Prayers to all involved hockey bus crash

[samhill]

Bobotn
When I drove for Transx, 10 years ago, the rumour was they could get a class1a in Alberta for $65.
Hard to believe,but I did see drivers in the yard that had trouble turning a bobtail around if they had to
make a 3 point. Many rumours they drove 3 to a truck. Out on the trail there were some hair raising incidents.

[the big wheel]

If the industry wants a positive change the focus has not to be on allowing anyone drive in order to make money due to the shortage of drivers. The focus has to shift to safety first. Let's face it how many of us haven't known that giving licenses to anyone that wants one wasn't going to be a potential problem that it obviously is.

It's mind bending to me that the obvious facts at the scene did not at the least produce a detainment of the semi driver.
The bus had the right away. Which means that under no circumstances did the semi have any legal right to be anywhere on the road where he bus could have come in contact with it.

The sun excuse is irrelevant and in fact if that is the excuse that is cause for purposeful manslaughter. You are driving a weapon onto the road not knowing what is coming down the road to possibly hit you. You are driving a 60 ton unit across a well travelled highway blind???

If you blew the stop sign that again has to be determined did you do this knowingly just to get home sooner or did you miss the stop sign? Either way undu care and attention causing death minnimum.

If you stopped and pulled out but stalled again if the truck had problems that is your responsibility it doesn't.

There is zero situations where the truck is not responsible for the accident.

How many of us have seen trucks swaying in the wind, drivers holding cell phones, drivers tailgating vehicles with no chance in hell of stopping should the vehicle in front have to stop. This is an industry failure based on a shortage of drivers and a desire to build the economy that stems all th way back to the government policy of determining who should be in the road or not. There was a trucker from humboldt who had a great Facebook post and exclaimed this very thing. There are apprenticeships of years needed to be an electrician or mechanic but to be in a most serious threatening position of a semi driver you only need a week behind the wheel?? Further to that some people could drive a lifetime and never be qualified and they shouldn't be driving any vehicle never mind a semi.

Stop handing out tickets to raise money for overweight for a few pounds and start finding out who shouldn't be on the road. If the shortage in drivers is larger then so be it. Saskatxhewan by far has the highest death rate in Canada something is wrong here. Stop thinking about growing the economy ahead of making sure the road is safe.

In my mind this is not An accident scene this is a manslaughter scene at minimum.

[sumdumguy]

The question is, “should it be mandatory for a driver to speak english and be familiar with street signs to be given a license to drive a hundred ton monster truck at 65 miles an hour around us (little cars, pedestrians, other vehicles? “ and number 2- do Cdn citizens have right to know what bureaucracy is doing?

Check Christie Blachforth today.

[farmaholic]

Sumdumguy, The shape, color and icons on some traffic signs have become almost universal....just about anywhere in the world they should almost look familiar. No excuses, the truck driver would of had to pass the written part of the 1A license as well as the driven part of the license and circle check.

Someone brought up the possibility of mechanical (brake) failure, is there a benefit of doubt we need to extend?

Edit; Just saying... I would have taken the ditch.

[bobofthenorth]

If there was a like button I'd press it for Big Wheel's post. Its what I've said since Friday night. I don't know exactly what happened but I do know for 100% certain if that truck had fully stopped at that stop sign and stayed stopped until he saw the road was clear, none of this would have happened. I'm no lawyer but if this isn't vehicular manslaughter I don't know what is.

[Guest]

The question is, “should it be mandatory for a driver to speak english and be familiar with street signs to be given a license to drive a hundred ton monster truck at 65 miles an hour around us (little cars, pedestrians, other vehicles? “ and number 2- do Cdn citizens have right to know what bureaucracy is doing?

