Truck Pile-Up on Coquihalla (again):

Do they still observe the lower speed or are they back to driving like idiots?

 

Watching HTH the past few years, I noticed a lot of middle eastern drivers. Most of them don't know how to put tire chains on. One driver was from the Philipines! I'm sure they have lots of snow there.

 

My first trucks only had a set of singles, and usually they were for show. That's when pulling tridems too. I have usually gone up barefoot most places in BC, even when there's just air in the box, or on top of a sled. But then again I have a few decades of experience, and know exactly how to take the hills when they're crap. Over the last couple of decades, I have my radio on, and can hear if some idiots have spun out and making a mess across the lanes. If so, I'll just pull over and wait to hear when the hill is moving again. Even more notice now with VHFs and their range. I've even installed auto chains on a couple of trucks. Man oh man, what a joy, flip a switch and up I go, and never had a problem once. Was going to install them on my current ride, but luckily cancelled the order before they custom made it for my truck. #### the BC government and their new rules. I have full fenders over my front drives, plus who wants to have to reach around mudflaps. Autos are forbidden now, and jeez, triples for a tridem, and cover a wheel on each axle for tandems?!? All because most of the drivers on the road now have no clue about driving in snow. I guess it's the same for our sky high insurance rates now too.

 

I carry 4 singles for show, I have auto socks under the bunk and had to use them 4 times this past winter. In BC, on roads along hwy16 and a few times in Quebec backing into docks after a huge rainstorm/freeze.

The CoQ is a joke. I run it as it's the fastest way into Fraser valley, but if I get the slightest scent of a storm I'm in the Canyon. Only problem with the canyon is 2 times this year I've used it and both times I was near killed by an Arrow truck flying through the snake pit.

BC is a joke for road maintenance, and road condition control. If it start snowing bad the Coq should be closed due to high risk. That 13% grade past the snowshed is not to be played with, and those new Canadians truly don't care about safety.



I used to have a video clip of a super B driven by a new Canadian sliding down to the GBSH in the rain. RAIN!!!

 

I have a buddy, real old school guy who taught me how to drive. He had to pay a $500 fine for not throwing chains. He slid his axles and barefooted up the mountian, DOT pulled him over halfway up, gave him the ticket and told him to throw chains. He told the DOT to suck his **** and **** off. Got in his truck put it in gear started moving, went up the rest of the hill to DOT's amazement and down the other side.

The DOT guy followed him, then a fight ensued when my buddy found out that the DOT guy lost his license in the snow.

My buddy is 72 and it's funny as hell when he goes off at people. Like someone's sweet elderly grandpa just hyped up on anger meds. Only problem is he has the driving skills to back it all up

Hahaha!

 

I agree 1000% with all you said. And further, the bloody stupid racism rule on here is pig ignorant and simply thought and word control. It's a stain on our society. By definition, new Canadians could include people from all countries in the world, from Botswana to England. Is calling someone a new Canadian racist? No ##### way. But calling someone a new Canadian, especially within the trucking world, we all know who you mean, even though the thought police forbid us to be more specific.

I don't know how many times I'm going east and see trucks going the other way with smoke curling off their wheels. In the old days, I'd warn the driver on the radio so he could pull over and let his brakes cool before he got the to the scale in Hope. Now there is no response because they don't speak English.

One time I was at the top of Golden hill, saw a new Canadian checking his brakes. That alone astounded me, but even more amazing, he had smoke coming from them. I said he'd better have to wait until they cool down. How they got smoking before that brake check is beyond me, probably dragging his brakes or something. Anyways, this bozo didn't know anything at all. In broken English I explained that his truck was unsafe as is. Further, if he eventually gets down the hill, to have it checked out at a shop in Golden before he proceeds further west. After that I saw him making a call, although it was all jabbering in a language I don't understand. He tells me his boss said to keep on driving. I told him to wait until they cool off. He made an approximation in broken English that he will. I get busy checking own truck, and while I was doing that I see he rolling out of the brake check. Too bad my phone was in a dead zone, because I wanted to call the cops.

 

What is a new Canadian?

 

I'm saying this carefully as this is deemed racism even when using this term. Or so I've been informed.

'NEW CANADIAN' Is a Politically correct term used by the Canadian government to describe people who are new to the country. Typically in the trucking industry we use the term to describe foreigners or people brought in on the TFW program for trucking.

Which stands for "Temporary foreign worker" which is someone hired by a mega carrier or small company on a work Visa. They typically barely speak english, though they do try. They can also sometimes have difficulty reading english. Most who apply to be truck drivers need interpreters to take the CDL test once they arrive in the country.

They also tend to be extremely inexperienced driving in our climate/geography which can make driving around them in areas that require some technical driving skill extremely dangerous. If not just suicidal depending on weather.

The temporary foreign worker program is big in both BC and Huge in Ontario, but is shunned in Alberta for reasons.

The program was started in Ontario to stimulate immigration, but it had major setbacks in safety aspects of trucking.

Many companies have tried to have this program abolished as it gave companies the opportunity to hire immigrant drivers and pay them less, instead of hiring Canadian citizens. They also tried to have it abolished due to a rash of accidents/incidents involving drivers who were TFW who claimed the incident wasn't their fault as they didn't understand.

I'm referencing an accident that took place on the 400hwy in ontario where a driver from a company who was a TFW piled into the back of another Semi (company I worked for) crushing 2 cars and killing 3 people I think. He could barely speak any english, and tried to flee the scene.