Steering Change

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...

For AMTA’s 50th milestone episode, we are discussing Women in Trucking. Host Kelsey Hipkin brings back Shelley Walker , Founder and CEO of the Women’s Trucking Federation of Canada (WTFC), and the Founder and President of Know Human Trafficking , to the podcast to discuss Shelley’s history as a Class 1 driver, the experiences of women in trucking, mentorship, the significant obstacles and issues f...

In this episode, we are asking one of AMTA’s SMEs (Subject Matter Expert) the most highly requested commercial transportation question from our Membership and podcast audience. Host Kelsey Hipkin is joined by our very own Dave Elniski, Industry Advisor, Safety and Compliance , and author of AMTA’s Pro-Tech & Pro-Active: Understanding and Leveraging the World of Safety Technology to Move Beyond...

In this episode, we are revisiting the incredible conversation held during our September virtual Regional Meeting, “More Than a Driver: Putting Professionalism Back Into The Industry” . AMTA's Kelsey Hipkin brings back Kalina LeGoff (Manager, Safety and Compliance, Western Canada, Tri-Line Carriers), and Doug Walton (Senior Advisor, Member Solutions, AMTA), from the Regional for this episode, with...

In this episode, we talk winter driving! Although it may still be early fall, the bitter cold, icy conditions, and snow are headed our way once again, and we will need to adjust our driving habits accordingly. AMTA's Kelsey Hipkin chats with a familiar voice you may recognize from the beginning of each episode, AMTA’s Rob Destree , Senior Instructor, Driver Development, to dive deeper into the app...

In this episode, we explore retention in commercial transportation in Alberta, with a focus on drivers, but also on all aspects of what makes a carrier, supplier, and more, tick in this industry. AMTA's Kelsey Hipkin chats with Leah Mawer , Vice President of Human Resources, Caron Transportation Systems, in our first segment, and then is joined by Alero Okujagu , Senior Program Manager, and Tanara...

AMTA's Kelsey Hipkin chats with Geoff Wiebe, National Account Manager at Kal Tire, AMTA's Doug Walton is live on location at Answer Trailer Rentals and Sales with Shawn Rushton, Fleet and Repair Manager, and we wrap our three segments with Evan Schielke, Regional Sales Manager at STEMCO.  In our conversation, we're talking wheels, or wheel-offs to be precise, in one of our biggest episodes yet!  W...

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 s...

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. Yo...

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 Albert...