The Harriet Tubman Award to Truckers
TruckNewsTalk
HARRIET TUBMAN AWARD TO TRUCKERS I’ve doing some history reading lately, and discovered an event in US history that may sound very familiar in 2025… and there is a connection to Canada. In 1850, something called the Fugitive Slave Act was passed which penalized police and other officials who did not arrest someone who had allegedly escaped from slavery, even in northern states where slavery was outlawed. Habeas corpus was declared irrelevant. No day in court or jury was permitted and the alleged fugitive from slavery could not testify. The law resulted in the kidnapping and conscription of...
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The Microbiologist Truck Driver
TruckNewsTalk
The Microbiologist Truck Driver I want to tell you a bedtime story. Once upon a time there was a microbiologist. Her name was Myrna Chartrand. Naturally she was highly educated. After all she was a scientist who studied microscopic life forms and processes including the study of the growth interactions and characteristics of microscopic organisms, but one day Myrna turned in her chair and walked away from it all to become…a truck driver! My TNT podcast preambles are sometimes lengthy so this time I will simply introduce Myrna Chartrand and let her tell you her story right after a message...
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Bruce Outridge-The Ultimate Multi-Trucker-Tasker & Motivator
TruckNewsTalk
In the past 18 years since I got involved in hosting a trucking show, I’ve met hundreds of interesting people and made a few friends along the way. One of my friends wears a closet full of hats. I knew him when he was about to give it all up, but then…something happened. If you listen podcasts, then I’m sure you know him. He creates a podcast too…but a whole lot more. A LOT more! His name is Bruce Outridge. I invite you to listen to my conversation with Bruce. What's he really all about?
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Women Driving Change
TruckNewsTalk
Women Driving Change It seems that as time goes by, this TNT Podcast has become a promotional outlet for women in trucking and a information source for women who may want to consider a career in the trucking industry. God knows, there are plenty of magazines and podcasts covering safety, nuts & bolts and financial woes of the trucking industry. This episode is about a magazine devoted to women in trucking. The magazine is entitled, “Women Driving Change.” That word “driving” is a double entendre. (for people from Arkansas, that means…double meaning) Women Driving...
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Classic Thinking vs Trucking Women
TruckNewsTalk
Classic Thinking & Trucking Women We like to think that as a society we have come a long way. As much as we protest about racism and the lack of gender equality, you must admit that we’ve advanced since the 50’s and 60’s. Back then, it was assumed that women were expected to stay home and be a “housewife” and the “man of the house” went to work. On the face of it, there is nothing wrong with that arrangement, as long as both parties are happy. Unfortunately, that family model grew to be imposed on women. You know, “stay home…barefoot and pregnant.”...
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Kim and the School Rules
TruckNewsTalk
Kim and the School Rules Remember MELT. Kim Richardson says it MELT has MELTED. A few weeks ago, I talked to Andy Roberts, the owner at Mountain Lake Transport Institute about the their problems attracting driver students in a world where some questionable schools are offering driving courses at half price or less and graduating them in half the time, which allows dramatically poorly trained people behind the wheel of an 80,000 pound vehicle on our highways…and in western Canada, that could mean on icy mountain roads. Nowhere is this as big a problem as in southern Ontario…the epicenter of...
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Donald, the Prophesy & Good Crap
TruckNewsTalk
Donald, the Prophesy & Crap Okay, there is no simple way to describe this TNT podcast. It begins with a prophesy then segues to an interview with trucking journalist and driver, Jim Park about Music City, the Trump tariffs and saving trucking costs and the earth with cow crap. Yes, we are all over the map on this one. You just have to listen.
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Fabiana-Rescue Lady
TruckNewsTalk
Fabiana – The Rescue Lady “Disaster and Pandemonium on the highway.” Big rigs off the road and trailers upside down. Who you gonna call? Rescue 51 and Fabiana! It can be a mess out there and it’s not getting better. Much of the carnage is due to the growing number of unsafe poorly trained drivers released onto our highways. Some drivers churned out by crappy driving schools have never driven on ice and snow….so, they end up in the woods, sometimes rolled over and in worst case scenario, injured or killed, not to mention the damage and/or loss of the vehicle and cargo. So who is...
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Bon School-Bad School
TruckNewsTalk
Bon School-Bad School There has been a lot of talk and deep concern within the trucking industry about the rapid growth of quickie cut rate trucking schools releasing poorly trained drivers onto our highways. It is not only a concern to the trucking industry, but it should be a concern to every driver whether a trucker or four-wheeler. Those poorly trained drivers are often hired by equally shady trucking companies operating unsafe equipment and therefore offering rates far below standing rates…meaning unfair competition. Some shippers and receivers don’t care as long as they get...
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50% Female Truckers - Pink Power
TruckNewsTalk
50% FEMALE TRUCKERS – PINK POWER! Every once in a blue moon someone comes along that gets you fired up and excited. They are forward thinking creative people to break the “we’ve always done it this way” mold in the very conservative trucking industry. In a search for someone to talk to me about the crooked truck driving schools, I connected with a lady who sounded excited to be in the trucking industry but also hell bent of changing attitudes and killing stereotypes. Her name is Isabelle Fournier. She works for the huge Contrans Group as a Recruitment & Marketing Specialist…but...
info_outlineAnother Brave Lady Named Liz
This week I talk to a woman who has demonstrated courage over and over again so that we will be aware of the threats against our families…especially our daughters, grand-daughters and female friends.
Bravery comes in several forms. There are actually three types of bravery. Physical Bravery. I know and admire one such lady. Then there is moral bravery, I know another lady who fits that category and then there is psychological bravery…facing painful aspects of oneself. I personally know a lady who fits that category. Despite being through physical, and massive traumatic psychological pain, she courageously stands up to talk about her decade-long trauma, so that her painful journey may elp others. Tough men weep when they hear her story. Her name is Liz Gray. She is a Training Specialist/Leader with Truckers Against Trafficking. Liz is a survivor of sex trafficking. More on that later.
For those who are not familiar with Truckers Against Trafficking, the organization was established in 2009 with a simple yet powerful belief: that every truck driver can be a crucial ally in the fight against human trafficking. Since then, TAT has grown to encompass a greater portion of the transportation industry, in the US and Canada, forming deep alliances to maximize collective effort through programs that include innovative training, partnerships with law enforcement and advocacy efforts. TAT has raised awareness about trafficking, who it targets and its signs, and trained individuals to act whenever their lives intersect with it and its victims.
So far almost 2 million drivers in the US and Canada have been trained on how to recognize and report human trafficking. For example, UPS Canada brought its partnership with Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) to its international hub in Calgary to train and prepare drivers to assist victims and fight back against human trafficking in Alberta. By the way, I prefer to call it, for the purpose of this focused topic, sex trafficking.
We have spoken to Liz previously, but for this episode of TNT, she will update on the state of trafficking today, as well as Truckers Against Trafficking success stories…and what’s coming up.