TRUCKING INDUSTRY ISSUES GETTING WORSE

As a truck driver I’m heartbroken over the two fatalities in two separate accidents on Nov. 21. I don’t know all the details other than there was extremely dense fog. With that information I am going to offer my opinion and say the trucks should have been parked.

The best place to be during a storm is parked at a truck stop. Unfortunately most truck drivers can’t afford to park. High costs and low rates put good people in desperate situations where they make bad decisions.

The problems causing the rash of accidents we’ve seen this year are only getting worse. But there is a lack of will to make any real changes. Instead, the solutions proposed are to beat truck drivers more often and with bigger sticks. That’s not working.

Several drivers are asking for truck driving to be certified as a trade. Many provincial governments want longer hours in training prior to being licensed. Both ideas will help, but they won’t help the guy who’s worked over 300 hours every month for the past 14 months and doesn’t have enough money to make his next truck payment let alone take a day off for bad weather.

We can’t continue to allow shipping companies to slash their rates to truckers by 20 per cent and still expect safety standards be maintained. Safety takes time and time costs money, so safety regulations are often overlooked when budgets are tight. It’s wrong, but it’s reality. Trent Lalonde, Saskatoon