Whats wrong with truckers?

skegpro

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Geographics my friend, geographics. It is much cheaper and easier to engineer a road in the flat lands than in the mountains. Maybe we should install toll boths at all highways entering BC to help pay for those upgrades to out 40 year behind the times road system? Believe me BC'ers are paying their fair share to use those highways, are the outsiders contributing enough?
Maybe use some of those pipeline royalties........

O wait.
 

Stompin Tom

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Maybe use some of those pipeline royalties........

O wait.

OK, lets go off track with this thread, give me a number, how much can BC expect in royalties per year from the expansion? I for one haven't heard a royalty number.
 

Bnorth

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You bet, govern then to 90 kmh. Then watch the lineups behind trucks, 2-3 kms long. Watch Mr I know everything civilian vehicle passing on corners, solid lines, up hills with no sight lines or passing lanes.

What a lot of civilian vehicles dont understand or realize is you are now in that trucks work place. You get on their ass's, you dont dim your lights, you ride along in a trucks blind zone, then you get impatient and pass in a bad spot. You bitch at a truck for speeding up to run a hill then you bitch at a truck because it slows down going up a hill. You pull your camper down the middle of the road at 88 kmh and make no effort to ride the white line so the truck can see around you to pass. You slow down to 75 kmh for a corner with your lovely RV. You speed up to 110 when there is a passing lane. You pull out from a side road right in front of a truck so he has to nail his brakes despite you have no idea of what speed he is traveling at, 10 k faster than you or 10 k slower.

Simple fact is most civilian vehicles feel its their god given right to be able to travel at whatever speed they feel good about and get royally pissed when the come up on a loaded truck. You know what? Trucks make our economy roll. That sled or quad your juiced up to ride this weekend would have never gotten here without a truck, that fuel your putting in your tank would never have gotten to the service station without a truck, those groceries would not have made the store, your beloved beer would still be sitting at the brewery.

It isnt a perfect word, yes there should be better driver training, yes there should be more regulations, but I am not just talking about trucks, I am talking about all vehicles on the road today! I have come across allot of horrible crashes in my time, entire families wiped out, mothers and baby's, young married couple headed out on their honeymoon. What are the most common factors I see? Impatience and distraction. Doesnt matter if its a truck or civilian vehicle.
Governing would actually help traffic flow. Obviously a loaded truck can't maintain speed up and down grades especially those in the mountains but there's no need to struggle to pass the guy that you were stuck behind at 40 on a single lane hill or at 70 through some curves because now it's a four lane or down hill passing lane and he needs to compensate by cranking up to 110 km/h. He has now created a backup of traffic but limited all of them from getting past him. I see it all the time coming out of the curves around 3 valley gap stuck single file until Malakwa and then the drivers want to speed up to 110-120km/h so now you're doing 130+ to pass promptly and get back over so others have the chance.
 

skegpro

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OK, lets go off track with this thread, give me a number, how much can BC expect in royalties per year from the expansion? I for one haven't heard a royalty number.
$5.7 billion

https://www.transmountain.com/benefits

I understand you are offended cause your a good driver and probably only work with goods drivers.

But honestly you must has some insight as to why a large percentage of them nowadays just suck.

Training?
Roads?
Trucks are underpowered?
Roads?
 

skegpro

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You don't even need hills and truck drivers are mowing through busloads of kids.

I think this is the start of more legislation.
 

Stompin Tom

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Governing would actually help traffic flow. Obviously a loaded truck can't maintain speed up and down grades especially those in the mountains but there's no need to struggle to pass the guy that you were stuck behind at 40 on a single lane hill or at 70 through some curves because now it's a four lane or down hill passing lane and he needs to compensate by cranking up to 110 km/h. He has now created a backup of traffic but limited all of them from getting past him. I see it all the time coming out of the curves around 3 valley gap stuck single file until Malakwa and then the drivers want to speed up to 110-120km/h so now you're doing 130+ to pass promptly and get back over so others have the chance.

even if a truck is speed governed that will not stop the practice of one truck passing another. The difference in load, horsepower and driver aggression is not controlled by a governor. As you well know passing lanes are limited so everywhere there is no passing lane you create a bottleneck and back up traffic. What will be worse is a 2 mile lineup leading up to the passing lane with 5 trucks at the front of the pack. At that point you will have the cowboy just having to pass the 4 trucks in front of him. Now you followed that group for 20 minutes, and you still cant get passed them because of that action.

The point is simple, drivers of all vehicles are a cross section of society. You have great drivers, good drivers, poor drivers and plain bad drivers in all vehicles, cars, trucks, RV's and heavy trucks. You cant legislate against stupidity.
 

skegpro

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even if a truck is speed governed that will not stop the practice of one truck passing another. The difference in load, horsepower and driver aggression is not controlled by a governor. As you well know passing lanes are limited so everywhere there is no passing lane you create a bottleneck and back up traffic. What will be worse is a 2 mile lineup leading up to the passing lane with 5 trucks at the front of the pack. At that point you will have the cowboy just having to pass the 4 trucks in front of him. Now you followed that group for 20 minutes, and you still cant get passed them because of that action.

