Canada Cartage group of companies is one of the country’s largest transportation and logistics companies. Founded in 1914,

the company provides dedicated contract transportation, general freight, fulfillment and distribution, and home delivery services. From small- to mid-sized companies to some of the largest and best known brands in the world, Canada Cartage helps its customers to profitably grow their businesses in Canada.

Western Canada Highway News had the opportunity to connect with David Zavitz, Chief Administrative Officer, and Gerald Nakano, Vice President of Western Canada Operations, with Canada Cartage to learn about the company’s safety-driven initiatives and partnership with the Alberta Motor Transport Association (AMTA) to create the AMTA Micro-Learn Series.

The AMTA Micro-Learn Series consists of 17 videos that cover an assortment of safety topics in two minutes. Each video highlights an area of work, the potential hazards and risks to be mindful of, and how to ensure you approach this part of the job in a safe manner. These two-minute videos are used in Canada Cartage’s training program and available to the public at www.canadacartage.com/resources/driver-safety.

Gerald explains that the videos are designed and available for drivers to use at any time, whether they’re waiting to start a shift or for a load to come in, and they’re fun to watch. “It’s an effective way and interesting way to connect with the drivers,” says Gerald. “[The videos] are more compelling to watch rather than reading a memo.”

Canada Cartage is also focused on a big safety initiative called 4DX or The Four Disciplines of Execution. Developed by leadership and organizational performance consultancy firm Franklin Covey, 4DX was designed to improve operational efficiency, grow revenues, and enhance profitability.

David explains that the Canada Cartage staff has created 20 teams, located at company terminals across Canada, to take on these 4DX safety initiatives. “The teams have to come up with weekly safety commitments that are designed to address important safety issues that are specific to their terminal. One innovative approach that some teams are taking is to create homegrown videos around safety,” says David. “[These videos] are not being produced by head office, they’re not fancy – it’s literally a driver and one of our safety supervisors going into the yard and doing safety videos around proper backing techniques, or how to secure the barn doors on their trailers so that they don’t swing open when they’re backing... same concept as the Micro-Learn Series: they’re two-minute videos, to the point, and designed to be viewed on a driver’s phone because that’s the most effective way to communicate with the drivers.” 

Canada Cartage designs many of its safety initiatives based on themes that are relevant throughout the year. For example, the theme Canada Cartage Cup was based on the NHL play-off season in June. “We reinforce the safety message in a lot of different ways,” says David. “For our hockey theme, we had a competition with teams from other terminals and created a series of hockey-themed posters that were posted around each terminal. Every theme, we keep things fresh and the messaging fun.” Within each theme, teams compete to beat their 4DX targets and the winning team receives an assortment of prizes.

Canada Cartage’s longevity in the business and well-established client base stems from the company’s dedication to safety and compliance. “We have a large national safety team, including safety managers; supervisors; pro-trainers, who are on the road; and our driver mentors for newer drivers,” says Gerald. “We’ve got terminals across the country and every single terminal has the same safety fabric to it. It’s an integral part of what we do.”

To learn more about Canada Cartage and its offerings, visit www.canadacartage.com.