Check Christie Blachforth today.

i am sick of people telling me how i should feel, and what i should think or say . i have my own opinions and we are losing that freedom at an amazing pace . good article ....
good questions sumdum

[samhill]

The problem in my observation is that there are many wanting to immigrate.
There is money, and lots of it, who want the business of freight, and want to have jobs
for those who emigrate.
You think they need to speak English, but some of the places I delivered to, not a word
Of English or French spoken in the office while I sat there for 2 hours waiting to get
spotted at the dock.
They took over all the truck freight from ships in Vancouver. The company yard in
Calgary was mainly immigrants. Toronto/Miisisauga much the same.

[biglentil]

If there was a like button I'd press it for Big Wheel's post. Its what I've said since Friday night. I don't know exactly what happened but I do know for 100% certain if that truck had fully stopped at that stop sign and stayed stopped until he saw the road was clear, none of this would have happened. I'm no lawyer but if this isn't vehicular manslaughter I don't know what is.

No charges your free to go like WTF!

[LWeber]

No charges your free to go like WTF!

http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/humboldt-crash-truck-driver-only-driving-with-company-for-about-a-month-employer-says

[beaverdam]

Have the RCMP ever stated that a blood test was taken from the driver of the semi, to measure the level of THC,(if any) in his blood? Was a breathalyser test performed on the driver of the semi? Was a blood test taken from the driver of the semi to measure opioids or other prescription drugs?

If the "black box" from the team's bus indicates the bus was traveling at say, 110km, does this excuse the semi driver if his "black box" actually says he did stop?, meaning the semi driver miss judged the on coming bus in calculating the time he needed to cross the highway.

If the bus was traveling at full speed(100-110km) I'd think the whole accident would have settled further to the west than it appears to have. Maybe hauling peat means he didn't have the mass to carry everything further to the west, than say a load of wheat or iron.

Hope information can be salvaged from the "black boxes"

I like the miss aligned road crossing from Australia, just would suck for the one land owner giving up that extra wide strip. But it would stop cross runners! (in a hurry).

[bobofthenorth]

I like the miss aligned road crossing from Australia, just would suck for the one land owner giving up that extra wide strip. But it would stop cross runners! (in a hurry).

It would stop running through the intersection but it would create a left turn for every through vehicle. That's got its own set of risks which could include rolling stops onto the highway while turning. You can't fix stupid.

[seldomseen]

No you can't fix stupid and you do not know the state of mind of the people driving so you have to watch at every intersection even when you have the right away and if you see someone coming faster than they should be you can try to avoid them. That's why the yard has to be removed.

[blackpowder]

I will leave it to the law of the land to decide the facts and consequences.
I also freely admit to making a list of mistakes in the 35 years I've had a Class 1.
Truck driving is a labourer or semiskilled job. Most but not all require no unique or exclusive skill set.
Running to Prudhoe Bay in the winter for example involves a certain level and type and you will be lucky to live if you don't possess them. Sure as hell isn't me.
So most hauling is a low margin industry partly because of it's ease of entry and exit.
Therefore, the lower sector is taken over by someone with the lowest costs.
This someone happens to have it's own captive labor force. It's own CVIP repair shops. And it's own instructors. Capitalism at its finest. I have no quarrel with that. However, if your general driving experience level was limited and you cannot speak or perhaps read English this leaves a few questions.
Many parts of the world have a different attitude and experience with rules of law.
To me, this tragedy still falls under the definition of 'accident'. Negligence notwithstanding.
Be it the victim or instigator, "There but for the Grace of God go I". And I think of the families. Be it one loss or 15.

[sumdumguy]

When they need a translator to pass a test, I really wonder. How do you read signs(I know Farmaholic goes by shape) - what about directions. I guess the RCMP doesn’t think we need to know what processes were used to test the driver in this accident but I believe Joe Public and especially those involved have the right to know everything about this guy, including his religion, age, history. Does the right to peace and privacy trump everyone else’s rights, even in this case?

[blackpowder]

We have no right or need to know his religion. If he held a valid license the law was met.
New standards? Perhaps.