Mike McCarron
Drafting Through Disruption
June 8, 2018The only thing certain in trucking is disruption. The massive shift in supply and demand caused by mandated electronic logging devices (ELDs) is a prime example of how one piece of legislation can wreak havoc on an entire sector. Unpredictability […]
It’s Our Fault
May 10, 2018Like many of you, I was devastated when my two passions—hockey and trucking—collided tragically on April 7 outside of Tisdale, Sask. I was also embarrassed and angry. Embarrassed because the trucking industry I’ve defended at every dinner party for 35 years was somehow responsible for the senseless loss of 16 lives.
Everything is negotiable in ELD era
April 10, 2018For years, I’ve been chuckling under my breath at transportation conferences whenever I hear shippers speak about how important it is to be “good business partners” with their carriers. Experience has shown me that once they walk off the stage, their actions tell another story. The “win-win” rhetoric gives way to “we win, you lose” when it comes time to work on a contract. That’s starting to change.
The Leverage Lottery: The capacity crunch opens opportunities
March 8, 2018Over the decades I’ve seen capacity ebb and flow, but nothing compares to January when millions of truck miles just evaporated into thin air. Sure, the goofy weather and booming economy contributed to the capacity crunch. But ELDs were the main […]
Factors in the M&A Equation
February 21, 2018On the one hand, things were status quo in the Canadian trucking mergers-and-acquisition space last year. Big carriers continued their sprint to scale, looking for plug-and-play tuck-ins that add customers, drivers, and coverage. When the carriers found them, they struck […]
Recruiting by Retaining
January 16, 2018One of the battles that truckers continue to wage is the hiring of drivers. Driving a truck is a tough job that the next generation clearly doesn’t want. Personally, I’d take a good driver over a good customer any day […]
Prepare to go green in 2018
January 9, 2018The only thing to like about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is that he’s proving to be a man of his word and keeping his campaign promises. Like most, I wasn’t surprised (or disappointed) when he announced that recreational pot will […]