Another truck safety blitz with 50% pulled off the road

[PrivatePilot]

Statistically, per mile travel, commercial trucks are still amongst the safest vehicles on the road.

More knee-jerking here, thats all. After all, the government has to look like they're doing something. If better training or testing standards come out of this it's a huge plus in my books.

 

[nobbie48]

Statistically, per mile travel, commercial trucks are still amongst the safest vehicles on the road.

More knee-jerking here, thats all. After all, the government has to look like they're doing something. If better training or testing standards come out of this it's a huge plus in my books.

The trucking industry pointed out stats indicating an improvement but regardless of stats the problem is money.

Deliveries: Cheap, fast, safe. Pick any two.

I assume the driver presumed at fault is one of the victims so we may never know the whole truth.

Of the 60 ish heavy truck deaths this year how many, based on common sense rules, were the fault of the trucker?

We have a thread going about stupid bicyclists and pedestrians but aren't a lot of the heavy truck crashes just an extension of the basic problem, too many "I'M IN A HURRY AND I'M IMPORTANT" people cutting in where ever they think they can fit.

 

[GreyGhost]

I assume the driver presumed at fault is one of the victims so we may never know the whole truth.
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Given the state of the wreckage, unless there is a video of the crash happening (or data in or out of a cell phone to indicate distraction), this one will end up undetermined. Driver error, mechanical and medical are all possible and it looks like all evidence of any of the above is gone.

It's even hard to identify the engine parts in the wreckage. Apparently the fire was hot enough that all the aluminum melted in some of the trucks.

 

[limitsreached]

Nothing really to share here other than a story from a few weeks ago..

I was on my bike headed home in rush-hour traffic and was on the westbound ramp to the QEW from the 427. In the left lane ahead of me, I could see what looked to be a bent wheel on one of the axles of tractor/trailer gravel truck(four axle type with the conveyor belt down the middle). We were only crawling, maybe 2-5 km/h, and as I got closer I could see that it was not bent, it was just wobbling way too much for that. What I did see as I got right next to the wheel was one missing all but four of the lugs!! This wheel was not far from coming off so I sped ahead and kept honking and waving my arm for him to stop. Once he did, I pulled in front and got off the bike and climbed up to tell him his damn wheel was about to fall off.

As I rode away I couldn't stop thinking about how something like that can happen as it would have been blatantly obvious with a simple visual inspection. Someone could have lost their life because another person was too lazy to do the bare minimum to ensure your truck is safe!

 

[PrivatePilot]

Just to play devils advocate, I see far more passenger vehicles with tires that have come off Versus trucks.

It's especially prevalent this time of year when people put on their own snow tires but don't torque the lug nuts correctly because of lack of proper equipment or knowledge. It flares up again in the spring when people put their RVs back on the road for the first time, And then later in the spring when people pull their boat trailers out of storage, But of course think nothing of actually maintaining them before heading down the road.

I recognize that a truck tire has much more potential for carnage and injury Versus a passenger vehicle, RV,Boat trailer Etc., however once again the commercial industry gets A bad rap for the problem, Whereas You never hear about Passenger vehicles getting charged withAny serious offenses for having the same thing happen. Almost without exception it amounts to a slap on the wrist and they drive away.

 

[GreyGhost]

As I rode away I couldn't stop thinking about how something like that can happen as it would have been blatantly obvious with a simple visual inspection. Someone could have lost their life because another person was too lazy to do the bare minimum to ensure your truck is safe!

Did the truck pull back onto the road once you had left or call for service? I might have *OPP'd that one to make sure that it didn't move without getting repaired.

 

[GreyGhost]

It's especially prevalent this time of year when people put on their own snow tires but don't torque the lug nuts correctly because of lack of proper equipment or knowledge..

On that note, everyone needs to make sure they calibrate their torque wrenches at least once a year. It only takes a few minutes. My Mastercrap Max 1/2" was out by 30% (dial in 100, actually get 70)at 2 years old before I started doing this. Since then, I haven't had to adjust calibration (wrong from the factory or something moved inside?).

 

[limitsreached]

Did the truck pull back onto the road once you had left or call for service? I might have *OPP'd that one to make sure that it didn't move without getting repaired.

Yeah, he did pull over and I like to think he called a service truck... I think what blew my mind most was that it was obvious that a simple inspection was done as there is no way the other 6 lugs came off since the last stop he made. I don't think those trucks are long haul..

