Steering Change

It feels like yesterday when we started Steering Change, but this is our 75th episode! Thank you all for listening to us for the last three years. We could not do it without you! In this episode, host Kelsey Hipkin introduces our new segment, Voices of Industry , where we take the pulse of Alberta's commercial transportation industry by hearing directly from the people who keep it moving. Througho...

The Private Motor Truck Council of Canada (PMTC) is leading a 24-month industry workforce project, funded through Alberta's Industry Workforce Partnerships program, to better understand how tariffs, trade disruptions, and broader economic uncertainty impact Alberta's trucking workforce. The project brings together industry partners including AMTA, Trucking HR Canada, and Women Building Futures. Ho...

Today we bring you a special edition episode of the Steering Change podcast, as the Alberta Motor Transport Association was on site at the Beaumont City Hall on Friday, September 25th, 2026. We were present for a Government of Alberta announcement of $38.5 million to build the infrastructure to support the City of Beaumont's proposed AMTA Safety Campus. The press conference included Deputy Premier...

As much as we may want to deny it, winter is approaching! Snowplows will soon be out in full force, working around the clock to keep our highways and communities rolling and safe.    Host Kelsey Hipkin is joined by Warren Stasiuk, Safety Manager at Volker Stevin Highways Ltd., and Rob Destree, AMTA Senior Instructor, Driver Development. Warren is back on Steering Change to discuss snowplow safety,...

In this episode, we’re talking about Canada’s Western Gateway, or CWG. CWG is the trade and logistics corridor at the heart of Canada’s agricultural supercluster, encompassing Highway 4 in the Lethbridge, Alberta area.    The gateway sees an annual economic output of more than 678 million dollars, supports more than 1,000 jobs, is traveled by more than 2,400 trucks per day, and is home to more tha...

In this episode, we are taking a closer look at how technology is helping both experienced and potential drivers build confidence, sharpen critical driving skills, and prepare for real-world conditions in a safe and controlled setting. Host Kelsey Hipkin is joined by AMTA’s Cliff Litke , Senior Advisor, Member Services, and Rob Destree , Senior Instructor, Driver Development, on location in both o...

In this episode, we are diving into succession planning; a topic that is important for every carrier ownership group, regardless of whether you are planning to retire next year or ten years from now. In our conversation, host Kelsey Hipkin chats with Sean MacLachlan, Partner with MLT Aikins LLP, to discuss when owners should start planning, what buyers and successors are looking for, common mistak...

In this episode, we are discussing the improvements being made to the Highway 3 corridor between the BC border and Medicine Hat over the last several years in the way of passing lanes and twinning in the name of aiding traffic flow and improving safety. In our conversation, host Kelsey Hipkin chats with Gordon Reynolds, The Highway 3 Twinning Development Association (H3TDA) President and Mayor of...

In this episode, we are talking about the power of mentorship: why a carrier that genuinely cares about a driver's journey creates lasting success, and how great recruiting goes far beyond filling seats. It's about seeing potential, breaking down barriers, making yourself a little uncomfortable, and matching the right person with the right opportunity. In our conversation, host Kelsey Hipkin chats...

In this episode, host Kelsey Hipkin chats with AMTA’s Andy Barnes, Senior Advisor, Government Relations and Compliance , to discuss the value of AMTA’s involvement with key industry organizations and how these relationships help strengthen our advocacy efforts, improve industry engagement, and ensure that the voice of our members is heard where it matters most. Learn more about AMTA’s Government R...

In this episode, host Kelsey Hipkin takes us off course on to the course with our inaugural edition of Fairway Forecast. This episode was recorded live, with the help of AMTA’s Director of Member Services, Michelle Spacil, during AMTA’s Annual Calgary Golf Tournament at the Blue Devil Golf Club on June 16th. We took the opportunity of having 144 commercial transportation professionals in one place...

In this episode, host Kelsey Hipkin welcomes back to the podcast Kristopher Marks, founder and CEO of VĪV Mental Health .  In our conversation, we dig deeper into the connection between mental health and workplace safety, explore what psychological safety really looks like in practice, and discuss what employers and workers can do to create healthier, safer workplaces. If you are experiencing isol...

In this episode, host Kelsey Hipkin sits down with Wayne Scott , Sr Director of Transport Maintenance at Loblaw Companies Limited, and Rich Steiner , VP of Government Relations and Public Affairs at Gatik. In our conversation, we explore what autonomous really means, from both a safety perspective, and what it could mean for the future of industry. Learn more about the work at Gatik by visiting th...

