AMTA’s Kelsey Hipkin is taking us to the future for the third and final episode of our special three-part series - Trucking: Past, Present, and Future. In our last episode, we looked at what is going on in Alberta in the present and what impacts are being made to commercial transportation. In today’s episode, we are looking forward, literally, to the future of commercial transportation. Kelsey sits down with Jared Sayers , President and CEO of Azolla Hydrogen Ltd., and Terri Johnson , Manager, I...
Aug 15, 2025•35 min•Ep. 44
AMTA’s Kelsey Hipkin welcomes us back for the second episode of our special three-part series - Trucking: Past, Present, and Future. In our last episode, we took you back to when trucking emerged in Alberta, and you heard from some of the voices of the province’s commercial transportation past. In this episode, we look at what is going on in Alberta today that impacts commercial transportation. You'll hear from Alexandra Bennet , Director, Strategic Initiatives, Transportation and Economic Corri...
Aug 01, 2025•27 min•Ep. 43
AMTA’s Kelsey Hipkin kicks off the first episode of our special three-part series - Trucking: Past, Present, and Future. To know Alberta’s trucking past is to know the individuals who built the foundation of what commercial transportation represents today. In this episode, we take a trip down commercial transportation memory lane in Alberta – and we’re doing that with some actual voices of Alberta’s Commercial Transportation past, including those who continue to support and advance industry afte...
Jul 18, 2025•19 min•Ep. 42
AMTA's Kelsey Hipkin chats with Andrew Barnes, Sr. Advisor, Compliance and Regulatory Affairs, AMTA. In our conversation, we discuss the biggest commercial transportation issues we’re seeing when it comes to interprovincial trade barriers, takeaways from this year’s Canadian Council of Motor Transportation Administrators conference, collaboration with other provinces, and what it will take to move forward on infrastructure disparities, and more! If you would like to contact Andy to learn more ab...
Jul 04, 2025•33 min•Ep. 41
**Trigger warning: this episode contains a special segment that discusses human trafficking, sexual assault, and bodily harm. AMTA's Kelsey Hipkin chats with returning Steering Change guest, Deborah Nilsen , Industry Specialist, Workers’ Compensation Board - Alberta (WCB). We have noticed that at each event, specifically our Safety Summits, where Deb and/or her colleagues present, there are many questions as a follow-up. So we posed the question on our AMTA socials and myAMTA and asked you, our ...
Jun 20, 2025•44 min•Ep. 40
AMTA's Kelsey Hipkin chats with Sgt. Scott Kallweit of Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services within the Alberta Sheriffs, Sgt. Kerry Bates of the Edmonton Police Service, and AMTA’s Josh Hannaberry. AMTA’s latest campaign, Spring into Safety, looks at the transition from winter to spring and how that can affect how we drive, prepare to drive, and how we interact with other road users. In this episode, we explore this further, discussing the impacts of wildlife strikes, sharing the road with mot...
Jun 06, 2025•23 min•Ep. 39
AMTA's Kelsey Hipkin chats with Abraham Masri , Manager of Energy Transition and Sustainability at Trimac; Dave Schmidt , Western Canada RMX, Fleet and Training Manager at Lafarge Canada Inc.; Jacob Adams , Director of Sustainability and Risk and Manager of Optimization at Arrow Transportation Systems; and Terri Johnson , Manager of Industry Advancement at AMTA. In this episode, we continue the conversation from our Carrier Successes in New Technology session at AMTA’s 87th Annual Conference las...
May 23, 2025•31 min•Ep. 38
AMTA's Kelsey Hipkin chats with our Member Solutions Team: Doug Walton, Sr. Advisor, Kristin Picken, Advisor (South), and Chad Albert, Advisor (North). In this episode, we discuss the improvements that we have made to our membership benefits to reflect the growing value that AMTA delivers for Carriers and Suppliers in Alberta. These improvements, announced April 1, include changes to the full Carrier Member pricing and a tiered Supplier Membership opportunity. Our Member Solutions team deep dive...
May 09, 2025•24 min•Ep. 37
AMTA's Kelsey Hipkin chats with Josh Hannaberry, AMTA’s Senior Advisor, Strategic Partnerships, and Christina Sadlowski , CTSP Advisor for Fleet Safety with Strike Group . In this episode, we dive into Christina and Josh’s journey towards getting their Certified Transportation Safety Professional (CTSP) designations, their motivations to pursue the designation, their experience with the process, and how the program encourages collaboration among peers working toward certification. We also discus...
Apr 25, 2025•19 min•Ep. 36
AMTA's Kelsey Hipkin, Manager of Communications, and Erica Cormack, Manager of Education, chat with Catherine Williams, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Traffic Safety Services with Alberta’s Transportation & Economic Corridors (TEC). In our conversation, we discuss an overview of the Class 1 Learning Pathway, which the Alberta Government officially launched as of April 1, 2025. Catherine gives us more details on why this change is being implemented, what this new pathway process will look...
