“The average age of a trucker is 58”

126 Replies to ““The average age of a trucker is 58””

1. Totally agree with all he/she is saying. Spent just enough time on the road to know this person speaks the truth. The trucking industry is vital, yet almost universally disrespected. Disrespect is the root of the problem. When someone wants to overnight in our yard after loading, the answer is always ‘absolutely’. I can’t imagine having to deal with locked washrooms, waste bins, etc., never mind the garbage attitudes of government and the general public,

   H

   1. Thank you truckers. He is correct. Everything tangible we have a minimum 3-4 truckers were involved in getting it to us.

   2. Long haul Truckers are paid by the kilometer, hurry up and go down the highway, unload so you can get in line for the next load. Sometimes waiting for hours, no shower, washrooms or decent meals.
      Driving thur northern Ontario was a nightmare, very few parking spots. The by pass around Winnipeg has been under construction for decades! Why is it even called a “bypass”? Regina and Medicine Hat are not ideal either, though Regina has done some changes. Vancouver is a Truckers nightmare. Driving the USA Interstate highway system is a truckers dream!

2. All true and good, and glad you’re out.
   And wishing your Mary and all your family good health.
   And what to do?
   First and foremost fix that goat trail through the mountains.
   How can we call that the Trans Canada?
   Like we’re proud of that death trap.
   Take billions in fuel taxes and what not
   Squander it everywhere, except where people are dying for want of a 4 lane.
   Fix it!
   I’m out this year.
   Million Klicks guy.

3. With all the driving back and forth between Edmonton and my house in B. C. that I’ve been doing over the past few months, I can confirm many of his negative comments about the driving habits of some of his colleagues.

   I’ve encountered some real cowboys on the road. During my return trip last time, I crossed the provincial border into Alberta and I took it slow as there was compact snow. Some jackass, the second vehicle behind me, pulling two tank trailers, decided to pass me on that stretch, even though the line was double yellow.

   That part of the highway (between the border and the town of Hythe) has a lot of dips and rises, and I really don’t want to pass there because I don’t have a clear view of what’s ahead. Well, this twit was coming up a rise in the other lane….. only to encounter a truck coming in his direction. I quickly slowed down to give him as much room as possible to get back onto my side of the road.

   Yeah, it was a close one. Nobody got hurt or ended up in the ditch, but I was nervous for a while. And what did that trucker gain by it? Maybe a minute or two ahead of me. That’s it–one or two lousy minutes and he was willing to not only break the law but endanger himself and maybe another colleague.

   1. On that same trip back to Edmonton, I had a very good experience with a different trucker.

      I’d been tipped off that the stretch of road between Fox Creek and Whitecourt might have had spots of black ice and I was wondering what I should do when I got there. Fortunately, there was a truck that took that part of the road slow and easy, so I decided to stick to him like glue.

      He drove well below speed limit while, in the other lane, all sorts of people passed us. (One, I think, ended up in the ditch, flipped onto his side.) I did what he did and I didn’t have much problem, except for the occasional reduction in visibility when someone in the other lane stirred up a bunch of snow.

      When we got to Whitecourt, I passed in front of him, flashed my emergency blinkers a few times (which I hope he interpreted as a “thank you”) and continued.

      Very calm, very professional. Those are the types of truckers I like to deal with. If they can get through when road conditions are lousy, so can I.

   2. Similar experiences here on my trips between BC and Edmonton or Calgary, BA. I usually leave in the wee hours of the morning so that truckers are nearly the only traffic I encounter. There is such a mixture of both real pros and absolute idiots out there, but I will take dealing with your average trucker over dealing with your average motorist ANY DAY.

      In my younger days as an area manager for a major corp, I burned through 5 company cars in 6 years, driving the highways throughout AB, W. Sask and E. BC. The quality of truck drivers has definitely declined over the decades. In my even younger days, I enjoyed warehousing and got to know a lot of drivers, personally. Also got to witness a helluva lot of “pros” who couldn’t back a trailer to save their lives(I remember one so bad, our branch manager who watched him actually called the trucking company and told them to never send that driver, again).

      So do I think truckers need more and better training? Let me put it this way…. I think your everyday motorist should have professional training and be tested before being allowed to drive on any highway…. maybe even a special designation on their license. Too many city-drivers simply do not have the competence or experience to safely operate a vehicle in traffic at highway speeds. The stupidity and carelessness I have witnessed from your average motorist far outweighs the stupidity and carelessness I have witnessed from truckers, over these many years. So, yeah, truck drivers need to be better trained before hitting our highways and city streets…. along with everyone else!

      Anyways, it is all out in the open now, trucking is under targeted attack as just one part of the globalists now-obvious multi-prong mission to disrupt and dismantle western civilization.

      1. I usually have more to fear from my fellow motorists than the truckers.

         When I took my driver ed in high school, I learned about the “two second” rule: allow at least 2 seconds between the rear of the vehicle ahead of you and your front. I prefer to leave more space, though, because it might give someone more time if there’s trouble.

         Sure enough, there’s gotta be some jackass who’ll try to squeeze into that space because the speed limit isn’t fast enough for them. I saw that yesterday in the stretch between Hythe and the provincial border.

         All they have to do is wait a few minutes, cross over into B. C. and there’s a nice stretch of passing lane that goes on for several km, just waiting to be used.

         1. “I prefer to leave more space, though, because it might give someone more time if there’s trouble.”

            Which all too many idjits interpret as “Cut in front of you with no signal”.

            1. Yup. If I had a cuss box, I could be close to a millionaire for the number of times I’ve broken into profanity when somebody did that to me–on both counts.

               Actually, one reason I do leave that much space is in case somebody has to avoid a collision, like the examples I gave earlier. It’s a minor inconvenience, but nobody gets hurt.

               Still, it is rather discourteous.

      2. Canadian Observer,

         I agree wholeheartedly with your comment. I drive a 5-ton, 20-foot straight truck from Hamilton to Mississauga twice daily and it’s clueless motorist that give me the most grief.

