pro-trucker magazine september 2014

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September 2014

A lberta Big Rig Weekend

Special Edition

SEPTEMBER 2014 www.pro-truckermagazine.com

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SEPTEMBER 2014 PAGE 3

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VOLUME 16, ISSUE 8

PUBLISHER/EDITORJohn White [email protected]

PRODUCTION/CIRCULATIONTori Proudley [email protected]

ADMIN/SPECIAL EVENTS Donna White [email protected]

ADVERTISING/MARKETING John White [email protected] Tori Proudley [email protected]

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Published eleven times a year by Pro-Trucker Magazine Inc.,

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PRO-TRUCKER MAGAZINEFrom the Editor’s desk...

John White

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This may be a surprise to some of our new readers (definitely not to our long-time friends) but now and then we mess up here at Pro-Trucker. Some of the highlights have been things like our Septmember 2012 cover (yes you read that right) or last year when we wrote that a trophy sponsored by Coast Powertrain was sponsored by someone else. Although Dave Stewart from Coast Powertrain may argue the point, this one takes the cake. Can you imagine working all year on a beautiful custom show truck and then after winning a much prized trophy

at BC Big Rig Weekend having some fool (that would be me) approve the wrong picture for our BC Big Rig Weekend issue? That is exactly what hap-pened to Ron Allen and Erika Svendson owners of TDC Truck and Diesel and the gorgeous truck pictured below. I know for a fact that one of them was furious and although I will not mention who, Erika I hope this makes it right.

Big Rig Weekend in Alberta was in my opin-ion the best yet. The trucks were absolutely amazing was one comment I heard from someone I think has seen a lot more chrome than most people and that is Suzy from ZZ Chrome. I did mention that her and Johnny had a lot to do with it as they supplied the majority of the chrome at the show.

One trade booth that was very busy was ABC Fun

Plates. They make custom license plates. My favourite was, “Semi Crazy”. OH yeah…and Lindsay – you can celebrate your birthday at Alberta Big Rig Weekend anytime – what a party!

The truck on our cover has been sitting and patiently waiting for the return of it’s driver Jeff Hildebrand, our November 2012 Rig of the Month Driver, who drives for All Weather Windows. Jeff was awarded the ‘Wowtrucks 365 Award’ at Alberta Big Rig Weekend. This award is given to a driver who demonstrates pride, professionalism and dedication to the trade 365 days of the year. Jeff is currently fighting the big fight and I know I speak for all of us when I say, “Hang in there buddy, we’re all thinking about you and we will see you next year at Big Rig”!




LETTERS to the EDITOR

John White

Pro-Trucker Magazine

John White

Pro-Trucker Magazine

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Hey John, I just read your editorial in the Aug 14 issue point-

ing out the stupidity ( yet again ) of the BC government increasing speed limits. And as usual, you did a fine job. On the topic of speed, I’d like to expand a bit more on what you said. Compared to a lot of the truckers on the road, I’m still relatively young at 45. However, as you know, my dad was old school and he taught me more about being a professional driver than I could possibly list in one letter.

I have read letters other older drivers have submitted and I see some of them are also disgusted and disturbed by the prevalence of speeding on the roads today. Like you said speeding itself may not actually harm anyone but it does dramatically reduce your time to react to any obstacle or sudden change in traction or visibility. People make mistakes. No driver will always make the perfect move behind the wheel.

It seems to be the nature of our society to destroy

itself, literally, in its self-obsessed, selfish quest for immediate gratification. Some people possess neither fear, nor good judgment and the government has decided, for some reason that I can’t fathom, that it doesn’t matter. On top of that, our legal system pretty much encourages people to believe, no matter how selfish or negligent they behave, that somehow they are the victim!

This is obvious to the auto makers who are trying hard to build idiot (driver) proof cars. How did we all get along before 10 airbags, all-wheel drive, traction control, sta-bility control, anti-lock brakes, auto braking, self-parallel parking, and everybody’s favourite, super bright driving/fog lamps? Know how? With a lot more caution and respect for the road, ourselves, and other people.

The majority of the race car wannabe drivers you mentioned, 4 wheel or otherwise, are driving way beyond their capabilities. Every day it’s another epi-sode of Canada’s Worst Driver. A lot of people here in Alberta, along with our sensationalistic media like to blame our highways for the carnage. Spare me! The roads don’t kill people, any more than cars or firearms, or any number of other things that are harmless do - until you couple them with humans.

Simple rules to drive safely by - courtesy of my late father. Respect other drivers, yourself, the road, the weather, the laws of the road, your vehicle, and its limita-tions, and always, always expect the unexpected. If you



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don’t have time for all that, take a plane, bus, train, or rocket perhaps.

Furthermore don’t tailgate! Either pass or back off so others can pass safely! Yup common sense is actually dead. Nothing more ignorant, and unnecessary than a herd of ‘sheeople” all glommed together traveling at high speed. That comes from the selfish, me first, gotta be in front at any cost attitude.. Aggressive human nature is the reason we need laws - that should be getting enforced - not relaxed. Thanks for the opportunity to express my opinion.

