14-vehicle pileup that killed at least 2 on Highway 400 like 'Armageddon'

Terrible. How does something like this happen? Clear night and good road conditions. If, as initial speculation indicates, the cause was an inattentive commercial driver (or a mechanical deficiency), the trucking industry will be placed squarely in the crosshairs of public and government scrutiny. If past experience is repeated, that is not a good position to be in. My heart aches for the families of the deceased and for the driver and company of who may be found at fault. They will bear the weight of this tragedy for the rest of their lives. A sad day indeed.
 
We've already informed our drivers not to even look sideways at an OPP, we know a head of an attachment and it's not going to be good for any of us the way we are going to be targeted. With that being said maybe the industry needs it the loss of life and crazy crashes have to stop people should not go to work and not go home.
RIP the people who lost their lives 1 mistake and we see the ramifications.
 
This isn't meant as sarcastic but how do the police know 'for sure' that it was driver inattentiveness? How do they know that a car didn't dart in front of the transport? Are the cops just blaming the driver because it is the easiest thing to do and it justifies their 'targeting' the big trucks or did the driver make a mistake?
 
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I agree HA. I said this morning how do we know the truck wasn't in the middle lane and was cut off/hit from someone in the fast lane or right hand lane?
Not saying that's the case but without the ACTUAL information/truth this can end up as a witch hunt for our industry. My heart goes out to all the families as well as the First Responders. Tragic.
PR
 
I get home from work yesterday.

wife: Honey, those truckers killed 2 people....
me: (after sipping my martini). Honey, it's under investigation but I'm sure the media is quick to point to one thing: the truckers/carriers/transportation industry. I'm amazed at how quickly the 'news' stories of the single vehicle crashes or multiple vehicle crashes or pedestrians being killed that air once and disappear from the media. Involve 1 (or more) transport truck(s) and the cause is automatically theirs without investigation and lets air the story on a loop for a few weeks...
wife: lets make dinner.

I'll include the families of the lost in my prayers of course, accidental death(s) are the hardest on families.

Keep well,
Mike
 
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Correct. At this stage, there is no definitive answer and probably won't be for some time. I think the current conversation is driven by the outcomes of some of the earlier truck accidents this summer, where it was determined that the commercial driver was at fault. Nothing yet indicates that was the case in this incident. As we all know too well, driving any vehicle on a 400 series highway is akin to playing an action packed, multilevel video game. It requires your complete attention and the slightest distraction from the task at hand can prove to be disastrous. This applies to ALL drivers, not just those entrusted with a large commercial vehicle.
 
hauling_ass said:
This isn't meant as sarcastic but how do the police know 'for sure' that it was driver inattentiveness? How do they know that a car didn't dart in front of the transport? Are the cops just blaming the driver because it is the easiest thing to do and it justifies their 'targeting' the big trucks or did the driver make a mistake?
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My thoughts exactly. Who is to say some dumbass 4wheeler did not cut in front of him in his stopping distance or he had a heart attact or whatever? SGT Camera Schmidt Cam's replacement is another truck hater all the trucks fault bs cop that is too quick to place blame squarely on our industry. That being said there sure are a lot of trucks from a certain town involved in a lot of these accidents that have shut down the 400 series in the last bit. I personally blame the 14 hr window and speed limiters. It will get worse before it gets better folks and the 14hr window has to go if it is about safety.
 
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I personally blame the 14 hr window and speed limiters....not sure what this means ?, and how its connected to this accident, just asking a question, and please don't ripe my head off, for asking the question
 
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chris gray said:
I personally blame the 14 hr window and speed limiters....not sure what this means ?, and how its connected to this accident, just asking a question, and please don't ripe my head off, for asking the question
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I was talking in general about all of the recent carnage that has been caused on the 400 series. Trucks are all in a race all day everyday because they all want as much productivity as possible because of the 14hr so no one is giving an inch in this me first world. The 105 is causing backup's stress and accidents like crazy as MR my truck does 105 is passing MR 104 and neither will give an inch. and here come MR mine does 106 up there ass and someone hits the brakes and well Bob's your Uncle we have another day of the 400 series closed.
 
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Rob said:
I was talking in general about all of the recent carnage that has been caused on the 400 series. Trucks are all in a race all day everyday because they all want as much productivity as possible because of the 14hr so no one is giving an inch in this me first world. The 105 is causing backup's stress and accidents like crazy as MR my truck does 105 is passing MR 104 and neither will give an inch. and here come MR mine does 106 up there ass and someone hits the brakes and well Bob's your Uncle we have another day of the 400 series closed.
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I see
 
A lot of the new "safety" regulations have I believe actually made the roads less safe. I think a lot of people in the industry agree too, but the general public only sees the benefits that they are being told of all the rules that have been placed upon us and it's going to be safer. Rob says it correctly, all day drivers are racing against the clock to make it to the next truck stop or shipper by the time 14 is up. A few red lights and a slowdown make that next to, if not impossible.

