Steering Change · 2026-06-19 · 14 min
Key moments - from our scoring
Substance score
24 / 100
Five dimensions, 20 points each
At AMTA's Calgary Golf Tournament held at Blue Devil Golf Club on June 16th, Steering Change captured candid insights from 12 industry professionals on emerging trends in commercial transportation. Miller Supply's Carolyn Forbes highlighted growing energy demands for diesel and natural gas despite EV adoption, while predicting digitalization of paper-based systems like bills of lading and a transformation of dispatcher roles toward exception management. Richie Brothers' Mike Vecchio countered AI hype, emphasizing growth in the used equipment market. Safety training, telematics adoption through BFL Canada, and stricter carrier vetting post-Montgomery decision emerged as growth trends from Kevin Vaughn (KV Safety Services) and Kyle Pouliot (Kenita Transport). Multiple speakers - from Cummins to High Torque Industries to Blue Planet Recycling - identified underestimation of operational costs, the power of relationships, and a shift away from race-to-bottom pricing toward premium service delivery. Chirag Patel flagged hydrogen and battery-powered truck adoption as imminent, while Graeme from High Torque emphasized mobile convenience services and remote diagnostics as growth areas. A recurring theme: relationship-building and human connection will distinguish survivors from those pursuing lowest-cost models.
Safety training for drivers, telematics for insurance savings, stricter carrier vetting post-Montgomery decision, digitalization of documentation, mobile convenience services, remote diagnostics, hydrogen and battery truck adoption, and the used equipment market.
Bills of lading, safety documents, and other paper management systems are being replaced by digital alternatives across the industry.
Traditional dispatchers will shift from managing routine operations toward handling exceptions and customer service, as route optimization and data analysis move to AI-driven systems.
Despite AI and digital marketing saturation, industry professionals increasingly value in-person meetings and human connection as key differentiators, particularly in a relatively small, interconnected industry.
As the industry moves toward premium service and safety standards, low-cost competitors lacking relationship focus and safety investment are unlikely to survive long-term.
Our reviewer’s read on each dimension, with quotes from the episode.
The episode is a rapid-fire vox pop with answers averaging two to four sentences each; most responses are generic platitudes (digitalization is growing, AI is everywhere, relationships matter). A handful of specific observations - telematics for insurance, the Montgomery decision, Driver's Inc. - provide occasional substance, but there is far too little depth per minute.
In light of the Montgomery decision in the United States, that you're going to see brokers start vetting their carriers more carefully and safety scores are going to matter more.
Insurance companies, use of trucking companies, telematics to apply savings.
The vast majority of answers recycle well-worn industry talking points - digitalization, AI hype, the value of relationships, going paperless. The call-out of Driver's Inc. and the 'race to the cheapest' disappearing are marginally fresher takes, but nothing in the episode challenges conventional wisdom or offers a first-principles argument.
I really think Driver's Inc. Should go away.
Is the race to be the cheapest. Uh, so the price gouging, the race to the bottom, all those guys I hope are kind of going to disappear.
Guests are genuine industry practitioners - safety auditors, transport company operators, equipment and fuel distributors - which gives the episode real-world grounding. However, they are mid-level professionals giving off-the-cuff comments at a golf tournament rather than senior operators sharing hard-won operational insight at scale.
As an auditor with Alberta Transportation and the amta, I see quite often areas of weakness with hours of service, weights, dimensions, cargo securement and most uh, often uh, is trip inspections.
We truck recycling. So trucking and recycling is sort of this Cinderella service that people think is easy.
A few named specifics appear - the Montgomery decision, Driver's Inc., CVSA out-of-service data, and individual company names - but no quantitative data, dollar figures, timelines, or case studies are offered anywhere in the episode. Most claims are assertion-only.
When you look at the carrier profile you'll see uh, a lot of out of service on CVSA inspection.
in light of the Montgomery decision in the United States, that you're going to see brokers start vetting their carriers more carefully
The format is a rigid three-question template repeated identically for every respondent, with zero follow-up questions and constant uncritical affirmations ('Fantastic,' 'Beautiful,' 'Awesome') after every answer regardless of depth. There is no probing, no pushback, and no attempt to draw out specifics or challenge any claim.
Oh, that's fantastic. Great answer. Thank you very much.
Beautiful. Thank you so much,
Computed from the transcript - who did the talking, and the words that came up most.
