Behind the Scenes at Truck World: Freight Economics, Environmental Impact, and Driver Recruitment

https://www.truckworld.ca/ticket/

You can reach John G Smith at johng@newcom.ca

John Farquhar
Summit Risk Solutions: summitrisksolutions.ca
1 226 802-2762
John@summitrisksolutions.ca


Chris Harris
Safety Dawg Inc: safetydawg.com
Chris@SafetyDawg.com
1 905 973 7056

Transcript

Chris Harris, Safety Dawg 1: 0:00

John G. Smith from Newcom Media is on the show this week and we get talking about freight rates and hiring drivers and truck world that's coming up in April. Stay tuned. Here's John G. Smith. Welcome to the Trucking Risk and Insurance Podcast. Mr. John G. Smith. Welcome to the Trucking Risk and Insurance Podcast. John, what's happening? Well, maybe first of all, do a quick intro. Who are you? Who do you work for? And what's the big deal? Why am I so excited to have John G. Smith

John G Smith, Newcom Media Inc.: 0:36

on the show? Well, uh, so who signs my paycheck is Newcommedia. So we put out, uh, trucknews. com, Today's Trucking, Transport Routier and, uh, the Truck World and ExpoCAM trade shows among other titles. And so I'm the vice president of content and, uh, and design. So basically the content that feeds your way, uh, that, uh, kind of falls under my umbrella.

Chris Harris, Safety Dawg 1: 1:02

And the emails that I get on a regular basis that I read that keeps me up to date in the news of trucking, the majority of that comes from your

John G Smith, Newcom Media Inc.: 1:13

sources. That's what we, we, we like to do. And, uh, we, we have, uh, one of the largest editorial teams focused on trucking in North America. So, uh, we're, yeah, so we're, we're, we're quite proud of the team that we have and, uh, with, uh, folks, uh, well, we have James Menzies as the, uh, the, the head at today's trucking, of course, at Steve Bouchard, the er. And then, uh, there's Leo Christina. Jim Park certainly is a regular contributor. A lot of names I think people are familiar with and every once in a while I, I, uh, I type out a few words and push them out as well.

John Farquhar, Summit Risk Solutions: 1:48

I was going to say, because, uh, you know, being one of the largest in North America is impressive for a Canadian operation and probably one of the best. I receive today's trucking and, uh, and. Um, in digital and paper, and then I also get all the digital formats for, uh, truck news and, and the other ones. And it's interesting because what I really like about Newcom is they don't just touch on Canadian news, they touch on North American news.

John G Smith, Newcom Media Inc.: 2:17

Well, it's a North American industry, right? And, uh, certainly on the equipment side of things, so much of that development starts, uh, with the OEMs in that North American context, and then that comes up for our uses. So, uh, it just makes sense. So, so we, uh, we tack on a lot of miles covering a lot of area.

Chris Harris, Safety Dawg 1: 2:36

Yeah, no doubt. I'm really excited. There's something happening in April. I want to make sure we hit on and you

John Farquhar, Summit Risk Solutions: 2:45

rain showers, right? Cause isn't it

John G Smith, Newcom Media Inc.: 2:49

showers, whether it's rain, April showers, rain, flowers, May, yeah, something like that. So we're going to get wet in April. No, you don't have to get wet in April because, uh, April 18th to 20th, we have truck world. So that's at the international center in Mississauga every two years. Yeah. Comes in. It's a place where the trucking industry comes together. It's a big year for us this year. So we're going to have, you know, in the neighborhood of 500 exhibitors, 350, 000 square feet. Uh, but another side is we're really pushing together quite the educational program this time around. So, uh, the kickoff breakfast, we're bringing up the CEO of Nikola to talk on on that, and we're going to have panel discussions on. Uh, all things about sustainable trucking, uh, equally, uh, the North American Council for Freight Efficiency. They're coming up and they're going to be hosting, uh, a workshop that's covering all things battery electric vehicles. Because we're kind of at that tipping point for these types of vehicles. The trucks are a bit of a reality. Fleets are starting to buy them. And we thought, you know, this is the time when. People are really starting to ask the questions and we're going to be there for the answers. And then there's also going to be plenty of diesel equipment there. We're going to have a special event specifically for the South Asian community there. There's the Driver Recruitment Pavilion. There's Hat Day. We're always handing out the free ball hats every Saturday morning at Truck World. That's actually It's kind of funny. I throw that one out and, uh, on the free hats, but it's a blast for us because everybody at Newcomb, we load our arms up and, you know, we personally hand those out thousands of hats and welcome people in on the Saturday morning. And, uh, it's a great way to say thank you for people who are coming in and, uh, welcome them to the show. Yeah, cool.

