TruckNewsTalk

Driver Inc – The Epitome of Evil Driver Inc. The epitome of evil? A scourge on the trucking industry? Or, is this the new way in the gig economy, the future of trucking employment. Driver Inc. is a label that describes a tax-avoidance scheme in which truck drivers are treated as independent corporations rather than employees - even though they function as employee drivers. Instead of being paid wages with source deductions such as income tax, CPP, and EI, the driver is paid as a corporation. No payroll deductions are withheld by the carrier. Carriers avoid paying employer portions of CPP and EI, workers' compensation premiums, vacation pay, and other statutory benefits. Drivers receive higher gross pay because no deductions are taken at source. It also offers an opportunity to defer or reduce taxes. It's becoming alarmingly popular. Recent data from government and other independent agencies suggest almost 65% of carriers in the province are now using the Driver Inc. model. Should you be too? This week's guest, Rick Morgan of Links Consulting has few words of caution for any driver considering this alternative. Be sure you stay right to end. We'll show you what happens to your lifetime earning potential under this pay scheme. Here's a hint. Four Hundred Thousand dollars. Thanks Howes Products, makers of Diesel Defender - a diesel fuel lubricator and injector cleaner with advanced IDX four detergent.

The Red Seal in the Hot Seat Over the past couple of months there have been any number of questions being raised about the feasibility of a Red Seal certifications for truck drivers. We know that many truck driver schools are supportive, but I know of a few that question the probability that such a project will ever happen. Many have other questions about how such a high-minded project will solve the problem of the quickie schools, and what are we going to do about governance and enforcement of current laws? One thing we can agree on is that something needs to be done to raise the bar for graduated truck drivers to make our road safe again. We have questions for the guy who leading the Red Seal camapain, the chairman of the Professiona Truck Training Association of Canada, Don MacDonald. You might say that Jim Park and I are putting him in the hot seat. Jim Park is both a truck driver and journalist and former broadcaster. I'm and outsider looking for the past 20 years. I have a vested interest to ensure that my kids and may grandkids and my wife and family can feel safe on the highway. Right now they don't. We expect better of the trucking industry. Thanks to Thanks to Howes Products, makers of Diesel Defender, a diesel Fuel Lubricator & Injector cleaner with advanced IDX4 Detergent.

Driver Inc -The Transformation Driver Inc…a phrase that sends chills through the hearts of legacy fleet carrier owners everywhere. But…come on, is the Driver Inc way of doing business really that bad? Could there be such a thing as Driver Inc Lite? However, I'm sure that anything other than the rules and the long-held traditions of legacy carriers is unacceptable. But not so fast. There are new kids on the block, and they are getting noticed, and even, praised by the Truckload Carriers Association. This week, on the TNT podcast, I talk to a lady who I view as somewhat of a magician, performing a transformation in company considered by some to follow the evil Driver Inc model. She came out of retirement to work for them. Her name is Lisa Arseneau. Listen to her story. Thanks to Howes Products, makers of Diesel Defender, a diesel Fuel Lubricator & Injector cleaner with advanced IDX4 Detergent.

Over the past several TNT podcasts we have talked about the campaign to create a Red Seal level of training and certification for truck drivers. I have spoken initially to Mike McCarron, who is probably the most outspoken voice in the Canadian Trucking industry and then Don MacDonald of the PTTAC, then journalist Jim Park, and this week Jim Park is back with me to talk to Guy Broderick, former Highway Star of the Year and now Safety & Training Supervisor at Kriska. We will discuss and maybe debate the Red Seal campaign and truck driver training standards in general. Personally, I have my own opinions. Jim Park and I will join Guy Broderick on the TNT Podcast thank to our friends at Howes Products, makers of Diesel Defender, a diesel Fuel Lubricator & Injector cleaner with advanced IDX4 Detergent. On the next TNT a Driver Inc miracle.

The Pilot Program Good quality truck training schools are not doing as well as they once were, thanks to the budget quickie so-called schools. A good quality school can cost anywhere from $8,000 to $15,000. It's tough for a young guy or girl to come up with that kind of money. But this is interesting…did you know that there is no shortage of young people showing up to fork out around 20 thousand to become a pilot…and $80,000 to become a commercial pilot. Yet, it's interesting that, unlike in the trucking world, there a no bad or crooked quickie pilot schools. Well, I thought I should talk to some pilot training schools and a pilot to see how they train and how they are monitored and learn about the training testing licensing. I have a flight instructor on with me from Manitoba, and after that, I will talk to a pilot who is known to you all. Let's see if we can learn anything from how they do things under the eagle eye of Transport Canada. You'll never see a 737 flying next to school bus, or a family in an SUV. So why is safety in trucking less important than flight?