P.S. By the way I liked your reply to the reader who implied you operate some kind of bigoted trucking mag-azine. What a joke,... Wow ! No way I’d have the patience to reply to her as politely as you did. She obviously didn’t do her research prior to criticizing you. Trevor Cameron Spruce Grove, Alberta.(74 Hayes Clipper )

Editor’s note: Thank you for the letter Trevor. You are right about lack of enforcement on our highways. I often travel to the U.S. and it amazes me that I can see more cops in one hour on a U.S. highway than I do on a full round trip from Vancouver to Red Deer, Alberta. And guess what? When I am doing the speed limit in the U.S. very few vehicles pass me. Do you think there is a

correlation here? Concerning the ‘other’ letter, I think that most drivers would have liked my original response – but that was before my lovely wife Donna suggested I tone it down a bit…

Hello John,Just looked through the August issue and read the

letter by Bettie. I must commend you on your response. I must admit, myself being of a little mixed blood you could say. . . Lol - I find these people that throw out the race card more than a little annoying. Keep up the fantastic work that you and everyone else at Pro-Trucker does. Your professionalism, support, and everything else you all do for this industry is more appreciated than




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See you in a couple of daze at Big Rig Weekend in Red Deer. Have a safe journey.Kevin LennyThe Dawg

Editor’s note: Thank you for your support Kevin. Big Rig Weekend in Red Deer was a blast this year and I see you walked away with another trophy. For our readers – Kevin has really missed his calling. Well not really - yes he should be driving a truck because he truly does love it but many are of the opinion it should be a food truck. Kevin arrived at Alberta Big Rig Weekend this year with

two trays of his home made Cheese cake and, being a bit of a connoisseur of cheesecake, (with a waistline to prove it) I have to say it is the best I have ever had. Eat your heart out Cheesecake Factory and just hope he doesn’t become your competition.

Hi John,Hopefully your readers remember when I wrote a

regular column for Pro-Trucker. I really like the way the magazine brings together a bunch of individual truckers into a community. Even though I have been in trucking my whole life, there are still huge areas of this industry I needed to learn about and it is great that I can read about them in Pro-Trucker.

Unfortunately, some challenges in my personal life



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Igor was a contractor for Accord for over 6 years and while driving he was constantly on the lookout for interesting opportunities to set up his camera. What I like is he has an eye for the working truck, in the real world, not the polished showroom kind of truck often seen in advertisements. We self-published the book, and the pictures are really beautiful. I sincerely hope some of you guys will take a look. There is a full preview, so you can see the entire book for free at http://www.blurb.ca/books/5393419-the-big-rig-world-in-stories-and-pictures We hope everyone enjoys it and we’d really appreciate a comment, Good or bad. If you want one for your own, there is an icon the preview frame that will take you through to amazon where the book can be ordered. Ken Davey

Editor’s note: I have looked at the book Ken and you and Igor have done an amazing job. If I had known you were that good I would have asked you to write for us…oh wait, yeah…you do. The photography is excellent and it is loaded with good, well presented, information for




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Hi John,Thank you for your August editorial. It is about time

someone brought this out in the open. The carbon tax has caused a lot of hardship in the north of the province where a lot of us have no choice about the amount of heating fuel we use as well as fuel for traveling long distances for work and shopping. I run between BC and Alberta and I haven’t bought fuel in BC for a couple years now, unless it is really necessary, and then it is only enough to get me back to Alberta. If the carbon tax was meant to make this a green province then what is the increased road speeds for? I can only suggest that the carbon tax was working so well that people were using less fuel which in turn reduced the amount of taxes col-lected. Not wanting to tell the world that they were going back on their boast of a green province they increased the speeds to increase the amount of fuel used and in turn make up for lost revenues.

I do not know how the government picks ministers. As far as I know Todd Stone is the founder of a software company. How does that qualify him to make these kind of decisions on Transportation and what right does he




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Dear John,All drivers are familiar with the expression, “If

you can’t see my mirrors I can’t see you.” But as we all know sometimes you can see their mirrors and he/she still can’t see you. Earlier this year my colleagues from SafetyDriven and I participated in the NAOSH launch and Safety Rodeo held at the Cloverdale BC Fair Grounds. The theme was ’Make Safety a Habit’. The Safety Rodeo, the brain child of Bob Nielson from Mainroad Group, focused on youth safety, with high school students from around the Surrey area attending.

For our part, we strategically set up safety cones and vehicles around a snowplough and a tractor-trailer combination, supplied by Mainroad Group, and had the students climb into the driver’s seat of the trucks to get a view of the area from a driver’s perspective. We then asked how many cones they could see. Ten were setup but only six could be seen from their perch. We also posi-tioned a vehicle directly behind a truck so they could not see the mirrors. To no one’s surprise, when seated in the truck the students could not see the vehicle behind them. We also located a second vehicle beside the passenger door of another truck where the car driver could easily

see the truck’s mirrors but it too was in a blind spot for the truck driver.

We then explained to the students that the time it takes to drive from the blind spot behind the truck to the one by the passenger door, is mere seconds. If, while you are moving, the trucker happens to be looking ahead, or to the opposite side, then chances are he/she will not know that you are beside them. Now if the trucker decides to make a right hand turn, or change lanes, you are in a very dangerous position.

The advice we gave the students who find themselves in that position was: When behind a truck make sure you stay far enough behind so you can see their mirrors. When beside a truck, pay attention to their signal lights. If they start flashing then honk your horn and imme-diately slow down or speed up to get out of their blind spot - whichever is safest. Or, if safe to do so, move into another lane or onto the shoulder and let them by.

