TruckNewsTalk

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.

Fabiana – The Rescue Lady “Disaster and Pandemonium on the highway.” Big rigs off the road and trailers upside down. Who you gonna call? Rescue 51 and Fabiana! It can be a mess out there and it’s not getting better. Much of the carnage is due to the growing number of unsafe poorly trained drivers released onto our highways. Some drivers churned out by crappy driving schools have never driven on ice and snow….so, they end up in the woods, sometimes rolled over and in worst case scenario, injured or killed, not to mention the damage and/or loss of the vehicle and cargo. So who is going to get them back on the road again. Well, at least get the truck back on the road. The driver is another issue. My guest is Fabiana Quinteros. To be more exact is it Fabiana Quinteros Ireland, along with his partner husband they own Rescue 51 Towing & Recovery just outside Barrie Ontario. Fabiana is not just a pretty face in the office…she gets out there in the ditches and the weeds in the cold winter nights with guys hauling a tractor trailer out trouble. Fabiana did not grow up with wintery nights. She is originally from Uruguay in South America. I will talk to Fabiana. Thanks to Howes Products, makers of Diesel Defender, a diesel Fuel Lubricator & Injector cleaner with advanced IDX4 Detergent.

Bon School-Bad School There has been a lot of talk and deep concern within the trucking industry about the rapid growth of quickie cut rate trucking schools releasing poorly trained drivers onto our highways. It is not only a concern to the trucking industry, but it should be a concern to every driver whether a trucker or four-wheeler. Those poorly trained drivers are often hired by equally shady trucking companies operating unsafe equipment and therefore offering rates far below standing rates…meaning unfair competition. Some shippers and receivers don’t care as long as they get their stock quickly and a good price. There is now another victim…the reputable truck driving schools. Young potential truckers and often immigrants just want to get their license as quickly and cheaply as possible. They make a choice between a $3500 school versus a 10,000-dollar school, one that gets you in and out the door and to your license on less than half the time. Meanwhile, the reputable school’s classroom size drops dramatically. In fact, some classes had to be cancelled. Talked to one very reputable school in western Canada. It might the best school in Canada. It’s the Mountain Transport Institute. They even have students come from the US to train there. The owner is Andy Roberts. Thanks to by Howes Products, makers of Diesel Defender, a diesel Fuel Lubricator & Injector cleaner with advanced IDX4 Detergent.

LUCKY CHUCK’S SCHOOL OF TRUCKING Are you impressed by that unbelievable chance to drive a tractor trailer up and down our highways without having to deal with all those pesky rules and regulations? And safety? What’s the big deal with safety when the load just has to be there, and you make a decent dollar. Okay, maybe I am being a little over dramatic…or maybe not. Back when we produced the Trucker Radio Show, we invented a bogus crooked driving school, we called, “Lucky Chucks School of Trucking.” Well, it might have been a make-believe trucking school, but it was pretty close to reality. Lately, there has been an increased concern regarding the number of shady fly-by-night driving schools turning out unqualified drivers onto our highways, often resulting in injuries and loss of life, not to mention loss of equipment and cargo. Especially in the Mississauga and Brampton area in Ontario, unscrupulous truck training schools are offering cut rate truck driver training courses to get a prospective driver just enough info and training to pass a test. While the Torontoland area is in the epicenter of these scam schools, it does happen elsewhere across the country. The one possible exception seems to be in the province of Quebec, although a small handful of shady schools exist. There is a good reason why crooked truck driving schools are almost non-existent is Quebec. That difference between Quebec and the rest of the country raises an important issue…sorry…question. I wanted to find out more about what makes Quebec different, when it comes to professional driver training and why the whole country doesn’t follow. I talked to Steve Bouchard. He is an Editor at Newcom Media’s Transport Routier in Montreal. That conversation is coming up right after this message from Howes Products, makers of Diesel Defender, a diesel Fuel Lubricator & Injector cleaner with advanced IDX4 Detergent