The Enforcement Province There seems to be a lot of handwringing and anger about the scourge of bad poorly trained and sometimes fake licensed truck drivers on our highways…and the suggestions and strategies to fix the problems. There have been, as usual, plenty of disagreements about what needs to be done to make our highways safer. The one seemingly logical simple solution that obviously evades us is… ENFORCEMENT. Enforcing minimum training standards and enforcing verifiable testing and licensing. It's a bigger problem in Ontario than just about anywhere…but there is one province where it's not nearly as huge an issue. I talked to my friend Benoit Therrien about how Quebec's system works to make highways safer. Benoit is a 20-year veteran driver and the owner and main host of the hugely popular Truck Stop Quebec radio station, on air and on line 24 hours a day. Listen and comment.

Slightly Revised Trucking journalist Jim Park and podcast creator Stan Campbell will discuss the proposed Red Seal idea for truck drivers on this TruckNewsTalk podcast. Anything that cleans up the crooked schools and suspect testing and licensing would be a move in the right direction. However, other ideas have been tried and failed. Are there options? We have a lot of questions. In addition, Stan has a crazy idea he thinks would solve the bad schools and suspicious licensing problems forever. It's sure to get dismissed by just about everybody. Let's just say...control is hard to surrender. We invite you to please comment. We will pass on your comments and suggestions. Send email messages to stancampbell@outlook.com.

Safety Sam Lately there have been far too many stories about crooked driving schools and unsafe drivers on our road. In the big move lately to rid the trucking industry of quickie budget schools, we sometimes forget that Canada is a long list of excellent driving schools from coast to coast. Schools that can almost guarantee a good career with a reputable fleet. New and prospective drivers assume that truck driving schools teach you how to drive a big rig. Unfortunately there is an assumption that if you how to handle a truck with a load on the highway and streets, then, you’re good to go. What prospective students may not get is how among top fleets, there is a laser focus on safety. It seems to be one of the areas that the El-Cheapo schools ignore. However, workplace safety not only applies to the trucking industry. I talked to lady who well connected in the transportation industry and works for a company that is all about safety….and not only about trucking. The company is NATT Safety Services. My guest’s name is Samantha Clark. I took the liberty to call her “Safety Sam” because Sam knows safety probably better than anyone. Listen to my conversation with Samantha.

Ace and Red Seal Truckers What the hell is going on in the trucking world? · Unsafe equipment operating on our highways.· Fake safety inspection decals?· In a recent highway inspection, a third of trucks were placed out of service.· Truckers’ licences suspended after uncovering dishonest testing and training· Quickie Driving Schools and driving tests being approved for unqualified drivers Finally, maybe good drivers have had enough. For example, in Quebec, truckers staged a slowdown protest on highways to demand action. After all, the growing number of dangerous drivers is impacting the vast majority of good professional safe drivers. Now, the four-wheeler public is beginning to notice. So…who is going to fix this mess? Well, I reached out to one guy who is not afraid the speak his mind and maybe ruffle some feathers….Mike “Ace” McCarron. We keep asking the government to step up, but maybe we need to look in the mirror. Listen to Mike “Ace” McCarron. Download it. What do you think of the Red Seal idea? Obviously from what Mike says, not everyone is on board. If you disagree, then what’s your idea? Doing nothing is not an option. stancampbell@trucknewstalk.com

The Best Fleets to Drive For (and a few that aren't) This may sound like a repeat TNT Podcast. Yes, we do this every year around this time but this year there are some differences. According to the trucking industry, there is still and shortage of “qualified drivers” so the competition among companies is fierce. Of course, fleets want to attract the best drivers…and if you are a recruiter, you should be able to brag that your company is listed as one of the best fleets to drive for. If you are driver, naturally you want to work for a company that pays well, offers great benefits but most of all, listens to you. It’s time for drivers to nominate their companies and help create the list of the Best Fleets to Drive For. In this TNT Podcast, I will talk to Carriers Edge CE, Jane Jazrawy about how drivers can nominate their employer, and about who qualifies and who doesn’t, and how the Best Fleets to Drive For list is credible. To nominate your company…do as I did. Just Google it. Best Fleets to Drive For. May the best fleet win! Thanks to Howes Products, makers of Diesel Defender, a diesel Fuel Lubricator & Injector cleaner with advanced IDX4 Detergent.