In this episode, host Kelsey Hipkin takes us off course on to the course with our inaugural edition of Fairway Forecast. This episode was recorded live, with the help of AMTA’s Director of Member Services, Michelle Spacil, during AMTA’s Annual Calgary Golf Tournament at the Blue Devil Golf Club on June 16th. We took the opportunity of having 144 commercial transportation professionals in one place to posit some questions about industry. If you have any questions or concerns about topics related to what was discussed in this episode, or commercial transportation and driver safety, please do not hesitate to contact our Member Services team at memberservices@amta.ca . AMTA’s Q2 Compliance and Regulatory Affairs meeting takes place on June 23 at the Chateau Nova Yellowhead in Edmonton. This meeting is open to AMTA Full Carrier, Subsidiary Carrier, and Elite Members. You don’t want to miss this one because, as well as a packed agenda, AMTA will be making a special announcement. Register now: Mark your calendars! AMTA’s Drawdown Dinner is returning this year to the River Cree Resort and Casino on October 15. More details to come.
Transcribed and scored by The B2B Podcast Index.
Speaker A: Welcome to the Steering Change podcast, navigating through the commercial transportation industry in Alberta and beyond. Powered by the Alberta Motor Transport Association. Here's your host, Kelsey Hipkin.
Speaker B: Hello, friends of Steering Change. On today's episode, we're veering off course onto the course with our inaugural edition of fairway forecast. AMTA's Calgary Golf Tournament took place at Blue Devil Golf Club June 16th. And we took the opportunity of having 144 commercial transportation professionals in one place to posit some questions about industry, including trends that will grow, trends that will disappear, and trends that people might be underestimating. Huge thanks on this one to our producer Robin Betts and director of member services Michelle Spaisel for helping out with that. Let's hit the gas on this golf cart called life and see what folks had to say about the state of trends in commercial transportation.
Speaker C: My name's uh, Carolyn Forbes. I work with Miller Supply. I'm the sales director there. We're a fuel and lubricants wholesale and distribution company primarily operating in Southern Alberta.
Speaker B: Fantastic. Carolyn, what is a trend in industry that you think will grow?
Speaker C: One thing I think that will grow is actually the need for energy. Um, what we're seeing is that a lot of passenger vehicles are moving towards the um, EV space, um, but a lot of commercial and industrial requirements will still be in the diesel and natural gas kind, um, of need for fossil fuels. And what we're also seeing is that developing countries are going to have a huge increase, not uh, only in population, but in their need for energy.
Speaker B: Fantastic. Thank you. And what is a trend that you think will disappear?
Speaker C: Um, anything done on paper? Um, I think we're seeing kind of in the uh, in the bill of lading space, um, paper management for safety documents, anything like that. Everything's going digital. And also kind of uh, the traditional dispatcher role I think is really going to change over the next few years. Um, not eliminated, but, um, you know, because I think a lot of what they are going to manage is kind of those like emergency situations, kind of the exceptions for the customers really providing that service. But as far as route optimization and um, just using all the data that we're currently using every day, we all throw the address into Google's maps every morning when we hop in the car.
Speaker D: Right.
Speaker C: That information's already out there.
Speaker B: Fantastic. And one last question. What is one thing in industry that you think people are underestimating?
Speaker C: I think we're underestimating the power of relationships, um, all the AI kind of driven media and marketing stuff that Floods your inbox every day. Um, I think that that is kind of going to play itself out and that people are going to kind of get back to wanting to work to you know, have an in person conversation, have an in person meeting. Um, I think we lost a lot of that through Covid and then AI is kind of further pushing it away and I think that's going to set us apart.
Speaker B: Fantastic.
Speaker E: You're natural.
Speaker D: My name is Mike Vecchio. I'm with Richie Brothers Auctioneers.
Speaker F: What is one thing people are underestimating in the industry?
Speaker D: AI. I uh, think AI is a little bit overrated. I think that bubble is going to pop.
Speaker F: Beautiful.
Speaker D: Beautiful is overrated. Um, I'm gonna say, you know, one thing I think that people are underestimating in the industry is the value of the used market. I think that with a lot of new things coming in the future that you're going to see a huge uh, increase in participation in the used uh, market.
Speaker F: That is fantastic. Thank you very much.
Speaker A: Uh, Graham Petroff, BFL Canada Insurance Services.
Speaker F: Thank you so much for joining us today. Can you answer a trend that is going to grow in the next 12 months within industry.
Speaker A: Insurance companies, use of trucking companies, telematics to apply savings.
Speaker F: Oh, that's fantastic. Great answer. Thank you very much.
Speaker D: Foreign,
Speaker G: um, BFL Canada.
