Bureaucracy VS Driving Schools

How does the trucking industry fix entry level driving training? The short comings of our current ELT programs are well known. The bureaucratic inertia the stands in the way of a proper fix is well understood too. Mike Millian, president of the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada, offers a refreshing look at the source of the problems and some ideas on how to fix them. Mike says, "MELT was never intended to be a best practice; it was intended to be a minimum of what had to be achieved." "But in a price-sensitive market, schools that teach more comprehensive programs, cannot compete with schools that cut corners. That's where enforcement comes in, but that's almost non-existent."

As Mike explains in this episode, there's no single-stroke solution to this problem. Improvements are once again being discussed, but does the political will exist to make them happen? We talk to jim next right after this message from Howes Products makers of Diesel Defender, a diesel Fuel Lubricator & Injector cleaner with advanced IDX4 Detergent

Do you really know what you're pumping into your fuel tank?

Highway traffic volumes across much of Northern Ontario have remained relatively flat or even declined over the past decade or so, but those stats mask an important change. Heavy truck traffic has increased both in absolute numbers and as a proportion of vehicles on the road.

The volume of trucks making their way across Highways 11 and 17 are bound to increase further as Canada seeks to expand domestic trade and as mining and critical minerals extraction operations get underway in earnest up in the so-called Ring of Fire region.

We need a more reliable highway network in the north, one that's resilient to weather and collision-induced road closures and one that's safer for all road users but that's monumental task. It's 1600 kilometers from North Bay to the Manitoba border through rock cuts and forests, swamps and muskeg.

This week's guest, Mark Wilson, believes the so-called 2 plus 1 highway configuration is a more expedient alternative to full four-lane twinning while promising the same safety benefits but at a considerably lower cost. Mark is a retired Canadian registered safety professional with a 30-year career in occupational safety as a trainer and program developer. He's currently serving as a counselor for the city of Temiskaming Shores, formerly New Liskeard, Ontario.

Mark recently traveled to Sweden to study that country's pioneering work in 2 plus 1 highways and to Ireland as well, where they're in widespread use already. Listen to Jim Park's conversation with Mark Wilson.

Thanks to Howes Products, makers of Diesel Defender, a diesel fuel lubricator and injector cleaner with advanced IDX4 detergent.