We always emphasize that, “In traffic you may be in the right, but do you want to be dead right?”

We hope to continue this type of education for young drivers in the future at Pro-Trucker Magazine’s Big Rig Weekends. Gary Crawford, Dip.T OHSSafety Advisor

Editor’s note: Pro-Trucker will also be co-hosting this



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Dear John, In addition to my last letter, we often we read or hear

in the news about a large commercial vehicle being involved in an accident, and it seems, many people inter-pret this as the professional driver being the primary cause of the accident.

However studies show that large vehicles are only involved in 4.3% of all vehicular accidents and in most instances (approximately 75%)*, when the accident involve a small vehicle, the cause has been assigned to the driver of the small vehicle. If you think about it, it’s quite amazing considering these professionals can drive up to 13 hours a day and over 100,000 miles/161,000Km per year and millions of miles in a career, many times while dealing with extreme and challenging weather condi-tions, deadlines and upset customers (because of course, everyone wants their product delivered yesterday).

Yet at the same time it seems they are being held to a higher standard of safety, than we, the average drivers. These are highly skilled individuals who truly deserve our respect and admiration.

*Statistics from Truck Accidents.orghttp://www.truckaccidents.org/statistics/

Gary Crawford

Iced up There I was in Vancouver in the middle of January

loading milled Cedar on a flat deck and it was raining like there was no tomorrow. The load was going to two differ-ent places in Ontario but I was lucky because it just worked out that I could separate the bundles for the two drops.

I got loaded and tied down with no problems and then unfolded the big lumber tarps and tied them down. To make things just a bit better I threw 3 extra 2 inch straps over the tarps before heading out. By the time I reached Chilliwack the rain had turned to freezing rain, and soon after that it began to snow. Things went quite well for a winter run and before long I was up and over the hump with no problems. The load looked good and although the tarps looked a little heavy, there was no flapping. By the time I reached Calgary it had cleared up and dropped to about 5 below. From Calgary on to North Bay it was a breeze. The roads had just a skiff of snow covering them and the winds were light - but man was it cold.



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When I pulled in to North Bay to make my first drop it was 28 below and everything was crunchy. Then came the first problem. Did you ever try to open up two inch ratchet straps that had started out wet then set up for 5 days at minus twenty? After about half an hour I finally managed to get them off so I could start on my tarps. My bungee cords were frozen solid and caked with ice but I managed to unhook them. Next I had to pull the tarp but it too was frozen in place and would not move, even with three full grown men pulling on it. The lift truck finally came over and hooked onto my tarps and pulled them off for me. They were frozen so bad that they retained the shape of the load even after they hit the ground. The 4 inch load straps were also frozen and they too required the lift truck to pull each one off to get to the load. The load itself had frozen into a solid block and it required more than a little extra effort to separate the bundles to unload.

While the lift truck unloaded four of us managed to pull my tarp across the lot and into a building where we left it to unthaw while I wound all my straps and stowed every-thing else away. Five hours later I finally had the tarps folded and bills signed. I pulled out with half a load tarped up front and with no rear tarps to close it off.

I arrived at the next drop in Barrie, Ontario, on a Friday and when I got there it was an unbelievable frigid minus 40 and now I had to somehow get the other half of my load off. It was almost a complete repeat of the day before only

with several time outs added in to warm up between tasks. This time it took us six hours to unload, thaw out the tarps and refold them, have the papers signed and get back on the road. Needless to say that with a total unload time of eleven hours I was now out of hours and ended up spend-ing the weekend at a friend’s place. Not having endured enough cold, we decided to go ice fishing.

Was this a normal load? Nope - but it shows what can happen in the winter to any flat bedder and all in all it is nothing more than part of the job.

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On one of my hiatus’s from the road I decided that, for a lot of reasons, selling trucks might be better than driving them. You didn’t have to get up in the middle of the night to go to work; there would be no more chaining up and ultimately you wouldn’t be lying under your truck trying to glue something back together in thirty below weather.

At the time I didn’t realize that selling involved more than just having the gift of the gab, which I have in abun-dance, but it also demands a lot of dedication. The problem I had was, I’m a dreamer! I’m not too realistic, so when I found that my diet was being unfavourably controlled by my diminishing income, I went back driving.

Anyway I was selling trucks for the Hayes dealer in Prince George when my brother Jim, who just happened to be running three HD Hayes, came into the dealership mad as could be.

“I thought you told me those HD’s were tough.” He stormed.

“They are,” I said, a little upset at his tone of voice, “Unless you buy a tank, you won’t find a tougher truck on the road.”

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off the road and dumped a load of logs in the ditch and the mirror arms never even kept the truck upright, it bent, and that’s why I’m here to buy a new one,”

At this point I realized that he thought he really was driving a tank and I was just about to mention something about his dubious parentage, until I remembered he was my brother and I decided any hasty remarks would reflect badly on myself. I did however offer to help him fix his truck the next day, which happened to be Saturday.

When I arrived at the farm in the morning to help him, he already had the new mirror arm and mirror mounted. The only other damage I could see was to the right hand corner of the big old steel bumper and the fender. The bumper had hit a stump and was bent back about a foot and




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of course, since the fender was fastened to the bumper, it was also bent.

We looked it over and I suggested we take off the bum-per and the fender. Then using the hot wrench and a big hammer, straighten it out.

