2210_TTJM_AllPages

ehind the 

Wheel 

Passion in pink: Myrna Chartrand follows her 

dream, honors her mother through driving 

Safety Series 

Listen carefully: Unusual noises or movements can 

indicate that something needs attention 

Job Resources 

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER 

Learning the pros and cons of intermodal trucking can 

help drivers decide if the segment is right for them

now hiring 

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WWW.THETRUCKERJOBS.COM THE TRUCKER JOBS MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2022 3


OWNER OPERATORS 

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866-982-5051 

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TRUE WORK/LIFE BALANCE 

TRUE WORK/LIFE BALANCE 


JOB 

resources 

Knowledge is 

power 

Learning the pros and cons of intermodal trucking can 

help drivers decide if the segment is right for them 

BY CLIFF ABBOTT / CONTRIBUTING WRITER 

Truck drivers who are looking 

for more local and regional work 

than their current carrier provides 

often turn to the intermodal segment 

of trucking for answers. 

Many times drivers who are trying 

out their skills as owner-operators 

also find a home in intermodal. 

But what is intermodal trucking, 

and what are some of the advantages 

and disadvantages of driving 

intermodal? 

As the name implies, “intermodal” 

means that freight-filled 

containers can be transported by 

multiple modes of transportation. 

Containers often arrive in the 

U.S. by ship, where they can be 

unloaded and placed on rail cars 

for movement across the country. 

Once they are delivered to a rail 

facility, they are placed on chassis 

and transported by truck to their 

final destination. Some containers 

are trucked directly from the seaport, 

too. 

Since non-trucking modes of 

transport are often used for longer 

distances, trucks usually handle 

the pickup and delivery functions. 

Some of these are local in nature, 

with drivers moving several 

containers in a day’s work. Other 

moves are more regional, with 

most containers going to receivers 

that are within a day’s drive of the 

port. Depending on the carrier and 

the availability of work, intermodal 

drivers often get home multiple 

times during the week, sometimes 

daily. 

For many owner-operators, the 

equipment requirements for intermodal 

work can be a little easier to 

meet than for other segments of the 

industry. For example, trucks used 

for intermodal are often older than 

their over-the-road counterparts. 

On the West Coast, particularly in 

California, however, strict emissions-reduction 

laws have been 

implemented, all but forcing older 

equipment out of the business. 

Another advantage of intermodal 

is that many loads are “dropand-hook” 

on at least one end of 

the trip. Since the owners of the 

chassis generally charge carriers 

by the day for using them, trailer 

pools aren’t maintained at most 

customer locations, so live loading 

and unloading is common. 

At the railyard or port, however, a 


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JOB 

resources 

chassis with attached container is 

often dropped in a specific area 

or in a numbered space so it can 

be easily found. When picking 

up, drivers often find that these 

containers have been offloaded 

and placed on a chassis — ready 

to hook up and go. All the driver 

needs is a space number. 

Unfortunately, it isn’t always 

that easy. 

Sometimes drivers hook up to 

an empty chassis and then drive 

to a designated area where a crane 

or large forklift loads a container 

onto the chassis. Or, a driver with 

a loaded container may drive to an 

area where the box can be removed 

and either stacked for later use or immediately loaded 

onto a ship or rail car. The act of moving the container 

only takes a few moments, but wait times are often long 

when personnel can’t locate a container or the container 

has to be loaded on train or ship in a certain order. 

Ports and rail yards can be 24/7 operations or can have 

specific, sometimes limited, hours. Some truckers wait 

for hours to get into the facility. Some facilities are run 

very efficiently and keep wait time as short as possible; 

others, not so much. 

Maintenance of chassis can be a problem, too. Chassis 

are often owned by the shipping line and rented to 

the carriers who pull them. Carriers are often reluctant 

to repair a chassis they don’t own, especially when reimbursement 

from the chassis owner takes a long time 

— or doesn’t happen at all. 

Ports and rail yards often deal with maintenance by 

inspecting trucks that are on their way out of the facility. 

There is often a long line for inspection and another 

wait if repairs are need, so some drivers would rather 

take their chances if they haven’t seen a visible problem 

with the chassis. 

