Contributor Terms

1.1 Parties. These Contributor Terms (the "Contributor Terms") are an agreement between you and Truckers Base Social Inc. ("TruckersBS", "we", "us" or "our"), the operator of https://truckersbs.com/ (the "Platform"). Truckers Base Social Inc. forms part of the LTL VAN Media group. LTL VAN Media Inc. ("LTL VAN Media") is our holding company and owns the Platform's websites, applications and social media properties.

1.2 Who they apply to. They apply to every person who applies for, or whom we approve for, Contributor status to publish Stories on the Platform, in addition to the User Terms (https://truckersbs.com/legal/user-terms), the Community Guidelines (https://truckersbs.com/legal/community-guidelines), the Privacy Policy (https://truckersbs.com/legal/privacy-policy), the Copyright Complaints Policy (https://truckersbs.com/legal/copyright-complaints) and the Disclaimers (https://truckersbs.com/legal/disclaimers). In a conflict about Contributor Content, these Contributor Terms prevail.

1.3 Definitions. Capitalized terms not defined here, including "Applicable Law", have the meaning given in the User Terms. "Story" means a story, article, blog, column, opinion piece or other work you submit for publication on the Platform, with all text, images, audio, video and other material in it. "Contributor Content" means all Stories and related material you submit.

1.4 Other users. These Contributor Terms do not apply to ordinary participation on the Platform. Any registered user may take part in Forums, ask questions, comment, share information and use the other features open to registered users without applying for Contributor status.

1.5 Acceptance. You accept these Contributor Terms when you apply or when we approve you, whichever is earlier, and we save an acceptance record as described in the User Terms.

2.1 Registration and application. Stories, personal experiences, blogs and other written works in the Stories section are published only by Contributors. To become a Contributor you must have an account and apply through Become a Contributor. The application asks for your full name, email address, phone number, country and city, any relevant experience (optional) and your reasons for wanting to become a Contributor. We may ask for further information where we need it to decide your application.

2.2 Why we require registration. We require Contributors to register so that we hold the account and contact information we need to communicate with you, address complaints about your Stories, investigate content that may break our rules or the law, and take appropriate action where necessary. You are accountable for the content you publish, subject to Applicable Law.

2.3 Review and decision. An administrator reviews each application and decides whether to approve it. We record the decision, the person who made it and the date, and we tell you the outcome by email.

2.4 Eligibility. You must be at least 18 years old and comply with the User Terms. Where your Story relates to your employer, a carrier or a client, you must be free to publish it.

2.5 Discretion. Approval is at our sole discretion. We may decline, suspend or withdraw approval at any time in accordance with section 11. A decision not to approve is not a comment on your ability or honesty.

2.6 Accurate information. Information in your application must be true and complete.

3.1 No employment or agency. You are an independent user who publishes your own work. You do not work for TruckersBS or LTL VAN Media. You are not an employee, worker, agent, partner or joint venturer of TruckersBS, LTL VAN Media or any of their affiliates, and nothing in these Contributor Terms creates that relationship. You have no authority to make commitments for any of them or to speak on their behalf.

3.2 Control of your work. You decide how, when and where you write, subject to the editorial standards in these Contributor Terms and the Community Guidelines. You use your own equipment and are not required to write a minimum number of Stories. We do not guarantee work, payment or publication.

3.3 Taxes and costs. You are responsible for your own taxes, insurance and expenses, and for any registration or payment obligations that apply to your activity under the laws of your country of residence.

3.4 Other work. You may write for others unless you agree otherwise with us in writing for a particular work. You must not publish on the Platform content that you are contractually bound not to publish.

3.5 No benefits. You are not entitled to wages, benefits, vacation pay or compensation from TruckersBS or LTL VAN Media except as agreed in a separate signed writing.

4.1 Statement of independence. Your Stories express your views and experience. They are not the views, statements or positions of TruckersBS, LTL VAN Media or their affiliates, directors, officers or employees, and are not endorsed by them.

