Welcome to Pro-Trucker Magazine
“The Voice of Western Canadian Truckers.”
In February 1999 the dream of a Western Canadian Trucking Magazine became a reality. Until then the only magazines available in Western Canada were published in Ontario and the advertisers, for the most part, were from the East.
Today Western Canadian truckers have their own magazine that is quite unique in that we don’t write technical articles. Instead Pro-Trucker is an entertainment magazine where you can read about other drivers and their life on the road; their problems and how they handle them; issues of the day and the ever present humour that hopefully will put a smile on your face when you are far from home.
BC Big Rig Weekend July 6-7 2013 • Alberta Big Rig Weekend August 17-18 2013
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May 2013 Editorial:
“The world is moving so fast these days that the man who says it can’t be done is generally interrupted by someone doing it.” ― Elbert Hubbard
Over the last few years I have watched Steve Zaeri, CEO of Cool-It Highway Services in Abbotsford, BC, experiment with proto types and then manufacturing, no idle units for the heating and cooling of a truck’s cab and engine (pg 13). I knew Steve had been working on a new project for the past 5 years so when I received an invitation to meet him at Simon Fraser University, in Surrey, BC, I jumped at the chance.
I asked Steve what the project was about and he told me that it started when he approached the BDC (Business Development Bank of Canada) with his latest invention, a new HVAC system (AC/Heating) for the trucking industry. The BDC referred him to the NRC (National Research Council of Canada) who tested his invention for 3 months and then approved it as a viable AC unit. They referred him to a professor at UBC who, after seeing the test results, told him he knew of a professor at SFU that came out of industry and specialized in the development of this type of system.
On arrival at the SFU campus Steve introduced me to SFU engineering professor and project leader, Dr. Majid Bahrami. Dr. Bahrami started his explanation of the project with the startling statement, “The US government estimates that Diesel trucks in the US burn an estimated 3,600 million liters of fuel each year while idling.” He paused, letting that number sink in and then went on to say, “Finding practical solutions to this problem will save fleets a tremendous amount of money and greatly reduce greenhouse gas levels.”
He went on to explain that once he saw the results, over the next year he collaborated with Steve to write an 1800 page project proposal that they submitted to APC. (Automotive Partnership Canada) who awarded them $2.9 million to support the development of this next generation green air-conditioning and refrigeration system.
The project is the largest of its kind in Canada, involving 71 researchers and students from Simon Fraser University and the University of Waterloo, along with industry partners Cool-It Hiway Services Inc. (Abbotsford, BC), CrossChasm Technologies Inc. (Waterloo, ON) and Saputo Dairy Products (Burnaby, BC), which runs the largest reefer fleet in North America.
“We are designing a more efficient and reliable refrigeration and AC system that operates without the engine idling,” says Dr. Bahrami. “This isn’t wishful thinking; we already have the proof-of- concept. It’s just a matter of getting it to the point where it’s compact enough to install on vehicles.”
“There is a huge market for these technologies,” says Steve Zaeri, “but as a small company it’s hard to persuade a truck manufacturer to buy it. Partnering with universities and other industry partners makes it easier to educate the marketplace about the value of these technologies.”
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