When drivers have to hook up to a chassis first, they 

may have difficulty finding one in good repair. Drivers 

often would rather deliver the chassis to the facility with 

a flat tire or a mechanical issue than take the time to get it 

fixed on the road, especially if the distance isn’t very far. 

Drivers can also be unkind to one another when it 

comes to chassis. It’s not uncommon to find a chassis 

that’s missing lights, lug nuts or any other item a driver 

might have needed to make another chassis roadworthy. 

Other disadvantages of intermodal trucking include 

lower compensation than longer-distance forms of 

trucking. Since the U.S. imports much more than it 

exports, it can be difficult to find a load returning 

to the port for shipment, and deadheading is often a 

possibility. 

Additionally, since chassis are usually owned by shipping 

lines, they can’t be used to haul containers belonging 

to another shipping line unless the two companies 

have a cooperation agreement. For example, a driver 

may return a chassis owned by Maersk to the port and 

need to pick up a different chassis to haul the next container 

that’s owned by another company. Even when 

owned by the same company, containers can be different 

sizes. For example, a 40-foot container won’t fit on 

a chassis made for a 20-foot container. 

Another drawback to intermodal is that drivers often 

don’t know anything about the cargo, its weight or how it 

was loaded. Paperwork, such as bills of lading, are often 

created in another country, where people speak a different 

language and use different measurement methods — all 

of which may not translate perfectly. Often, cargo information 

such as weights is more of an estimation than reality. 

Containers are sealed, so drivers usually can’t get a 

look at how cargo is loaded, making it difficult to predict 

if the load is top-heavy or leans to one side. 

Intermodal trucking can be rewarding, providing 

steady income and home time for many drivers, but 

there are also unique challenges. 

Drivers who are considering taking on the job would 

be wise to ask plenty of questions about potential miles 

and income. Speaking with experienced drivers is a 

must, since they can provide accurate information about 

carriers, customers and port and rail facilities. It isn’t 

uncommon for a driver to have worked for several carriers 

in the area, and he or she should be able to provide 

information about each. 


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BEHIND 

the wheel 

passion in 

PINK 

Myrna Chartrand follows her dream, 

honors her mother through driving 

BY DANA GUTHRIE / CONTRIBUTING WRITER 

When driving down the highway, there is no chance of missing truck driver Myrna Chartrand — 

and she wouldn’t have it any other way. 

With her signature bright pink hair and black and pink truck to match, Chartrand, 40, is 

known for bringing light and joy to everyone she meets along the way. 

“The hair has to go with the truck,” Chartrand said with a cheerful laugh. “That’s just how I 

am. It makes it easy for people to pick me out as the driver of the truck.” 

Chartrand, who grew up in Oak Point, Manitoba, Canada, with her parents, Dave and Carol, 

and brother, Corey, now makes her home in Winnipeg. Her family is familiar with the trucking 

industry: Her father drove construction trucks when she was young, and her brother later became 

the first on-road trucker in the family. Chartrand soon had her eyes set on making trucking her career as well. 

“I would have liked to become a truck driver right when I graduated,” Chartrand said. “Corey was already a truck 

driver, and he would tell stories of the road. They maybe were not the best stories; (they were) about people who 

would do harm or damage. My mom said that her little girl was not going to be a truck driver.” 

So, Chartrand looked for another career. 

“My mom gave me a college catalog and told me to pick something else that was not trucking,” Chartrand said. 

“I went to college at and got my diploma in chemical and land science technology.” 

After graduating from Red River College Polytechnic in Winnipeg, Chartrand joined Apotex, a pharmaceutical 

company. She first began working there while still in school as part of a work experience program. After graduating, 

the company asked her to stay on — and she did, for seven years. 

Although she enjoyed her work in pharmaceuticals, she said, trucking was still calling her name. 

“I was just like, ‘I think it’s time for me to try trucking now,’” Chartrand said. “In my mind, I had some street smarts 

by that point, and I was adult, and I thought I could handle it. I called my family and said, ‘I think I want to be a trucker.’” 

Shortly after following her call to the road, Apotex was sold, resulting in a number of layoffs. In Chartrand’s mind, 


PHOTO ON PAGE 16 COURTESY OF NIK RAVE FROM RAVE PHOTO. 