John Farquhar, Summit Risk Solutions: 4:45

I've gotten many a hat from Hat Day.

Chris Harris, Safety Dawg 1: 4:50

Honestly, it's a show that I haven't missed in probably 20 years. I look forward to it. Um, you know, when I, back in my old Republic days, we, uh, always, and I'm sure they're back again this year, but they always had a booth. So I got to work the show for those three days. Since I've been employed, self employed for the last 10 years, I make it to every show. It's a necessary part. Of the industry, the people I get to shake hands with and see you and all the other movers and shakers, they're all there at Truck World, I believe.

John G Smith, Newcom Media Inc.: 5:28

Yep. No, we, we, we definitely, we pull them, pull everyone in by the thousands. It's, uh, um, and it's, it, it, it is, uh, by far, we're, we're, we're proud to say it's the biggest, uh, uh, national show in Canada for trucking. So, uh, in the tradition, tradition continues. I, I've been, uh, I don't think I've ever missed one myself.

John Farquhar, Summit Risk Solutions: 5:47

Well, and it's, and it's all indoors so you can get in and out of the rain.

John G Smith, Newcom Media Inc.: 5:51

Out of the April showers, no April showers. Maybe you might step out in it briefly because we have, uh, also a ride and drive component with a lot of the zero emission vehicles this year. So I know people are going to be booking their spots to get in, in the, uh, in the cab and take some of that equipment for a ride. Oh, that'd be neat.

Chris Harris, Safety Dawg 1: 6:09

Yeah, that's what I had heard is that you're going to be able to drive some zero emission vehicles at the show.

John G Smith, Newcom Media Inc.: 6:17

Yeah. And, and, and, uh, it, it's a rare opportunity. I mean, uh, we, I know our editorial team, we, we, we've had the opportunity to get behind the wheel of, of a lot of this equipment, uh, to, to go for the rides, take the deep dives. But a lot of that we've done at us shows. So, uh, really this, uh, the truck world for a lot of, uh, Canadian, uh, fleets and owner operators. You know, this is going to be 1 of their 1st chances to really get a chance to get up close personal and ask those different questions they have on. Cool.

Chris Harris, Safety Dawg 1: 6:50

And I think that's huge because if I remember the stat, uh, 20 percent of our, uh, environmental pollution comes from transportation. So anything that we can do. To help reduce that, um, is going to contribute to a better world eventually.

John G Smith, Newcom Media Inc.: 7:08

Yeah. Well, an interesting side of that too, in terms of the timing. So the federal government signaled that, uh, uh, they want 35 percent of medium or heavy duty vehicles to be zero emission designs by 2030. So that, you know, that's not that far into the future. So it, you know, people need to start. Figuring out how that's going to fit in, uh, you know, the rollout still has different challenges ahead of it. Certainly, uh, even the federal government has recognized that in different ways, and they've as they've yet to really finalize that particular sales target. But we know they're coming. And we know that, uh, uh, that, uh, regulators are, are, are rolling us in that direction. So, uh, that, that early exposure helps, uh, helps fleets to understand what they're going to be working with, what the needs are, uh, what the different challenges are. Cool.

Chris Harris, Safety Dawg 1: 8:05

So people gotta. Come out to truck world and look at that new equipment. And, uh, how do you book a test drive? Cause you had mentioned booking it.

