Edmonton International Airport (EIA) has entered a new strategic partnership with Drone Delivery Canada (DDC) that will see the airport become a hub for drone cargo deliveries in Western and Northern Canada.

This is expected to be the world’s first regularly scheduled drone delivery service from an airport.

Myron Keehn, VP of Air Service and Commercial Development, EIA, commented: “EIA is proud to partner with industry leader DDC to establish Canada’s first airport drone delivery site and drastically modernise cargo logistics and supply chain solutions. Together with our long-standing partnership with Air Canada, we look forward to expanding DDC’s network of customers at EIA’s Airport City, the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, and other strategic partners. DDC’s DroneSpot at EIA elevates intermodal connectivity to support the growing e-commerce, pharmaceuticals, courier and oil & gas sectors. Thanks to our partners like Nav Canada and Transport Canada, our airport is leading in embracing innovation.”

Drone Delivery Canada will deploy its DroneSpot take-off and landing zones as well as additional drone flight infrastructure on EIA sites, and deploy its Sparrow cargo drone with a capacity of up to 10lbs. The first route will be on a defined flight route within EIA’s site.

EIA and cargo partners have already expanded EIA’s cargo infrastructure and the Alberta Aerospace and Technology Centre, based in EIA, continues to develop a number of cutting-edge technologies. This makes a drone logistic hub a logical next step for the airport.

The agreement has also been assisted by Air Canada through its long-term relationship with EIA. Moreover, in its role as sales agent to DDC, Air Canada has agreed to sell, market and promote DDC’s drone delivery services.

“We are pleased to be working with a leader like EIA to further our expertise in operating at an airport in controlled airspace and this relationship will bring tremendous logistics benefits to the region,” said Michael Zahra, President & CEO of DDC.

DDC expects to begin providing drone delivery services from EIA under the strategic partnership in early 2020.

Source of this article and other great articles

What’s more, the Freight Trucking industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed. Industry analysis has also been done to examine the impact of various factors and understand the overall attractiveness of the industry. Also, a six-year (2012 to 2017) historic analysis is provided for Freight Trucking markets. The global Freight Trucking market is valued at XX million USD in 2016 and is expected to reach XX million USD by the end of 2023, growing at a CAGR of XX % between 2016 and 2023. Combining the data integration and analysis capabilities with the relevant findings, the report has predicted the strong future growth of the Freight Trucking market in all its geographical and product segments. It offers a comparative study between conventional and emerging technologies and the importance of technical developments in this market. At last, the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years have been added in the research. Factors in relation to products like the product’s prototype, manufacturing method, and R&D development stage are well-explained in the global Freight Trucking market research report with point-to-point structure and with flowcharts.

The Freight Trucking report regulates a complete analysis of the parent market including dependent and independent sectors. The report provides strategic recommendations with the senior analysts’ consultation that gives a clear perspective to clients as to which strategy will help them best to penetrate a market. Further, the report sheds light on the raw material sources, organizational structure, production processes, capacity utilization, value chain, pricing structure, technologies, equipment, product specifications distribution channel, and serving segments. It demonstrates graphical information with figures and pictures for elucidation. The growth trajectory of the global Freight Trucking Market over the assessment period is shaped by several prevalent and emerging regional and global trends, a granular assessment of which is offered in the report. The study on analyzing the global Freight Trucking Market dynamics takes a critical look at the business regulatory framework, technological advances in associated industries, and the strategic avenues. Freight Trucking Market that Includes major types, major applications, Data type include capacity, production, market share, price, revenue, cost, gross, gross margin, growth rate, consumption, import, export and etc. Industry chain, manufacturing process, cost structure, marketing channel are also analyzed in this report.

The scope of Freight Trucking Market report:

— Global market size, supply, demand, consumption, price, import, export, macroeconomic analysis, type and application segment information by region, including:
• Global (Asia-Pacific [China, Southeast Asia, India, Japan, Korea, Western Asia]
• Europe [Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia, Spain, Netherlands, Turkey, Switzerland]
• North America [United States, Canada, Mexico]
• Middle East & Africa [GCC, North Africa, South Africa],
• South America [Brazil, Argentina, Columbia, Chile, Peru])

— Industry chain analysis, raw material and end users information

— Global key players’ information including SWOT analysis, company’s financial figures, Freight Trucking figures of each company are covered.

— Powerful market analysis tools used in the report include: Porter’s five forces analysis, PEST analysis, drivers and restraints, opportunities and threatens.

— Based year in this report is 2019; the historical data is from 2014 to 2018 and forecast year is from 2020 to 2023.

