The way a person conducts themselves can be impactful in terms of their professional credibility [1]. Credibility is one of those traits so desired in a professional that its importance does not normally require an explanation or sales pitch, and it is occasionally used as a marketing buzz word for professional designations [2].

Your home or your business has been damaged – maybe by a fire, flood, or some other disaster. You report the loss to your insurer, and an adjuster comes out to do an evaluation. Then you get the call no one wants – you find out the cost to rebuild or repair the damage is more than you’re insured for, and you’re going to have to pay the difference.

At 34 years and counting, Watt & Stewart Commodities Inc. thriving with strong company culture

I want to discuss a topic that is important to me and, for some, somewhat controversial: disputing safety violations. This article is intended to be general in subject and tone, so first I will define how I will be using the following three terms in this article:

The greatest success our industry can celebrate occurs when we all make it home safely.

After all, as people, we are our industry. Most of us work diligently, to provide for our families, and to enjoy a quality of life that we can be proud of. In order for us to achieve this goal, plenty of things have to go right, and in addition, we need to mitigate a number of things from going wrong.

In the trucking industry, there is a requirement in the province of Alberta for trucking and bus companies to provide commercial drivers with training upon hiring (AR314/2002, the Commercial Vehicle Certificate and Insurance Regulation). Companies can consult Commercial Vehicle Safety Compliance in Alberta (also known as the AB Education Manual), which is a publication by the Government of Alberta which is freely available online through their website.

As I completed my research for a safety moment that I completed earlier in March, I found it to be quite concerning how catastrophic the impacts of fatigue really could be. Now, the safety moment I provided lightly discussed the various symptoms of fatigue – as there are many – as I wanted to focus on the impacts of one symptom in particular, which at times, I believe, can be overlooked.

Knowing when and how to ask for help is a valuable life skill. No one can do everything completely on their own, and if they try they are likely to see worse results than if they had asked for help when it was needed.

It was approaching the first week of March 2020 when I first learned the term “pandemic”, as a small group of people were conversing at my son’s basketball game about this thing that was happening on the other side of the world. What a journey it has been since that day.

There is a lot of talk in the trucking industry about the driver shortage, and I am not minimising this concern. However, the best jobs in the industry often have many applicants, and simply holding the right license may not be enough to land you the position you want.

Some of my greatest success stories to date, occurred when I simply got out of my own way.

Have you ever been involved in a group project at work, and the goal of this project was to solve an ongoing issue that was costing the company money unnecessarily? If so, I am confident at some point in the journey you and a few other colleagues scheduled a meeting to review what would entail resolving this issue.

While theft is the major cause of commercial cargo loss, other issues can also cause major headaches for trucking companies and their customers. Follow the tips below to avoid them:

Watch out for temperature changes

Well, friends, I believe we have gone somewhere that quite possibly no other has gone before.

By the time you are reading this edition of Josh’s Corner, we will be nearing, or at, the end of 2020. As we approach the end of this year, I think it is fair to say we have a number of reasons to express gratitude.

Back in 2019, I was trucking a load of hay into Saskatchewan. En route, I was stopped at a small town railway crossing when a car failed to stop for an oncoming train.

As a registered social worker, I have had several opportunities to hear various stories and learn from clients who are truck drivers employed in the transportation industry.

Over the last few weeks, different sectors within our industry have started to share more articles, communicating the importance of winter preparation, changing driving behaviour, tire chain laws (in certain areas), and more. Possibly, you have started to communicate a similar message in your own organization, or have been on the receiving end of such. I find these communications to be extremely valuable, and believe that we need to continue to share this information across industry throughout the winter months.

It’s 2 a.m. and the winter winds are howling as you pull up your loaded semi behind a rural gas station and hustle inside for a double double and a box of Timbits. After a few minutes of banter with the cashier, you head back – and your truck is gone, along with its load of frozen meat products.

Guest columns do not necessarily reflect the views of the Alberta Motor Transport Association, please reach out with questions or concerns to irt@amta.ca

It goes without saying that this has been a vastly different year for everybody all over the world. Lives have been disrupted, uncertainty runs rampant and each day seems like we are living the Internet meme of Captain Picard asking for a damage report. It is not what we are used to, and it will be some time yet before we return to what one would consider “normal”.

Growing up, were you part of an organized team sports? Possibly, you grew up playing soccer, hockey, chess, or gymnastics. Through my youth, I was fortunate to play a couple of different sports. At times, I excelled at the game, and at times, I excelled at warming the bench. One of the sports I found myself doing quite well at was basketball, and I credit one of my first basketball coaches for this.

Transportation workers are no strangers to musculoskeletal injuries, especially in the back, neck, shoulders, and legs. Yet, even though their work is vastly different than that of other industries, we all face a common problem: lack of movement.