I was a teenager in the mid 50’s. I remember weird stuff, like dimmer switches, fender skirts, milk delivered to our door, adjusting the TV rabbit ears and crazy rules, like…women were not allowed in taverns. I specifically remember a place called The Steel City Tavern where only men were allowed to enter. It was not a good time for women. I remember once, when my buddy Howard and I saw transport truck pass by, driven by a woman. Wow! Look at that! A woman driving that big truck! We have come a long way since the 50’s and 60’s…but obviously, not far enough. Slowly, a few women ventured into truck driving, but it was a tough life…not because of the driving but because of sexual harassment and verbal attacks from male drivers who believed that women had no business in the trucking business. A few truckers today still believe that. It was in the late 70’s and early 80s’ that things began to change, thanks to efforts of a tough yet personable lady, Ellen Voie, along with her best friend, Char Pingel. It was the birth of the organization we know today as Women in Trucking. Ellen was a visionary as she knocked down closed doors. Over the years, her dedication became notable when one sees the awards and accolades, she received. After resigning from the Women in Trucking Organization two years ago Ellen decided to write about the events in her life that lead up to the formation of the Women in Trucking organization. Her autobiography is entitled, “Dispatcher to Disrupter”. One woman’s journey to drive gender diversity in the trucking industry. My conversation with Ellen right after a message from Howes Products, makers of Diesel Defender, a diesel Fuel Lubricator & Injector cleaner with advanced IDX4 Detergent. By the way, Ellen Voie was the very first inductee in the Howes Hall of Fame in 2020.

Thank you President Trump! We appreciate what you have done for Canada. Thanks to you, we are becoming stronger and more self-reliant. (this is my attempt at sarcasm) One of the positive results of your bullying and tariffs is that we have begun to eliminate some of our own tariffs. Okay, we don’t call them tariffs but there have been restrictions on trade within our own country and they have existed for years. We call them trade barriers…and for the purpose of this podcast, it’s about how those trade barriers negatively affect the trucking industry. However, getting rid of the roadbocks will take time, involving the usual government bureaucracy and foot-dragging. In this TNT podcast, I am talking to someone who has been a strong voice in breaking down those provincial barriers. He is Mike Millian, President of the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada. Thanks to Howes Products, makers of Diesel Defender, a diesel Fuel Lubricator & Injector cleaner with advanced IDX4 Detergent who help make this TruckNewsTalk Podcast possible.

TRUCKING FAKE NEWS BREAKING NEWS! Donald Trump has just resigned the Presidency of the United States. In other news, Prime Minister Mark Carney has just announced that all trucks in Canada must be electric by the end of 2026. Unbelievable? Well, just as believable that what we read and see on the internet…on Facebook, Instagram, X, Telegram, podcasts, and the hundreds of questionable news outlets? Remember that old joke, “if you believe that, I’ve got a bridge to sell you.” Some people don’t trust the Toronto Star, or the New York Times because they are too left-leaning…or others didn’t trust the National Post or the Wall Street Journal because we saw them as too right leaning, but that was simply because their biases…but now we see and read outrageous stories that are outright lies masquerading as truth…and thanks to AI they even include video that looks so real and convincing that they fool thousands, and then those thousands share it. I’m normally no conspiracy theorist, but I wonder if it’s a scheme to cause us all to mistrust everything, including mainstream media. I know…there are many who claim that the mainstream media are just as deceptive. It’s true that the mainstream media can be biased…very biased…but I don’t believe that they create untrue stories. Plus, we know who they are, and we can therefore call them out. Meanwhile, most of those basement-dwelling nefarious fake news sites hide under assumed names. The rise in fake news has even affected people in the trucking industry. Truck News Magazine contributor Jim Park has an example of a story that caused mild panic in Canada’s trucking world. In this TNT Podcast I will talk to Jim about that story. Thanks to Howes Products, makers of Diesel Defender, a diesel Fuel Lubricator & Injector cleaner with advanced IDX4 Detergent