THE GHOSTS OF TRUCKER RADIO The Trucker Radio Show was a syndicated program that combined music, news, information, interviews, and entertainment, airing for 17 years on radio stations across Canada and the USA. What was its mission? Did it truly benefit truck drivers and the trucking industry, or was there a strategy that was misunderstood? Did we waste our time? Absolutely not! Above all, we enjoyed ourselves for most of those 17 years. Our guests included truckers, fleet owners, critics, and supporters, each bringing their unique perspectives. In this TNT Podcast, we will showcase some of the voices from our guests. Some were serious, many provided valuable insights, and a few were quite entertaining. Perhaps you were one of those voices. Join us as we present a medley of familiar voices from the years since 2006. You might hear their thoughts for the first time. We extend our gratitude to Howes Products for being our longest-standing supporter, almost from the very beginning.

Sex Investors. Want to end sex trafficking? Stop investing in this multi-billion-dollar illegal industry. It’s simple. No buyer means no victim which means no sex trafficking. Yes, it’s simple, but it’s not easy. Most sex buyers are men, yet only six percent of men purchase sex. That means that there is an opportunity for the other 94 percents of us men who do not buy sex to speak up. sychology. He has spoken to groups all over North America on the subject of human trafficking.On this podcast, we focus not so much on identifying victims and traffickers, but the men who provide the money to keep sex-trafficking a growing ilIn this TNT TruckNewsTalk Podcast I chat with Dylan Wecht, TAT Public Sector Engagement Specialist, and Field Trainer. Dylan is well qualified to speak about human trafficking. Not only is he a lawyer but holds a degree in criminal justice and plegal industry. No Buyer = No Victim = No Sex Trafficking. For more information on the buyers: https://tatnonprofit.org/addressing-demand/

SEVEN BRAVE WOMEN IN A MAN’S WORLD There appears to be a symbiotic relationship between adventuruous women looking for a challenging career and an industry that needs them…and for reasons that I won’t go into here, they can’t seem to connect. Women make up about 50% of our population yet in the US, only 9% are professional drivers and in Canada, that percentage is even lower at about 4%. When you consider that there is an alleged pro driver shortage, doesn’t it make you wonder, why isn’t there are a huge recruiting strategy to attract women? They’re not just going to walk into the H&R department and say, “I wanna be a trucker.” So, because trucking fleets are probably not going to place ads in Cosmopolitan, Vogue, Elle magazines or Thrive Magazine, maybe hearing directly from seven happy, successful women who are professional truck drivers. They are all smart, educated and articulate. They are from the US and Canada. They are Carol Nixon, Caroline Carter, Susie DeRidder, Claudia Winterhalter, Sherry Mukelston, Kellylynn McLaughlin and Stephanie Klang

Who’s old enough to remember this hit song from 1966 by the Bobby Fuller Four, “I Fought the Law and the Law Won” The law usually wins…but they need all the help they can get, especially when it comes to human trafficking, otherwise known as sex-trafficking. We know a guy who can help. He is a Public Sector Engagement Specialist at TAT…TAT an acronym for Truckers Against Trafficking. His name is Dylan Wecht and although Mr. Wecht has a long title that may not at first describe what he does. Dylan assists and educates law enforcement; he is eminently qualified. He is an attorney based in Washington DC and holds a degree in Criminal Justice and Psychology. Dylan Wecht speaks throughout the United States and Canada about TAT’s mission and trains law enforcement on human trafficking, the victim centered approach, and how to identify human trafficking at routine interdiction and inspection stops. He holds a Juris Doctorate from Duquesne University School of Law and previously worked as an immigration attorney in the Washington, DC area. The fact that Dylan is former immigration attorney allows him to have a front row seat into the area of cross border sex trafficking and domestic servitude. That’s Dylan Wecht Public Sector Engagement Specialist at TAT. If you would like to have Dylan speak to your organization, get in touch directly with him. His email address is dwecht@tatnonprofit.org. or just email TAT at infor@tatnonprofit.org Just recently, Dylan spoke at a TAT coalition build in Dartmouth, Nova Scota a few weeks ago on September 11th, an event attended and co-hosted by the Atlantic Trucking Association and CN as well as local law enforcement. That half day event agenda included Human Trafficking prevention and awareness training, training resources for the trucking, truckstop, bus and energy industries, a survivor presentation, a law enforcement panel and Q& A discussion.