John G Smith, Newcom Media Inc.: 8:16

You know what? There there's, there's going to be a space at the show, uh, for, for the signups on, on those particular rides. Uh, um, and I should know. I should personally know which hall and everything like that. And because I don't, our vice president of the shows is going to be tapping me on the shoulder after this recording. And, uh, uh, maybe I'll miss the next truck world. I don't know.

Chris Harris, Safety Dawg 1: 8:39

I'm sure, John, that you can, John G, that you can send me the location and I'll put it in the show notes down below so that we keep you employed.

John G Smith, Newcom Media Inc.: 8:50

Perfect. I like the sound of that. I have a remarkable sense of self preservation, so.

Chris Harris, Safety Dawg 1: 8:56

Alright, so once again, when is Truck World and where is it?

John G Smith, Newcom Media Inc.: 9:01

So it's April 18th to 20th and that's at the International Center in Mississauga. So close to the airports and hotels and all that sort of thing and some easy highway access.

Chris Harris, Safety Dawg 1: 9:12

Only about 40 minutes from my place here in Hamilton, you know, but

John G Smith, Newcom Media Inc.: 9:17

depending on traffic.

Chris Harris, Safety Dawg 1: 9:20

Well, and again, truck world, because of the hours, I get to miss the rush hour traffic. I, you know, I don't know what time does it open on the Thursday?

John G Smith, Newcom Media Inc.: 9:30

Oh gosh, gosh. You know what? You're, you're, you're killing me here that I should have had that, that handy. But if you go to truckworld. ca. And I'm just doing that right now because it has all of the details about Truckworld as we go in. You'll make sure that web link is

John Farquhar, Summit Risk Solutions: 9:48

in the show notes below.

John G Smith, Newcom Media Inc.: 9:49

It will be. It will absolutely be. But yeah, so truckworld. ca, there's the site right there and you can get all of the hours. And

Chris Harris, Safety Dawg 1: 10:00

I forgot that there's a, I never get to the breakfast. Which is before the show opens. So, yeah,

John G Smith, Newcom Media Inc.: 10:08

so that's, that's, I could say that that's the time I know. So I, I know that's the VIP breakfast, uh, starts, uh, Thursday and it runs, uh, um, eight to nine 30. And, uh, um, as, as we go in on that side and, uh, But again, we're quite excited up there because, well, with Steve Gursky coming up, there's a lot of discussion about nickel and hydrogen fuel cells these days. So he's coming up, but we have also the founder, during one of the panels, on the heels of that, we're going to have the CEO of Lion Electric there. We're going to have, represent. Representatives of, uh, Hexagon and Cellcentric and, uh, go on and on. But, uh, and, and then, uh, major Canadian fleets who are actually working on some of these, whether it's, uh, Bison or Challenger or, uh, just a lot of brands that people are going to be familiar with, uh, they're all there. Cool.

Chris Harris, Safety Dawg 1: 11:06

Yeah. Anyways, we got to do something about the environment, and I'm happy that Truck World is really emphasizing that in their show this year, but that's not the only thing, because all the normal, uh, conventional diesel engines and components and manufacturers, As you said, it's the largest show in Canada of its kind. Mm-Hmm.. Yep. Mm-Hmm.. John G Smith, Newcom Media Inc.: And, mean, we're, we're going to, uh, have, uh, the, the first Canadian showing of the new Volvo on site as well. So, uh, uh, so that, that, that they, that was just launched, uh, in the, in the last few weeks. We've had coverage of that. And, uh. I know James has conducted a test drive of it. You can find details of that at trucknews. com and Steve Bouchard was looking at that as well. So his is at transportrouteja. ca. But you can see it firsthand and, you know, put, put your fingers on it and climb in, in, inside a truck world. That'd be cool. Let me ask, and it's tied to truck world, the audience this year, um, John and I have had many discussions about, are we in a freight recession at the moment? Um, which of course could impact many things of truck world, attendance, purchasing and everything. What are you finding right now? How are freight rates generally? You get to talk to a lot of people. Um, and equipment manufacturers and different stuff. What's your view on it right at the moment?