On the basis of Types, the report split into,
Lorry Tank, Truck Trailer, Refrigerated Truck, Flatbed Truck
Oil and Gas, Industrial and Manufacturing, Defense, Energy and Mining, Chemicals

Key reasons to buy Freight Trucking Market report :

1) Freight Trucking market report share assessments for the regional and country level segments.
2) To identify analysis of the top industry players by types and applications.
3) To analyze the market trends, drivers, constraints, opportunities, threats and challenges of Freight Trucking market.
4) To share the key vender’s data by sales, revenue and growth rate of Freight Trucking market.
5) Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations.
6) To share company profile with detailed strategies, financials and recent developments.
7) Provide research methodology and market size estimation of Freight Trucking market.

The research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data, and statistically supported and industry-validated market data. It also contains projections using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to categories such as market segments, geographies, types, technology and applications. The report covers exhaustive analysis on:
• Market Segments
• Market Dynamics
• Market Size
• Supply & Demand
• Current Trends/Issues/Challenges
• Competition & Companies involved
• Technology
• Value Chain

Finally, complete information will help clients to make vital business decisions as well as business strategies and to know the scope of future developments. This report offers a competitive study, demand-side stats for which we interview end-users and structure procedure surveys with the help of secondary research techniques, Freight Trucking company reports, regulatory data, analytical techniques, Freight Trucking production sales volume and expenditure statistics information.

Source of this article and other great articles

Hayley Mackay would’ve laughed if someone had told her back in high school that she’d end up becoming a long-distance cattle hauler. “I’d be like, ‘Yeah, right, no way,’” she says. “That just hadn’t been an idea in my head.”

But, just before her 2013 graduation, she found herself doing admin work at the Perth County office of Luckhart Transport Limited, a family-run trucking outfit with a second location in Manitoba. Her co-op teacher had suggested she apply, and Mackay was hired on the spot. She set to work importing livestock trailers from Italy, and Luckhart was invited to show off the new rigs at the 2015 World Pork Expo, in Des Moines, Iowa. As project lead, Mackay wanted to attend. However, the only way she could was by getting the Class AZ licence required to operate tractor-trailers and then driving one there herself — so she did. “I had no intentions on driving for a career,” she explains.

In 2018, about 2.5 per cent of the 203,321 Class A drivers in the province were women, according to Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation. As the trucking industry contends with a labour shortage and aging workforce, efforts are being made to shed its reputation as a boy’s club — but the road to gender parity is proving bumpy.

“It’s a male-dominated industry,” says Shelley Uvanile-Hesch, a long-haul trucker who, in 2016, incorporated the Women’s Trucking Federation of Canada to advocate for women in the business. “Some people are scared to get into the industry because of that fact.” Philip Fletcher, operating manager at Commercial Heavy Equipment Training, agrees. “Probably the number-one [challenge] is perception,” he says.

Financial barriers are a broader issue. Since July 2017, the Ontario government has required truck drivers to complete 103.5 hours of training at an approved institution before taking the Class A road test. The Ontario Student Assistance Program, commonly known as OSAP, doesn’t cover the mandatory training, because it doesn’t meet certain requirements, such as the minimum 12-week program length (training can be completed in under three weeks).

Autumn Phelps, who’s worked for Spring Creek Carriers, in the Niagara Region, for the past six months, says that she took out a high-interest loan to cover tuition at the Stevenson-based Zavcor Trucking Limited’s training academy in May of last year. More than half the loan balance is outstanding, but the mother of five doesn’t regret having gotten her licence. “I’m probably looking at over double what I was making in the retail section,” says Phelps, whose previous jobs include sales consultant at the Brick and housekeeper.

Transport-truck drivers earned an average of $40,846 in 2015, according to the most recently available data from Statistics Canada. However, the data aren’t specific to long-haul operators and include salaries for other drivers, including those handling dump trucks, tow trucks, and moving vans. When they’re starting out, long-haul truck drivers generally earn around $50,000, says Angela Splinter, CEO of Trucking HR Canada. With more experience, they can take home about $70,000 — some make six-figure incomes. “The salaries compare with the construction industry,” Splinter says. Her organization wants to attract millennials, and women in particular. The industry group hired the Conference Board of Canada to research demographics for its Labour Market Information Interim Report, released in September. The report states that, as of 2018, 22,000 positions had been identified as vacant, and 20,000 truckers were aged 65 and up and could retire at any time.