It is all fine and dandy to have to stop after 14, and if the carrier is big enough they can just repower it with a fresher driver to carry on. Small fleets are not going to have that option. Of course it all comes down to what you can safely and legally commit to when taking the loads.

Right now the industry is under the microscope and it will take a long time for us to get out from under it. Policing needs to focus more on the 4 wheelers and their behavior (No full lighting, tailgating, no signals, driving in passing lane forever, on/off ramp to and from fast lane in about 17 feet of highway, phones, texting, GPS, HUGE radio/dash displays and the list goes on and on). How many accidents happen in the middle of the night when mostly trucks are on the highway? Very few. Add the 4 wheelers and up go the accidents. The trucks did just fine by themselves all night with no issues...i think it's pretty clear to see what the problem is.
 
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some very interesting points, the thing that sticks in my head is that the "four wheelers" are unpaid / nonprofessionally drivers, as to the fact we the driving community are, and should act, and driver in that manner, this mind set that it's us against them, and including the law enforcement, seems like we are looking to plan the blame game, im not saying,one side or the other is right, just saying we need to act like professionals, we can sit here all day long pointing fingers, and chasing are tails, but the general public, and the way the act on the roads, will not be changing, now or in the near future, so lets show them we don't need to "race around" or tailgate, or drive faster then the posted speed, and who cares if they do,
 
The media and the police have already concluded that this was caused by a trucker not paying attention, an interesting conclusion when no facts are available to support that at this point. They should be fair and tell the media that the cause of the accident remains inconclusive until an investigation finds fault. Also possible that the person who caused this mayhem is long gone down the road.
 
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Rob, you need a little more context with that statement ... I suspect you mean the unstoppable 14 hour window, correct?
And yes, I agree with that. I see that the U.S. is doing a study on bringing back the split sleeper berth. I suspect they will "find" that it is a good idea. The 14 hour rule, as it now stands, regardless of paper or ELD, is the catalyst for the perceived lost production when the ELD mandate comes into effect, because if you are running legally, it doesn't matter if you're electronic or paper. The rule itself is flawed. It requires drivers to work when it may very well not be safe for them to do so. A good example is a run that starts at midnight. Mother Nature, by way of circadian rhythms, says that homo sapiens have to sleep between 4:00 AM and 6:00 AM regardless of how long they have been up (some people's rhythms are a bit different, but there is essentially a 2 hour window in which the human must sleep). The unstoppable 14 hour rule says that the driver must work through that period or risk having to work an extra day. The driver is being pushed beyond his/her physical limit. It's about the same as asking a brain surgeon to go to work regardless of how much he had to drink at the office Christmas party. It's a crap shoot.

As far as the 400 accident goes, I suspect you will find that the truck driver that is believed to be at fault, either suffered a debilitating medical event, or was busy on his cell phone. Personally, I'm betting on the latter. Either way the fault lays directly at the feet of government. If it was medical, the MTO should have picked it up during his physical. If it was the cell phone, then the Provincial or Federal Governments should have mandated cell phones not operate when they are moving when it became clearly evident that distracted drivers kill more people than impaired drivers. If Pokemon Go can do it in a game, then Apple, Samsung, and Motorola sure in as hell can ... they make the damned phones. Surely today's "Smart" phones can tell if they are moving and should be able to know enough not to send or receive a text or data at all, or allow an incoming or outgoing call if it's not connected to a Bluetooth device.

My personal pet peeve ... Impaired driving costs you a 10 -15k lawyer and your license for a year (the first time). Distracted driving costs you a piddly-ass fine. When the end results of an accident involving either impaired or distracted drivers is the same, why are the penalties not the same? It is my personal belief that if Johnny Law catches you texting while you are driving down the road, it should cost you that 10-15k lawyer and your license for a year ... the first time.

FFS people ... is your Facebook status or Tweet that important that it's okay to risk someone else's life ???????

If there is a God in heaven, I beg of you to bring us autonomous cars TOMORROW !!!!
 
