My review of 2006

For a leased owner operator, a good year is one that the price of fuel stays low, not to many repairs on the tractor, good dispatching and some time to do some work around the house. With all these premises, 2006 was not such a good year for me.

It started on the last days of December 2005, I got blinded by the reflection of the sun on the wet road. As my windshield cleared up, I was too close to a stopped car and, the ABS kicking in to avoid a lock-up, I rolled in the trunk of that 4 wheeler. I blew by about 45,000 miles the mark of 1,000,000 accident free miles. Not to excuse my driving but to set the scene, that car was stopped in the right lane of a boulevard by a %$&%(&%, 3 cars ahead, which wanted to do a left turn from the right lane… Yes, I’ll admit, bad anticipation on my behalf.

Then, in March, the turbo blew. Another week and some couple of thousand bills later, I was back on the road. At that time, my dearly beloved wife was expecting a call from our local hospital to undergo a hip surgery. I wanted to be there the day it was going to be done but, the hospital called to say, maybe this week maybe the next. I stayed home to wait and we finally got the call on Tuesday to tell us it would be the next week. Only glitch Easter was in the middle of the waiting period. Do I have to say I stayed home all that week!

After a few months of soaring fuel prices, we finally saw a little bit of calm but never the prices of the early years at the turn of the decade. Fortunately for us Canadians, the exchange rate stayed low so our purchases south of the border stayed within a reasonable range. I tried to imagine fuel at $3.10 a gallon with an exchange rate of 56% like it was in 2004! It would have made fuel price in Newfoundland a good deal!

Other then some tires, brakes, and all the regular maintenance our trucks need, the rest of the year was almost trouble free.

As of the home time, well as you can read, I was there for a good part but, I was proposed to co-host a new show on satellite radio, the preparation and the research to bring good information, comments supported with facts took most of my spare time and my rest time while on the road. Other then the way it ended, it was a great experience to communicate with drivers across North America and keep them informed on rulemakings, road laws and all the nice stuff we all need to know and take some stands.

Having to deal with my demands for home time, pass-by time, radio time, I can only say a word about the dispatching, great! Even if I did run some lines that are more costly to do, in the Maritimes of Canada, I was there when I wanted to be there.

My forecast for 2007

I hope that most of the operating costs for an owner operator stay in a reasonable bracket. That the incomes will be adjusted to the growing demands from the shippers and receivers. Not to forget the rising prices of replacement of our equipments with the new EPA standards, thanks to some pencil pushers and tree huggers. Only the road transportation has to deal with tighter rules, not the trains, planes or boats for now. This is another debate we can have later.

To all of you reading these lines, I wish you health, happiness and peace. Without these 3 elements, prosperity is not worth living for.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2007

Jean Catudal