         – Veering from the far left lane across three lanes of traffic to an exit ramp without signaling.
         – Driving at 80-85 KMH in the middle or left lane of three lane highway (100 KMH).
         – Texting or scrolling through their phone while driving on the highway which means they correct their lane adjustment and speed up and slow down repeatedly.
         – Cutting in front of me in heavy traffic and then suddenly braking. Meanwhile, I have 8400 pounds of brake drums in my cargo hold and I’m holding my breath that I won’t smash into them.
         – Not yielding the right of way in tight parking lots and forcing me to back up so they can get on their way.

         The list goes on.

4. Is there any connection between the “third world” nature of trucking conditions and the fact that the third world is supplying us with increasing numbers of our drivers?

   1. YES.

   2. Canadian businesses have become addicted to cheap immigrant labour. Replaceable and expendable, and the feds love it too because they get to flash their diversity bona fides, keep wages low, and keep driving up the housing market. And if ordinary Canadians try speaking against all that, well we’re just a bunch of racists don’t you know.

      This is a sick, sick country. Probably terminally ill at this point.

      1. I.M.

         ++++++++++/\ on steroids..!-!

      2. Wanna see examples of this? Highway to Hell, the Coquihalla towing show, gives plenty of examples of turd worlders, stuck on the grade because they were too lazy or stupid to chain up ahead of time.
         And these guys are running all around BC as “professional drivers”…….
         I’m surprised there aren’t more multi-vehicle fatalities on our roads with these clowns behind the wheel .

      3. I.M. You are absolutely correct. Especially the continued increase in the price of buying a home!! DJM

   3. SCOTT

      1000% YES..!!

      A number of young Saskatchewan lives snuffed out here 4 yrs ago is the Perfect Exclamation point no.?? No Clue – No experience hired cause he’s CHEAP Labour.

      Often see two East Indian types in a Semi…and I know from Experience, that Toronto and environs, it’s simply a bloody miracle to see a caucasian driving one…99.95% EAST Indian or Sikh….and B C ain’t much better.

      As to earlier comments regarding Hwy 1.
      1000% agree. A Bloody Killer from Lake Louise West till ya hit 80k East of Kamloops….driving it in Winter…?? Downright scary at times. (as is the Coquihalla & the Kelowna connector ANYTIME in winter).

      1. It’s called team driving when more than one driver is in the truck and white folks do it too.

         As for the many sask lives snuffed out, that was a definite tragedy but the government’s ridiculous regulations they instituted after the Humboldt tragedy are nothing but a knee jerk and innefective reaction.

      2. I found a way to know whether the truck driver is a non-born North American. When I flash my lights to let the trucker know that it is safe to pull in ahead of me into my lane, and he flashes back, I know he is a white or black guy born here. When they don’t signal back the traditional “thank you” I know for sure they are disrespectful people likely born somewhere across the ocean. Hope I have been polite enough in my discription of them. God bless the good trucker and you know who I mean.

   4. It is NOT just the truckers with New Canadians as drivers.
      I learned to drive in Edmonton in the late 1960’s. I think everyone should have to pass their driver’s exam on December 27, parallel parking uphill on MacDonald Hill.
      I now live in Regina and am dismayed at the vast number of drivers who drive at speed limit or over in bad weather on the Ring Road; drive without their lights on, so the rear view lights are not visible, and drive white/grey cars fast in white-out conditions. My sister and I think that they cannot all be “new Canadians” who have never driven in snow before, but clearly I am wrong.
      Perhaps I am now an “irritable old woman” yelling at strangers.

      1. A lot of people in Edmonton are completely clueless about winter driving.

         I remember one young lady who parked in the stall next to the one for my car. She had problems backing out and I eventually helped her. First, she didn’t keep her front wheels straight. Then, she didn’t even have a shovel, so the snow underneath her car made it harder for the vehicle to move.

         Then there was a certain tenant who came from a certain other country (no names mentioned…..). It had snowed earlier and all she did was clear the snow from the windshield on her side. The roof and the hood remained completely covered.

         I yelled over that she needed to clear it all off as she would have been a road hazard. In one ear and out the other.

         No wonder my vehicle insurance is so high, even after being part of a group plan.

      2. Daytime running lights solved one problem, but created another with the front lights being on all the time, there are a special number of people who don’t realize that even if your front lights are on, your rears may not be

         1. JD

            One of the things that blows,my mind is the fact many if not all the newer vehicles since at least 2000….

            DO Not have Automatic and by that I mean, fully automated Headlights ThaT as soon as it gets dark turn by themselves .never mind the stupid supposed “auto” setting on some signal control.

            I drive an 06 GMC, as soon as it’s dusk, my lights come on…ALWAYS WITHOUT my doing anything.

            My wife drives a 2017 Corolla…she has to ensure her lights are on …or better yet, ensure its on the Auto setting..if not..? No headlights. STOOPID.

            Why that is not a standard SAFETY MEASURE in EVERY VEHICLE is completely beyond me.

            1. it is now… new rules implemented – after 2021 in Canada all vehicles on the road — if lights are not on then the dash lights are also not on – read that recently. look it up.. it’s way over due. a dark cockpit means turn on your lights …

         2. I don’t like automatic headlights or daytime running lights myself. I have no issues reaching over & turning lights on or off as required. What bugs me, as you noted, is idiots who don’t realize their tail lights are off even though they can see their gauges & the road ahead. If the gauge cluster didn’t turn on with the daytime running lights it would be a much better system.

         3. Yes!!! So true! And so dangerous!!! Can’t believe auto makers haven’t rigged up a gage or light that will indicate tail lights are still off.

   5. Recently I watched a semi trying to make a right turn on an icy road with a very slight grade. Driver would back up about 10 feet and try to go ahead, over and over. A pail full of grit would have solved his problem. As I pulled out and around him, I saw the driver had a turban and beard. Probably this was his first experience with a little snow & ice.

   6. I found that part of letter to be full of errors. The “third world drivers” are not coming here through the government, they are being sponsored by family members in Surrey, Abbotsford, etc and are given a license by their “buddy” or relative without proper training or testing. Its common practice that I have seen first hand.

