I think the impact of CSA 2010 is going to make quality, professional, highly skilled drivers even more valuable than they are today, and I think that as a result, the pay scale for drivers will have to rise as well. In turn, that will help entice people to enter the industry. I think we always have to have a mind towards the drivers' quality of life, especially when they're outside the truck. When they're outside the truck, they aren't necessarily at home - what kind of surroundings do they have, are they staying at a truck stop, how nice are the facilities, would you want to spend the night there - we can always look to improve that aspect of the drivers' lives.

We spend a lot of time telling our drivers how important they are to us - and you can't just express it with pay and the quality of the trucks and trailers you buy. The quality of trucks today is very nice, they're well built, they have all the amenities they driver needs, they're quiet; but that really doesn't establish the relationship that you want with that driver - they need to feel like they're a part of something. That means knowing that you care about them and giving them a say into how things are done, that they feel they're part of an organization that's going some where. I think if you do that, then you'll attract people to your organization.

I think we should also talk about the independence that a driver is allowed. They don't have someone looking over their shoulder all the time and they have a tremendous level of responsibility. If you think about a driver with a hazardous load, not only do they have the expense of the tractor and the trailer they're responsible for, they've got the product that needs to be handled safely, delivered on time and damage free. Not everybody is cut out to have that level of responsibility, so I think that's an aspect of the job that can be leveraged - that they are doing a job that's highly specialized and highly skilled.

I think the industry as a whole doesn't try hard enough to create a job environment where the driver is happy, comfortable, and feels respected and valued. In many cases, the driver is an extension of our customer as much as they're an extension of us, and they really enjoy being treated in a way that they're not just someone that shifts gears and keeps the truck between the lines, but who are actually providing a service and adding value to that service. If they feel like they're a part of that equation, you have a much better chance of keeping them in the business, and I also think it sets the stage for the people you bring in - if they see people enjoying the life of the driver, and see that the position is valued and it's something they can take pride in, then they'll be more likely to see it as a career option.

We have a real need for qualified, professional truck drivers and I think that sometimes the term "professional" is tossed around pretty loosely, but a true professional is not just driving the truck, they're really managing the space around their truck, their watching for people that aren't professional drivers that are likely distracted - and the professional is watching out for those people, as well as the safety and security of their own vehicle. So if they have a sense of pride, and they're good at what they do, I think that it makes it an attractive job to a lot of people.

Just coming out of the recession, we saw a tremendous impact on trucking. People weren't spending as much, which meant trucks weren't needed to ship as much to restock the shelves. That caused an exodus of drivers from the industry. With the economy recovered somewhat, it's hard getting those drivers back into the industry - either quickly enough, or in some cases, at all. This is presenting the industry with a tremendous challenge. We're in the business of hauling freight and if you don't have enough qualified people to do that for you, it's not good for business. And it's not like qualified drivers pop up over night, especially in the hazmat business - they need to be highly trained and that takes time.