“That will take too much time,” Jim said as he walked over to the D-7 cat and started it. When he got it going he walked the cat over to the truck and parked it with the winch pointing towards the bumper. He motioned me over, so I could hear him over the noise of the engine and shouted down to me. “Hook the bull hook on the bottom of the bumper and when I tighten the winch line, stand back.”

I did as instructed and stood back as he started winch-ing on the bumper until the winch line was singing tight and then he shut down the cat. He handed me the cutting torch and said, “Hold it on the crease in the bumper, until I tell you to stop, then hold it on the crease in the fender.”

As I was heating up the bumper he took a mighty swing with the sledge hammer and hit the bumper on the crease that I had heated and with a snap everything came back into place. We then used the torch and ten pound hammer to ‘fine tune’ our work on the bumper. Next we gave the fender the same treatment.

After they had cooled we painted them with a red spray bomb and then stood back with pride and looked at our job. But Jim, never about to let someone else have the last word said, “Damned junk should have stood up better than that.”

Knowing Jim all my life, and wanting to get home, I just ignored him, but as I drove back to town I was thinking, “If it had been one of those new plastic trucks, we would have needed a lot more than a D-7 cat, a sledge hammer and a torch, to fix it and he would have probably not seen the truck, for the rest of the winter.

• • • • •

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When does the exaggeration or the illusion of safety actually create unsafe conditions? Once something is accepted, how do we recant and return to the way it was without enacting laws to do so? I do not have the answer to either of those questions, what I do have is an example of one of those illusions.

In the past when any automobile or tractor-trailer was stopped in the direct path of traffic they would engage their four way flashers or hazard lights. This was done to warn other motorists that their current predicament would affect the safety, not only for them-selves, but for other road users. Situations could be a blown tire or mechanical, accident scene or weather conditions to name a few. In all cases the vehicle would be stopped.

Approximately a decade ago, an unwritten highway policy was adopted by a few drivers who by whatever notion believed that using hazard lights while moving

By Scott CaseyScott, our Rig of The Month for May 2003 has written “In the Devil’s Courthouse” a book about his years as a gun toting truck driver while serving as a Canadian Peacekeeper in the former Yugoslavia

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was a safe way to operate their trucks. This new self-imposed directive became a manipulation of an already existing use of a safety device. It became such a widely mismanaged safety illusion that trucking companies actually jumped on the bandwagon and adopted the practice as a standard operating procedure while trav-elling slowly on hills. I was as amazed and aggravated then, as I am now with this practice.

I understand the concept of impeding traffic, and hazard lights could be used if while looking in your mirrors you notice someone approaching quickly, by turning them on momentarily to alert them and then shutting them off. However, truckers are regu-larly using their hazard lights when traveling slower on hills regardless of speed. They are being used for upwards of 10 and 20 kilometres, and even at speeds only 10kmh below the posted limit. Imagine a truck doing 90kmh on a posted 100kmh road with its hazard lights flashing. I see this regularly on the Coquihalla highway. This usage creates the illusion that the big rig is a hazard. Well maybe it really is, as is my point of this article.

The reason I draw issue with this is simple and hor-rifying. The average motorist becomes numb or accus-tomed to flashing hazard lights when they see a truck moving along. What happens when a truck is “actually at a complete stop?” The operator of the car, by way of

repetitive memory and cognitive function, “assumes” that the trucker is still moving, and an impact situation is created. This happens more often than is reported; with a fatality crash occurring just three days prior to my writing of this piece. Another factor is if the truck and trailer has a defective signal light or if a four wheeler has already moved ahead of the taillights. When the lights on one side of the trailer are noticed, the motorist is alerted to a “lane change” and may take evasive action in haste, thus creating a dangerous situ-ation needlessly.

In my opinion, good hazard light use should only be employed in applicable hazardous situations, and not so they remain as they are now used, good n hazardous.



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1st Place: Sleeper Unit 2002-Older Sponsored By: M. Pidherney Trucking2nd Place: O/Op - Best Paint Trophy Sponsored By: TransX

2nd Place: O/Op - Best Interior Trophy Sponsored By: Alberta Motor Transport Association

Best In Show - Owner OperatorTrophy Sponsored By: McLean & Shaw Insurance

Mike Hummel - 2003 Kenworth W900L

Steve Laslo 2015 Peterbilt 389

1st Place: Sleeper Unit - 2009 - New Trophy Sponsored By: All Weather Windows

1st Place: Owner Operator - Best Paint Trophy Sponsored By: Freightliner of Red Deer

1st Place: Owner Operator - Best Interior Trophy Sponsored By: Randa Transport

John Welburn Cruzin Corp2005 Peterbilt 375

1st Place: Sleeper Unit - 2003 - 2008Trophy Sponsored By: New West Freightliner

Lethbridge/Calgary 2nd Place: Owner Operator - Best Lights Trophy Sponsored By: DRB Mechanical



SATURDAY NIGHT LIGHTS




Best In Show - Company TruckTrophy Sponsored By: Trailer Wizards

Justin Cote Randa Transport - 2007 Peterbilt 379

1st Place: Company Truck - Bob Tail Trophy Sponsored By: Key Towing and Storage1st Place: Best Fleet Trophy Sponsored By: Kirks Tire Sales

1st Place: Company - Best Paint Trophy Sponsored By: Caneda Transport Inc.

