2 Young drivers, young fleet.Efficient, quality service is the hub where all else revolves for ProNorth Transportation. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Headquartered in North Bay, this 21-year-old unpretentious company has built its current 170-truck fleet by concentrating on all the facets required in a transportation company, creating top-notch service for its customers. "Everything is based upon service," says co-owner and vice-president Dale Glass, who runs the business with his brother Brian, co-owner and president. ProNorth's 282 employees work out of its head office in North Bay and four satellite truck terminals located in Mississauga, Timmins, Dorval, Que. and Sudbury. The North Bay and Mississauga depots have two divisions: dry van and flat bed. Comprised mostly of 18-wheelers, the company provides full truckload truck·load n. The quantity that a truck can hold. truckload n → camión m lleno and less-than-truckload (LTL LTL - Linear Temporal Logic ) service, which caters to loads smaller than regular loads. General commodities and wood are hauled North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. wide. Dale describes the fleet as "very young" with a lot of the new standards, including automatic systems. Preventative maintenance, such as automatic slack 1. (operating system) slack - Internal fragmentation. Space allocated to a disk file but not actually used to store useful information. 2. (jargon) slack adjustors, auto grease grease, mixture of lubricant and thickener. It is used to reduce friction between surfaces from which oils would leak away or cause damage by dripping, or where lubrication must be assured for extended periods. Many greases are mixtures of mineral oil and soap. and oil systems, help sustain high levels of efficiency. Operations of the vehicles are monitored closely. "We monitor fuel counts and fuel burns daily, which is the No. 1 cost in our industry," Dale says, adding that they have a very highly regarded in-house maintenance program that keeps up with industry and Ontario Ministry of Environment standards. ProNorth's safety record has one of the highest ratings in Ontario and Quebec with over 10,000 accident-free miles. Much of this can be attributed to its driver training and investment in its employees. "We groom them from the ground up ... with new recruits, even if they have experience, they go through a rigorous training process with us," Dale says. With a strong focus on company policies and procedures Policies and Procedures are a set of documents that describe an organization's policies for operation and the procedures necessary to fulfill the policies. They are often initiated because of some external requirement, such as environmental compliance or other governmental , drivers are continually con·tin·u·al adj. 1. Recurring regularly or frequently: the continual need to pay the mortgage. 2. updated to industry standards, along with defensive driving and refresher courses. "We also have driver managers, who oversee the drivers," Dale says. Everything is GPS-tracked with two-way communication Two-way communication is a form of transmission in which both parties involved transmit information. Common forms of two-way communication are:
adapted for analysis, storage and retrieval on a computer. computerized axial tomography see computed tomography. integrated systems, managers know where the equipment is at all times, ensuring on-time service, "because at the end of the day, people just want their loads on time." Additionally, performance reviews maintain high standards and keeps the company focused. On the company's website, driver's benefits are listed in detail, which are at, or higher, than the industry standards. In an effort to promote a family-type orientation, Dale explains they try to get their employees home every weekend. Awards are also given out within the company, such as safe driving or best-kept truck. Dale says with the continual shortage of drivers and the challenges to recruit people, they try to keep it like a family atmosphere. As the need for transported commodities increases, ProNorth will continue to grow its company and quality, efficient service. www.pronorth.com QUICK FACTS Company Name: Pro North Transportation City: North Bay Founded: 1985 VP: Dale Glass By ADELLE LARMOUR Northern Ontario Business Northern Ontario Business is a Canadian magazine, which publishes monthly in Greater Sudbury, Ontario. The magazine covers business news and issues in Northern Ontario. |
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