A Press Release And A Trucker 101 Quiz

Has the Bridge Co. learned something and will Brian Masse ever learn?

Dan Stamper admitted on Face-To-Face that the Bridge Co. did a good job operating the bridge but did a poor job communicating to the public what they were doing. Obviously the Bridge Co. is a "quick learn" by demonstrating they now how to do something with public relations. The 2 1/2 page spread with a front page colur photo in the Globe and Mail is proof of that!

To continue forward and build on their momentum, they are now starting to issue press releases more often. Here's the latest one and why it's significant:

• Comdata(R) Card Now Accepted at Ambassador Bridge
  
  BRENTWOOD, Tenn., May 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Comdata(R) Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ceridian Corporation, has announced the Comdata Card is now accepted at the Ambassador Bridge, the international crossing located between Detroit, Mich. and Windsor, Ont. Drivers can now swipe a Comdata Card to pay for tolls. Product fees apply.
  
  "Comdata is pleased to expand our transportation expense management footprint so drivers can pay electronically and minimize cash advances," said Scott Phillips, senior vice president and general manager, Comdata. "Trucking companies will be able to better manage their driver expense, because the data elements will be captured and reported back, just like fuel purchases."
  
  "We are very excited about our relationship with Comdata and the new opportunity that allows drivers to just swipe and go," said Dan Stamper, president of Ambassador Bridge. "This is yet one more tool that will speed up the process of crossing between the U.S. and Canada. Drivers no longer need to carry cash or worry about lost receipts."

Pretty boring to most of us I bet (but not to truckers). The point is that the Bridge Co. is telling the world that they are moving forward with their enhancement program through the press release. It is meant to signal to Transport Canada to work with them finally or to become irrelevant as the City of Windsor has become except as an irritant.

Speaking of irritations, how would you like to have been a trucker crossing the border as this happened. The Detroit News reported:

• "Traffic backed up at Blue Water Bridge coming into the U.S.
  Santiago Esparza / The Detroit News
  
  There are delays about 8:45 a.m. this morning of as long as two hours to cross the Blue Water Bridge into the United States.
  
  Blue Water Bridge Authority officials said heavy commercial vehicle traffic is causing the delays. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are heavy traffic days, the officials said.
  
  The Ambassador Bridge early this morning also experienced heavy traffic but it cleared up by 8:55 a.m., officials said."

Let's give Brian Masse a little quiz:

• Trouble with US Customs at the border
• Ambassador bridge truck backup cleared up by 8:55 AM
• Blue Water bridge truck backup is 2 hours at 8:45 AM
• Cost of operating a truck about $125 per hour
• Cost of tolls higher at the Ambassador Bridge and all kinds of stoplights on Huron Church Road

Brian, you are a trucker and can choose either crossing, one "private" and one "public." Which one would you choose?

Poor Brian, I wonder if he would still say Blue Water. He just does not understand about ensuring that your border traffic flows smoothly and investing dollars to make sure that continues. I guess he would prefer our crossing to be like the one in Sault Ste. Marie:

• "Like most toll facilities, the International Bridge gets no government subsidies for operations and maintenance.
  
  It forced the Joint International Bridge Authority to announce an April toll hike including a $3 US per axle increase for trucks and buses.
  
  Becker would welcome more trucks to raise money for new facilities. But more traffic also means the bridge takes a heavier physical pounding.
  
  “They (truckers) pay the higher toll because they literally take a toll on the bridge with their axle loads.”
  
  His engineers estimate the 45-year-old structure needs $115 million US for painting, replacing the concrete decking and to reconstruct the American toll booth plaza."