PHOTOS ON THIS PAGE COURTESY OF MYRNA CHARTRAND 

Trucker Myrna Chartrand is known 

for her bubbly personality, outrageous 

leggings and penchant for bright pink. 

When it comes to her skill behind the 

wheel, however, she’s all business. 

In 2018 she was honored with the 

Manitoba Driver of the Year Award. 

this cemented the thought that she should follow her passion 

into trucking. 

“It’s one of those things where I thought, ‘I won’t know if 

I like it unless I try,’” she said, adding that once she started 

trucking school, she started having second thoughts. 

“I wasn’t sure if it was right for me. I wasn’t picking it up 

right away; I was not a natural. I’m one of those people where 

if I don’t get it right away, then I think maybe I shouldn’t be 

doing it,” she said. “My brother encouraged me, and kept telling 

me that I would get it. He said to just keep plugging away 

and encouraged me to keep going.” 

And that’s exactly what she did. 

“I am very glad that I did, because I absolutely love it now. 

I was lucky enough to have a good support group behind me,” 

she said. 

After finishing trucking school, Chartrand got her first job 

with Lee River Transport in 2008. 

“I literally went from the testing station, getting my Class 

1 license, to Lee River, where they hired me on the spot,” 

she said. “I always joke that the paint wasn’t even dry on my 

license when I got my first job. I was very lucky. My brother 

worked there also, and we drove together for a while, with 

him teaching me the ropes.” 

Chartrand was only with Lee River for a short time before 

leaving to help take care of her mother, who was fighting cancer. 

She took an administrative job at a local trucking company 

so that she could be with her mother in her final days. 

Her brother also left the carrier, signing on with Portage 

Trucking. After the death of their mother, Chartrand says, her 

brother encouraged her to get back on the road. She jumped 

at the opportunity and joined Portage in 2009, where she remains 

today. 

“My brother has been very good to me,” she said with a 

laugh. “I’ve only had two trucking jobs, and my brother 

helped me get both of them.” 

That’s not to imply Chartrand doesn’t know what she’s doing 

— quite the opposite, in fact. In 2018, Chartrand was honored 

with the Manitoba Driver of the Year Award. 

Chartrand loves her work and the variety it provides. 

“Lots of people like structure — and structure is good at 

times — but I like seeing new things every day and meeting 

new people,” she said. “The friendships I’ve made along the 

way are really high on my list of good things about this job. A 

lot of my best friends are people I’ve met through trucking.” 

Since joining Portage 13 years ago, Chartrand has had three 

trucks. Her second and third trucks have featured her signature 

pink, including a pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness. 

Although her mother did not have breast cancer, Chartrand 

said the trucks honor her mother’s life — and they open doors 

for conversations during her travels. 

“I’ve had so many people come and tell me their stories of 

their experiences with breast cancer, and that is really important 

to me,” Chartrand said. “I don’t know them from Adam, 

but they share something very personal. I can relate to them 

when they tell me their stories, having lost a parent myself. I 

know what that feels like.” 

Her current truck, black teamed with her iconic pink, is a 

show stopper wherever she goes. 

Chartrand says she loves her career, especially the family 

atmosphere that trucking provides. 

“The biggest surprise in this career has been the camaraderie 

and family in trucking,” she said. “I thought it was going 

to kind of be this secluded job, but we actually are a family. 

Nobody leaves you hanging.” 


OWNER OPERATORS 

End Dump • Hopper Bottom • Pneumatic 

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SAFETY 

series 

Listen 

carefully 

Unusual noises or movements can indicate that something needs attention 

BY CLIFF ABBOTT / CONTRIBUTING WRITER 

The phrase “things that go bump in 

the night” may sound like a title for a 

horror movie, or even a cheesy writing 

contest, but can also indicate a warning 

for those who drive trucks. 

While traveling down the road, most 

drivers get pretty tuned in to the sounds 

heard in the cab — the hum of the engine, 

the sound of tires on pavement, 

maybe air leaking through a window 

channel. Most truckers can instantly discern 

a sound or a feeling that isn’t “right” 

— something that’s not the norm. The 

same is true when the vehicle is parked 

at a truck stop or other location. 

