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Times Advocate, 1995-09-27, Page 29A well prepared resume will help you get the job you are looking for! Truck drivers Robert Cross, left, and Miles Kekich team up for long distance trips. Driving partner makes trucking more feasible Driving in partners allows trucks to travel non-stop Brenda Burke T -A staff GRAND BEND - During the 30 years Robert Cross has been a trucker, the trips have come and gone, the loads have been delivered and he's witnessed changes in the industry, such as an increase in trucking safety awareness. But one thing has drastically altered his career for the better - he employed a driving partner. After driving solo for most of his career, Cross teamed up with Miles Kekich last year. "More and more so it's becoming a team job where it takes two people," said Cross, adding husband and wife driving teams as well as women driving teams are becoming more common in the trucking industry. Having a driving partner mcans getting the job done faster. Because the team can alternate driving times, the truck is able to move constantly. "We can keep the truck on the road 241 hours a day," said Cross. Canadian regulations limit the hours a trucker can drive to I3 -hour shifts, after which he must rest for eight hours. Trucking regulations in the United States impose a 10 -hour driving restriction. For a trucker driving solo, that means 10 hours of driving, followed by eight hours of off-road time. "When you own your own vehicle and you get paid by the mile you can only drive 10 hours a day. You can't make a living on 10 hours a day," said Cross, who feels lucky to have a good driving partnership. But he docs consider a year a long time to stay with one partner "because you're living in a space the size of your bathroom." Cross does most of the daylight driving and Miles often takes over thc wheel at night. Most trucks arc now equipped with sleepers hut Cross admitted he can't always sleep during his off time. "As comfortable as thc trucks arc, you're bouncing up and down roads," he said. However, getting along with one's driving partner may provide much more peace of mind than simple road comfort. "I never thought I'd find somcbody I could trust enough to drive with," said Cross. "You have to have total trust in your partner because your life is in his hands when you're back there sleeping." Cross owns thc 1995 Western Star tractor he drives on the job with Veri Trucking Inc. His tractor has a 240 inch wheelbase, which is the measurement from the middle of the front wheel to the middle of the back wheel. The tractor contains two beds, a CB, a tele- vision and a new Hiway Master computer complete with a telephone. "Whatever you want in the truck, you can order," he said, adding some trucks are equipped with re- frigerators. A fridge comes in handy for drivers, especially since they have to be careful with their truck stop diets. Drivers quickly get to know where to cat among these stops, most of which have, according to Cross, "a cap- tured clientele." Some of the larger stops offer extended services to drivers including showers, fax machines and photo- copiers. Truck stops in Nevada even have casinos. But an appropriate gas station and ample parking lot are considered the basic necessities. "The drawing part of a truck stop is their...location, price of fuel and the parking area...more so than their food," said Cross. Besides a limited selection of food, Cross lists bad weather as one of the challenges of being a trucker. "There •are instances in driving," he explained, "where you're totally alert. You're not relaxed at all." These times usually occur during extreme weather conditions, freezing rain being the worst. It's easy to lose control of such a large vehicle on roads, and near- ly impossible to regain control once it's lost. Because a truck driver has Netter visibility than most drivers on the road, due to being seated higher up, fog doesn't tend to present the same problems it does for other drivers. However, a truck driver must watch care- fully for smaller vehicles hidden by fog. Although Cross said truckers generally won't stop driving unless roads are closed, he stressed his belief a driver who operates according to road conditions al- ways keeps his vehicle under control. "The safety in the industry is paramount in every- one's mind now," he said. "There's been a lot of ac- cidents." He agrees the industry has to he regulated. "Anything a danger to the road is a danger to me," he said. However, he is worried about the government generating a "make work program," and becoming self-perpetuating by means of safety programs. One safety measure is the drivers' log book, which keeps track of a trucker's time on and off the road dur- ing trips. Police constantly check these books which are required to be updated within four hours of each log examination. "(Police are) very fussy. Years ago you used to be able to drive 20, 30 hours and get away with it," said Cross who drives dry freight or produce weighing at least 40,000 pounds across Canada and the United States in one of Veri's 48 -foot trailers. Veri will soon be switching to a 58 -foot trailer stan- dard so more products can be transported per truck. "We never know where we're going from week to week," said Cross, adding he makes many five-day trips including a,trip from Ontario to California." We try to get from point A to point B...It's not an ad- venture, it's just a job," he said, adding he tries to ar- rive for appointments right on time. A better plan yet, he said, is to arrive at a destination the night before thc delivery is due, then park and sleep for the night. Cross enjoys the independence of being a truck driv- er. "I don't do it for the love of the job, although I can't imagine doing anything else, really," he admitted. Despite such independence, communication between truckers and their employers is essential. "(Employers are) basically our only support," said Cross, "because once we're out there we lose touch with the norm of peoples' lives." Times -Advocate, September 27, 1995 Page 27 BA attempts to improve relationship with council LUCAN - Lucan and Area Business Association Chair Pat Van Geleuken attended the village council meeting of Sept. 20 in an attempt to improve the as- sociation's relationship with council. Van Geleuken presented a detailed report outlining the BA's objectives as well as its completed and on- going projects and expectations of council. "It's time to open the lines of communication," said Van Geleuken, who