   7. yep…

   8. I am more scared of the “city drivers” taking into a “Highway” adventure, incapable of using the right lane or turn signals, including the ones cutting into the 15 m space between two vehicules (already too close) going at 100 kmh, than the truckers, some how truckers see and try to copy the other truck drivers general actions.
      Yes more training may be needed for truckers, some of them were not truck drivers back in their country (they wouldn’t have survived in most third world countries), but some of the “city drivers” never did own a car, or they drove in places that traffic is so heavy that never had a chance to speed over 30 kmh, those are now a big majority of the highway drivers in mid size or small vehicles.
      Just based on personal experiences after having to drive in few continents and different highways in Northamerica.

5. Get back to me when our Minister of Finance gets a bad case of delirium tremens because Canadian truckers refuse to deliver any more liquor to Ottawa until they are consistently paid what it costs to fuel their trucks and feed their families.

   As long as Chrystia can continue to enjoy a fifth of Alberta Pure before breakfast every day, she can afford to pretend the truckers’ revolt is the work of Putin and the Jew-Bolsheviks.

6. Good Luck to all the Truck Drivers in all the different types of trucks North and South of the Border.

   Isn’t today the day they need to be fully vaccinated to cross the border? Even though their job is mostly sitting alone and isolated in a truck cab for however many hours a day?

   I went shopping today. The Target had lots and lots of empty spaces on the shelves, and you could see where they faced the shelves with whatever product they had one or two boxes deep, especially in the Valentines Day items. I had to look to find the correct price tag, as the product covered spaces for 1 or 2 or 4 or 5 different products. And there were still empty shelves! There were an abundance of paper goods, and the bottled water and Gatorade shelves actually had product this week.

   Ditto at the Grocery Store. The frozen food aisle was more empty that stocked. Some products, like Little Debbie snack brands were just not there. The dairy case was more than 1/2 empty.

   Maybe it was just a Sunday night after snowy weekend, and they have not stocked the shelves?

7. I’ll add this: The Kicking Horse Canyon project on the Trans-Canada has taken a full 30 years.The entirety of the US Interstate system was built in roughly 35 years, including stretches that make the Kicking Horse look easy. It was 30 years after Cannonball Baker crossed the USA on pavement that Canadians could cross our country entirely within our borders, let alone on pavement. We’re just not a serious country. We just pretend to be one on TV.

8. The trucking industry is the only one I know where the employer, the customers, and the government encourages the operators/employees to lie. Even with the e-logs there are plenty of ways to fudge.

   On the highway I tried to stay legal and did pretty well. I also went broke and spent many days waiting unpaid and on my dime. I went to oilfield driving and made a good living when I worked. Then downtimes hit (4 times) and lost it all.

   The job safety assessments are designed the protect the employers from Bill C45 (poop rolls uphill) and place ALL responsibilities on the driver. WCB loves it because as an overgrown insurance company JSAs give them opportunities to deny claims and hand out fines.

   I drove highway and off road for many years. I saw the changes in both areas.

   My question to anyone is this: if the regulations and safety programs are so effective then why are we killing 6-8 oil field workers on the roads almost every year in NEBC? I say almost but I know it was almost every year for almost 20 years.

   I was here to see it. I have no intention of going back driving even though I am one of the drivers you want to be around on the road.

9. As one who was responsible for a fleet many years ago it sure has changed from when I hired people. They had to have passed their AZ and medical, been accident free for a specific time period and been able to diagnose minor problems with their vehicles when doing their daily start up checks. Putting someone in a big rig without doing that was a dangerous proposition.
   Our governments have become our worst enemies.

10. As soon as our Secretary of Transportation in the US gets back from maternity paternity homo orgy leave he’ll get right on it—as long as it’s shaped like a dildo.

    1. That’s the best one I’ve read so far. Poor Americans, you’re no better off than we Canadians, with a mommified President who is totally confused, a homo Secretary of Transportation, a transgender Secretary of I forget what department, and the list goes on. Putin and Xi must be laughing their heart out watching the Greatest Nation on Earth descend into Hell.

11. It would seem that there are problems with everything government, certainly:

    Healthcare
    Transportation safety
    Public works

    In every case we pay the highest taxes in the world, yet all it has brought is a massive and expensive bureaucracy of overpaid, super=annuated drones whose existence is having committee meetings with other groups of like drones all achieving nothing. Steve Bannon gets more correct every day as he talks about dismantling the administrative state. It is so bad now, that it is not just expensive, it is actually counter productive. If it can be eliminated and make things not just cheaper, but actually better, then it is time.

    I have my food stock in good order, but thanks for the article, I don’t do a lot of driving, but an extra 100L of gas is better than nothing.

12. Thanks for posting this trucker’s message. Makes for compelling reading.

13. To his list of solutions, I would add:
    * Make it easier for young people to become truckers.
    * Buy local to reduce demand for trucking (easier said than done, but one small change at a time)

    1. I’m not making margaritas out of local limes.

       1. You, you, you…lime snob!

14. Pre-Christmas working in a plant not far off a 2 lane portion of the #17 Trans-Canada we were told not to park our work trucks in an area used by the truckers backing into the loading dock due to “new Canadian drivers”.

    I’m 58 as well. When I was much younger I criss-crossed the country a few times moving furniture. Just a swamper seeing the country from coast to coast. I took the wheel a couple times. Hwy#11 in northern Ontario is a tough place to pass and it never crossed my mind to even try.
    I never did pursue my licence. At the time furniture movers made good coin.
    For a while I’ve thought maybe when I leave my current trade in a couple years because the body is getting a bit broken I could do some more criss-crossing.
    Think Home Depot makes more sense.

    Cheers to the professional people who roll 24-7-365.

15. It is time for the makers to start calling the shots. The truckers ,the farmers, the small business owners, the builders, it is time the takers loose there say. The simple servants take a pay cut to bring them in line with average wages . It is time Canadians respect the builders of this country. Power needs to be taken from the dope smokers and crazes .