Eric Duguay Cen-Alta 2012 Peterbilt 379

1st Place: Company - Truck/Trailer Trophy Sponsored By: Metalstrip & Coating

1st Place: Company - Best Lights Trophy Sponsored By:

Big Dogs Truck & Car Wash

Ryan Huta Auto Rescue 2008 Freightliner M2

1st Place: Specialty Truck Trophy Sponsored By:

Camex Equipment Sales and Rentals1st Place: Company - Best Interior

Trophy Sponsored By: Westcan Bulk




Arnie Derko1964 Peterbilt 281A

1st Place: Stock Antique - Non WorkingTrophy Sponsored By: Wowtrucks.com

1st Place: Mural/GraphicsTrophy Sponsored By: The Yellowhead Inn

2nd Place: Non Working - Best Paint Trophy Sponsored By: Cruzin’ Corp

Best In Show - Non CommercialTrophy Sponsored By: N.P.P. Northern Provincial Pipelines

1st Place: Peoples Choice Trophy Sponsored By: Trailer Wizards Calgary1st Place: Show Truck - Non Working Trophy Sponsored By: First Truck Centre1st Place: Non Working - Best Paint Trophy Sponsored By: Boychuk Ventures

1st Place: Non Working - Best Lights Trophy Sponsored By: Downton’s Transport1st Place: Non Working - Best Interior Sponsored By: Cliff’s Towing

Andy Zary 1959 Mack B61

James Welburn Cruzin Corp 1988 Peterbilt 379

2nd Place: Show Truck - Non Working Trophy Sponsored By: ZZ Chrome

2nd Place: Non Working - Best Interior Trophy Sponsored By: ZZ Chrome



Dean Cornish D.W. Cornish Trucking 1980 Kenworth W900A

2nd Place: Stock Antique - Non Working Trophy Sponsored By: Clifford R. Smith

Trucking Co. 2nd Place: Non Working - Best Lights Trophy Sponsored By: Y-Lee Trucking

West Cole BlueLine Rental 2011 Mack Granite

2nd Place: Tow Truck - Flat Deck - Carriers All Trophy Sponsored By: ZZ Chrome2nd Place: Company - Best Lights

Trophy Sponsored By: Shadow Group of Companies

Brian Hainsworth2007 Kenworth W900B

2nd Place: Owner Operator - Truck/Trailer Trophy Sponsored By: All Weather Windows

Brad Brandt Mark Brandt Trucking 2003 Peterbilt 379

2nd Place: Company - Best Interior Trophy Sponsored By: ZZ Chrome

Wayne Goddard Jade Transport2014 Peterbilt 389

2nd Place: Company Truck - Bob Tail Trophy Sponsored By: Daimler Trucks Canada

Joe Heric1962 Mack B75

3rd Place: Show Truck - Non Working Trophy Sponsored By: Clifford R. Smith Trucking




Motor Rosenau MTR Tractor Service 1998 Freightliner FLD120

2nd Place: Mural/Graphics Trophy Sponsored By: Rosenau Transport

Jeff Mayo V&S Trucking 2014 Peterbilt 389LH

1st Place: Owner Operator - Best Lights Trophy Sponsored By: Guy’s Freightways

Ed Marks All Weather Windows2013 International Pro Star

2nd Place: Best Fleet Trophy Sponsored By: Wajax Power Systems

Al Barker All Weather Windows2012 International Lone Star

2nd Place: Best Fleet Trophy Sponsored By: Wajax Power Systems

Jason Girden Rosenau Transport2007 Kenworth W900B

1st Place: Owner Operator - Truck/Trailer Trophy Sponsored By: Continental Cartage

2nd Place: O/Op - Best Lights - Truck Trailer Trophy Sponsored By: Skiddd Wheel Indicator



Russ Mappin Guys Freightways2004 Peterbilt 379

2nd Place: Company - Truck/Trailer Trophy Sponsored By: Great West Kenworth

Ian Richmond Stingray Express2007 Peterbilt 379L

2nd Place: Sleeper Unit - 2003 - 2008 Trophy Sponsored By: Shadow Group of Companies

Mike Balaz Balaz Trucking1995 Peterbilt 379

Ernie Kapicki1984 Kenworth K100

2nd Place: Cab Over Trophy Sponsored By: Y-Lee Trucking

2nd Place: Sleeper Unit - 2002 - Older Trophy Sponsored By: K & P Drever Transport

2nd Place: Day Cab Trophy Sponsored By: Freightland Carriers

Rob Urquhart 2008 Kenworth T800

Kim Wylie Y-Lee Trucking Ltd. 1981 Kenworth W900

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Kevin Lennie Lennie Trucking 1989 Mack R600

1st Place: Day Cab Trophy Sponsored By: TransX

Don Rawlek Kel-War Ventures 2000 Kenworth K100E

1st Place: Cab Over Trophy Sponsored By: Feather River Transport

Darrell Weirsma 2012 Freightliner 122SD

2nd Place: Sleeper Unit - 2009 - New Trophy Sponsored By: Diesel Tech

2nd Place: Tow Truck WreckerTrophy Sponsored By: ZZ Chrome

Chuck Schwanbeck Auto Rescue2010 Dodge Ram

Doug Ruddick Atlas Trucking2007 Kenworth W900B

2nd Place: Specialty Truck Trophy Sponsored By: RC Heavy Truck & Trailer Repair

Guy Huta Auto Rescue 2014 Kenworth T800

1st Place: Tow Truck - Flat Deck - Carriers All Trophy Sponsored By: Dawn Gordon Tractor Service



