Transportation Minister Sawhney addresses crowd of 50 at AMTA mix and mingle
Alberta’s Transportation Minister Rajan Sawhney, addressed about 50 Alberta Motor Transport Association (AMTA) members and industry March 11 for an industry mix and mingle.
A Tale of Two WCB Accounts
– Rob Dombowsky, Industry Advisor, Human Resources & Labour, AMTA
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”
Charles Dickens – A Tale of Two Cities
WCB seeking industry feedback on three policy updates
Rob Dombowsky, AMTA Industry Advisor, Human Resources & Labour
On occasion, WCB will circulate policy updates for review by its stakeholders. If you are impacted by the following policies, may be impacted or have an opinion you would like to share, please review the policies below and submit your feedback directly to WCB. Alternatively, AMTA is interested in hearing your feedback, so we are able to formulate an industry representative opinion on our members’ behalf.
2022 Certificate of Recognition (COR) COVID Audit Plan
The 2022 COVID Audit Plan is in effect from January 1 to December 31, 2022.
-On-site data gathering activities by auditors was suspended from January 1 to February 28, 2022.
During this period, Alberta implemented a public health measure for mandatory working from home in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Note internal maintenance auditors were allowed to continue on-site activities, if they were directed by their employer to remain on-site during the pandemic.
‘Heavily underrepresented’
Opportunities aplenty in commercial transportation industry, say women who have broken the bias
Kelsey Hipkin, AMTA Staff Writer
It’s the theme of the 2022 International Women’s Day, celebrated annually on March 8. The day is an opportunity to celebrate women globally and an opportunity to celebrate the contributions women make to the commercial transportation industry and to Albertans and Canadians, every day.
Alberta Government: Budget 2022-25
The Alberta Government has released its 2022-25 budget.
Key funding anticipated for the transportation and research and innovation industries includes:
Platooning Profiles: Esso Commercial Cardlocks
AMTA: Why did Esso become involved with the CTPS system?
Esso: The Cooperative Truck Platooning System project connects with two key priorities for Imperial: safety and innovation.
From a safety perspective, everything we do at Imperial is based on our core value of ensuring that Nobody Gets Hurt. The project’s demonstration of platooning technology and its potential safety improvements for drivers and the motoring public is aligned with our commitment to helping protect the well-being of Canadians from every walk of life.
Light Vehicle Weight Limits: Discussions of weight compliance for the less-than-Class 8 operators
Dave Elniski, Industry Advisor, Safety & Compliance
This article has been accepted for publication by Western Canada Highway News; their digital editions can be accessed at this link.
I commonly receive requests for help with figuring out weight limits for light vehicles in my role as an AMTA Industry Advisor. When I say light vehicles, I’m referring to combinations that are significantly lighter than Class 8 tractor-trailers where the manufacturer’s axle and overall weight limits are less than the legal weight limits for the jurisdiction. Examples of light vehicles for this article include units like a pickup truck pulling a tandem axle bumper-pull dump trailer or a one-ton dually crew cab that occasionally pulls a gooseneck trailer.
‘It always begins with recruitment’
Human trafficking survivor shares stories, statistics and the importance of having a safe place
Trigger Warning: Human trafficking//sexual violence
Pink Shirt Day – The Connection to Bullying in the Workplace
Many people look back on their childhood in fond memory of their time at school with their classmates and friends. Unfortunately, many people do not have the same fond memories because they were victims of bullying and harassment. They were singled out for this behaviour for many reasons, which could include their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability or family. Many people were also picked on for any perceived minor social infraction such as belonging to a certain clique (such as the skaters, geeks, metalheads) or because a boy wore a pink shirt or a girl wore a boy’s shirt. In truth, kids could use any excuse they could justify.
New economic opportunities with highway rest areas
Feb. 14, 2022 – Alberta’s government is searching for interested parties to develop up to 18 commercial safety rest areas across the province.
Following extensive feedback from municipalities and the trucking industry over the last 18 months, the Government of Alberta is eager to see these commercial sites take shape. New rest areas will allow people to fuel up, stretch their legs or stop for a meal. Construction will generate good-paying jobs.
Government of Canada Raises Awareness on Zero-Emission Vehicles
Reducing pollution from the transportation sector is critical to achieving Canada’s climate targets and keeping our air clean. That’s why the Government of Canada is making sure people can be confident in purchasing and driving emissions-free electric cars across the country.
Platooning Profiles: Mike Harnett, President, Solaris Fatigue Management
AMTA is releasing a series of profiles of the people involved with the Cooperative Truck Platooning System (CTPS) project. The project is currently processing data from the nation’s first pair of artificially intelligent semi-trucks of their kind, including human factors.
AMTA COVID-19 Update – Important WCB, OHS and CLC Information
COVID-19 is everchanging, as such WCB Alberta and OHS regularly review and update their positions and interpretations. This article provides information on a few recent WCB fact sheets that employers should be aware of as well as the potential impact of recent changes to the OHS Act.
Platooning Profiles: Dale Howard, AMTA
AMTA is releasing a series of profiles of the people involved with the Cooperative Truck Platooning System (CTPS) project currently collecting data from the nation’s first pair of artificially intelligent semi-trucks of their kind.
75 ‘Turkey for Truckers’ meals doled out Dec. 25
75 commercial drivers were feeling the holiday spirit Dec. 25 when they were presented with dinners arranged by a group of ladies who wanted to make a difference.
The meals were handed out at the Flying J Travel Center on 40 Street in southeast Calg
How Carriers Can Lead with Lagging Indicators
This article will be published in March of 2022 in the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) magazine, Guardian. Digital editions of Guardian can be found at this link.
In occupational health and safety (OHS), indicators of a workplace’s performance can be broadly divided into two categories: lagging indicators and leading indicators. Lagging indicators are measurements of incidents that have occurred in the past whereas leading indicators are measurements that are predictive of future OHS incidents [1].
Opinion: Canadians will pay the price for the Liberals playing politics with trucking
Commercial drivers ensure we have what we need for our day-to-day lives, from the food on our shelves to the shoes on our feet, and AMTA’s annual Driver Appreciation Days are a small way to say, on behalf of all Albertans, ‘thank you.’
Cooperative Truck Platooning System trials officially underway in Alberta
Data collection has begun for the nation’s first pair of artificially intelligent semi-trucks of their kind, which are part of a project studying the safety and benefits of connected commercial transportation on Canadian roadways.
The Prevention Initiative: Targeting Alberta’s big three OHS priorities
In March of 2019, the Government of Alberta published a document titled Prevention Initiative for Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety System. In eighteen succinct pages, Alberta Labour identifies the types of injuries and diseases leading to the most Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) claims and highest Province-wide claim costs [1, 2]: