Alert: Roadcheck 2010 to be held June 8, 2010

Roadcheck is known as the largest targeted enforcement program on commercial vehicles in the world, with an estimated 14 trucks or buses being inspected every minute from Canada to Mexico during the designated 72 hour period.

Who and When?

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance will hold Roadcheck 2010 on June 8th throughout Canada, the United States, and Mexico. It will be the 23rd international truck and bus safety event of its kind. Each year, approximately 1,500 locations across North America are sites for truck and bus inspections where some 10,000 CVSA-certified local, state, and provincial inspectors look for safety violations. These inspections are held in cooperation with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, Transport Canada, and the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation of Mexico.

Why?

Like past events, this year's Roadcheck will focus on commercial vehicle and driver safety and security, and is very closely aligned with the upcoming efforts regarding the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's CSA 2010, which will monitor individual drivers and carrier companies for Compliance, Safety, and Accountability. Please refer to our previous blog post for more information related to CSA 2010.

These Roadcheck Inspections have been occurring since 1998; the more than 1 million inspections that have been performed to date have been estimated to have saved more that 220 lives and avoided more than 4,045 injuries, according to CVSA. In addition, numerous pieces of educational literature have also been distributed during Roadcheck.

What do Carriers need to do?

All Drivers need to make sure that their logbooks are current and that their equipment is properly maintained with no violations; CVSA will be out in full force and will be checking both!!!

Roadcheck 2010 is a preview of what will come with CSA starting in 2011, so be ready!!

CPMA 2010 in Review

Great location, great weather, great show!!!

The CPMA 2010 Annual Convention & Trade Show held last week at the Vancouver Convention Center has been hailed as a great success, with nearly 3,300 people in attendance. This was a record turnout for the Canadian show, and yet again, the city of Vancouver did not disappoint its visitors.


Highlights from the show included:

CPMA's new marketing campaign, Mix it Up! - 17 exhibitors provided samples of recipes geared toward increasing produce consumption under the Mix it Up! banner. Stay tuned for further blog posts by UWC on this topic!!

MexBest Pavilion - winning the competition for best pavilion, MexBest had a great line of exhibitors and even a mariachi band!!!


To view more highlights from the 2010 show, including award winners and a photo gallery, please visit http://convention.cpma.ca.


UWC attended the trade show on both Thursday and Friday last week and we hope you had a chance to meet with the us; the show was a great chance for us to re-visit with familiar faces, and get acquainted with new faces!

We hope to see you again at the next show!!!

Insurance - Do you know what you're covered for??

Insurance policies can be convoluted and difficult to understand, especially if, like most of us, you are not well versed in legal language. However, it is crucial that carrier companies read and understand their insurance policy in order to be aware of what they are covered for. The “exclusions” portion of any policy is one of the most important sections since it will let you know what your policy does not cover.

Common examples of EXCLUSIONS in insurance policies are the following:

Ø Theft of tractor/trailer from an unsecured/non-gated/unmonitored area.

Ø Reefer breakdown on trailers that are more than 10 years old, regardless of if your coverage includes reefer breakdown.

Ø Failure to maintain proper temperature unless the failure is caused by or results from fire, lightening, explosion, collision, overturn, “schedule vehicle” of flood, meaning the rising of any natural body of water (this indicates that reefer mechanical breakdown will not be covered).

Common Insurance Statements

Whatever the exclusions or conditions of the insurance policy that a carrier signs up for, most will always state the following:

“The insured warrants that the refrigeration equipment will be:

A. Maintained at all times in accordance with the manufacturers specifications; and

B. Be fully inspected at least every three months by you or a facility approved by the manufacturer. Records of these inspections must be maintained and be made available for inspection.

The insured acknowledges that there will be no coverage under this endorsement if the insured fails to comply with the above warranty’s or cannot produce records of inspections.”

Knowledge is power, and protection!

If you are unsure of what your policy covers you for and what it excludes, please feel free to send it to United World Cargo; we can review the policy and advise accordingly. It is in everyone’s best interest that we understand what we are protected and covered for!! Send it to our toll free fax number: 1.866.986.7401!!

Thoughts? Leave us a comment!

CPMA 2010 is Almost Here!!!

UWC is proud to have experienced and participated in the excitement that surrounded our home city during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games!! The city was alive with crowds enjoying the many attractions in what is undoubtedly one of the best cities in the world.

We are equally excited that CPMA Fresh Excellence Convention and Trade Show taking place in Vancouver this year! The CPMA Trade Show, taking place on May 12-14 2010, is described as Canada's largest event dedicated to the fruit and vegetable industry; it showcases exhibitors from Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, South America, Central America, Mexico, the USA, and Canada. Attendees represent a wide range of sectors and include all major stakeholders in the produce supply chain.

UWC sees this convention and trade show as a great opportunity for all involved in the fresh produce industry to enhance business opportunities in Canada. It is also a great way for us to show off our city for a second time in 2010!

Keep any eye out at the show for some UWC faces, and feel free to let us know if you are attending!!!

For more info on the convention and trade show, visit the CPMA's website at http://convention.cpma.ca/

We hope to see you next week!