John G Smith, Newcom Media Inc.: 12:41

Well, you know what? We're certainly in a softer part of the market and it cycles through. And, uh, you know, it's interesting in those softer times, that's when people have the time to do some of their planning too, and where they can actually. Where we see lesser wait times for equipment. So it's the equipment sales are still going strong. So last year, for example, was, uh, about a 30, 000 unit class eight year. And I was still, still, you know, looking at, at a good, strong year ahead of us on, on the sales side of things, but, uh, it's, it's been quite the, uh, You know, quite the active market on that side. But, but back to your original question, uh, not to dance around that. Cause I hate it when sources do that to me, but, but, but when, when, when, when we, uh, look at, uh, the market, I mean, uh, the spot rates have certainly, uh, taken, taken a big hit on, on that end of things. And, and so I, we're, we're seeing. Where we're seeing some of the hit are those, those owner operators, those fleets that were riding the spot market, uh, and maybe more recent entries and they're thinking, you know, Hey, hey, trucking is easy. Look at everything that we can do here. It's, uh, you know, that money's plentiful. And, uh, um, and then. Basically, we've hit that spot where a lot of the, again, freight has dropped down and a lot of that spot business has found its way into the contract side of things. And, you know, trucking is like the canary in the coal mine on the economy. When the economy is weak, trucking tends to be slow. We've come off of Some very bizarre cycles just post pandemic, of course, so like that's, you know, that's dictated a lot of it, but I think we're back to the stage where we're seeing some normal waiting times on the Class 8 side of things, probably on used truck sales, some of that late model used truck side of things, the prices have come down a little bit on that side, but it's going to be even regardless of where we are, I think in terms of the market right now, we're going to see a lot of interest in purchasing short term on the horizon because we have those, uh, new, uh, uh, emission standards that are coming up, uh, that, that are going to be, uh, uh, slashing NOx a great deal that, uh, um, when we look at that, we're, we're probably going to see people starting to look at a pre buy before that comes on because some of those. That 80 percent cut in NOx, that's probably going to add 25, 000 30, 000 to the price of a Class 8 truck in 2027, in that model year. So, you know, 2025 and 2026 model years, I think are going to be pretty popular. And that's, you know, that manufacturers are gearing up for some of that as well. It's just because That, you know, that happens before every change in standards, anything that that takes a bump, there's going to be some people who are a little slower to think, maybe I don't want to be, uh, you know, the pioneer with, with that equipment. Maybe I could change my trade in cycle a little bit. And so, so I, I, I'm expecting that based on what I'm hearing from, uh, the manufacturers themselves and based on what, uh, our journalists in the field are hearing as well. Sure, cool.

John Farquhar, Summit Risk Solutions: 16:12

I know, um, some clients that I deal with have, have actually, one, because of the spot market rates that are going on and two, volumes. Um, they've actually switched and instead of buying new equipment, they've been doing rentals and working with rental units until they feel that things stabilize a bit more. And again, Prior to that, uh, that 2027 year, they're looking to do that pre buy, but they're kind of all holding back right now to try and see what they can put in the bank in the meantime.

John G Smith, Newcom Media Inc.: 16:45

And that's, that's always, uh, the tough balance in, in, in trucking, right? Because when, when, when you have the, the business lined up and the opportunity, you want to make sure you have the equipment available. So it's, it's just whether we're talking equipment or drivers when, when, when the business is there, you want to be able to jump on it. And, uh, at a certain point, Uh, you know, you, you can have hopes going, well, you know, I'm going to rent equipment or I'm going to, I'm going to, uh, I'm go ahead and buy new ones. Uh, you know, there's sometimes there's a lot of other people in the line with you. So, uh, that, that, that, that's what drives a lot of that.

Chris Harris, Safety Dawg 1: 17:21

I would think if I was wanting to buy a 26 model the year of 2026, I'd be putting my order in early.'cause I gotta believe there will be a long line of people trying to do that.