Apr 11, 2025•25 min•Ep. 35
AMTA's Kelsey Hipkin, Manager of Communications, and Doug Walton, Senior Advisor, Member Solutions, chat with Constable James Kendrick of the Edmonton Police Service. In our conversation, we discuss something that has become an epidemic, and is affecting the safety of Alberta’s highways and beyond … distracted driving. Constable Kendrick provides examples of distracted driving that he and other officers with EPS have seen on the local roadways, some misconceptions that people have with using sma...
Mar 28, 2025•27 min•Ep. 34
AMTA's Kelsey Hipkin and long-time planner of the PTDC, Michelle Spacil, chat with Members of our Professional Truck Driving Championship (PTDC) Committee: Matt Geib , PTDC Marshall, Don Achtemichuk , PTDC Co-Marshall, and Don MacDonald , PTDC Track Master. In our conversation, we highlight AMTA's Professional Truck Driving Championship (PTDC) which returns May 31, 2025, celebrating 75 years of Driver Excellence! We discuss how this event works, the specifics of the course and what it takes to n...
Mar 14, 2025•35 min•Ep. 33
AMTA's Kelsey Hipkin, Dave Elniski, and Andy Barnes chat with Steve Keppler , Co-Director of Scopelitis Transportation Consulting. In our conversation, we discuss voluntary safety programs like Beyond Compliance and how facilitating best practices, safety management systems, training and coaching services, and new technologies can help carriers of all sizes to reduce collisions, empower drivers, and improve safety within your company. If you would like to learn more about Scopelitis Transportati...
Feb 28, 2025•54 min•Ep. 32
AMTA's Kelsey Hipkin and Rob Destree chat with Warren Stasiuk, Safety Manager at Volker Stevin Highways Ltd. In our conversation, we discuss snowplow logistics in Alberta, roadside safety for snowplow drivers and the motoring public, tips and tricks for approaching snowplows on the road, and ways to stay safe on the highways in winter storm conditions. If you would like to learn more about Volker Stevin or snowplow safety, please contact Warren on their website at: https://www.volkerstevin.ca/co...
Feb 14, 2025•43 min•Ep. 31
AMTA's Kelsey Hipkin and Michelle Spacil chat with Arlene Ledi-Thom , President and Board of Directors and Chair of the Society, with the Health and Safety Conference Society of Alberta (HSCSA). In our conversation, we discuss the Health and Safety Conference and how AMTA came to be involved, the importance of all the health and safety-related industries coming together to collaborate, and what we can expect from this year’s conference. If you would like to learn more about the Alberta Health an...
Jan 31, 2025•16 min•Ep. 30
AMTA's Kelsey Hipkin and Rob Destree chat with two of our past Safety Person of the Year Award recipients, Christine Groulx, Health and Safety Manager of 4Seasons Transportation (2022), and Dale Howard, Regional Safety Manager for Canada with Flying J Canada Transport (2024), for one of our favourite topics as an association: safety. In our conversation, we discuss the significance of safety in day-to-day operations, the value of supportive workplace culture and training, the importance of drive...
Jan 17, 2025•38 min•Ep. 29
AMTA's Kelsey Hipkin and Dave Elniski chat with Brenda Suggett, Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Road Safety Professionals (CARSP), for our first episode of 2025, or Season 2 of Steering Change , if you will. In our conversation, we focus on all aspects of road safety and ways Carriers and Drivers can apply research to their operations to improve their safety on the highways. If you would like to learn more about CARSP, please contact Brenda at info@carsp.ca , or visit their web...
Jan 03, 2025•29 min•Ep. 28
AMTA's Kelsey Hipkin and Michelle Spacil (Steering Change’s very first guest), chat with Tim Bennett, AMTA Board Chair, for our special Steering Change One-Year Anniversary episode. In our conversation, we look back on the year that we have had, both at Steering Change , and at AMTA. Having an AMTA Podcast has been a dream for many years. We wanted a different way of promoting AMTA initiatives and important takeaways for everyone involved in commercial transportation, especially our Membership a...
Dec 20, 2024•48 min•Ep. 27
**Trigger warning: this episode contains discussions around mental health and brief mentions of PTSD, past trauma, and suicide. AMTA's Kelsey Hipkin and Doug Walton chat with Kris Marks, founder and CEO of VĪV Mental Health, for the fourth and final episode of our special edition four-part series: Road to Wellness. These episodes are dedicated to the health and well-being of the commercial drivers who keep goods on the move 24/7. In our conversation, we address an important topic that is often o...
Dec 06, 2024•50 min•Ep. 26
AMTA's Doug Walton and Dave Elniski chat with Rodolfo Giacoman, Fatigue Management Specialist at the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), for the third episode of our special edition four-part series: Road to Wellness. These episodes are dedicated to the health and well-being of the commercial drivers who keep goods on the move 24/7. In our conversation, we delve deeper into the importance of sleep and fatigue management for commercial drivers, and actions that can be taken by drivers and ...
