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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1988-03-30, Page 4— THE HURON EXPOSITOR, MARCH 30, 1988 a3 ALL DEPOSITS INSURED WITHIN LIMITS p i YEAR ANNUAL "IV 9 5 YEAR ANNUAL All rates subject to verification 3 YEAR 120 T ANNUAL 8 if.0 DAYS 179j • Serving Ontario since 1976 with 15 locations for your convenience RAY'S FAMILY MARKET Steens 2% bag of MILK 4 L. 2.69 Egmondvme Small Fry POTATO CHIPS Assorted rted Varletles 200g. .99 OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK MON, -SAT. 8:30a.m.-10:00p.;,.SUN. 12:30-10:00p.m. Pronto 2 Roll Royal Crest PAPERSOFT TOWELS ■ 9 DRINKS Easy to open Cans 5.19, Case of 24 • THANK -YOU WELCOME It has been a pleasure to serve all our customers of Seaforth & area. We know you will join us in welcoming the new owner and extend the same warm ' reception we received We would like to thank each and everyone for their kind patronage, loyalty and friendship given to us over the years. It- has been a wonderful experience and we Thank You. HELEN & FLORA ANNE We would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the new Seaforth Sewing Centre and Image Cleaners. Our best wishes go to Helen & Flora Anne in their future endeavours. We will be happy to provide the same good service and welcome any suggestions you may have. We look forward to serv- ing you in the years to come: MICHAEL, LIZ & COLLEEN 40,10 Local truckers disgruntled by bureaucracy BY NEIL CoErr Recently I arranged for an interview to talk to some local truckers about an issue which could possibly put some trucker's Jobs on the line. Some new underpubllcized legislation, Bill 88, is being put through the Ontario Legislature. This legislation will deregulate the trucking industry, and make it extemely easy for anyone to apply for, and receive, operating rights for truck movements within Ontario. Critics of this bill say it is leaving Ontario wide open to American truckers, yet because 43 of 50 individual U.S. states (including New York, Michigan, Penn- sylvania and Ohio) maintain regulatory control over access to operating rights in their markets, Ontario carriers will not have equal opportunity. So I expected to find some upset working men, but when 1 met with these truckers 1 found I had walked into a veritable hornet's nest of problems, and there is apparently so much legislation and regulations being thrown at owner -operators right now that Bill is a drop in the bucket. The truckers 1 talked to were Ron Blan- chard, Peter Kling, Graham Sholdice, Harvey Holland - and wives JoAnne Sholdice and Frances Kling. Basically what it all r 'lis down to is bureaucracy. All four truckers agree that the people who are making the decisions aren't knowledgeable of the trucking in- dustry, and don't care what happens to truckers. And the truckers are starting to ask themselves "why should we play by somebody else's rules when they don't know the game?" All of the truckers were upset by Bill i , because of its intent to enhance competition among trucking, companies, which is sup- posed to lead to lower transportation costs and increased service. "There's 5,000 too many truckers on the road in Ontario now," exclaims Mr. Kling, adding that, if anything, there should be a decrease in competition. Too much competition leads to low rates, and these truckers say, that right now the rates are already below par. According to Mr. Kling, not only are the rates not keeping up with inflation, but they are actually get- ting lower. Mr. Blanchard named a com- pany in Goderich which only recentlyreduc- ed its shipping rates by 30 per cen "How would you like it if you showed up for work tomorrow and they said you were going to be taking a $2 per hour cut in pay?" asks Mr lanchard. "You Wow what they do in factories when that happens?" adds Mr. Kligg,"why should we stand for it." So if competition isn't needed, why would the Ontario government make this province more accessible to American truckers? "The main thing the government is after is votes," says Mr. Blanchard, ''so they look after the consumer and tell them 'this is beneficial' without looking at what's really involved." This is the situation these truckers see constantly, and as the government tries to organize or improve the trucking industry they get caught between the law and business. For example, there are new regulations coming in place which require all drivers to keep a log of how many hours they drive, sleep, are off duty, or are on duty but not driving. LOCAL TRUCKERS Harvey Holland, Ron Blanchard, Graham Sholdice, and Peter Kl- ing have a lot to say about how both the federal and provincial governments are trying to run the trucking industry, and not much of it is good. The truckers got together recently to talk about some of the problems faced by owner -operators. Corbett photo. "Shippers and receivers are running the industry, and they'll make you run illegally." These same regulations state truckers are only allowed to be on duty for 15 hours per day, and are only allowed to spend 10 hours per day behind the wheel. So even if a trucker is waiting for a trailer to be loaded, and it takes too long and cuts into his driving time; that time is still considered "on duty" time and counts against the hours he may drive that day. If a driver is caught driving for more than the maximum hours in a day he is subject to fines. On the other side of this issue you have the shippers who want second day delivery regardless of on duty hours, and if one driver won't give it to them they'll find another who will. Shippers don't share in paying fines. "Shippers and receivers are running the industry, and they'll make you run illegal- ly" is how Mr. Sholdice sums it up. The general concept behind the idea of the leglslatlon is good - to cut down the number of hours on the road, and increase driver alertness and safety. But the result is a big hassle for truckers. To sum it all up, the main three problems these local owner operators find with the trucking industry are that there is too much rate Blasting, too much competition, and too much government intervention. The Ontario trucking industry is an ex- tremely lucrative market, and it employs 100,000 people and serves every community in the province. "Everything in Seaforth comes in by truck," says Mr. Blanchard. "Gas, clothes, food, car parts...I can't think of one thing tile doesn't sit on a truck at some point." Yet for all this reliance, most people are unaware of any of the issues confronting truckers. And what is worse the government seems to be unaware of these issues. There is no place a trucker can go to sit down and talk to someone and sort out pro- blems or to get any help. Some of the truckers belonged to an owner -operator's association, but they gave up on it because it "doesn't have any teeth." So it seems there is a lot more to cripple the trucking industry than Bill 88. Maybe the media is partly to blame the public and -the government don't know what is gig on with truckers. But some truckers are making their feelings known, like the 1000 truckers in Nipigon who went on strike. And the local owner -operators think something is going to hit the fan in a big way if government doesn't get in touch with this industry's problems. Put yourself* in the 1i picture�t �► r I ti Now is the time to replace your old furnace with a Clare High -Efficiency gas furnace that's up to 93% fuel efficient, it doesn't even need a chimney! For all -season home comfort, add Clare central air-conditioning that's matched perfectly to your furance. It's an unbeatable comfort package — for dependability and economy! WHY NOT "RENT AND RELAX" TOOT Complete your modern home comfort system with an economical, sorry -free natural gas rental water heater. OS 'today' a CLARE MEGASAVE 1 rr SEAFORTH PLUMBING & HEATING icri� r , i';; 111 PROCLAMATION I HEREBY PROCLAIM APRIL 11 m 16, 1988 LOCAL GOVERNMENT WEEK IN SEAFORTH & AREA Local Government Week is set aside each year to highlight local government's direct and considerable impact on the everyday quali- ty of our lives. It presents an opportunity to get involved in the process. As this Is a municipal election year, this Local Government Week is especially important. The theme of Local Government week this year is "Make Your Mark!". So, put yourself in the picture and make your mark! MAIN STREET, SEAFORTH 527-0505 1 vee' Union GHS HEATING DEALER Alfred F. Ross Mayor Town of Seaforth A LOCAL GOVERNMENT WEEK APRIL 11-16