Jean Francois Gagnon 2014 Peterbilt 388Big Time Towing & Recovery

1st Place: Tow Truck Wrecker Trophy Sponsored By: Commercial Truck Equipment

Randy Wiebe Inline Industries1987 Peterbilt 379

2nd Place: Company - Best Paint Trophy Sponsored By: Rosenau Transport




Above - 1st Place: Best FleetRanda Transport

Justin Cote, Justin MortonBob Hall, Mason Edwards

Trophy Sponsored By: Kirks Tire Sales

Below and Right - 2nd Place: Best FleetAll Weather Windows

Darwin HildebrandEd Marks, Al Barker

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Justin Cote 2007 Peterbilt 379 Justin Morton 2002 Peterbilt 379

Bob Hall 1998 Peterbilt 379 Mason Edwards 2000 Peterbilt 379

Darwin Hildebrand 2007 Peterbilt 379L

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26 Big Rig Weekends! Who would have thought that the late Dale Feechuk’s idea of a Trucker’s Family Weekend would be going strong 14 years after he first approached Pro-Trucker Magazine asking for help.

The first Annual BC Big Rig Weekend, “A Trucker’s Dream” was held in 2001 and it was a great success. It grew considerably in 2002 and that year we had an overwhelming response when we asked companies in the industry to sponsor trophies. Many of the companies who sponsored trophies in 2002 still sponsor them today.

In 2003 we hosted the first Alberta Big Rig Weekend. As the years went by it became more and more expensive to host Big Rig Weekends so in 2004

we went and spoke with companies in the industry about Major Sponsorships. Howes Lubricator and Shell Rotella T immediately stepped forward.

• Howes Lubricator is now our longest continuous supporter having been a Major Sponsor for the last 10 consecutive years.

• In 2006 Glen Transport, which soon became Glen West Specialized, also became a Major Sponsor. They have been a Major Sponsor now for a total of 9 years.

• Shell Rotella T was a sponsor for the first 6 years until 2010 when they went through some major changes within the company but I am very happy to say that they came back as a Major Sponsor in 2014 and have now been a sponsor for a total of 7 years.

• ZZ Chrome first became a Major Sponsor in 2008 and they have remained a Major Sponsor the last 7 years. (They have also supplied the majority of chrome and stainless that adorn the trucks at the shows.)

• Peterbilt of Red Deer became a Major Sponsor the year that Alberta Big Rig Weekend moved to Red Deer. They have continued to be a Major sponsor for the past 5 years.

• This year we welcomed AMC Insurance as a new Major Sponsor. Hopefully they too will continue to support the shows in the coming years.

There is no doubt that the Dale Feechuk’s dream of a Truckers Family Weekend would not be alive and well today without the support of both our Major Sponsors and our Trophy Sponsors. These companies are a rare breed in that they not only know the importance of giving back to the industry that supports them but they actually reach into their pocket and put their money where their mouth is. I would like to encourage all our readers to take note of the companies who make these event possible and, if you have the opportunity, support them and their businesses like they support you.

To Our Generous SponsorsTo Our Generous Sponsors

And most of All, tHAnK YoU to oUr sHow & sHine pArticipAnts for AnotHer greAt YeAr!




THAN

K YOU

Silver Sponsors

gold Sponsors

Here are just a few of the many other sponsors who supply items that are needed make the shows a success. Hertz Equipment Rentals - generatorsParadise RV Red Deer – on site travel trailers for our volunteersDave Chapman at Bugle Forklift Sales& Rentals – Custom Golf CartKeyag Ventures in Leduc and Red Deer - Diesel Kubota Acto Gas Red Deer – Barbecue grill for Saturday night BarbequeHike Pilot Car - help and support all weekend

SHOW AND SHINE JUDGES:Jason Pitt and Eva Pitt Al BailerVic BossioDarren ThompsonDan McCormackJoanna Pitt

PHOTOGRAPHERSBen ProudleyDavid Benjakschek

OUR VOLUNTEERS: Shane White Jen Dueck Heather FraserKen ClarkCory RathburnTiffany RathburnAndrew WesaDoug LupinoLiz & George Rollison



Contact Us!“It’s hard for me to get used to these changing times. I

can remember when the air was clean and sex was dirty” - George Burns I use to work with a crazy Dutchman named Tom

Uitvlugt. I know it looks like I misspelled his name but Tom was proud that he came from a long line of Dutch traders and he would say his ancestors were way to cheap too pay for any vowels. Tom was a great guy who worked very hard to cover trucks for the very best dollar per mile. To this day I consider him a good friend.

In the 70’s Tom drove for Atomic based out of Winnipeg. He had been taught to drive truck from his dad, a very lik-able hard working guy who had an elfin like grin and could repair any problem on any truck with what he had in his pocket – at least long enough to get it to a shop. Tom said the most important thing his Dad ever told him is there are 2 kinds of accidents you never want to be in. First don’t hit anything coming toward you. Second don’t hit anything that is not moving. For a couple of years when Accord first

By Ken Davey Ken Davey has 30 years experience in the trucking industry. He is currently a Director at Accord Transportation Ltd., and a member of the Board for the Trucking Safety Council of BC

An ounce of PRevention...

opened, those 2 simple sentences were 90% of our safety program repeated with every dispatch.