This year, Uvanile-Hesch launched a scholarship program through her trucking federation to assist women considering a trucking career. Crossroads Truck Training Academy, which has locations in Ottawa and Smiths Falls, came on board to provide training to the winner of an essay contest. “I thought it was a fantastic idea,” says Ken Adams, director of operations for Crossroads. Both Uvanile-Hesch and Adams note that trucking provides an opportunity for women to get well-paying jobs without years of study. “Companies are now offering benefit packages, pension plans, RRSP contribution matching, so it’s a really good career,” Adams says. The next scholarship, valued at $8,300, is set to launch November 12 with CHET, the private-career college that Fletcher oversees, as sponsor.

Mackay sees no downside to the job — not even when it comes to shovelling several thousand pounds of shavings and manure out of her trailer after a cross-border journey. “Honestly, if I didn’t have that part [of the job], I’d probably be a couple pounds heavier,” she says. “The nice part about hauling livestock is we do get the physical aspect, so we keep ourselves in pretty good shape.”

While the percentage of Ontario-issued Class A licences held by women in 2018 was unchanged from a decade prior, anecdotal evidence suggests that more women are climbing into the cabs of 18-wheelers. At Crossroads, enrolment among women is up. According to Adams, the number of female students there grew from 3 per cent in 2016 to 4 per cent in 2017 and then to 7 per cent in 2018. “And, I believe, when I put my number together for 2019, I will not be surprised if I’m around 9 to 10 per cent,” says Adams, who estimates that approximately 200 to 225 complete his school’s program annually. And, at CHET’s parent company, Musket Transport, Fletcher estimates that more than 5 per cent of its over-the-road drivers are women.

Lisa Armstrong, who’s been a long-haul trucker since 1997, has seen the industry change over the past two decades. “Nobody wanted to hire, number one, a green driver, never mind a female driver,” she says of her early years pounding the pavement. Once, she says, a man asked her if she had a husband and kids. She told him she did. “He said, ‘Go home and take care of them,” Armstrong recalls. “I probably wouldn’t have to face the same battles now as I did back then.”

• $1.8B Regina Bypass project set to fully open Tuesday

Rush hour in Toronto might soon include bigger trucks.

Ontario's government wants to let double-trailer transport trucks on the highways during peak traffic times in the GTA.

Currently these trucks, known as "long-combination vehicles," are not allowed on highways between 7:30 and 9 a.m. or 4:30 to 6 p.m.

But the Progressive Conservative government is proposing a change to make things easier for trucking companies.

The government said the change will help the economy, and that long-combination trucks have more safety restrictions and fewer collisions than single-trailer trucks.

The government disputed the idea that allowing double-trailer trucks would make the roads more congested; saying instead that these larger trucks can carry double the goods so there will be fewer trucks on the road overall.

"This will reduce the amount of commercial vehicles," said Kinga Surma, associate minister of transportation.

She also said that allowing double-trailer trucks during rush hour would be "good for the environment" and would reduce emissions.

Long-combination vehicles have been in a pilot phase in Ontario since 2008 and there are 1,600 already driving in Ontario, Surma said.

These trucks already drive during a lot of heavy traffic, said Mike Millian, president of the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada.

"They've already been sharing the road with these vehicles for eight years," he said.

This change just gives truck drivers "more flexibility in their day."

Some Ontario drivers are worried about the plan.

"There's already enough [congestion] during rush hour," said Randy Cox, filling up at one Toronto gas station.

Victoria Crawford said the idea makes her nervous.

"I don't feel safe having any large trucks on the highway during rush hour," she said.

"I don't do highways because I'm afraid of trucks," said Norma Laig.

But Millian said safety won't be compromised with the change. He said long-combination vehicles have lower accident rates, speeds are limited to 90 km/hr, and the trucks have heavy signage.

These drivers have to go through "extensive training," he said.

These are the "safest drivers on the road."

These trucks would also be able to carry extra materials under the new rules.

Previously, LCVs couldn't carry any dangerous goods. But under the proposed plans, the trucks would be allowed to carry some dangerous goods like cleaning agents and battery acids, Millian said.

Highly explosive materials and tankers would still be restricted, he said.

Surma said the minister has been consulting with the public and small businesses on the decision. The change is part of a package of government plans to "reduce regulatory burdens" in Ontario.

The change is currently before committee, Surma said, and there will be more consultations before it returns to the House.

Matthew Roorda, Canada Research Chair in Freight Transportation and Logistics, agreed that allowing multi-trailer trucks during rush hour may mean fewer trucks on the road overall.

"I don't see it as simply adding more trucks to the road," said Roorda, an engineering professor at the University of Toronto.

"It is changing the configuration of trucks."

There was no information available about whether there were injuries or traffic being re-routed.