Another big difference between cars and trucks is if you do have a wheel coming loose on a car, you can typically feel if whereas in a truck you are not(unless we are talking about a 5-ton). It then becomes even more important that you check as there is really no warning sign. I think it takes another level of carelessness to not check for missing/loose lug nuts on trucks for the above reason!

And btw, I am not singling out truckers here, my dad happens to be one.

 

[TwistedKestrel]

On that note, everyone needs to make sure they calibrate their torque wrenches at least once a year. It only takes a few minutes. My Mastercrap Max 1/2" was out by 30% (dial in 100, actually get 70)at 2 years old before I started doing this. Since then, I haven't had to adjust calibration (wrong from the factory or something moved inside?).

Where did you get it calibrated? I haven't been able to find a tool shop that will look at my Mastercraft Maximum wrenches

 

[PrivatePilot]

Another big difference between cars and trucks is if you do have a wheel coming loose on a car, you can typically feel if

There's a lot of car drivers out there there that are so oblivious that they don't even have the slightest awareness of what's going on With their own vehicle. When you see people driving around with their gas cap door open in plain view of their own mirrors, Their rear windshield wiper on for the last 50km despite being sunny and dry, high beams on in traffic (The big blue light is hard to miss), No lights at all, etc etc etc I question the ability of a lot of people to have any clue That they have a loose tire.

Want your mind completely blown? Read the Ontario Road test vehicle fitness standards:

https://drivetest.ca/tests/road-tests-vehicle-requirements.html

More than one wheel nut missing on a wheel.

Correct, you can show up for a road test in a passenger vehicle in Ontario with a lug nut missing on EACH TIRE...and it's perfectly acceptable.

 

[GreyGhost]

Where did you get it calibrated? I haven't been able to find a tool shop that will look at my Mastercraft Maximum wrenches

In my garage. Socket clamped in vice (I could clamp the flats, but I'd rather beat up a crappy socket), torque wrench in socket parallel with floor, 55 lb of lead hanging with strap 2' from center of socket. Set wrench set to 105, lift the handle and slowly release, click. Set to 110 and repeat, click. Set to 115 and repeat, no click. Good enough for lug nuts. You could do it with different weight or distance, I just use what I have around. In the absence of a vice you can use a lug nut and a bit less weight (eg. calibrate at 80 ft-lb on a nut tightened to 100).

If it is off, take the cap off the end and tighten or loosen the nut there to adjust.

 

[TwistedKestrel]

Want your mind completely blown? Read the Ontario Road test vehicle fitness standards:

https://drivetest.ca/tests/road-tests-vehicle-requirements.html

Correct, you can show up for a road test in a passenger vehicle in Ontario with a lug nut missing on EACH TIRE...and it's perfectly acceptable.

That's weird, considering they are picky enough to fail you for showing up with the top folded down on a convertible. It's clearly spelled out as allowed, but why? I can't imagine a good reason

 

[PrivatePilot]

That's weird, considering they are picky enough to fail you for showing up with the top folded down on a convertible. It's clearly spelled out as allowed, but why? I can't imagine a good reason

I'm sure there's a lot of subjectivity going on So far as what they will and will not accept– Almost makes me want to take one lug nut off each wheel When my son goes for his full G road test in a few weeks And see if they say anything about it, much less even notice.

 

[Iceman]

Saw this on Facebook today. I know, it's not evidence but it reinforces what I see everyday out there. Small cars and trucks that will do ANYTHING, take ANY RISK just to be in front of a heavy truck. I can't tell you how many times a day I have a car cut me off and slam on its breaks to be in front at a light.
From another post:
Copy and pasted.

A friend sent this to the CTV News in Barrie. She is waiting to hear back if the reporters will take the truth to the story of that crash..