A lot has changed since Tom learned to drive. Common sense still tells you that running into something coming toward you is a really bad idea. No matter who’s fault it is there is going to be one heck of a crash and someone is going to get hurt. Head on accidents, in my experience hardly ever happen anymore, because of better road design and better vehicle design. Thank goodness, because they are catastrophic. However, hitting stationary object acci-dents are on the rise. Conditions for stationary objects have changed and it’s time for the Pro-Trucker to make some adjustments.

Here what has changed…I started in this business when 42 ft. trailers were the

standard and were really all you ever saw. Today, 53 ft. trailers are the standard, but you still see some 48 footers on the road or 40 ft. ocean containers. Also there are “a” trains and “b” trains… so a driver today is exposed to a lot of variety in length. In addition to varying lengths, you also have varying widths. Ocean containers are the narrowest, solid wall trailers the widest. Also, especially here in the west, the kingpin measurement is all over the place. Because of California or tridems, we see kingpin’s length from 38 feet to as long as 43. This measurement greatly affects how your trailer tracts and how wide the tail swing travels. Worst of all we are delivering to a lot of buildings where the facility was designed for a shorter




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piece of equipment.Further, consider the new log book rules that mean you

have to end your day at a specific time. This makes drivers spend more time in a truck stop. This makes truck stops – a high crash area for this type of accident- more crowded than they were under the old log book rules. This crowding creates a bigger hazard when you fuel, and when you stop for the night. Then, because it’s harder to rest during the day, you are more tired when you finally get to stop.

Here are some ideas to handle truck stop hazards.When entering any yard, especially a fuel stop, hang up

the phone, put down the drink. I know this is basic but I see it all the time. Don’t hurry. Do one job at a time. I can’t tell you how often I see guys pulling away from the pump and trying to make a note on their trip envelope or messing with the receipt and sun visor.

If the guy ahead of you takes a minute to get through at the fuel desk…think twice about pulling around him, espe-cially if you have to back up. Fuel stops are full of “trailer traps” low bollards that are hard to see and will cut the rail on your trailer, take out a few cross members or even derail your bogies. Any one of these accidents will put you out of service and cause the load to be transferred to another trailer. Remember a 6 inch cut in any direction in that thin aluminum bottom rail puts the trailer out of service.

When ending your long day at a truck stop, it is easy to let your guard down before you actually get stopped.




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Turning into the truck stop feels like arriving home but the toughest half kilometer of your day is still to come, especially if it is still dark. Keep your eye out for pedes-trians. Look out for narrow turning areas as someone may have been forced to park outside the line and into the driving lane. Be careful parking, remember GOAL (get out and look) is always a better option than running into something.

Please Join my professional network on Linked at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenrdavey

Classic Fifties Film I read an article in a trucking magazine over here about a

remake of the cult fifties film, ‘Hell Drivers’, and it triggered a few memories for me. About 30 or so years ago I was driv-ing for a firm called Archibald Brechin, in Pinkston road, Glasgow. I was loading grain from Meadowside Granary in South Street for delivery to various distilleries in Glasgow.

A big haulage company from Bathgate used to load in

tyRes AcRoss the PondColin Black lives in Bellshill,

Lanarkshire, Scotland and has been driving truck for over 40 years. His story shows us once again that the problems drivers face are universal.



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there as well, and the antics of their drivers would’ve given the Hell Drivers a run for their money. After I’d delivered three loads I started getting a small bonus for each load after that. I imagine the Bathgate men would’ve been on a similar pay structure. The Granary closed for lunch from twelve to one and drivers weren’t allowed to sit under their loading hopper when the loaders weren’t there.

Any drivers that had to wait between 12 and one usually went to the on-site canteen. At one o’ clock some Bathgate drivers had a wee trick to jump the queue. They would come out the canteen first and while passing a colleague’s truck, pull the pin on the fifth wheel. This meant if the driver didn’t notice the pin had been pulled and drove away the trailer disconnected from the truck and dropped on its nose, or if he was unlucky he ripped all the airlines off his truck.

Drivers who got in and loaded before lunch time had to keep their wits about them as well. Some drivers thought they would save time and eat as they drove to the delivery point. If they were spotted by a “workmate” doing this, some of their “buddies” waited until they were almost clear of the driver with his tea in one hand and his piece (Scottish sand-wich) in the other and then pulled in sharply. The tea and the piece went up in the air as the driver had to stand on the brakes to avoid a collision.

There were some wild men driving in days gone by, and just like the Hell Drivers, regulation was minimal. With no speed limiters or tachographs they drove as fast as they

thought they could get away with. One or two extra loads every day could mount up to a good few pounds extra in the wage packet, so the risk versus reward was in their favour. But the chance to make big wages brings out the worst in some men, a selfish give me the biggest slice attitude.

But things haven’t changed much in the modern day drivers, look into any car passing you and most of the driv-ers will have a phone of some description in their hand to distract them. If the self-drive system that Mercedes is now working on becomes the norm, a phone or tablet will be no distraction at all. Drivers will be able to attend to delivery docs and any other trucking business on their tablet. The new Mercedes system called Highway Pilot was tested in front of transport magazine writers on a closed off highway in Germany. While the driver was using a tablet computer the truck drove round obstacles and gave way to emergency vehicles. According to Mercedes this is the system of the future, the “driver” of these self-drive vehicles can do what he likes on route to his next delivery. Well, that’s until the sensors and computer operating the vehicle come up against something they can’t handle, then they hand over control to the human in the driving seat.