Nov 22, 2024•43 min•Ep. 25
AMTA's Kelsey Hipkin and Doug Walton chat with Dr. Mark Manera, founder and CEO of Offshift, for the second episode of our special edition four-part series: Road to Wellness. These episodes are dedicated to the health and well-being of the commercial drivers who keep goods on the move 24/7. In our conversation, we want to help change the narrative, provide some tangible and driver-friendly takeaways for improved health behind the wheel, and as Dr. Mark says, put the ‘health’ back in ‘health and ...
Nov 08, 2024•42 min•Ep. 24
In this episode, hosts Kelsey Hipkin and Doug Walton chat with Justin Barber, co-founder of my-eforce, for the first episode of our special edition four-part series: Road to Wellness. These episodes are dedicated to the health and well-being of the commercial drivers who keep goods on the move 24/7. In our conversation, we discuss how technology can contribute to driver safety while out on the road and within the cab. If you would like to learn more about my-eforce, please visit: https://www.my-...
Oct 25, 2024•25 min•Ep. 23
Steering Change: Helping you navigate the commercial transportation industry in Alberta, and beyond. Powered by the Alberta Motor Transport Association. Join AMTA's Kelsey Hipkin, Doug Walton, and many special guests this fall for a special edition four-part series: Road to Wellness. These episodes are dedicated to the health and well-being of the commercial drivers who keep goods on the move 24/7. — Join the conversation at: Web: amta.ca X: AMTA_ca Instagram: amta_ca/ Facebook: AlbertaMotorTran...
Oct 11, 2024•42 sec
In this episode, host Kelsey Hipkin chats with AMTA’s Cliff Litke (Senior Advisor, Member Services), Rob Destree (Senior Instructor, Driver Development), and Doug Walton (Senior Advisor, Member Solutions) to discuss winter preparedness as we will inevitably move from this stunning fall into the clutches of our Alberta winters, and with that comes challenging winter driving. In our conversation, we cover how carriers and their drivers prepare for winter roads and conditions, and what items driver...
Oct 11, 2024•36 min•Ep. 22
In this episode, hosts Kelsey Hipkin and Dave Elniski (AMTA’s Industry Advisor, Safety and Compliance), chat with Deborah Nilsen , Industry Specialist, Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) - Alberta. AMTA is very fortunate to work with Deborah and her counterparts in advising on disability management in the workplace. In our conversation, we discuss the support services that WCB offers to employers and workers for navigating the system, where to start for improving disability management, involving ...
Sep 27, 2024•35 min•Ep. 21
In this episode, hosts Robyn Betts and Michelle Spacil chat with Craig Faucette , Chief Program Officer at Trucking HR Canada (THRC). AMTA has long worked closely with Craig and the THRC team, and in this conversation, we discuss our combined efforts to address the driver shortage, our collaboration on Western Women with Drive, and more. THRC’s research in industry around human resources (HR) issues, the resources developed and available for employers to strengthen and diversify their workforces...
Sep 13, 2024•28 min•Ep. 20
In this episode, hosts Kelsey Hipkin and Kristin Picken (AMTA’s Advisor, Member Solutions (South)), chat with Katie Marchant , Area Safety Manager with First Student Transportation and Director with ASBCA, and Mark Critch , President of the Alberta School Bus Contractor’s Association (ASBCA). With the approach of fall comes the school year and a familiar sight on our roads: school buses. Our conversation discusses school bus safety and seatbelts, recruitment and retention, perceptions of school ...
Aug 30, 2024•31 min•Ep. 19
In this episode, Kelsey Hipkin (Manager of Communications), chats with AMTA’s Terri Johnson (Manager of Industry Advancement) and Erin Horb (Technology Advisor & Hydrogen Specialist), to introduce AMTA’s inaugural Industry Innovations EXPO coming up in Edmonton on September 26. This event will invite attendees to explore the forefront of low and zero-emission, electric, and alternative-fuel commercial vehicles, alongside cutting-edge emerging technologies and the industry professionals leadi...
Aug 16, 2024•27 min•Ep. 18
In this episode, hosts Kelsey Hipkin and Dave Elniski (AMTA’s Industry Advisor, Safety and Compliance), chat with Leo Barros, Associate Editor, Today’s Trucking , to discuss Leo’s history as a journalist, writer, and a former long-haul truck driver, as well as his love of storytelling and reporting on the stories that matter most to the commercial transportation industry in Canada. Read the stories discussed in today's episode at TruckNews.com , as well as the many other print and video stories ...
Aug 02, 2024•39 min•Ep. 17
In this episode, hosts Kelsey Hipkin and Michelle Spacil, chat with the leaders from our fellow Western Associations, Aaron Dolyniuk, Executive Director of the Manitoba Trucking Association (MTA), Susan Ewart, Executive Director of the Saskatchewan Trucking Association (STA), and Dave Earle, President and CEO of the British Columbia Trucking Association (BCTA), to discuss industry initiatives, our mutual interests for our members, and commercial transportation in Canada. Learn more about each of...
Jul 19, 2024•52 min•Ep. 16