    1. Agreed, we need to stop feeding the parasites.

    2. Harvey…sorry, but it’s not the “dope smokers” per se that are the issue.
       It’s the Professional LEFTIST FILTH that permeates EVERY F’king nook n cranny of EVERY Municipal – Provincial – Federal Level who sit on their empty brains and suck the life out of our country. Just look around you..? Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg Vancouver…all LEFTIST FILTH in power…and right across the country – with ZERO Conservative voices ANYWHERE.

       It is high time to Completely DE – CERTIFY every Public Service Union in North AMERICA: reduce their wages by 15% right off the batt – wanna stay working for the People..?? then you can stay – no…?? Then fk off and stay that way.!!

       And at the same time: Make Communism/Socialism ILLEGAL
       Where is our Pinochet..?????

       1. This is the most paranoid, ridiculous rant I’ve read in ages. The racism on this page is disgusting.

          1. I haven’t seen any racism on this page so far, I see lots of nationalities being disparaged but not race. I’ll keep looking.

       2. “LIKE”

    3. The first thing a real dictatorship of the proletariat will do is do away with the socialists.

    4. old guy

       It would help if some of them could just read, you know, like road signs . We have q hair pin around here, and they who can’t read the huge signs telling you NO trucks, keep taking that road. Was down it last week, and yup, guard rails gone again:-))))

16. Part of the problem is that since Canadian companies are not making enough money at it any more, the imports are starting companies. And they put green drivers in crap trucks. And when you call dispatch, they lie about pickup times, when you can understand a word they are saying. I’ve had a few times when a dispatcher told me one story and the driver told me a different one. They don’t like being called out on that.

    1. had that happen where I needed 4 crates to go from vaughan to winnipeg, in an enclosed trailer, leaving before 3 pm

       what arrived was a flat trailer loaded with a half load of steel, and he wanted to put the crates on top, and put a tarp over them when he arrived at 7 pm

17. https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/canadian-trucking-alliance-condemns-protests-by-unvaccinated-truckers/ar-AAT3TBx?ocid=msedgntp

    1. So in other words, it’s not the truckers, but the pencil necked bureaucrats who subsist off government graft who are butthurt because where the rubber literally hits the road, they’re not marching lockstep like obedient sheep. Right?

       1. That’s what Canadian sheep bleat out all the time. It’s not the government’s fault that they put a bunch of hoops in between you and your freedoms and tell you that you must jump through them; it’s your fault for looking at the hoops and telling the govt to get bent.

          “They didn’t take your freedom, they just put conditions on it!” <- say clueless people on the way to serfdom and slavery.

          1. so right –our fault if we fall in line and do not object in any way—Truckers convoy is not just about vaccine–it is about revolution—ordinary Canadians fed up–we do not want to lose any more “freedoms” We see them eroding every day—They can only do what we allow?? and all they had to do was put FEAR into the hearts of the people and they have had free run–HOPE this is the beginning of the end of TYRANNY her in Canada!

    2. Condemns is a pretty harsh WORD.
       But , as per ususal, typical LEFTIST useless Filth in that cabal too eh..??
       Whats the GoFund Me at now..??

       Morons too stupid to understand that the ENTIRE FLEET across the country is involved…Vaxxed and unvaxxed.

       Truckers..?? YOU GUUYS ROCK..!!

    3. Buddy,

       I read that “article” yesterday as well. As has been the case in the past few years, the only worthwhile information in any of our MSM newspapers, must be gleaned from the comment section.

       One comment I particularly liked and I think you might enjoy as well was this “ The Canadian Trucking Association has its head so far up Trudeau’s rear, it can already see the Big Pharama salesman and Mr. Tam. It does not speak for the truckers of this country.”

       FYI: the quoted text is correctly spelled. I have only altered the word “reer” which I do believe was a typo.

       1. Oops! I MADE the error in the spelling of Pharma! That was NOT how it was spelled by person who typed the comment in the NP!!

    4. Yeah…Gerald the Butts was happy to tweet that out. re Truckers Alliance.

       Bureaucrats stick together.

    5. Kanadian Pravda is the source of that piece. Sadly, too many sheeple – that are waiting on their government free stuff – will bleat their approval.

18. It’s not just truckers. I know of a lot of experienced tradespeople who are either retiring early or have one eye on the door. Roofers, plumbers, mechanics, electricians etc.

    1. Francisco….You can add Chefs to that list..

       1. Noted

       2. that has to be one under rated profession…….

    2. Yep, the guy that cleaned my heat pump is ex-military, he got out because he couldn’t take the 9/5 snivel servant attitude anymore.

19. When driving cab i had to “rescue” a truck driver of east asian origin who did not know he had to put fuel in the truck. He was a recent “graduate” of a punjab driving school on toronto!

    1. Had that problem at 16 when the fuel gauge broke. Later learned the ICE basics,
       Fuel
       Air
       Compression
       Ignition
       Good ol detroit iron

       1. Didn’t we all at that age?

          “Oh, lookit that! Out of fuel & in the middle of nowhere. Wanna make out?” 😉

    2. Sounds like it was related to Calgary’s Sunrise Driving School.

20. We have a government who’s avowed policy is to elliminate trucking. Not directly but by assuming all deliveries will be by electric truck. Also, they believe in the local food movement, so we must all eat Bananas grown in Baie St. Paul, to save the planet, of course. Really it is just snobbery; have you noticed all those industries that employ hard working people who get oil on their hands are targeted?

    1. Yes. And the electric trucks will all be self-driving. All that push for Autonomous Vehicles is so that every truck driver can be laid off. No drivers’ salaries to pay!

       1. And with no personal ICE vehicles (outlawed) on the road and nobody but elites in Teslas, the roads will be almost deserted of cars.

    2. Robert …vertical farming, alla unme said so!

21. Editor of Canadian Trucking Magazine, James Menzies, condemns protests.

    https://www.trucknews.com/blogs/the-murky-matter-of-protests-and-the-donations-that-drive-them/

    1. Ezra claims Trucking Mag gets $ from Trudeau.

       1. Any magazine that displays the “Real Canadian Deal” seal are propaganda pushers. Dropped Outdoor Canada and BC Fishing for running BS AGW propaganda for their taxpayer funded subsidies.

