Coquihalla Carnage????

[LoneWolf_53]

Ive meet lots of drivers at chain up areas that didnt know or never have chained up

Scary thought that is!

[Glacier]

Trucking co. owner claims all inspections were done and he is blaming Peter Bros. and the paving crew.

http://bc.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=92599 ... sc=KRojwHU

Your link got messed up in transport. Here is the correct one:
http://bc.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=92599 ... =1.1184694

[the truth]

can someone tell me what the guy being interviewed said ,as I did not understand one word he said ?? thanks

[pepsilover]

Your link got messed up in transport. Here is the correct one:
http://bc.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=92599 ... =1.1184694

Thanks Glacier. Yes, that's the one.

[lightspeed]

can someone tell me what the guy being interviewed said ,as I did not understand one word he said ?? thanks

Spend more time in Vancouver. It will all make sense.

[pepsilover]

All it takes for Joe Driver to haul dangerous goods is a $30 online course provided by his employer. Go haul a tanker full of fuel, corrosive chemicals, or hydrochloric acid. The public don't really know because...why would they? You think logging trucks are dangerous (they are) think about placarded dangerous goods loads. Gasoline and other nasties driven by....(who?).

Improved standards, better training. Both would improve road safety. Good for the public. But they would drive up pay rates. Bad for employers.

Stay safe, folks.

I did not know that - about the $30 online course. Crap! Is that for real? Can you tell us a bit more about that? Sounds almost criminal to me.

Rest of your post pretty much right on. The employers are cutting costs like every other employer does, except they are putting peoples' lives at risk - HEY kind of like the medical profession run by the government. Go figure!. It's ALL about the money.

[60-YEARS-in-Ktown]

I have not yet read page 2 , 3.
Dont know if anyone posted that saw any of this
I went thru the construction zone that morning, i think there was signage before the snowshed, warning of single lane ahead, not sure about closures

Where it happened.. Approx 1 km or so below the snowshed..so the driver got through the snowshed, around the right hand corner, then I assume..came upon a line of stopped cars.

What i saw.. Before 3:30 we were passed by two ambulances before Hope heading to the scene.. It happened around 2:30. Leaving Hope, around 4:30 there had been more sirens heading up towards the scene. We left Hope around 4:40 got partway up the hill till we hit the traffic jam. At one point we saw 10 ambulances coming down the hill, only one had its flashing lights on.
When we finally got near the scene at 6:25 there was a pullout, to which they were pulling the damaged cars and trucks. Only the semi, and a white SUV were left on the scene, the SUV wedged between the semi and the centre lane divider. Above that was a lot of debris over a lot of the highway being cleaned up. We counted at least 13 vehicles that were damaged, but there were more with lesser damage.
No runaway lane after the snowshed, might be one above that.
Anyway that is what I saw, we were in a 5 ton, so we could see sbit more than the cars.

[GordonH]

^^^ if my memory is correct:
After the brake check before snow-shed there are 2 runaway lanes

[lightspeed]

$35 TDG course:

https://worksitesafety.ca/product/tdg-online-training/

Get that, sign up to Bubba Gump Trucking, and go haul dangerous chemicals and flammables.

[60-YEARS-in-Ktown]

I am suspecting he was coming down the hill at the normal speed, and coming upon the stopped traffic, could not get completely stopped......jmo..

[dieseluphammerdown]

^^^ if my memory is correct:
After the brake check before snow-shed there are 2 runaway lanes

Correct, The problem I've seen time and time again by a lot of truck drivers is that once they are through the snow -shed they turn the trucks loose , not to the point of free wheeling but definitely making up for lost time. If and i use the word IF this was the case in this incident that could explain the loss of brakes as there is no way in hell you are braking that heavily on a grade like that and not fading your brakes out. Again i'll reserve judgement but with the current available information my best guess would be driver error.

[Gixxer]

^^^^ Could be a likely scenario and why the trucking is blaming the paving company for this accident.

Lets say for arguments sake that the paving company didn't have the signs posted until halfway down the hill or just pass the snowshed. This would be a really bad situation even for an experienced commercial driver.

I know myself in the truck I drive I can come down in a fully loaded super b in 5th gear with full jake brake, and one or 2 small brake apps. By the time I get thru the snow shed Im grabbing gears because it's flat for the next 10-15k's.

Now if I did this not knowing there was construction halfway down the hill, it could very well lead to what happened here.

[stuphoto]

I travel that highway more often than most people driving a tour bus, and must have just missed seeing the accident happen while going the other way.

Here's my thoughts.
There are plenty of signs all layed out well in advance.
Yes there are 2 run away lanes shortly after the brake check. Both of them well marked.
I also drive trucks, and can come down the Coq hardly touching my brakes. If I am in the right gear with my engine compression brake on. However I grew up in BC, and was taught good driving habbits from day one.

I am guessing that this driver was inexperienced to say the least.

Where I have been expecting a major accident due to construction is in the snowsheds on Hwy 1 East of Rogers Pass. The flaggers there appear to just be sitting around while commercial vehicles are forced to share a single lane going in opposite directions. Every bus driver I know has had close calls in them.

[Donald G]

Unread postby stuphoto » 9 minutes ago

I am guessing that this driver was inexperienced to say the least.

With a lot of experienced drivers retiring due to age, it must be difficult for trucking companies to hire experienced drivers. By experienced drivers I mean drivers that have driven thousands of miles under all weather and terrain conditions.

Not thousands of miles on flat terrain where there is little actual winter.

I have never driven truck but have seen the results of many inexperienced drivers attempting to "learn on the road". To me it is an art requiring significant knowledge, experience and ability.

[Dizzy1]

First off it wasn't me that suggested the driver might have simply stopped to pee and smoke,

I didn't say that you did.

and second we don't need to wait for an investigation to discuss the topic, and do so using information already put out there in the news.

Re-read my post again - I said its one thing to speculate about what happened and another thing to crucify someone before the investigation is concluded - there is a difference.