John G Smith, Newcom Media Inc.: 17:36

You know what I, I, I, I think there, there, there is going to be, uh, quite, quite a run on that. Uh, and it's, uh, different, the, the, uh, the truck OEMs have done a great job in, in recent years in terms of. Evening out, uh, their, their production processes because when, when we, you know, saw the big, uh, uh, big switch in the really long waits, uh, for, for, or the, the real surge in, in truck production, uh, back, uh, in an earlier generation, uh, they added a lot of capacity and then what happened is it dropped off suddenly and they were stuck with all this capacity. So they've been managing things. But that has also meant that we had some longer runs in terms of what we were waiting for, for a truck order right now. And I think, I think we're at around six months now, based on what we're seeing from different analysts, which is, you know, in, in, in line with a normalized market. But, uh, but certainly as, as we get closer to, uh, the, the new emission standards, I, I think we're, we're going to see those timelines.

Chris Harris, Safety Dawg 1: 18:46

Right now, as I said, I think the freight rates are a little bit low. Um, I hear

John G Smith, Newcom Media Inc.: 18:51

a lot. I've never heard anyone in trucking say the rates were too high, to be honest. That's true.

Chris Harris, Safety Dawg 1: 18:57

Not that they were too high, but during COVID, I saw a lot of smiles. Oh yeah. Oh yeah.

John G Smith, Newcom Media Inc.: 19:02

A lot of people making money. Yeah, yeah, and you know what the great thing about that when that was happening too, that that pushed up driver wages overall too, and it helped us as an industry across the board. I really think it helped normalize some things there.

Chris Harris, Safety Dawg 1: 19:20

It was a good time. As I say, I saw a lot of smiles on both drivers and owners for everybody. It was a good time. Freight was moving. Um, the profits were reasonable or, or good and, uh, people were happy. Um, but

John G Smith, Newcom Media Inc.: 19:41

it's, it's, it's tough. It's a, it's a cyclical business, right? I mean, uh, I've been covering trucking now since about 95 and, uh, uh, you know, just the swings, it, it's, it's not for the faint of heart. I mean, anybody who thinks that they found a spot where, okay, this is where the rates are going to be from now until the end of time, I mean, good luck with that. I mean, if you can figure it out that, that you're, you're going to be very rich. Yeah, I send the details my way, so I can, I was going to

John Farquhar, Summit Risk Solutions: 20:11

say, I've been in it. For 40 plus years now. And I remember when I started in the eighties, um, you know, you had your ups and downs then just as well. And, and it's, you're, you're a hundred percent right. It's not for the faint of heart. And sadly it is too easy to get into this industry. So you have a lot of people that go, Ooh, I see dollar signs, I see solar signs. And, and they're not. Business savvy, but they're quick to go. I can get a truck. I can go haul some freight. Look at the money I'm going to make. And then when the bottom falls out of it in two months time, you overpaid for your truck, you're paying outrageous insurance and fuel prices and payments. And now all of a sudden you can't even make enough money to, you know, cover half that, let alone take some money home to cover the mortgage payment. So it becomes a very challenging world for new entrants into the

John G Smith, Newcom Media Inc.: 20:58

industry. No, absolutely. Absolutely that. And, uh, you know, it's and it happens in every cycle. This isn't a new time. Uh, this isn't something that suddenly happened, but it's just Uh, and particularly on the new entrance, when you see that spot market start to rise, when you see more goods that need to be moved, then we have trucks on the road, people who have, you know, an AZ license in their pocket, see an opportunity, or in some cases, if they have a couple of trucks, maybe they add a couple of trucks more, uh, and, you know, it goes for the ride. And those who, you know, Who find the right times for that and find those opportunities for growth and all that. They, they become fleets like the challengers of the world, right? I mean, when, when you, when you look at it, that's, that, that comes about planning growth and seeing the opportunities and knowing when to invest.

Chris Harris, Safety Dawg 1: 21:56

Yep. Yep. Right now, I was a trucking recruiter. Right now is a great time to be in the market to hire drivers because I'm being told. There, there are plenty of drivers, qualified drivers on the market.