          1. MikeT, I get the BCWF magazine through my gun club membership. I don’t even bother to unwrap the plastic anymore. I’m just not interested in the drivel they publish, but I couldn’t get the subscription removed unless I cancel my club membership. So I’m stuck between a rock and a stupid place!

             1. I have the same thing with the rag from the Alberta Motor Association. I keep getting it because I renew my membership but whenever an issue arrives in the post, it promptly goes into my recycling pile.

       2. every canadian content magazine gets government subsidies, it’s just a matter of amount…

          the bigger examples of corruption are the millions that rogers gets for it’s magazines, which should be self supporting

    2. He’s kinda “special”, isn’t he?

    3. I know a former editor of that paper who was told he would be fired if he did not change his editorial stance to align with the policies of the major advertisers and the CTA and OTA. Instead he chose to resign and I chose to not believe anything written in media since.

22. Signs on the back of American trailers advertise a rate of around $.60/mile – US funds of course. With conversion, Canadian company drivers make half of that. The industry here is absolutely inundated with foreign drivers and the pay rates reflect that. I don’t begrudge them their choice of livelihood as they are just doing what’s best for themselves and their families.
    The government has turned on the immigration tap and has no intention of ever turning it off again, as if allowing 3% of the population of the third world into our country solves a problem for the entirety of the third world.
    You can tell the overall professionalism in the trucking industry has dropped because of all the foreign drivers. We have drivers who will call a breakdown service to replace a clearance light. They’re always the ones who cause you delays when they’re ahead of you because they can’t understand the rules because of a lack of comprehension of English. What does the CBC call people who are impatient with immigrants who don’t have a working grasp of the language? Racists, of course.
    But I ramble. Truckers love to gripe, but that doesn’t mean we have no legitimate complaints.

    1. wad..a…fuk…youuuu…say..???

       …..lol…

23. Sorry Kate, but your friend is what we affectionately call a super trucker and is a relic of a time past.

    Are rates low? Yes.
    Are expenses too high? Yes.
    Are there already too many government regulations? Fuck yes
    Are immigrant truckers less qualified than Canadian truckers as a rule? Absolutely not.

    I’ve been trucking for over 20 years in the oil/gas, and agriculture sectors primarily. Are there dangerous and under qualified truckers out there, absolutely, but the majority of them aren’t immigrants like the racist super truckers want you and the government to believe, the unsafe and unqualified ones are typically the super truckers, wannabe outlaw truckers, and the young white Canadian truckers who think they know all and are more entitled to jobs due to nepotism and racism.

    The only way to learn certain aspects of trucking is to be thrown to the wolves and/or fake it til you make it like the rest of us did when we learned and are still learning the same way when we do something new.

    Also, i meant no disrespect to legitimate outlaw truckers, just the pussy wannabes who like the title and the lifestyle but run to the government for more regulation every time they can’t make enough money or an immigrant steps on their toes

    1. thor, bullshit, come around here, and immigrant truckers are the problem. That is not to say there are some cowboys out there that should have their ticket pulled. But the majority are turban jockies

    2. Thor,
       I drive in north east Mississauga every day and see more than a dozen truck driver training companies in operation including one that advertises AZ license “$4500 ONLY”.
       Do you really think a immigrant driver who takes is AZ training at a company that charges “$4500 ONLY” is as qualified as someone who does their training at an organization who charges the actual amount it costs ($9600 or more) to become a FULLY certified AZ driver?
       I have watched some of the “trainees” attempt to back up a tractor trailer and they have zero comprehension of the mechanics required to do this.

    3. u got a point, I’ve seen both. But the rag tops seem to be in the lead. They dont have a clue, and the outlaws dont give a fuk..

24. Interesting perspective. I knew something was up a few years ago when I noticed that every other truck driver had a turban on. ‘Let’s just say they didn’t learn to drive sitting on pop pop’s knee on the run out of Muskoka.’ Just the other day I saw a turban wearing truck driver driving the wrong way up an exit ramp off highway #11. I don’t know about backing the thing up, but I watched him take a hard right at the end of the ramp to get going the right way.. so I guess all’s well that ends well (sarcasm). On the same stretch of highway I’ve come on a rig pulled over to the right, still halfway in the driving lane.. no pylons out… turban sitting in the driver’s seat on his cell phone. Makes a person wonder about a certain truck/bus accident a few years ago now.

    1. Thor says you’re a racist outlaw super trucker. I remember Thor when he threw lightening bolts and used his hammer to make thunder, that was before got woke.

25. Trudeau’s Hidden Agenda.
    Odd how none of his media harem girls are writing about that.

26. I am constantly on the 401 from one end to the other. I can’t always see the colour of the driver in the cab. I can always see the Quebec plate on the trouble. Does anybody else notice that?

    1. Randy, yuppers

27. Yet many truckers are making good coin right now,,,this guy is a whiner.

    1. Must be hauling for a trucking company. Owner/Operators are getting creamed. Like backyard mechanics they’re being chased out of the market by the big players. But I bet you’d take it like a man if it was happening to you

28. Notice how the professional trucker movement is condemning the working man, any chance to stand with the political left? I hope they choke off the Laurentian elites, let them eat cake or they can warm up their silver spoons and choke on them.

29. In another life I worked as a shipper/receiver moving pasta products. At one point a new to us trucking company headquartered in Winnipeg (green lettering on white background, name ends in X) started sending semis piloted by middle eastern drivers who couldn’t back up the trailers, could barely speak English and, because of that, couldn’t do the math to count the freight on. A simple, “9 block, 6 high” became an ordeal in frustration. That was 30 years ago. To this day I see one of their tractor/trailer combos & I give them a wide berth.

    There was another company (red on white, colloquially nicknamed Hit and Run Transport) that was notorious for accidents.

