AMTA December 2022 Driver of the Month: Barinder Singh

The application period for the Canada Summer Job (CSJ) program now open and will close on January 12, 2023. The CSJ is a wage subsidy that supports youth to gain valuable work experience and provides employers with support when hiring youth for summer employment.

Applicants can seek funding to hire youth between April 24, 2023 and September 2, 2023.

Receive up to $10,ooo in training grants and wage incentives

The program is open to all Canadian trucking and logistics employers who are looking to hire for driving and non-driving positions. Qualified candidates must be either a Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident or granted Refugee Status.

On Dec 1, 2022, WCB announced the 2023 industry rates. The average industry rate will increase from $1.17 by nine cents to $1.26 rather than $1.50, which would be required to cover the total forecasted claims cost for 2023. WCB will absorb the additional costs from its accident fund, to cover $270 million in employer premiums.

Brian Dumsday posthumous recipient of AMTA 2022 Friend to Industry Award

As an Alberta Motor Transport Association (AMTA) member, you can receive exclusive discounts on your home and auto insurance through BrokerLink’s group insurance program.

Changes to the Canada Labour Code will introduce 10 days paid medical leave for all federally regulated employers effective December 1, 2022.[1] There will be no exemption for companies with fewer than 100 employees.

AMTA sends its condolences to the family of G. Ben Docktor, of long time association member Docktor Freight Solutions Corp.

Dave Elniski, AMTA Industry Advisor, Safety & Compliance

I recently had a conversation with Harmeet Shoker, the Safety and Compliance Director for Rig Logistics. We discussed a number of topics (mostly sharing our thoughts about what skills and attitudes make someone a professional driver). Both of us started in Canada’s trucking industry as a truck driver – flatbeds for me, vans for him – but our experiences have been dramatically different.

*Photo via TAT newsletter

Through a Coalition Build (CB) in Alberta, a Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) meeting in British Columbia and a Fleet Safety Council Event in Ontario, Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) staff engaged leaders from the energy and trucking industries and law enforcement in efforts to combat human trafficking in Canada.

Alberta: The Government of Alberta is making changes to the eligibility criteria for Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridor’s Driving Back to Work (DBTW) Grant. These changes will make grant funding available to a wider variety of Albertans. The grant will continue to provide funding to support recipients in the process of obtaining their Class 1 licence, specifically to complete Air Brake training and Class 1 Mandatory Entry Level Training (MELT).

Everyone in Alberta’s commercial transportation industry is familiar with the name Dean Paisley.

Throughout his 48-year career, Dean had tremendous impacts not only on the industry but also on the lives of all who knew him.

In honour of Dean’s life – and his many significant contributions to both AMTA and the industry, the association’s Board of Directors has announced that AMTA’s Service to Industry Award has been changed to the Dean Paisley Service to Industry Award.

AMTA November 2022 Driver of the Month: Harwinder Khaira

The Canadian Trucking Alliance and the provincial trucking associations fully support Transport Canada’s electronic logging device (ELD) mandate. All of the provincial associations in the Alliance are reporting to CTA that their respective governments are ready to enforce the ELD regulations starting January 1, 2023.

Known as a ‘champion for positive relations with the commercial transportation industry,’ Steve Callahan, who served the industry for 38 years, is the recipient of AMTA’s 2022 Historical Award.

Passenger vehicles are sharing busier and busier highways with more commercial vehicles – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in varying road conditions. While the importance of improving road safety is obvious, putting plans and rules into place that the transportation and logistics industry can easily adopt is a significant challenge.

Opening remarks to the House of Commons of Canada’s Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities relating to its study on Anticipated Labour Shortages in the Canadian Transportation Sector

CTA Oct. 18, 2022 – For over five years, the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) has been calling for action on a tax and labour scheme that has emerged in the trucking industry. Known as Driver Inc, this scheme radically breaks with both the traditional employee and owner-operator models.

The Alberta Motor Transport Association (AMTA) community is grieving the loss of Dean Paisley, who served the association, its membership, and our industry for many years.

Federally regulated carriers in Alberta can partake in the International Registration Plan (IRP) through the Alberta Transportation IRP Online system (ATIOS), administered through Alberta’s Prorate Services, to save from getting trip permits when they leave the province. AMTA’s Compliance & Regulatory Affairs (CRA) has been meeting regularly with Prorate Services to relay industry feedback and find ways to reduce processing times.