Earning their stripes: Tiger Trucking drivers are the human face of moving goods safely
The private fleet of retailer Giant Tiger has one of the best safety records in the industry.
The turnover rate is very low compared to a lot of operations.
It’s 6 a.m. on a frigid Thursday, two hours before Giant Tiger #159 in east Toronto is scheduled to open to customers. Driver Matt Barkley carefully backs his rig to the loading dock. He’s an eight-year veteran of Tiger Trucking, the Giant Tiger private fleet that’s been hauling goods since 1987. Currently licensed in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, Tiger Trucking has one of the best safety records on the road.
Barkley is delivering merchandise from Giant Tiger’s new 600,000-squarefoot state-of-the art distribution centre in Johnstown, Ont., about 350 km to the east. He left Johnstown at 1 a.m. with a load of goods carefully assembled onto pallets by a team of automated warehouse robots and Giant Tiger employees.
The distribution centre can deliver goods through the company’s dedicated trucking fleet in as little as 24 hours from the time the store places its order until the truck arrives. Drivers are committed to delivering on time – and safely.
“The roads were icy today,” Barkley says. “And 80 km into the ride, a truck had jackknifed into a ditch. We were down to a single lane for part of the ride. Winter always offers a lot of surprises.”
Some drivers working for other companies wait for their trucks to be emptied before moving on to the next stop. As part of the Giant Tiger team, Barkley helps unload pallets onto the loading dock using an electric pallet jack.
What’s inside this delivery?
“A large order of stuffed animals,” he says, briefly checking the load. “Dog beds, rugs, coffeemakers.” The pallets keep coming. A load of Giant Tiger brand clothing is next, from Mountain Ridge men’s T-shirts to Lily Morgan zip tops and girl’s fashions by Bella & Birdie. Cans of coffee and skids of soda pop follow.
About two-thirds of the truck has soon been unloaded. The remaining pallets are slated for Giant Tiger store #178 a few kilometres east. From there, it’s back to home base.
Truck drivers are in short supply across North America. It’s not just the newer trucks, compensation, benefits or company contributions to his RRSP that keep Barkley working at Tiger Trucking. It’s the regard the company has for its employees as human beings.
“There are a lot of companies I could work for, but I’ve stayed with Giant Tiger because they treat their employees well,” he says. “The turnover rate is very low compared to a lot of operations.”
Barkley’s visited pretty much every Giant Tiger Store in Ontario and Quebec, from Sarnia and Leamington in southwestern Ontario, north to Timmins and Cochrane and northeast to Quebec City.
“I like to work 40 to 50 hours a week,” Barkley says. “And I can count on those hours every week. Unlike with some trucking firms, I’m paid by the hour and not by the mile. If I’m stuck in traffic, or road conditions are hazardous, I’m not worried about my paycheque. I can concentrate on delivering my load safely.”
All Tiger Trucking rigs are outfitted with automatic transmissions, a big change for the trucking industry. Automatic transmissions help improve fuel economy and safety, reduce driver fatigue and help operators focus on the road. The company has also outfitted more than 60 per cent of its fleet with aerodynamic skirts, which reduce air drag and increase fuel efficiency.
Giant Tiger’s Long Combination Vehicle (LCV) program is delivering goods more safely and efficiently as well. An LCV consists of a truck pulling two semi-trailers. At up to 40 metres long, a standard LCV replaces two 23-metre truck-and-trailer combinations.
The Canada Safety Council reports that LCVs are involved in at least 40 per cent fewer collisions than regular tractor-trailers. LCVs can also decrease diesel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by increasing the volume of goods moved by each tractor.
While delivering goods to Giant Tiger retail stores occupies most of Barkley’s work time, he’s passionate about another assignment: transporting the Giant Tiger Fun Train to community events across the country. He also gets to drive the tiger-themed SUV, which hauls a trainload of happy passengers — including the official Giant Tiger mascot, Friendly.
“I know that delivering merchandise is essential to serving our customers,” he says. “But getting a chance to meet the people we serve is something special.”
THIS STORY WAS CREATED BY CONTENT WORKS, POSTMEDIA’S COMMERCIAL CONTENT DIVISION, ON BEHALF OF GIANT TIGER.