Saskatoon truck driver headed to national competition

Now Schwenker travels the continent with his wife and co-pilot, Marlene. The two take turns driving, allowing them to cover greater distances in less time.

This is Schwenker’s second time competing with Canada’s top drivers in the five axel class. He won third in Moncton, ON, last year and said he decided to compete this year “to make sure it wasn’t a fluke.”

The championships consist of a written test, a vehicle inspection test and an obstacle course that Schwenker said leaves no room for error.

“They set up these obstacles so the trucks can barely fit through,” he said.

“The gentleman that used to set up the course for Saskatchewan all the time, he said no, it’s too easy; people can make it through. Make it tighter.”

The event shares the same month as National Trucking Week which has been held annually between Sept. 1 and 7 since 1990. Saskatchewan Trucking Association (STA) executive director Al Rosseker said the week was designed to bring attention to the “unheralded truck driving profession.”

Rosseker said roughly five per cent of Saskatchewan’s working population is involved in trucking industry – about 25,000 to 30,000 people – and 92 per cent of everything in the province is moved by truck.

He said about 80 per cent of all commodities moved within the country are transported by truck at some point.
“That could be anything from water, machine parts, medicine, and cabbage to flat screen T.V.s,” he said. “Basically if you got it, a truck brought it.”

But the country is in the midst of a truck driver shortage, and Rosseker said it’s reaching a critical point.
“People are probably shying away from hard work,” he said.

“It’s not an easy thing driving a truck… These are very complex machines, there’s a fair amount of training involved in being a truck driver; driving through a blizzard, maintaining a safe distance and [watching out for] our four wheel friends.”

Used social media like Twitter and Facebook, the STA continues to push for more young people to enter the field. They also use it to get the word out about safety, a major problem according to Rosseker, who said automobile drivers don’t always understand how to share the road with trucks.

“Drivers have to realize these machines, it’s like driving a small train, they can’t stop quickly,” he said.
“It also takes a while for them to accelerate from a stop sign or controlled intersection so we would ask the driving population to be a little more patient,” Rosseker said.

Schwenker said, on the road, the good relationship between trucks and cars “comes and goes.” He said he and his wife are happy to stop and help drivers but he feels a lack of education is what’s causing frustration between drivers. He said if more people had experience sitting in a truck cab passenger seat they’d soon realize that the big semis need more room to stop and cutting them off isn’t a good idea.

If drivers encounter an aggressive truck driver, Rosseker encourages them to take down the license plate and contact their employer.

“There’s no need for aggressive driving or road rage, whether it’s in a car or truck,” he said.

Meanwhile, Schwenker said there should be no road rage on their B.C. trip. The couple plans on flying in and taking a few extra days to see the sights they often have to whiz by on the road.

lkretzel@rawlco.com

Follow on Twitter: @lkretzel

by paNOW

Saskatoon truck driver headed to national competition

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