    Our youngest & I drove out to the Island on 3 & back on 1 last summer. The number of shitty truck drivers on the road was stunning (don’t get me wrong, the number of shitty passenger vehicle drivers was bad, too). One of my favorites? Racing reefers taking up both lanes of #1 just east of Roger’s Pass, a half mile of traffic behind them and doing <50 kph up an incline for a couple clicks. The idiot in the hammer lane was bound & determined to get around the rig in the granny lane. He never made it.

30. Here’s my 0.02$. Trains belong on tracks. The southern US States move everything on 5 axles. Unless the load is indivisible then they buy permits and hire pilot cars.
    Why we need multiple trailers being led down the highways by inexperienced drivers mixed with dumb as rocks car drivers is a question that I’m sure lots of trees and ink still haven’t solved

31. Heads up for your blog readers… Many US people are supporting the Freedom 2022 Convoy… but this morning an incorrect twitter post has sparked off some significant interest in the comments section at Conservative Treehouse. I hope that you can help clear this up for US and Canadian readers? I do not have a twitter account so can not directly address this with the twitter poster.

    Here is the twitter post: https://twitter.com/DarnelSugarfoo/status/1485187115541417988?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1485187115541417988%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheconservativetreehouse.com%2Fblog%2F2022%2F01%2F24%2Fjanuary-24th-2022-presidential-politics-resistance-day-370%2F
    369 Retweets
    31 Quote Tweets
    977 Likes

    A poster in an open thread picked it up at Conservative Treehouse – it garnered moderate attention but I have already reached out to the poster that the tweet appears to be incorrect.

    Because it appears in Vancouver on Saturday the 22nd there was a rally about truck driver road safety issues, link: https://wc-ta.ca/

    The Freedom 2022 Convoy schedule shows that they departed Vancouver on SUNDAY the 23rd (link: https://canadaspeakfreely.com/freedom-convoy-2022 )

    So… it looks like the Canadian Press was not misleading… but that there were 2 notable event/rallies.

    Canadian truckers have many issues at present as your blog post and reader comments share… they don’t need us US nuts creating confusion or spreading anything false.

    I hope you will consider a blog post or piece for your readers if you think it is of interest or benefit.

    Not sure I explained it at all well but have been a lurking reader of yours from way back and felt that this might prevent confusion.

    Thank you.

32. On a slightly different note tied to the same problem. Jason Kenney’s official twitter account has pictures of empty shelves in the grocery stores in AB. Of course his solution is to send a strongly worded letter to the illiterate Justin Castreau but he did mention starting unofficial negotiations with the US. This can not continue. Albertans will not repeat the Holodomor.

    1. “Of course his solution is to send a strongly worded letter to the illiterate Justin Castreau but he did mention starting unofficial negotiations with the US.”

       So, now Kenney is suddenly concerned about MT shelves & he’s going to try to deal with senile old FJB, who just locked down the US side of the border, personally? BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Kenney’s part of the f’ing problem, not the solution.

33. Independent truckers comprise a small percentage of the truck fleet in Canada. They are the ones striking. The corporate truckers are on the job. There will be temporary interruptions in the supply chain.

    The big retailers hold significant sway. They don’t like empty shelves. They influence the marketplace and the government (the Weston family).

    Both the US and Canada have closed the border to unvaccinated truckers. Corporate truckers are vaxed and are crossing.

    I fear the convoy and the independent truckers will find little sympathy for their efforts in either the government or increasingly in the public who will be inconvenienced by blockages in the supply chain.

    I wish them well but my guess is their effort will be in vain.

    1. The Westons need to understand something: it’s unsustainable and morally wrong to stiff the people who deliver your inventory.

       If the Westons can’t pay truckers and still sell organic strawberries in January at a price anybody in his right mind will pay, the solution is to for Loblaws to get out of the business of selling strawberries grown in pig shit.

       If Karen wants produce out of season, she can either pay through the nose, or she can buy local produce in season and learn how to preserve it.

    2. maybe ur right……but I think this is MORE than independent unvaxed drivers. This is about loss of freedoms, rights as a human etc etc. Everyone in Canada has been, following orders and look at the mess we are in. We are tired, frustrated and see a bleak future for ourselves and future generations. We dont see the Canada our ancestors envisioned for us.

       Back to truckers, the issues with ELDs, parking, basic sanitary facilities, totally computerized trucks (consider a ‘engine lite’ at 3 am, northern BC, minus 30 as a heart monitor check)…one has to sympathize with truckers and the lack of decent worker protection they have ..especially as an independent small businessperson…….but I guess even city folks know…you cant fight city hall.

       Again this is about the little guy pushing back against the control of larger forces..unions, city hall, and governments in general, and trying to return to the country that previous generations envisioned

34. Kate, congrats! Rex mentioned SDA the NP!!!

    https://nationalpost.com/opinion/rex-murphy-truckers-are-the-proxy-protesters-for-a-lot-of-angry-canadians

    Let me end by quoting a letter from a trucker — it’s from the Small Dead Animals website. Any Canadian who wishes to get a genuine feel for this event would do well to give the letter a full read. Against hope I would wish people high in the Ottawa cumulus clouds of the PMO would read it, too. And Erin O’Toole. The link title is “The average age of a trucker is 58.” Here’s the quote:

    “Truck drivers have hit the proverbial wall & every tactile thing in your life is moved by them. This goes far beyond the mandate issue, that’s just the snapping point for many. There are many factors at play — truckers being the constant, proverbial scapegoat for a crumbling supply chain is front & centre.

35. To sum up the whole competency discussion, from a 30 year Commercial Driver, twenty years ago I used to trust the Big-Rigs on the road. Professional Drivers and all that. The last ten years I treat the trucks the same way I’ve always treated the four wheelers. Be aware, keep distance, let them go, expect any idiocy, be switched-on, they don’t have a clue concerning, in my case, 40,000 lbs of dually pick-up, 40′ Gooseneck and steel/lumber/pipe. Nothing I hate more than having some goof come up beside the trailer and just sit there. If something happens they are going to die. Course they do it to semis too. Why would you put your car three feet away from 100,000 lbs of mass travelling at 60 mph? And leave it there. How clueless do you have to be?