John G Smith, Newcom Media Inc.: 22:14

What are you hearing? You know what? I always hate to say plenty because that's finding the right drivers is still a challenge no matter what the economic times are, right? But looking at it from what people that we're talking to, they're clearly having an Easier time, uh, finding drivers than they were in part because you have some of those people who are selling off equipment, going back into the driving pool, um, and then some of it, uh, you know, when you're managing surges and freight, when, when, when time times are high and you're trying to bring more on board, it's just a classic case of supply and demand. Um, but, but there's a lot of still long term issues that still present challenges. So like Canada has. You know, in the neighborhood of, uh, should 340, 000, uh, transport drivers right now. And, and so, but when you look at it, you know, it's an aging work pool as, as well. So, so, uh, there's, there's particular growth over the, the 65, uh, year old range, which, which is a challenge, uh, uh, but, and then, you know, trying to find new people bringing in, uh, I, I, I first. You know, we're heard people talking about the driver shortage, I think, on my first week in the industry. Uh, and, and, and there's, you know, there, there, there's, there's, there's a lot of people out there, you know, say that there, you know, there, there's no driver shortage and, you know, there, there, there is some of that debate. Um, but in, in the grand scheme of things, there's no, uh, no overlooking the fact that the driver pool is. Aging, if you will, that we have today. And so we need to take those other steps that, that, that, that pulling and pulling new people. And, and the good thing is, I think. We're seeing some recognition from, uh, from different governments, uh, in terms of the need, uh, just by, by the fact of where they're putting their money. So, uh, there was recently that the Federal, uh, Career Expressway Program, that was, uh, 43 million dollars to, to train. And on board around 2, 600 new drivers, and then there was a youth employment strategy that had another 26 million. Those were both programs linked to Trucking HR Canada. They administer all that side of things, but I think even as those programs themselves have done their particular job, I think it's still part of the recognition from the regulators, from the government side that things need to be done to To help the supply chain and to help renew that supply chain and and you see the supply of drivers and things like opening the express entry immigration path for drivers that that that's another another side there another recognition that okay, we you know, we need more people looking to be truck drivers and it's not only So there's, there's replacing those who age out of the industry and retire. There's, there's replacing those who decide I don't want to be a truck driver anymore. I want to go do something else. Or maybe I've been promoted to another role. Who knows? Uh, the other side of things is. Just taking a look at building for the growth, hiring, you know, so the 340, 000 drivers we have today, there, there will need to be a steadily more. So it's, we're always playing that little game of catch up as you

John Farquhar, Summit Risk Solutions: 25:38

go. I was going to say one of the things that's always tough is just the role of being a truck driver is, is not an easy job or career for that matter. You know, uh, I did it for 20 years behind the wheel and, uh, You know, you sacrifice a lot, um, family wise and whatnot, health even, because, you know, it's not always easy to get a good meal out there and whatnot. And sadly enough, we're seeing a lot of trucking, er, uh, truck stops now, you know, are doing away with the The home cooked meal aspect and building up fast food restaurants to take over. So, so it makes it a big challenge and, uh, you know, you've really got a lot of time scheduling and understanding how life works. And I don't think that we, we as an industry do a good enough job to make that better for the drivers and as well as set the drivers up for success when they're coming into this industry. Yeah.

John G Smith, Newcom Media Inc.: 26:35

Well, you know what? A lot of that depends on the fleet as well. Mm-Hmm.. So in terms of, so in terms of who, who, who they bring in. I mean, some fleets have, have great onboarding programs. Yep. Uh, that, that, that set them up for success and, and, and, uh, will, will keep people moving in, into the career and the opportunities. And, and some don't. I mean, there's, you know, it does, and I think that's probably true in, in every industry, but, uh, totally. I think that, yeah. But I think there's a greater. focus on, uh, just on, on care for drivers in different ways. When you look at those better fleets and, uh, some, some of the fleets that, that recognize your programs, like, uh, uh, well, I said, trucking, HR, Canada. So their top fleet employers, employers program, there's the best fleet to drive for a program. Yeah, but, but essentially, you know, those through those programs, you see a lot of things that different fleets are doing to, to, to help make a difference to help offset that in terms of how they schedule the hours. I mean, there's still the recognition that freight still has to move if you will, over over a distance, but, but investing in driver facilities with gyms, you know, we see some of those or the employee assistance program. So it's again. You know, some fleets really, really do a better job at that. And, and I think that it's particularly important when new drivers come in and are, are, you know, finding those first employers that, that, uh, how they view the industry is very much going to be dictated by how they were treated when they first went out the door. Yeah,

