Ontario Trucking News, Issue 114, January 2013

eMPlOyMenT
The saFeTy TiP aDViser
Winter Driving Tips Refresher
By alVis ViOlO
I
hope you did not get
used to last year’s winter
conditions as this
year promises to be a much
more normal season. Winter
brings snow, sleet and
ice that leads to slower
traffic, hazardous road conditions,
unforeseen dangers
and hot temperatures.
Since we can’t avoid the
winter, it’s better to refresh
our memories on how to
correctly drive during these
conditions. Here are a few
tips to help you avoid slipping
and sliding in the
coming months.
Listen to the weather
report every night. If snow
is predicted for the next
38 January 2013
morning you should plan to
get an earlier start to your
day as you can be sure of
traffic jams and other delays.
Giving yourself a little
more time allows you to
drive slower, the key to safe
driving on slippery roads.
Make sure you can see
by clearing all your windows
of snow and ice. You
should also replace bad
windshield wiper blades
and clean the inside of your
windows thoroughly. Your
windshield washer system
should also be working
properly and the container
always full of anti-icing
fluid.
Check your lights before
driving. Make sure
your head lights and tail
lights are clear of snow
and grime. Their presence
on headlight lenses can
reduce effectiveness by as
much as ninety percent.
Check your tires for air,
sidewall wear and tread
depth. The amount of traction
that exists between
the roadway surface and
your tires will determine
how well your vehicle accelerates,
turns and stops.
Make sure the tire valves
are equipped with caps to
keep snow and ice out.
Drive slowly and pay
attention. Driving too
quickly is the number one
cause of winter accidents.
Be sure to drive slowly and
carefully on snowy and icy
roads as they are much less
forgiving than dry pave-
ment. Maneuvers are also
more difficult to make on
these slippery surfaces, so
be sure to anticipate what
your next move is going to
be in order to give yourself
lots of room for turns and
stopping.
Do not tailgate. It takes
much longer to stop on
snowy and icy roads than
it does on dry pavement.
Make sure you leave a lot
of room between you and
the vehicle in front. A good
rule of thumb to follow is to
position your vehicle four
lengths behind the car in
front for every 16 km/hr
you are driving.
Although there are many
more winter driving tips,
following these simple tips
will hopefully aid you in
becoming a safer and more
efficient driver despite winter’s
adverse weather conditions.
Drive safe, think positive
and be prosperous.
Alvis Violo is the C.E.O.
of Emergency Road Services
Corporation, a coast
to coast bilingual roadside
assistance company
dedicated to the trucking
industry in Canada and
the U.S. For more information,
visit www.emergencyroadservices.com
or call
877.377.2262. Please send
your questions, feedback
or comments about this
column to alvis@emergencyroadservices.com.
V
hinO MOTOrs CanaDa
Hino Donates a Hino 195 Truck
to Mohawk College
Woodstock, Ontario
- Hino
Motors Canada
donated a 2012 Hino
195 truck to the Mohawk
College Stoney Creek campus
for educational pur-
poses at the end of November.
In attendance at the
donation ceremony was
the Honourable Mr. Pat
Sobeski, Mayor of Woodstock,
Mr. Shuichi Kaneko,
President of Hino Motors
Canada, Mr. Anthony Fazzari,
Associate Dean of of
Mohawk College and Mr.
Bob Cook, Professor of
Motive Power. The guest
list also included staff and
students of Mohawk College
and Hino Motors Canada
team members.
Derek Holman, Senior
Manager of the Woodstock
plant stated: “This donation
ceremony reminds
me of the need we have
in Ontario for specialized
skills and skilled trades
not only for those working
in the auto industry but
for all Ontarians working
through apprentice programs
toward journeyman
status. It is refreshing to
see such a young group of
energized and enthusiastic
people who all have this
common goal in mind. We
sincerely hope that this
donation for education
purposes may become the
shuichi kaneko hands keys over to Bob Cook.
norm and that Mohawk
along with other colleges
will receive similar donations
from the automotive
and trucking industries.”
The Hino Woodstock
plant will significantly
increase production of
trucks in January 2013.
As a result of the planned
production increase, Hino
has increased the number
of team members. This
will be an exciting time for
Hino Canada. Mr. Kaneko
stated: “The future of Hino
Canada is very bright and
also for the students of
Mohawk College and we
are extremely happy to be
a small part of each stu-
hinO staff and Mohawk students pose with donated truck.
dent’s success. The future
is yours.”
About Hino: Hino Motors
Canada, Ltd., a Toyota
Group Company, manufactures
and distributes light
and medium duty commercial
trucks in Canada.
Hino is headquartered in
Mississauga, Ontario with
assembly operations in
Woodstock, Ontario. Service
is provided through its
extensive coast-to-coast
dealership network and
is backed by its industry
leading Customer Care
Protection Program. For
more information, please
visit us at www.hinocanada.com.
V