Speaker F: Hello Cesar. Question for you today. Can you name a trend that's going to disappear from industry in the next 12 months?
Speaker H: Trend?
Speaker G: I really think Driver's Inc. Should go away.
Speaker F: Oh, fantastic answer.
Speaker G: Um, yeah, everybody should play fair for, for the betterment of the whole industry.
Speaker F: Awesome. Thank you so much.
Speaker A: Thank you.
Speaker I: Kevin Vaughn, KV Safety Services.
Speaker F: Hey Kevin, thanks for joining us today. Your question of the day is a trend that you will see growing in the next 12 months.
Speaker I: I'm hoping to see transport companies upgrade, enhance their training for their drivers. Uh, as an auditor with Alberta Transportation and the amta, I see quite often areas of weakness with hours of service, weights, dimensions, cargo securement and most uh, often uh, is trip inspections. When you look at the carrier profile you'll see uh, a lot of out of service on CVSA inspection. So I think it's important that vehicles are safe, uh, operating up and down the road and uh, that drivers are properly trained on how to conduct a thorough inspection.
Speaker F: That's fantastic. Thank you very much.
Speaker I: Okay.
Speaker A: I'm Kyle Pouliot with Kenita Transport.
Speaker F: Awesome. Kyle, thanks so much for joining us today. We're talking about trends. What's a trend that you will see grow in the next 12 months? In the transportation industry.
Speaker A: Um, I think in light of the Montgomery decision in the United States, that you're going to see brokers start vetting
Speaker I: their carriers more carefully and safety scores
Speaker A: are going to matter more.
Speaker F: Awesome. Thank you so much.
Speaker H: Hi. Scott Nielsen, Kenita Transport, Calgary, Alberta. Uh, one of the trends I feel that will start disappearing in the next 12 months is, uh, carrier profiles that are subpar, uh, to basically all other carriers, abiding by all the certifications and, uh, stringent safety protocols that are in place. So as, uh, Kyle alluded to the Montgomery decision, we're going to see more and more of that over the next 12 months. And we're actually already seeing it now as we do a lot of three pl work ourselves.
Speaker F: Beautiful. Thank you so much,
Speaker J: Chris from Thermo King, Calgary.
Speaker F: Hi, Chris. Thanks for joining us today. What is one thing people are underestimate about our industry?
Speaker J: I think one thing people underestimate, um, both people in the industry already and people trying to get into it, is the operational costs, um, the cost to actually operate a fleet. The these days, um, especially with the price of diesel right now and the cost to purchase equipment, um, it just keeps going up year over year. So I think people need to really take a deep dive into understanding, um, the cost before they actually dive into it.
Speaker F: Fantastic. Thank you so much.
Speaker I: Stu Van Berkel from Blue Planet Recycling.
Speaker F: Hey, Stu, thanks for joining us today. What's one thing people underestimate about our industry?
Speaker I: We truck recycling. So trucking and recycling is sort of this Cinderella service that people think is easy.
Speaker F: Yeah.
Speaker I: And when it doesn't go well, lots of people are coming after you. But when it goes well, it seems relatively thankless, so.
Speaker F: Oh, great. Great. Thank you so much.
Speaker I: Thank you.
Speaker G: My name is Chirag Patel. I'm with, uh, Blue Plant Recycling.
Speaker F: Perfect. Thanks so much for joining us today. Tell us about a trend that you think will grow in the next 12 months. In our industry.
Speaker G: Digitalization would definitely grow. Uh, there's been talks about, uh, you know, trucks fueled with hydrogen, um, maybe battery powered trucks. That seems like it's very imminent. So excited to see how that turns out. But I would see the next. In the next 12 months, that trend's definitely going to grow.
Speaker F: Awesome. Thank you so much.
Speaker G: You're welcome.
Speaker F: Julie Kern with trimcar.
Speaker G: Hello.
Speaker F: Thank you so much for joining us today. What is one thing you think people underestimate about our industry? What I see people underestimating is the power of younger people getting into the business and working hard. Not just kind of working, but working Hard. And building the businesses that their parents and grandparents have built and getting into that industry and staying in that industry. The family. Absolutely, yeah. Uh, awesome. Perfect. Thank you so much.
Speaker G: Hi everyone, this is Ganesh here with Cummins.
Speaker F: Hello Ganesh. Thanks so much for joining us today. What is one trend that you think will disappear from our industry?
Speaker G: The trend that's likely to disappear is the over capacity that has got added over the past few years in the trucking market where the barrier to entry was uh, very minimal and for the right reasons. It's going to get more stringent, which is going to make capacity right at the. Right at the optimum level, which is going to be healthy for everybody in the trucking industry.
