Mike McCarron
Opinion: Big players, real estate, and more forces behind M&A activity
April 8, 2019While researching my annual column on Canadian trucking mergers and acquisitions (M&A), I went back and read last year’s commentary to see what changed.
National driver training standard will be a positive step
March 13, 2019It was great news to see Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau and his provincial cohorts promise a national training standard for entry-level truck drivers by next year. Raising the bar for driver skills and professionalism can only help the industry […]
Fuel surcharges? I’ve had my fill.
February 8, 2019I was overwhelmed by the feedback I received about last month’s column on fuel surcharges. Some of you really liked what I had to say. Others, not so much. In the column I challenged the system the industry uses to […]
The fuel surcharge conundrum
January 10, 2019Recently I was working with a carrier on its fuel surcharge policy and was painfully reminded what a complicated and antiquated system we have for handing fluctuations in the price of diesel.
Take care of truck driver health
December 10, 2018With so much focus on attracting new truck drivers, it’s surprising we don’t pay more attention to keeping the ones we have alive longer. According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC), the average life expectancy of a commercial […]
It’s time for hourly driver pay
November 7, 2018The trucking industry has trouble finding drivers, and it’s no secret that pay is part of the problem. The fact that truck drivers bring home the same dough as they did 40 years ago, when the cost of living was half of what it is today, certainly has something to do with it. Carriers have increased driver pay lately, but all those empty seats indicate that reform is still needed.
Driver Inc. model finally getting attention
October 11, 2018From all accounts coming out of last month’s Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) board meeting, the driver contractor issue is finally getting the attention it deserves. With Driver Inc. on the agenda, the alliance brought Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to the table and the government said it’s serious about nailing culprits who are not paying their fair share of taxes or forming sham companies for drivers who have no clue what they are signing up for.
How well do you understand South Asian drivers?
August 8, 2018I was disappointed when I read headlines about the “Indian” driver who was criminally charged for the horrific Saskatchewan accident that involved the Humboldt Broncos’ team bus. If guilty he should face justice, but I’m not sure where he was born has anything to do with it. I’m guessing if the driver were Italian it would not have been mentioned.
It’s time to blockchain up
July 9, 2018Imagine not having to argue with customers over extra charges because they’re automatically added to the invoice. How about eliminating the physical paperwork needed to move a shipment across a border? Even better, what about getting paid the same day […]
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 […]