In this episode, host Kelsey Hipkin was LIVE on location at the Grey Eagle Event Centre in Calgary, AB, for AMTA’s 88th Annual Conference, to introduce a very special episode. What separates the safest carriers from the rest? In this episode, recorded on the Grey Eagle Event Centre Stage, April 22, 2026, we explore what industry leaders are doing to prioritize Occupational Health and Safety (OHS),...

In this episode, host Kelsey Hipkin welcomes Nicole Carrier , Fleet Manager at South Country Co-op Limited, and Jake House , Compliance Business Partner at Ledcor, along with two familiar faces from AMTA: Cliff Litke , Senior Advisor, Member Services, and Josh Hannaberry , Senior Advisor, Strategic Partnerships. In our conversation, we look into what AMTA’s new Light Duty Carrier Compliance course...

In this episode, host Kelsey Hipkin chats with Matt Geib and Don MacDonald of AMTA's Professional Truck Driving Championship (PTDC) committee. In our conversation, we look ahead to AMTA's upcoming 76th PTDC, which returns to our EIA office on May 30, 2026. We discuss the specifications of the competition and what it takes to navigate the course, the importance of having an event that celebrates co...

In this episode, we look at the opportunity that commercial transportation has to integrate compressed natural gas (CNG) into on-road operations, what carriers are doing already, building confidence in the technology, and the benefits and challenges that have been overcome, and may still exist. Host Kelsey Hipkin brings back a voice from the past to quarterback this episode, AMTA’s Josh Hannaberry...

In this episode, host Kelsey Hipkin wraps up with the final episode of our three-part series, The Road Beneath: Ethics, Exploitation & Accountability in Trucking . Please note: this episode includes instances of sexual assault, human trafficking, and labour violations. For Part 3: Beyond the Silence: Human Trafficking and Commercial Transportation , we sit down with Dylan Wecht , Director of P...

In this episode, host Kelsey Hipkin brings us back for the second episode of our three-part series, The Road Beneath: Ethics, Exploitation & Accountability in Trucking , in which we’re pulling back the curtain on the trucking and logistics industry, starting where real prevention begins: with the decisions made at the top. For Part 2: Driver Inc., The Temporary Foreign Worker Program, and Succ...

In this episode, host Kelsey Hipkin kicks off our three-part series The Road Beneath: Ethics, Exploitation & Accountability in Trucking in which we’re pulling back the curtain on the trucking and logistics industry, starting where real prevention begins: with the decisions made at the top. We’re joined by Dave Hewlett , Director, National Safety and Compliance with Loblaws, for Part 1: Who We...

Safety blockers, Shania Twain, and hogs. Oh my!  In commercial transportation, not every carrier is built to do everything, and that is the point. In our conversation, we are looking beyond general trucking and into the people behind specialized hauling in Alberta. Host Kelsey Hipkin chats with Kevin Parkinson, Vice President Operations at A-1 Towing Inc., Pearl Palko , Founder and CEO of Paramoun...

Welcome to Season 3 of Steering Change ! We are back for another year, and we are thrilled you are here to join us. In this special episode to kick off 2026, we are sharing the superb presentation from our January virtual Regional Meeting. Host Kelsey Hipkin introduces the meeting, previously recorded on January 14, with our guest presenter, Robert (Bob) Tell , owner of Big Rock Forensics, who dis...

Another year has come and gone, and that means that Steering Change’ s second year as a podcast is coming to a close. In 2025, we covered a range of topics from wheel-end safety, to driver professionalism, to the Class 1 Learning Pathway, to safety as a journey, and much more. We’ve talked to guests from across North America and have had you listening every step of the way. In our final episode of...

In this special episode, we are sharing the fantastic panel discussion held during our November virtual Regional Meeting, “Spec’d for Success: Chrome or Capability?” Making Smart Equipment Choices in Today’s Trucking Industry. Host Kelsey Hipkin introduces the meeting, previously recorded on November 12, where we explore what it really takes to spec your fleet for success in 2025 and beyond. From...

In this episode, we review fatigue management and the necessities that every driver needs for longevity and wellness in the commercial transportation industry. Host Kelsey Hipkin chats with returning guest, Rodolfo Giacoman , Fatigue Management Specialist at the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), to discuss sleep strategies and architecture, ways to reduce stress on the mind and body, why...