added BA members felt the re- lationship between itself and council could improve. Reeve Tom McLaughlin told Van Geleuken a BA representative was invited to attend future council meetings "to make sure there (are) no gaps in the communication." "It seems to be there isn't a meeting that's gone by that we haven't referred something to the BA," he add- ed. McLaughlin considered the BA's list of expectations of council reasonable. Some of those expectations in- clude the sharing of information between council and the BA as well as a request that council refer new arca businesses to the BA. The BA also expects cooperation from council in providing information for an MBA student study pro- gram of The University of Western Ontario, which may involve a• strategic plan for economic develop- ment and downtown revitalization of the village. Your Views Letters to the editor Park project a community effort "...he should not try to make po- litical points out of people's com- munity spirit." Dear Editor: I was interested to read the letter on MacNaugh- ton Park, written by the new TA reporter at large "Gabby" Gibson. In his true political fashion, (no prize for guessing the party he supports) he claims a big achievement for the tories. As far as I know and certainly in my case, contri- butions were made in support of the Lions Club for the benefit of the community, with no thought given to Gibson's petty party politics. I realize the tories are clutching at straws these days, but he should not try to make political points out of people's commu- nity spirit. Helen Johns might take note as well. Yours sincerely, John Sanderson, Exeter Bosanquet files lawsuit against federal government BOSANQUET - The Town of Bosanquet has hired a lawyer to re- search and file a lawsuit against the federal government for its role in the Ipperwash incident. The town is concerned about the federal government's decision to award the former Camp Ipperwash to the Kettle and Stony Point hand. Lawyer David Nash told the Lon- don Free Press last Tuesday if coun- cil approves the suit, it will deal with Ottawa's decision to give 300 acres of beachfront property pur- chased from non -natives in the Grantrt by Muriel Lewis 225-2578 • GRANTON - Ruth Pratt of Hin- ton, Alberta spent the past two weeks with her parents George and Audrey Westman and family. Several from Granton enjoyed the turkey breast barbecue spon- sored by the Kirkton United Church at the community centre on Sunday, September 24. Granton UCW members had a bee at the church on Friday, Sep- tember 22 and turned out 1400 tur- key pies. Dani Roloson of Waterloo was home on the weekend of September 17. Church news At the Granton United Church on Sunday, September 24, Pastor Nor- malie Voakes chose `Real Ministry in a Real World'; as her sermon topic. George Hales led the reading of the Psalm and the choir sang a medley of in the Garden'. At St. Paul's Anglican Church in Kirkton, the Rev. Tim Connor of Stratford led the service and his message was about being delivered through the perfect obedience and faithfulness of Jesus Christ. Granton WI The Granton Women's Institute met at the home of Olive P. Hod- gins in St. Marys on Tuesday eve- ning, September 19. The topic was Resolutions and Cultural Activities and the roll call was answered by naming a good thing in life that is free. The pro- gram convener Elsie Dann com- mented on the motto 'Don't meet trouble halfway, it is quite capable of making the entire journey' and read a poem 'Town of Don't you worry." Muriel Lewis chaired the meet- ing and read '1 like autumn best'. Business included making ar- rangements to attend the Area Con- vention in Kirkton on October 20 and discussing the resolution con- cerning public identification of yoing offenders. A social time was enjoyed over refreshments served by the hostess. 1940's. The government added to the land when they appropriated 2,400 acres from the natives in 1942 for a military training camp and prom- ised to return the land after the sec- ond world war. Indian affairs minister, Ron Irwin announced recently that the gov- ernment will give it all back to the natives. Nash said the government should conduct a planning study and analyse the impact it will have on the area before handing it over. The lawsuit also asks for damages from the federal government for cost incurred over the crisis. The town is still calculating the cost of establishing a reception cen- tre for people who left their Homes during the occupation, time of mu- nicipal staff, loss of tourism, deflat- ed property values and a drop in tax revenue. It also claims the government did not communicate with them during the crisis and is not willing to ad- dress the inter -municipal problems the land hand over may have. ntittt it A resume detailing an applicant's work history and education is extremely helpful to an employer who is seeking a person for a specific job vacancy. Your personal resume should accompany your letter of application. Here are some guidelines to follow in preparing your resume: ❑ Make it clear, concise and easy to read - and no longer than two pages O The resume should be typed on 8 1/2" x 11" white paper with enough white space to prevent a cluttered look ❑ Start with your name, address and phone number ❑ Next under a sub -heading "Work History" detail the previous jobs you've held - in reverse date order - that is, last job first. ❑ Use a separate paragraph for each position and precede it with the dates you held that position. O State the job title, a brief description of the responsibilities - and the results you achieved. O The next section of your resume should come under the sub -heading of "Education". Start with the highest degree obtained or grade completed, followed by the name of the institution at which you studied. Follow this with previous education attainments. At the end, list any specific instructional courses you have attended in conjunction with your work. O Under the sub -heading "Affiliations", list memberships and/or offices held in professional or industry associations. O Under the sub -heading "Personal Interests" list any activities which you feel will be of interest to the employer - such as volunteer work, etc. Your letter of application and your resume will be the factors that make the employer decide whether to short list you for an Interview. So make ft as Impressive as you can - but stick to the facts. We can help you get an impressive and professional -looking resume Call Debbie Lord at 424 Main St. Exeter (519) 235-1331 •