Elsewhere, the Bassano RCMP issued an advisory warning motorists to avoid travel on Highway 1 between Bassano and Brooks, where they said icy road conditions have contributed to to at least four vehicles going into the ditch along that stretch of road.

Another semi jacknifed off the road at Highway 845 and 25.

Medicine Hat Police urged motorists to avoid the area around the Trans Canada Highway at Box Springs Road, where there was a motor vehicle collision, with poor road conditions.

The forecast was for periods of snow ending late Tuesday, with approximately 5 cm forecast to fall in the Calgary area. North winds around 30 km/h gusting to 50 were expected, becoming light early in the evening.

The temperature is expected to dip to -13, with a windchill near -19.

Wednesday's forecast calls for a mix of sun and cloud with a 30 per cent chance of flurries early in the morning, before the skies clear.

Source of this article and other great articles

Maple Leaf Motoring is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of Canadian transportation. This week: Ontario workers’ comp agency cracks down on Driver Inc carriers; study highlights roadside pollution from trucks; and CN hauls Korean War-era tank across the country.

The Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) reported that provincial authorities have stepped up enforcement efforts against Driver Inc carriers, which misclassify employee drivers as contractors.

The OTA reported on Nov. 1 that the province’s workers’ compensation board, WSIB, made payment adjustments on “dozens” of additional Driver Inc carriers.

WSIB deducts premiums from employers. Under Driver Inc, carriers avoid or substantially reduce those payments as well as larger tax withholdings for drivers. The carriers classify drivers as contractors despite providing them trucks.

The practice allows the carriers to offer artificially low rates. This has been especially damaging in 2019 as Canada’s freight market has seen a reduction in volumes with excess trucks.

The OTA praised WSIB for going after the carriers but called on provincial and federal authorities to push harder.

“Compliant carriers would like to thank the WSIB for being the only agency to date, provincially or federally, to put such a focused effort on ensuring compliance and protecting workers in our sector,” Jonathan Blackham, director of policy and public affairs, said in a statement.

Alain Bedard, the CEO of TFI International (TSX:TFI), singled out Driver Inc multiple times during a conference call with analysts after the company reported third-quarter results, likening it to a “cancer.” He suggested it could hurt TFI Canadian truckload business.

A new University of Toronto study found that diesel trucks are generating disproportionately high levels of harmful pollution near roads.

The study from the Southern Ontario Centre for Atmospheric Aerosol Research looked at emissions from six locations near Vancouver and Toronto from 2015 to 2017. 

Researchers found that heavy diesel trucks were generating problematic levels of an array of pollutants near the roads. The study also noted that the very worst polluters had a significantly worse profile than other vehicles.

“If these highly polluting diesel trucks were repaired, retrofitted, removed or relocated, it would make a significant difference,” University of Toronto professor Greg Evans, the study leader, told U of T News. “You can’t move your nearby schools or homes, but we can do something about these highly polluting trucks that are a small proportion of the truck traffic, and yet causing a lot of the trouble.”

The 2019 Goodyear Highway Hero Award winner, Paul Mathias, a driver for System Transport of Cheney, Wash., administered CPR to save the life of a young passenger involved in a car accident.

“It’s incredibly humbling to hear story after story of the selflessness of so many of our nation’s truck drivers,” said Gary Medalis, marketing director, Goodyear North America. “Goodyear’s Highway Hero Award gives us an opportunity to share these incredible stories and celebrate the extraordinary deeds of truck drivers in the ordinary course of their work.”

Nomination forms for the Goodyear Highway Hero Award are available here. A copy of contest rules can also be found online.

A panel of representatives from the trucking industry will select the next Goodyear Highway Hero from among three finalists identified by Goodyear. The winner will be announced in March 2020, coinciding with the annual Mid-America Trucking Show, and will receive a cash award, among other prizes. Each finalist will also receive a cash prize and various items.

Nominations must be submitted before Dec. 31, 2019 and meet the following criteria to be considered for the award:

• A full-time truck driver
• Residing in the U.S. or Canada
• The heroic incident must have happened in the U.S. or Canada
• Nominee’s truck must have had 12 wheels or more at the time of the incident
• Nominee must have been on the job – or on the way to or from work, in his or her truck – at the time of the incident
• Incident must have taken place between Nov. 16, 2018 and Nov. 16, 2019

This marks the 37th year Goodyear will be honoring a truck driver with this award.

Past Goodyear Highway Hero Award winners include a truck driver who ripped the back door from a burning car to save two passengers and a driver who dove into a pond to pull a child from a submerged car.

Source of this article and other great articles