4.2 Byline and notice. We may publish your Story with a byline and a notice that it is the work of an independent Contributor and does not necessarily represent the views of TruckersBS. You must not suggest, in a Story or elsewhere, that you write on behalf of or hold a position with TruckersBS or LTL VAN Media, unless we have confirmed it in writing.

4.3 Our own content. Content that we publish in our own name is separate and is identified as such. If we ask you to contribute to such content, we will agree the terms in writing.

5.1 Accuracy and fairness. You must take reasonable steps to ensure that facts are accurate, to distinguish fact from opinion, to give a fair opportunity to reply where you make serious allegations about an identifiable person or business, and to correct errors.

5.2 Originality. Your Story must be your own original work. You must not plagiarize, copy or closely paraphrase another work, or use third-party text, images, music or video without permission.

5.3 Naming people. You must not publish private or sensitive information about an identifiable individual without their consent, and you must consider the effect on people who may be identified indirectly. You must not publish content that defames any person or business.

5.4 Recordings and sources. You must comply with the laws about recording conversations, photographing people and accessing private property. Rules vary by country, state and province. You are responsible for knowing the rules that apply to you and for obtaining consent where required.

5.5 Confidential information. You must not disclose confidential information of your employer, clients or any other person that you are bound to keep confidential, or documents that you are not entitled to publish.

5.6 Safety-critical content. If your Story deals with load securement, regulations, equipment or driving practice, you must make clear that it is your own experience, and not official guidance, and you must not recommend practices you know to be unlawful or unsafe.

5.7 Disclosure of connections. You must clearly disclose any payment, free product, commission, affiliate relationship or other material connection with any business or product you mention.

5.8 Use of artificial intelligence. You may use AI tools to help with editing, including our AI writing assistance when it is available, which sends the text you submit to our AI service provider as described in the Privacy Policy, but the Story must be your own work and reflect your experience. You must tell us if you used generative AI to create substantial parts of a Story, and you must not present fabricated experiences as real.

5.9 Community Guidelines. Your Stories must comply with the Community Guidelines.

6.1 Review. We may review, hold or decline any Story, ask for changes, and suggest edits for length, clarity, legal risk and format. We will not make substantive changes to your Story without your agreement, other than to remove or redact material to comply with law or our rules.

6.2 Corrections and updates. If a Story is found to contain an error, we may publish a correction note and may ask you to make a correction. If you do not respond within a reasonable time, we may add a correction note or remove the Story.

6.3 Legal review. We may withhold or delay a Story to obtain legal advice, or edit it to avoid legal risk. If we decide not to publish, we are not obliged to give reasons.

6.4 Presentation. We decide the title, headline, images, placement, promotion, tagging and format of Stories on the Platform, though we will consult you about the headline where practicable.

7.1 Ownership. You keep the copyright in your Stories. Nothing in these Contributor Terms transfers ownership to us.

7.2 Licence. You grant TruckersBS, LTL VAN Media and their affiliates a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable licence, with the right to sublicense to distribution partners and service providers acting for us, to host, reproduce, display, publish, communicate to the public, distribute, format, excerpt, translate, archive, index and promote your Stories, to use them as a source for wiki and other reference pages (including with the help of artificial intelligence tools), and related material (including your name, byline, photograph and biography) on the Platform, in our newsletters, apps, social media accounts and other channels operated by or for us, and in promotional materials for the Platform. The licence is for the duration of copyright for Stories that we have published and are not required to remove under section 7.5.

7.3 Exclusivity. The licence is non-exclusive. You may republish your Story elsewhere, but you must not publish it elsewhere before we publish it, if we have agreed an embargo with you in writing. We ask that you link to the original publication on the Platform and state that the Story first appeared on TruckersBS.

7.4 Moral rights. To the extent the law permits, you waive your moral rights in your Stories in favour of TruckersBS, LTL VAN Media, their affiliates and licensees, for the purposes of the licence in section 7.2. You keep the right to be credited by the byline you choose, in line with our practice.

