To the editor,
My thoughts for having a cure regarding transport incidents on Highway 11/17.
First and foremost, as a safety professional I have witnessed unsafe passing behaviour by transports and ask myself, where did they receive their training? I mentioned in past letters, one can have all the training in the world but once behind the wheel, the person responsible is the person himself/herself.
Culture would be a good area to investigate, and I mean this in a positive respectful form by simply saying "the way in which one has been taught to drive in their country (of birth) may not be the same as driving in Canada" - keep in mind, that not all countries have winter road conditions such as ours and drivers, no matter what culture they have, will drive the way "they" feel because that is how they were trained.
It was mentioned that transport drivers are receiving poor training - why? I feel if those performing the training have a bad track record in training, then they should be investigated and have their training privilege revoked.
Why are transport drivers passing on sections of the highway that are "deemed" no passing here (double lines, curves or hills)? My guess would be that they are told to deliver a product on time so that they can return and repeat the process again - time is money!
There should be more passing lanes especially along Highway 11. I say this because trying to pass four or five transports "bunched up" is not only stupid but very hazardous when travelling at over 130 + km/hr. Sometimes you may succeed in passing three out of the five transports when suddenly you find that you are "boxed in" and in need of a change of underwear!
Rest areas - I have passed many in my travels and to be quite honest, I have yet to see these areas full to capacity.
Some of these areas are not long or wide enough, and when there are two or three transports in an area, don't even think about stopping to rest! The one thing the MTO should consider regarding these rest areas is "garbage left scattered on the ground and ditch" - that becomes another issue to write about later!
Most transports occupy at least two drivers (have seen five in one cab - Nipigon November 2023) and with that driving 12 - 14 hours per day, they have no need to stop in a rest area. It was recommended that there should be more of these rest areas which only leads to more maintenance costs and a poor financial return.
Some transports that I have seen look unsafe for operation such as cracked engine hood, broken lights or a broken mirror supporting bracket which oddly enough is sometimes held by wire or good old duct tape! The loads on these fleets look at times, misplaced improperly on the flatbed, tarps unsecured and straps too loose.
There needs to be more MTO officers conducting roadside inspections and being visible at the scales. I was told by other transport drivers that as soon as they notice that a scale is not being occupied, they radio other transport drivers to give them the good news.
Ontario Trucking Association Vice-President Geoff Wood mentioned that he is in the process of coming up with a plan to be presented to the Government to improve training for new-to-be transport drivers, similar to how the Government has incentives for the trades. The plan will take six to nine months?
As for making this possible, that is fine but the time frame is way too long, action needs to be performed now - today!
We are now into early February and almost every day since Jan.01/2024, there have been incidents such as road closures and fatalities caused by transports.
Mr. Wood stated that weather conditions are a contributing factor especially during the winter months, has there been any thought given to the summer and fall conditions?
How does a transport end up in a ditch , or runs into a residence's home during the summer and fall seasons when the pavement was bare and dry and there was no sun glare?
My guess - lack of experience or a distraction within the cab.
Finally, I have a saying for highways 11/17 to all motorists – brace yourself, as you are now on the highways through hell, and oddly enough, you are in Ontario and not British Columbia!
Gary Kader
Timmins, Ont.