    Daytime Running Lights (DRL) MANDATORY by law. So why have the dash lights come on with them? Another genius designer snafu and The Law Of Unintended Consequences.
    Solution – running/tail lights included in DRL. I ALWAYS have my running lights on so the “AUTO” is useless. Cab/Box Marker/Front Marker and 18 Trailer lights are AWAYS on. Don’t even shut them off when I park for the night. Timer delay does that anyway. Run into sudden reduced visibility, I know I’m lit.

    One “Cost” issue that irks me is more often than not and almost always for highway, a customer wants a price which they give their customer (maybe adding 10 points for themselves, maybe not) and then you go to pick it up and the shipper’s on lunch or they are still processing/packaging/forklift runs out of propane/gets stuck/ lost crane remote etc, finally get loaded drive to wherever, wait another hour (sometimes), so now your down two or so hours, the shipper gets paid his time the receiver gets paid his time, usually large corporations, and the guy in the middle, the trucker gets the food (more like beer) taken off HIS table. Sales, Purchasing Agents, Shippers, Equipment Operators all get their commissions and salaries from the companies that can afford to take the hit while the Owner/Operator literally took a pay cut. I know, I know we try to build it in to the pricing but there is ALWAYS a hungry novice that will do it for cheaper. Broke and gone within a year.

    1. A big thanks to all the truckers out there!
       My dad is a retired trucker and still does an occasional haul, so I learned to show a healthy respect for the “big” trucks on the road. This past Christmas we had to pick our daughter up from university because she was not allowed to fly. We drove across northern Ontario all they way to the east coast and it was terrifying at times with the road conditions. (White river/Wawa was the worst) We had white outs, ice, snow drifts, freezing rain, road closures, questionable detours, passed a truck on fire on the side of the hwy. and several ditched semis. And that was just one road trip! I would not want to have to drive those conditions daily. I’m so thankful for the truckers out there, especially those who want a better, safer trucking industry. I hope things change for the better soon! Good luck in Ottawa!! Wish I could join the convoy❤️, but don’t think I’m ready to do that drive again just yet

36. I have been a trucker ever since the age of 16 when I started driving for my dad hauling fruit in the Okanagan from orchard to packing house. I have also owned equipment in logging industry, and also did sales in heavy equipment.

    What most URBAN DWELLERS don’t realize is that if every truck driver in CANADA stayed home for a week because of the needless S%$T they put up with on a daily basis from crazy 4 Wheelers, employers, government agents, and shippers these people would suddenly REALIZE who TRUCKERS are and what it means to these URBAN DWELLERS!!!

    WAKE UP and open your eyes URBAN DWELLERS! ITS COMING!! When a tired long haul driver has to pull over for the night and he wants a coffee from TIMS and he can’t be served foot at the TIMS DRIVE THRU WINDOW because his truck is 2 blocks away (as close as he can get)!! THE DAY of RECKONING is COMING WHERE SHORTAGES WILL BE COMMON! You will suddenly realize the TRUCKER is gas in your car, food at Safeway, produce fro South if the Border and on and on!

37. I had no idea. This is terrible!

    Rex got me here so one hopes there is some wider notice and government action.

    Unfortunately, nothing is likely to happen until the shelves are bare…

    All the best to you and yours.

38. Back in the late 70s early 80s I was a member of the original Alberta Highway Patrol aka The Great Root Bears due to the A&W colour of our uniforms, or Lougheed’s Cowboys. I spoke with several of the veteran truckers via CB radio, and even back then they said there was a new breed of truckers out there who ‘aimed ‘ their trucks from point A to point B, driving as fast and as recklessly as they could(I caught a few of them myself). So this guy is right on when he says most new truckers are not adequately trained. Think of the Humboldt Broncos hockey team accident and say no more!!

39. Just saw CTV News’ 11pm take of the truck convoy – disgusting:
    Glenn McGregor is not a journalist but a mouth piece for Turdhole&co. Suggesting that it’s about money etc.
    And Erin theTool, what a bastard. He’s playing safe, not gonna meet with the truckers, not opposition’s job.
    CTVNews, the lowest scum.

40. I read the above posts with interest… However, It seems to me to have missed the larger issue.
    I think the point of all this is our country is changing. It seems to me that we as a country have lost much of the moral and ethical character that our previous generation(s) had. And immigrants (and I am not anti-immigrant) bring their own lifestyles and beliefs.
    Loss or changes of beliefs permeate into every part of society. I liken it to the story I read about New York City. They started arresting the ” jay walkers” only to discover that crime dropped. Apparently, many “jay walkers” were also wanted for arrest and were continuing their crimes. The “jay walkers” committed crimes of all flavours, and it had permeated into their whole lives.
    When folks in society loose respect for each other, individuals believe they can do or say anything they want, lie when it pleases them, call good evil and evil good, then society will crumble. In fact, society becomes unrestrained and ungovernable.
    I have been making the observation for some time that this is where Canada is at.
    There is only one solution, and that is God starts touching the hearts and minds of people. I am reminded of a story I heard about Battleford, Saskatchewan. They had a revival there in the 40’s (I think). The city council called the police chief in and asked what they were doing. He responded “you know, the revival” but when pressed said “We have a choir. The crime rate has dropped to zero.” When men and womens hearts are changed, their behavior will follow. I cannot see how anything but a divine intervention will solve the problems of this world, our country, and our communities. And when hearts and minds are changed, the roads will become safe again, until then, well, you know…”

    1. 100% agree!

41. First, I would like to say that truckers are the backbone of our society with what sounds like very little regard for not only you’re well being but also for the value bestowed upon you.

    If there is any industry that can make a difference in this sorry state of a Country called Canada that we are living in at the moment, under the hypocrisy of our Trudeau Government, (just needed to get that out!), it is the truckers that have the power now. You essentially can bring the entire economy to a stand-still. For that Mr. Trudeau should be very concerned.