I don’t know about you, but I certainly wouldn’t feel safe in a truck driving itself. Especially when you consider that Mercedes has been producing semi-automatic gearboxes for many years now and they still can’t give you a gearbox that won’t leave you in neutral for no reason.

Highway Pilot? I’ll take that role thank you.




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Recently I was hired to move an elderly diesel tandem dump truck from high on a mountainside to a farm about 70 miles distant. I know you don’t often see ads seeking Class 1 octogenarians to drive trucks however it was for people I knew and I guess they thought my services would be significantly discounted because of my age. They forgot that experience comes with its own price.

It was a hot day and of course this piece of equipment was lacking air-conditioning without which a modern asphalt jockey wouldn’t leave home. I had never set eyes on this unit before entering the surprisingly clean cab, but it had been inspected by a heavy duty mechanic and declared sufficiently compliant to make the journey with-out incident, which it thankfully did.

As most readers know, dump trucks are not designed to run with an empty box and I believe over the course of the trip I traveled about half the distance again –vertical-ly. It also had a pronounced over-steering characteristic,

dRiving thRough My MeMoRiesBy Ed MurdochEd has held a commercial drivers license for 60 years and has spent the better part of 50 years on the road. You can get Ed’s new book atwww.drivingthroughmymemories.ca

which made right-hand turns, while braking and grabbing gears, a real challenge. Signalling right required constant hand pressure on the turn signal lever, adding further calisthenics to the overall exercise.

My first objective was to safely descend the steep mountain roadway without benefit of a Jake brake and the next was to get by a government weigh scale liter-ally crawling with CVSE doing inspections. Having been alerted of the check by my escort and I being the slippery individual I am - I knew of an alternate route.

Once out on the open highway it was hair straight back and scarf blowing in the wind as I reached the astound-ing speed of 90 kph. This was achieved by finding the right combination of gears, without benefit of the clutch,




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which required both feet and maximum pressure to use. The electric horn didn’t work, and the air horn just made a threatening hissing sound sort of like a mad snake, how-ever the truck engine and the howling transmission along with the banging and crashing of the aluminum box pro-duced enough noise to warn others that we were coming.

I would be lying if I said that the remainder of the safari was a pleasant journey through picturesque scen-ery along gently rolling country lanes. As nice as the landscape was my eyes were glued to the few gauges that actually worked, especially the temperature readings and the air pressure dial which was below the dash. These readouts were illuminated from the glow of my bare, burning legs, due to the heat from the engine through the non-insulated firewall.

Being mid-summer, traffic was relentless and not at all forgiving. With the 2/60 air conditioning operating at full speed the wide open windows were like an invitation to tiny six-legged, four-winged creatures - the odd ones pos-sessing nasty stingers. My bare arms also bore the brunt of rocks and debris that entered my not-so-private-space from the tires of other road users.

The journey finally did end much to my relief and with the relic safely parked, the owner took me into his home where I met his three friendly canine companions who took turns licking my wounds. Following the use of his facility the proud new owner then chauffeured me

to my home 40 miles away with a stop along the way to replenish lost calories courtesy of an excellent Oriental restaurant.

Would I do it all again? Damn rights I would. It was a moving experience not likely to be easily forgotten. You can take the boy out of the truck but it is entirely another exercise to get the truck out of the old fart, especially one still driving through his memories.

* * * * *Today was a good, good, day… by John White

Eat your heart out guys and girls – today I got to do something that you can only dream about… but first I‘ll start at the beginning. On Wednesday August 27th my son-in-law Ben Proudley called and asked if I knew what ALS was. I said yes I knew about it and that it is more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. (Little was known of the disease by the general public until Lou Gehrig, an extremely talented and popular baseball player, who played 17 seasons for the New York Yankees, was forced into retirement when he contracted it and died 2 short years later. The disease itself is a degenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord leaving the brain with less and less control over the muscles in the body. This eventually leads to total paraly-sis and death.)

Ben then asked if I had heard about the ALS Ice




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Bucket Challenge and how it worked. I replied that you would have to be living under a rock not to have heard about it over the last few weeks. I said that as I understood it, the original rule was if a person was challenged to donate to ALS research he had two choices, within 24 hours he could make a donation, or he would have to agree to having a bucket of ice water dumped over his head. At that time the person who was challenged could pass the challenge on to others giving them the same option. But I said that as far as I knew the rules had evolved so that now people were donating AND getting a bucket of ice water dumped over their heads.

Ben went on to say that he had been challenged and wanted me to dump the water over his head while it was being recorded. Long story short he arrived at my house with bags of ice for the water. Once here he challenged me and the resulting video can be seen on Pro-Trucker Magazine’s Facebook page. One of the people he chal-lenged was Cst. Usipik a former CVSE, who is now a

Delta BC cop, and who was a show and shine judge at BC Big Rig Weekend.

Ken accepted the challenge and said he would be over today with three of his team. (A great team with a great sense of humour, who were all thrilled to be given the opportunity to participate) Ken went on to challenge other law enforcement agencies to meet or exceed their donation. This video can also be seen on Pro-Trucker Magazine’s Facebook page.

Cst. USIPIUKCst. SANSREGRET Cst. SMITH Cst. PORTER




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