeLorenzo.
20 TruckWest•October2018