John Farquhar, Summit Risk Solutions: 28:07

I've met a few clients over my years who have really listened to their drivers and done well. Uh, I knew one company, they were very well known for California running. That's all they did, built their business on the back of California lanes. And, you know, here in the, the mid, uh, To later 2000s, um, they were listening to their drivers because the drivers are going, I don't want to be gone this long. I want to get home. I want to build a family. I've got a young wife and we want to have kids and the company listened and they pulled back from those California lanes and they started doing stuff where a driver could be back out and back in five to six days, you know, and then have a couple of days off. So that was great, you know, and, and it was funny because him listening to the drivers in that fashion, he never had a recruiting problem. He had a problem with guys lined up at the door wanting to come work because he was listening to drivers and they were going, I want to work for you. You got Ohio runs? I just want to do Ohio runs. Be home by Friday afternoon.

John G Smith, Newcom Media Inc.: 29:04

Well, that's, that's the thing. I mean, it's interesting as, as, as fleets are looking to find that competitive edge when they're recruiting, some of them look at, you know, can we work some sort of a hub and spoke model, uh, on that side of things. Uh, but then it, it's also trying to match out what, what the drivers want, because, uh, uh, so yeah, there, there's a lot of drivers going, you know, I, I. I don't want to be away that long, but there's others who are just going, I want to put on the miles, you know, if I'm running, uh, down to Laredo, Texas and back to Ontario, it, you know, it's, you know, more open drive, you know, I'd rather do that than do Jersey terms any day of the week. It's nothing against New Jersey, but I just remember talking to one guy that I knew several years ago who insulted his dispatcher and then suddenly he was running New Jersey for a couple of months and then until he got back on his regular lane. So, I don't know what that says about New Jersey, but I know he was happy to be back off.

Chris Harris, Safety Dawg 1: 30:10

Hey, John. John Jay, as we wrap up, can you hit the dates again for Truck World? Because I think that's really important. I hope to see our listeners and our viewers. At the show, when is Truck World

John G Smith, Newcom Media Inc.: 30:24

again? Absolutely. Well, Truck World is April 18th to 20th and that's at the International Center in Mississauga. You can find out all the details you want on the show at truckworld. ca. There's chances there to be registering for different things such as That, uh, new, uh, NACFI, uh, battery electric, uh, side of things, uh, or the, the workshop they're doing, uh, but really all, all the details on, on the show are, are right there. And, uh, we look forward to seeing everyone. And I, I know I'm going to be on the show floor for, uh, uh, for the entire run, uh, uh, that, that, uh, And, uh, I'm happy to see anybody come by. I, I'm kind of a tall, lanky fellow, so I could be spotted in a crowd every once in a while. So you can pull me aside at any time.

Chris Harris, Safety Dawg 1: 31:12

I know the Saturday of the, of the show, there's always a lot of kids there and a lot of families and I always enjoy seeing what are potentially our new next generation coming to the show, uh, during those days as well. But John G Cool Truck World and Truck News. Thank you so much. NewCom is the name of the company, right? You

John G Smith, Newcom Media Inc.: 31:34

who write the check? Yep, that is right. New NewCom is the, the fine name of my employer. And that's truck news.com or transporter.ca.

Chris Harris, Safety Dawg 1: 31:44

And that was a great interview with John G. Smith of Newcomb. If you see us, John G., John Farquhar, or Chris Harris at the Truck Show, Truck World in April, please stop us, say hi, , hope to see you at Truck World. We'll all be there.