Truck Pile-Up on Coquihalla (again):

In that Kamloops crash, the driver, who was young and inexperienced, actually stopped at the brake check at the Kamloops eastbound scale, adjusted his brakes by backing them all off the wrong way, and headed down the hill. When he realized he had a problem, he took the Columbia street exit and went down the hill toward the hospital (now a truck banned route). He scrubbed off some speed on a rock wall, but finally crashed into vehicles in front of the hospital, on the lawn. 5 people dead, including him.
The whole province heard about it, and they put in the permanent 80 km truck speed limit on the hill, including other measures. A real tragedy.

 

I cut my teeth, running Calgary to Langley, and Calgary, Cranbrook, Trail, Langley. Recently been doing Rounders from New West to either Calgary or Edmonton and back since mid December. The crazy #### I see on Smasher, Merritt both directions, Kamloops, the twisties around Sicamous; hell even Field Hill. There is so much freight to move Calgary to Vancouver, all companies are throwing any warm body at it right now. Bison has caused some nasty ones recently, they even had a guy hit the ditch so hard after coming down smasher, that he ripped the cab off and went 150m down a cliff. The usual suspects tho, CNTL, NorthX, New Way, Bison, CanXpress, Canada Cartage and of course; CPX. Just ####ing flying, everywhere, totally out of control, brakes on fire, just hoping they make it. (and they race you in every #### passing lane).

 

I remember lots of times, once I got out of the snow shed, it was just ice and hard pack all the way down.

 

Here's what the official measurements are. I guess it tops out at 8.5%. It really is no joke. They get a lot of the in between weather where it's right near freezing so it gets a lot of that slippery heavy snow. I will only begrudgingly do it in winter for my customers. Which is rare.

20 km (12 miles) of 8.5%.

 

thank the TFW program for that

 

I think 80 would be great... to sowaqua, but all the way into hope would be painful. I love it but i hate it - Wide open it's a fast, terrific road.... It's the guys that go way too fast and crash, or wayyyy to slow and jacknife, and those who can't be bothered to know the limits of their equipment vs the road conditions and throw a #### set of chains on that ruin it.

 

Another case of driving too fast for conditions when are these drivers going to learn to slow down

 

Those drivers aren't paid to learn, they're only paid to drive - forward. Most need help backing into the door.

I had a near miss on the Rogers last month. SVA on an icy blind curve, blocking a lane and a half. The Eastie driver wouldn't leave his cab even though both his fuel tanks emptied around him - relying on everyone else to keep him safe.

Had a CPX truck SVA in front of me about 4 years ago. Took out power lines and they fell on top of the trailer. The two Eastie drivers crawled all over and in and out of that truck regardless of the danger. I'm assuming they didn't have electricity where they came from.

It's dumb luck that nobody died in that bus crash. Canada's mad plan to import cheap labour no matter the cost continues.