To whom this may concern , I was in that fiery crash . What happened was their was an accident clean up in front of us so all lanes were at a dead stop , people were cutting other people off in lanes to try and get ahead . 3 cars behind me I had witnessed a car actually cut one of the transport truck drivers off and that’s when it went downhill , we all kept seeing car after car catch on fire , I actually witnessed a cars hood catch completely on fire and watched it crash into another a transport truck and that’s when everyone kept hearing the big loud bangs and it was just rolls of fire and smoke . There was so many people that almost got caught into it but finally everyone started honking their horns and we were moving inch by inch . All of a sudden we finally saw police start coming to check it out then fire trucks , people were getting out of their cars to help others . Police had urged us to keep going as the gasoline was spreading . I witnessed it hit the forest then start to roll to the other side , the most heartbreaking thing is I witnessed one of the cars behind me completely catch on fire and just burn . I almost didn’t make it out , I’m writing an email because opp obviously are siding with politics , many of us gave statements but it wasn’t the truck driver that started it . It was a car that had cut one of them off .. I don’t know what the odds are that someone will read this but the man that died does not deserve to go down with a reputation that wasn’t even his fault especially with 9 kids . Police need to wake up and start cracking down the law of people cutting off transport truck drivers and not signalling other lanes . If people would drive with care we probably wouldn’t have so many accidents . I do have some scary footage of the fire and how it kept getting bigger but unfortunately I was swearing in it . I don’t think I’ve ever encountered something so scary .

Thank you for Your time and I hope you share that it was not the truck drivers fault because the police don’t believe anyone.

Sent from my SM-A500W using Tapatalk

 

[pfbmgd]

By luck we don't have more crashes . The you can get your class A with a pick up and 5th wheel. You can take driving test in various languages . How safe is that if the warning signs on the road are in French/English . The schools teach people just to pass the test . There is no driving etiquette or defensive driving . I'm out 50 or so hours on the road a week . Punjab driving school operated for years before they were busted . They were using trucks with major defects . Put out thousands of students that did circle checks on defective trucks . Yet still took them on the road . Just shows you the type of schooling out there . Very few people go to Humber to take a proper comercial driving course . People posting driving test routes . This type of behaviour puts bad drivers on the road . I them daily if not hourly .

 

[Roadghost]

It is true that car drivers are far, far more likely to cause and accident than trucks. But you can't compare a 50,000lb rig to a car any more than you can compare a Piper Cub to a Boeing 747. The reality is one machine is capable of catastrophic damage and needs to be driven by a professional under strict rules. It's those regulations and the way they are enforced that are in question. Trucking managers are mostly not truck drivers yet they're making the rules and they dismiss drivers who don't tow the line. They lean on their drivers to work ridiculous hours without overtime. If drivers got time and a half after 8 hours both in hourly and mileage pay I believe transport companies would be forced to stop demanding the long hours of work. The Electronic Onboard Recorders can't come fast enough.

 

[pfbmgd]

The Electronic Onboard Recorders can't come fast enough.

Can`t wait . Not sure if it`s 2018 or 2019 they are mandated for all truck drivers .

 

[PrivatePilot]

you can get your class A with a pick up and 5th wheel

That loophole was closed years ago along with the introduction of the class AR licence, but yes, it was a great example of government stupidity.

Testing standards are still laughably lax though. What you learn to pass the MTO test is so little that it puts drivers out onto the road without the real world practical knowledge they really need. GOOD companies put new drivers in a mentorship program at this point so that they gain more skills, but most companies just toss them out on the road and they learn on the go.

Getting an AZ licence really should be treated more like a trade so far as training requirements/standards, and despite much talk about doing exactly that for many, many years, the government never actually does it. Then they get all up and surprised when these sorts of things happen, often make kneejerk decisions that look good to the public but don't have much effect on the industry, and life goes on.

 

[PrivatePilot]

BTW, EOBR's aren't going to do squat to make dangerous drivers safer or make poorly skilled drivers somehow more skillful.}

They may drive a few of the total bottom feeder companies out of business as they can't afford to install them, and yes, they will lead to greater hours of service adherence, both of which are potential plusses for sure, but they aren't going to help the problem of drivers who barely have the skill required to actually drive the vehicle to begin with, yet achieved an AZ licence and are out on the roads with all of us.

 

[nobbie48]

That loophole was closed years ago along with the introduction of the class AR licence, but yes, it was a great example of government stupidity.

Testing standards are still laughably lax though. What you learn to pass the MTO test is so little that it puts drivers out onto the road without the real world practical knowledge they really need. GOOD companies put new drivers in a mentorship program at this point so that they gain more skills, but most companies just toss them out on the road and they learn on the go.

Getting an AZ licence really should be treated more like a trade so far as training requirements/standards, and despite much talk about doing exactly that for many, many years, the government never actually does it. Then they get all up and surprised when these sorts of things happen, often make kneejerk decisions that look good to the public but don't have much effect on the industry, and life goes on.

Who loads the trailer? Rocks on one side and the marshmallows on the other.