    Keep up the good work! Truckers are truly the unsung hero’s.

    Also shout out to Rex Murphy for bringing this story to my attention. It should be shouted from the root-tops.

42. You TRUCKERS are CANADIAN HEROES. I supported you 100%. You will save our life because the government is KILLING US RIGHT NOW with all the LIES. This HEALTH CRISIS dose NOT EXIST at all. It is all BULL SHIT. TRUDEAU BRAIN WASH all the Canadian. Where is our FREEDOM ?????

43. I was pleased to see some of this in Rex Murphy’s article this morning. The truck protest is about much more than the vax issue for drivers who cross the border. I truly hope it gets the attention of those rats in the ship’s bilge in Ottawa. Our country is terminally ill, as someone commented. Some fundamental things need immediate remedial action. And on the other subject of the declining level of professionalism on the roads, I have plenty to say about that too. I started as a professional driver back in the 70s, owned and drove several trucks until I wised up and became a company driver in the 80s. Back then you stop and help a brother driver who had broken down and may be in need of help. There were no cell phones, satellite or other modern conveniences. There were also no ATM or credit cards. Drivers took pride in their work, and were always learning something and seeking to improve their professionalism. I got in quite a few convoys travelling in the US with a bunch of professionals, guys who in many cases had college degrees and chose to make a living on the highway. I had coffee with lots of them. These guys could pilot a 40 ton rig equipped with two gear sticks using their brains and guts and not much else. Things sure have gone downhill, both in terms of real skills and attitude and maturity. Most “pro” drivers out there are fricking amateurs driving semi-automated trucks while talking on the phone. The last gig I had before I retired was driving fuel super B trains in Onatrio and western Quebec. I’m proud of those years, and I dare say most of my colleagues would say the same thing. Like I said, I hope this protest gets good media coverage and attracts the attention of those who might make a difference.

44. WOW , if a true story was ever told it was this one. the last few years as being a truck driver convinced me to get off the hell off the road for my own safety. The driving ability of what I saw of some drivers on the road scared the hell out of me. I believe the underlying fact was the creation of just in time service that super ceded safety, . the biggest quote was, “i don’t care how you do it just get it there :. Then if something happens , whos fault is it, you knew the rules. No company will stand behind you. I knew a few who were fired because they wouldn’t abide by the companies own lack of safety procedures ( as set by the law).
    There are drivers out there travelling thousands of miles and only making minimum wage , what’s up with that , when your stuck at the border for hours or other places waiting for loads your not being paid. That needs to change.
    I stand by the Drivers in their Quest but I think there are a lot more issues behind this then just vaccinations requirements
    after 45 years I’ve seen it .

45. Not a trucker but an average Canadian who can’t access adequate Healthcare or enter the housing market. Our country has all these issues but our corporate and political leaders have 12-15 billion stashed offshore according to the CRA?

    Solidarity.

46. Poll spotting

    QUICK POLL – JAN. 25, 2022

    Do you support the truckers’ convoy coming to Ottawa?
    https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/mobile/community/polls

47. I would like to hear from truckers and firms what role large trucking firms like TFI are playing in worsening or improving this troubled industry.

48. I got into this industry almost 30 years ago doing local and city work when it was more fun. Also worked as a certified Class 1 Instructor for almost 10 years before going over the road. Saw all types of people taking the training course. Some were naturals, most were decent people looking for a new career, and some weren’t worthy. Unfortunately, the “Everyone gets a Trophy and Nobody can Fail” mentality didn’t permit washing out unsuitable candidates. Believe me when I say some people simply weren’t suited to operate an 18 wheeler, regardless of their background or ethnicity.

    After returning to the open road, I used to enjoy taking some extra time to see various sights we now must drive past in order to make that carved in stone appointment. I was able to visit all 48 continental US states, and 9 of 10 Canadian provinces. Have some wonderful memories of places I’ve seen and people I’ve met. It stopped being fun about a dozen years ago when the bean counters and regulatory agencies began taking over. Finally had enough of running over the road in June 2020. While COVID played a bit role early on with its previously wide open, but suddenly closed shipper and receiver doors and washrooms, the George Floyd rioting in Minneapolis was the last straw. That was one of the very few times I was concerned for my well being. And I’ve been to Chicago’s south side, North Philadelphia when advised to stay far, far away, some of Detroit’s worst areas, and into the Bronx.

    I’ve also witnessed some abysmal driving displays from every type of vehicle operator there is. My take was reduce speed and create more space around me, and park the truck if I felt it was warranted. Loads can be late, lives cannot be revived once ended.

    I and my 2.2 MILLION miles of safe driving would be completely out of the industry today were it not for a great opportunity to work a few days per week on a regional run. Don’t see myself ever crossing any border for any reason ever again.

    The days of reckoning for the supply chain to breakdown is quickly approaching. Prepare yourself accordingly. It may not happen suddenly, as it’s more likely to be gradual with specific shortages.

    Even the movement towards so called “self driving” trucks isn’t the answer. They have plenty of issues to be rectified.

    After 2 years of lock downs, farce diapers, occupancy restrictions, poke passports just to dine at a restaurant, mutations, and vaccines of questionable efficacy, I’ve had enough.

    Let those truckers roll free and unencumbered by political stupidity and grandstanding.

49. Thank you for the story and to Rex for raising awareness.

    As a young man, I drove a 5 ton, delivering concrete burial vaults to cemeteries around Ontario. The lack of awareness and consideration given to a truck with a heavy load was nerve wracking. I got out after a few years and have retained a respect and admiration for the professionals who have made this their life’s work. Even with my short experience, it is easy to recognize the pros out there today and equally easy to recognize the new breed of unqualified operator.

    See a semi… give them space – a lot of it. The pros appreciate it, and you want to stay well clear of the idiots.

50. Thank you all for speaking out. I agree – you are unsung heroes who are the major lifeline for us Canadians. I find it very bizarre and unfair how Covid has been a financial rather stress free experience, compared to others who are facing incredible physical and mental, financial and relationship stress.