While driving, “bumps” can indicate 

running over an object in the roadway. 

It’s always best for a driver to see objects, 

including roadway defects such 

as potholes, before hitting them, but 

hat can be hard to do at night, when it’s 

harder to identify small objects until 

it’s too late. Objects in the roadway can 

include trash, parts or cargo that have 

fallen from another vehicle, or just about 

anything. 

In addition, many animals are active 

at night and sometimes wander onto the 

road. Some may be simply crossing, 

while others are seeking warmth in the 

pavement or something to eat (such as 

road kill or even salt). Whatever their 

reason for being there, creatures can 

be hard to spot until it’s too late. If the 

driver is checking mirrors or gauges, the 

first indication of an animal or object in 

the road could be a “ka-thump” that is 

both heard and felt. 

Feeling bumps while driving can also 

indicate a mechanical problem. Parts 

can vibrate loose or break, falling off at 

the worst possible time. Belts and hoses 

can break, tires can sling pieces of tread, 

and internal components of engines and 

transmissions can come apart. Drivers 

who hear something that sounds wrong 

— or even just different — will want 

to find a safe location to pull over and 

check for problems. 

At night, finding a safe place to stop 

and check can be a difficult task. Road 

shoulders aren’t safe in the best of conditions, 

and they often contain debris 

that’s been worked outward from the 

travel lanes by passing vehicles — and 

could now cause more damage to yours. 

When possible, a well-lit parking lot 

with other people around is the safest 

bet. 

Wherever you stop, carefully observe 



SAFETY 

series 

your surroundings before getting out of the truck, and 

periodically after that. Don’t get so focused on finding 

the source of the noise that you become vulnerable to an 

attack. By the way, every driver should have a quality 

flashlight on hand. 

When parked at a truck stop or rest area, it can be more 

difficult to identify “strange” noises. The sound of an 

idling engine, a running auxiliary power unit (APU) or a 

fan for heat or air conditioning can mask a lot of sounds 

outside the truck. Even the sound of closing truck doors 

or people talking can become “normal” if you’re there 

long enough to get used to it. 

Many drivers are instantly alert when someone steps up 

onto their truck, even if they don’t try to get in. Someone 

opening the back doors on the trailer can cause enough 

movement in the tractor to wake the driver. Someone 

climbing into the trailer or jumping out can cause even 

more movement. 

It’s an unfortunate fact that some people at the truck 

stop sometimes do things to sabotage trucks, like pull 

fifth-wheel release handles or steal fuel, wheels or other 

objects. It pays to be alert. 

If you hear or feel something suspicious, always carefully 

check around your truck and trailer before opening 

any doors. Criminals can easily hide behind the tractor 

or directly in front, pushing or shaking the tractor hard 

enough for a driver inside to feel it and then ambushing 

the driver as he or she exits the cab to investigate. 

Years ago, one unfortunate driver was woken up by 

someone pounding on the door, who said that he hadn’t 

pulled in far enough to allow another tractor use the 

space behind. Unbeknownst to that driver, thieves had 

positioned boards under the inside tires of each axle. 

The driver only moved a few feet, but it was enough to 

drive onto those boards, raising the dual tires enough 

for thieves to remove the outside wheels and tires. That 

driver went to bed with an 18-wheeler and woke up with 

a 10-wheeler and a story to tell his safety department. 

If you suspect someone is lurking around your truck, 

it’s a good idea to call the police or truck stop security 

rather than confronting the person yourself. It never hurts 

to at least have a second set of eyes on whatever is happening. 

In a worst-case scenario, you could be harmed 

in a confrontation — and no one would know to call for 

help. Remember the adage that no load of freight is worth 

your life. 

Those occasional bumps and sounds will probably 

turn out to be harmless, but by paying close attention 

and checking it out when necessary, you can increase 

your chances of bumping the dock at your next pickup 

or delivery. 





FOR EVERY HERO ON THE FRONT LINES, 

THERE’S A TRUCKER IN THE BACKGROUND. 

Progressive Commercial offers affordable insurance options 

to protect the heroes behind the scenes. Call your local agent 

or visit ProgressiveCommercial.com 

Progressive Casualty Ins. Co. & Affiliates.

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