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Michael Ludwig said:
My personal pet peeve ... Impaired driving costs you a 10 -15k lawyer and your license for a year (the first time). Distracted driving costs you a piddly-ass fine. When the end results of an accident involving either impaired or distracted drivers is the same, why are the penalties not the same? It is my personal belief that if Johnny Law catches you texting while you are driving down the road, it should cost you that 10-15k lawyer and your license for a year ... the first time.
If there is a God in heaven, I beg of you to bring us autonomous cars TOMORROW !!!!
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Michael,

There is a huge difference between driving impaired and distracted driving. Hence the difference in penalty for each. An impaired driver does not have the reaction time nor thought process to operate a vehicle from the moment the ignition is turned on. An impaired individual combined with operating a motor vehicle is not only a larger risk but greatly increases the chance of an accident and death. A distracted driver is a capable driver - one that can act and react to driving conditions and fast paced situations. Motor skills are not hindered. They have just made the choice to take their eye off the road...in most cases...for a brief moment. And that's where the trouble starts. We see it everyday. I see it while driving to and from work...drivers looking down at their cell phone. I also see a guy 2/3 times a month who eats cereal in his car on the 410. I see the same lady doing her full makeup in the mirror as well as another guy who shaves. Yes...he shaves in the car while driving. When the 410 gets jammed and we are slowed down - you'd be surprised what drivers are doing in their vehicles before getting to work. I haven't seen the guy who reads his kindle for awhile now...but saw him enough to shake my head and think WTF? How can he drive and read a book?

Should a distracted driver be given the same infraction or fine for someone who made the choice to drink all night, get in a car and become a major debilitating force on the road or highway? Certainly not.

A distracted driving fine is actually quite steep. You not only have a fine to pay but you lose points and your insurance is effected. That is where it really hurts. And if you've got a fender bender and/or small speeding ticket already on your license - you're really in trouble when it comes to insurance renewal time.

I believe more drivers - especially the millennial folk - are more aware of distracted driving. Now more than ever. We are all guilty of it. Whether we check our cell at a stop light or quickly text back "yes or no" when we think no other cars are around. What we need to focus more on is the care and concern of others. Getting home safe to our families and just being a little more patient on the roads. Everyone's in a hurry. Life's a hurry it seems.

We'll get there people...just take your time, enjoy the drive and sing to the radio...
 
The whole 14 hour argument is just a smoke screen if you are running legally and under US Rules you only had 14 hours anyways. Same as the 105 KPH we have limited our trucks for 12 years to that speed with no issues. Drivers are not what they use to be, we have drivers that cannot drive standard, we have drivers that won't call customers for directions, we have drivers that continuously forget to do an ACE/ACI. So it stands to reason they are going to have issues driving also. You have thousands of drivers on the road constantly if only 1 of them makes a major mistake every 5 years you are going to have this shit happen every day you can only hope that your safety department has drilled enough sense in their heads that it doesn't happen to your company. I am talking about the bottom 20% of drivers, 40% are usually adequate and 20% are top notch.
 
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@AccountsReceivable@DRC
Respectfully, I am going to beg to differ ...
"An impaired driver does not have the reaction time" ... neither does a distracted driver. You can't react to what you are not looking at.
"...nor thought process to operate a vehicle from the moment the ignition is turned on." ... the distracted driver consciously, and intentionally, surrendered that thought process.
"An impaired individual combined with operating a motor vehicle is not only a larger risk but greatly increases the chance of an accident and death." ... how does that differ from the distracted driver ?
" A distracted driver is a capable driver - one that can act and react to driving conditions and fast paced situations." ... how does he/she do that when they are not looking at the road?
"Motor skills are not hindered." ... motor skills are non existent if you are not paying attention to what you are doing.
"They have just made the choice to take their eye off the road." ... exactly my point.
"...for someone who made the choice to drink all night," ... the distracted driver made the very same choice.
"A distracted driving fine is actually quite steep." ... not nearly as steep as an impaired charge.
"I believe more drivers - especially the millennial folk - are more aware of distracted driving." ... not from what my drivers tell me they see day in and day out, on roads of all types.
"We are all guilty of it." ... yes we are, but that doesn't make it right, or less dangerous, or less deadly.

Just my humble 2 cents worth.
 
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After 45 years in this business though I am on the 3pl side of the business now, I watch trucks closely. I see a lot of truckers on their cell phones. I get it, in a car it's easy to pull over and check a text, in a truck you lose 20 minutes minimum when you pull over. This accident was witnessed by OPP and FIRE as they were already on the scene so they have a pretty good idea how it went down. When I drove a rig I read traffic as far as I could see as most do, when you plow into rows of stopped or slowed traffic then you were distracted. Having said all that this seems like a preventable accident and a terrible waste of life with untold pain and suffering. What a loss and my heart goes out to all that were hurt or lost, be safe...
 
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