Speaker F: Get that fair playing ground again.
Speaker J: Exactly.
Speaker F: Awesome. Thank you so much.
Speaker E: Uh, my name is Graeme with High Torque Industries.
Speaker F: Perfect. Thanks for joining us today. Couple questions. Can you tell us about a trend that you think is going to grow over the next little bit in our industry industry?
Speaker E: I can, yeah. Trend that's going to grow I think is the mobile convenience based kind of services. So customers value their time more than ever. Um, mobile services like ours are growing. We're uh, seeing it with getting busier over year after year and remote diagnostics, remote vehicle management, remote, all those things that help the transportation industry. Um, yeah, people are definitely getting around to the convenience. Nobody has time anymore. So why don't we make it more time's money, right?
Speaker D: Exactly.
Speaker F: Yeah, for sure. Okay, what do you think is a trend that's going to disappear over the next little while?
Speaker E: One that I think, and maybe it's optimistic, but I think I kind of see it over multiple industries. Is the race to be the cheapest.
Speaker B: Ah.
Speaker E: Uh, so the price gouging, the race to the bottom, all those guys I hope are kind of going to disappear. And I think that's, I think that's going to be the way kind of the future. Um, there's too many discount providers out there right now, but people are starting to kind of pay for premium service, premium customer, uh, service, all of those things.
Speaker F: And I think that helps with the safety of things as well too. Right. You know, you invest in it versus just trying to kind of avoid it and, and work around it.
Speaker E: 100%.
Speaker F: Perfect. Okay, last question of the day. What's one thing people underestimate about our industry?
Speaker E: Connection.
Speaker F: Ooh, I love it.
Speaker E: Connection, connection, connection. Building relationships with your clients, with your partners, with networks, with everything. Um, everybody, everything is AI, everything is online, everything is emails. Nobody likes cold calls anymore. Nobody likes, you know, those kind of things.
Speaker F: Yep.
Speaker E: People are, I think, really craving a human connection to every deal that they have in the world. Yep. Business, um, personal, everything. So create a human element or value. Human element.
Speaker F: Well, it's such a small industry when we think about it. Right. Everybody knows everybody. So you know that that relationship is vital for the success of anybody's business, really.
Speaker E: 100%. And you'll weed out a lot of people that don't care or worry about it or don't, you know, I just want the bottom price or I just want the cheapest service, whatever it is. Um, and they're not going to survive. The providers that have that mentality aren't going to survive. And the customer base is going to learn really quickly as well.
Speaker J: So.
Speaker F: Perfect. Awesome. Thank you so much.
Speaker E: Thank you.
Speaker B: And good night. Once again, I'd like to thank Robin and Michelle for their help on this one. And a shout out to our industry professionals who shared their thoughts. Did any of those thoughts resonate with you? Tell us more and email marcomamta ca that's marcommta ca. Now, let's close with some news. AMTA's Q2 compliance and regulatory affairs meeting takes place June 23rd at the Chateau Nova Yellowhead, open to full AMTA carriers, subsidiary carriers and elite members. Make sure you don't miss this one, because as well as a packed agenda, AMTA will be making a special announcement. Now, let's save the date. AMTA's 2026 drawdown dinner takes place October 15th at the River Cree Event center in Enoch, Alberta. And while we're talking dates, you also better pencil in our 89th annual conference, also taking place at River Cree April 7th and 8th, and that is next year, 2027. Do you have any questions or comments about the Steering Change episodes? Reach out on our Instagram MTACA or LinkedIn and Facebook. Alberta Motor Transport Association. Stay safe and see you next time.
Speaker A: Thank you for listening to this episode of AMTA Steering Change Podcast. The views expressed by guests of the Steering Change Podcast are their own and may not reflect the views of amta, its hosts or sponsors. Do you have a question that you would like answered on an upcoming episode of the Steering Change Podcast? We want to hear from you. To submit a question to the Steering Change Mailbag, hit up our DMs on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag steeringchange and your question will be answered either live on the podcast or by one of our SMEs here at AMTA. We ask that you share this episode with those in your network that could benefit from what we discussed today. And make sure to subscribe to our podcast on your favorite podcast platform so you can be notified when future episodes are released. You can learn more about us and our mission by visiting www.amta.ca. now get out there and have a safe day.
A Stronger Collective VoiceOn the Road with Mental HealthThe Evolution of AutomationLeading with SafetyAre You a Light Duty Commercial Carrier? Every Trip Matters