We’ve been talking to Jane Jazrawy about the Best Fleets to Drive for competition for several years but this time I have some probing questions. Questions like, who benefits? Just how many questions do you ask? Who cheats? What if you’re a driver and you hate your company? What about women drivers? Where do they fit in? If the trucking industry is going to attract drivers…and not just any driver, but great professional drivers…you have to demonstrate how professional you are as company. Well, there is a way to do that…all least within the industry. It’s an in-depth survey called, “Best Fleets to Drive For”. However, the drivers are the judges. I will talk to Jane Jazrawy about how it’s all done…and although I’ve talked Jane before, this time, I chose to ask some tough questions. If the “outside world” only knew how serious most trucking companies were about their professionalism and how drivers cared to work for the best companies…it might change John Q. Public’s view. Please listen as I talk to Jane Jazrawy about the “Best Fleets to Dive For” competition. We may discover some surprises.

Another Brave Lady Named Liz This week I talk to a woman who has demonstrated courage over and over again so that we will be aware of the threats against our families…especially our daughters, grand-daughters and female friends. Bravery comes in several forms. There are actually three types of bravery. Physical Bravery. I know and admire one such lady. Then there is moral bravery, I know another lady who fits that category and then there is psychological bravery…facing painful aspects of oneself. I personally know a lady who fits that category. Despite being through physical, and massive traumatic psychological pain, she courageously stands up to talk about her decade-long trauma, so that her painful journey may elp others. Tough men weep when they hear her story. Her name is Liz Gray. She is a Training Specialist/Leader with Truckers Against Trafficking. Liz is a survivor of sex trafficking. More on that later. For those who are not familiar with Truckers Against Trafficking, the organization was established in 2009 with a simple yet powerful belief: that every truck driver can be a crucial ally in the fight against human trafficking. Since then, TAT has grown to encompass a greater portion of the transportation industry, in the US and Canada, forming deep alliances to maximize collective effort through programs that include innovative training, partnerships with law enforcement and advocacy efforts. TAT has raised awareness about trafficking, who it targets and its signs, and trained individuals to act whenever their lives intersect with it and its victims. So far almost 2 million drivers in the US and Canada have been trained on how to recognize and report human trafficking. For example, UPS Canada brought its partnership with Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) to its international hub in Calgary to train and prepare drivers to assist victims and fight back against human trafficking in Alberta. By the way, I prefer to call it, for the purpose of this focused topic, sex trafficking. We have spoken to Liz previously, but for this episode of TNT, she will update on the state of trafficking today, as well as Truckers Against Trafficking success stories…and what’s coming up.

It was a long time ago but I still remember when I was in science class in school when my science teacher created hydrogen by using electrolysis. Of course the other element was oxygen, but I was amazed at how hydrogen easily exploded…as proven by the infamous Hindenburg explosion in 1937. But back then, it was obvious that hydrogen could become a fuel for the future, but there was one problem….or two problems. One…how to create it. My science teacher’s little lab wouldn’t cut it. The other, it’s explosive and difficult to transport. Yet, hydrogen is becoming more popular as a fuel for cars and trucks, even though there are questions and debates on how to create it….or mine it. Electrolysis on a grand scale is not an option. The energy needed to create it is greater than the energy that hydrogen provides. Yet hydrogen as a fuel is growing and especially in the transportation industry. With the high cost of creating it, how is it going to work? Are there more advantages than drawbacks? Some of you may remember, way back about 8 years ago, I interviewed the former and eventually disgraced CEO at the Nikola Motor Company, Trevor Milton and his grand plans for a hydrogen fleet. His vision didn’t quite work out as expected but Nikola is still around and in fact Wal-Mart Canada has added a Nikola Hydrogen Fuel Cell EV semi-truck to it’s fleet. Meanwhile, ITD Industries has just opened Ontario’s first commercial fueling station for hydrogen heavy trucks. This is all positive but I wanted to talk to a guy who had a hands on experience with hydrogen and trucks. It’s our old friend at Truck News Magazine, Editor, James Menzies. Boy, do I have questions!