2020 was a scary year and we didn't know if this was the way it was going to be forever. People were dying by the thousands, riots broke out, and truckers were heroes, bringing us everything we needed in spite of the disease raging throughout the world. Listen to our Trucker Radio news and talk segment from back then, which later morphed into what is now the TruckNewsTalk (TNT) podcast. www.trucknewstalk.com

HARRIET TUBMAN AWARD TO TRUCKERS I’ve doing some history reading lately, and discovered an event in US history that may sound very familiar in 2025… and there is a connection to Canada. In 1850, something called the Fugitive Slave Act was passed which penalized police and other officials who did not arrest someone who had allegedly escaped from slavery, even in northern states where slavery was outlawed. Habeas corpus was declared irrelevant. No day in court or jury was permitted and the alleged fugitive from slavery could not testify. The law resulted in the kidnapping and conscription of free Blacks back into slavery, even from free states. There was one woman who stood out and fought to free slaves and escort them to freedom though the underground railroad. Her name was Harriett Tubman. She risked her life in some 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 enslaved people, including her family and friends, using the network of antislavery activists and safe houses known collectively as the Underground Railroad. During the American Civil War, she served as an armed scout and spy for the Union Army. In her later years, Harriet Tubman was an activist in the movement for women's suffrage. So how does this fit in a Truck News Talk Podcast? Well, I happily support all organizations that are active in the front lines in the fight against human trafficking…otherwise known as slavery. One of those we all know well as Truckers Against Trafficking…aka T.A.T. TAT! The people at TAT, in an effort to reward observant and caring truck drivers, have developed something called the Harriett Tubman Award. I think it an award befitting a brave woman who fled abusive slavery and violence to save others from the same fate. My guest is Heather Fry, Director of Industry Training at TATnonprofit.org.

The Microbiologist Truck Driver I want to tell you a bedtime story. Once upon a time there was a microbiologist. Her name was Myrna Chartrand. Naturally she was highly educated. After all she was a scientist who studied microscopic life forms and processes including the study of the growth interactions and characteristics of microscopic organisms, but one day Myrna turned in her chair and walked away from it all to become…a truck driver! My TNT podcast preambles are sometimes lengthy so this time I will simply introduce Myrna Chartrand and let her tell you her story right after a message from Howes Products, makers of Diesel Defender, a diesel Fuel Lubricator & Injector cleaner with advanced IDX4 Detergent

In the past 18 years since I got involved in hosting a trucking show, I’ve met hundreds of interesting people and made a few friends along the way. One of my friends wears a closet full of hats. I knew him when he was about to give it all up, but then…something happened. If you listen podcasts, then I’m sure you know him. He creates a podcast too…but a whole lot more. A LOT more! His name is Bruce Outridge. I invite you to listen to my conversation with Bruce. What's he really all about?

Kim’s Cool School A few weeks ago, I talked to Andy Roberts, the owner at Mountain Lake Transport Institute about the their problems attracting driver students in a world where some questionable schools are offering driving courses at half price or less and graduating them in half the time, which allows dramatically poorly trained people behind the wheel of an 80,000 pound vehicle on our highways…and in western Canada, that could mean on icy mountain roads. Nowhere is this as big a problem as in southern Ontario…the epicenter of trucking in Canada. There are now around 300 truck driving schools. How does a wannabe truck driver know which ones are good and lead to a good paying job with a great company, and which one will take them down the alley to a bad unsafe trucking company and maybe eventually to a catastrophic crash. Advice to anyone who wants to drive professionally…do your homework! You have to know that if the training school is offering a deal that seems to good to be true and shorter hours than everyone else…you are destined for eventually failure…or worse. Enough about my view from the outside. I talk to a guy who knows about trucking schools better than just about anybody…and not only about the schools but the companies that hire the unsafe, uneducated driver. It’s my old friend Kim Richardson, the co-founder of Kim Richardson Transportation Specialists with his wife Lisa in 1989. We know it as KRTS. Thanks to our friends at Howes Products, makers of Diesel Defender, a diesel Fuel Lubricator & Injector cleaner with advanced IDX4 Detergent.

Donald, the Prophesy & Crap Okay, there is no simple way to describe this TNT podcast. It begins with a prophesy then segues to an interview with trucking journalist and driver, Jim Park about Music City, the Trump tariffs and saving trucking costs and the earth with cow crap. Yes, we are all over the map on this one. You just have to listen.