7.5 Removal by you. You may ask us at any time to remove a Story from the Platform. We will remove it from public view within a reasonable time, normally within 14 days. We may retain a private archive copy and copies already shared in newsletters, syndicated or cached, and copies we are required to keep for legal reasons, and the licence continues for these only. We may refuse a removal request where the Story is the subject of a legal complaint, a correction, an investigation or a dispute, or where it was published after being substantially developed or commissioned by us under a separate written agreement.

7.6 Comments. Comments by readers on your Story are theirs, not yours or ours.

7.7 Your promises. You promise that: (a) the Story is your original work or you have all necessary permissions; (b) it does not infringe the rights of any person; (c) it does not breach any contract or duty of confidence; (d) it is not defamatory or unlawful; (e) you have disclosed material connections; and (f) the information you gave in your application is true.

8.1 No payment. Contributors are not paid for their contributions. We pay no fee, royalty or expenses for Stories, and approval as a Contributor creates no right to payment. We will pay a Contributor only if we have agreed to do so in a separate writing signed by us.

8.2 If paid. If we agree to pay you, the amount, timing, currency, tax responsibilities and any conditions will be set out in that separate agreement, which will refer to these Contributor Terms.

8.3 Reader tips and affiliate links. If the Platform later allows readers to tip Contributors or Contributors to earn from affiliate links, we will publish additional terms before that feature is made available.

9.1 Your responsibility. You are responsible for your Stories and for any claim arising from them, subject to Applicable Law.

9.2 Complaints. We may share the substance of a legal complaint about your Story with you, ask you to respond and remove or restrict a Story while a complaint is investigated. We may disclose your identity and contact details to the extent the law requires or permits, including to a complainant under a court order or lawful request.

9.3 Indemnity. To the extent permitted by Applicable Law, you will indemnify TruckersBS, LTL VAN Media and their affiliates, directors, officers, employees and contractors against claims, losses and costs, including reasonable legal fees, arising from your breach of these Contributor Terms or from your Story, including claims of infringement, defamation or privacy violation. Section 24 of the User Terms applies to this indemnity.

9.4 Our liability. Section 23 of the User Terms applies to these Contributor Terms. We are not responsible for the way readers or third parties react to, copy or use your Story.

9.5 Cooperation. You will cooperate reasonably with our review of a complaint, including by providing sources and records.

10.1 Your information. We handle your information, including your application and byline, as described in the Privacy Policy.

10.2 Others' information. If your Story contains personal information about other people, you must have a lawful basis for including it and must follow the Community Guidelines. You must tell us promptly if a person named in your Story asks you to remove their personal information.

10.3 Publicity. You agree that your name, byline, biography and photograph may be published with your Stories and in our promotion of them.

11.1 By you. You may stop writing for the Platform at any time by telling us. You may ask to close your account.

11.2 By us. We may suspend or withdraw your Contributor status, remove Stories or terminate these Contributor Terms at any time, with or without cause. Where we do so because of a serious breach, we may do so immediately. Where practicable, we will tell you why and give you a chance to respond, in line with the appeal process in the User Terms.

11.3 Effect. When these Contributor Terms end, you stop publishing new Stories. Published Stories remain on the Platform, subject to your right to ask for removal under section 7.5. The licence and sections 4, 7, 9, 10, 12 and 13 continue.

12.1 Governing law. These Contributor Terms are governed by the laws of the Province of Alberta and the federal laws of Canada applicable in Alberta. Section 25 of the User Terms (Governing Law, Disputes, General Terms and Contact) applies to disputes under these Contributor Terms.

12.2 Changes. We may update these Contributor Terms by notice to you. If you do not accept a change, you may stop being a Contributor.

12.3 Entire agreement. These Contributor Terms, the User Terms and the documents they incorporate are the entire agreement about your Contributor Content. A separate written agreement signed by us may add to or replace parts of it.

12.4 Assignment. You may not assign these Contributor Terms. We may assign them to an affiliate or successor.

12.5 Severability. If a provision is unenforceable, the rest stays in force.

13.1 Editorial contact. Questions about these Contributor Terms or your Stories: Truckers Base Social Inc., 9505 Franklin Avenue, Unit 202, Fort McMurray, Alberta T9H 3Z7, Canada. Email: [editorial contact email — to be confirmed].