The point is simple, drivers of all vehicles are a cross section of society. You have great drivers, good drivers, poor drivers and plain bad drivers in all vehicles, cars, trucks, RV's and heavy trucks. You cant legislate against stupidity.
To be fair hwy 63 used to be the same.
Now that it is twin, it is an easy stress free drive.

Doing 110km/hr - 120km/hr and rarley get passed.
 

Stompin Tom

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That is 5.7 billion in projected economic benefits over a 20 year period. Their is a HUGE difference between economic benefits and actual cash in the governments bank account. Of those 5.7 billion in economic benefits a huge portion goes out to the construction companies to build the projects, yes there is spin off, but what is the actual number for royalites that BC will receive from the oil passing through the pipelines.
 

skegpro

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That is 5.7 billion in projected economic benefits over a 20 year period. Their is a HUGE difference between economic benefits and actual cash in the governments bank account. Of those 5.7 billion in economic benefits a huge portion goes out to the construction companies to build the projects, yes there is spin off, but what is the actual number for royalites that BC will receive from the oil passing through the pipelines.
The the GST and PST alone off that $5.7 billion would help for you guys to buy some nice oil based ashphalt.
 

Stompin Tom

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I understand you are offended cause your a good driver and probably only work with goods drivers.

But honestly you must has some insight as to why a large percentage of them nowadays just suck.

Training?
Roads?
Trucks are underpowered?
Roads?

No where am I offended, I am just trying to point out that the solutions are not simple and the problems are not one specific target. There are bad truck drivers, there are bad civilian drivers, all cause problems. More people are killed every day in passenger vehicle on passenger vehicle accidents than there are in heavy truck related incidents.

What are the solutions? Well first and foremost if better training for ALL DRIVERS, not just commercial drivers. The vast majority of passenger vehicle drivers have little to no idea how to respond around a transport truck.

The vast majority of truck drivers are skilled operators, but it only takes 1 in 20 bad drivers to make everyone look bad.

The next things in you list, roads and trucks underpowered? Not viable factors. As a professional driver you need to understand the roads you travel and the equipment you use. That is part of your job. We can not expect to see governments spending 10 or 20 billion dollars to 4 lane most roads in this province, just not going to happen you have to learn to work with what you have.

I believe the most important first step is training and education. FOR ALL DRIVERS!!!!!!!!!!! I see the cowboys with their jacked up trucks who feel its their right to be able to travel at 120 kmh on 100 kmh highways and pass in some horrible spots because they are 3 minutes late getting to the next Tim Hortons. They are every bit as much of the problem as the "new canadian" truck driver, the RV'er who travels 80 kmh and the young girl in her subcompact white knuckling it down the road.

I firmly believe the 2 biggest killers on our roads today are impatience and distraction.
 
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Stompin Tom

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The the GST and PST alone off that $5.7 billion would help for you guys to buy some nice oil based ashphalt.

We dont get GST, that is federal.

We dont charge PST on wages which is a huge part of that 5.7 billion. We do get the BC portion of income tax on those wages, for BC employees, but the thing is the unemployment rate in BC is very low which means imported workers. Even if we did get PST on all 5.7 billion over 20 years that amounts to less than 20 million per year. Yes that is allot of cash, but a far cry from the 5.7 billion trumped up number

My point is yes there is a strong short term economic impact from the Kinder Morgan project, but that 5.7 billion number is not a royalty number, its a general overall stimulas number based over 20 years. The actual amount of real cash in the BC government bank account is far less.
 

S.W.A.T.

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You don't even need hills and truck drivers are mowing through busloads of kids.

I think this is the start of more legislation.

That comment is in very poor taste. From this day forward I'm going to post a picture of every wreck I can find where public has been at fault for a wreck.
 

Stompin Tom

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Changes I would like to see for the commercial trucking sector:

More training, not only required training to get your license, but ongoing training after you get your class one

Proven English speaking skills in are areas except Quebec east. No matter how hard you try you cant teach a newfie to speak english

Graduated licensing program. Restrictions on what you can do and cant do until you have a certain level of experience and proven skills

License endorsements. You should have an endorsement proving you know how to chain up your rig, an endorsement for mountain driving, an endorsement for winter driving.

Training and education for the general public so they understand why that truck may be going slow, or why that truck is running a hill

Better CVSE enforcement and presence. Everybody is always at their best behavior when the cops are out, so put more of them out in more areas.
 
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Stompin Tom

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Not dumb enough to live in a 18 wheeler lol

So to sum this up, we all know and understand that trucking is a vital part of our economy, but in your world it is much better for something to be regulated to their detriment but to your supposed benefit because you think those in the industry are in a lower standing than you? Did I get this correct? I can't be sure, Im a stupid trucker.
 

skegpro

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Changes I would like to see for the commercial trucking sector:

More training, not only required training to get your license, but ongoing training after you get your class one

Proven English speaking skills in are areas except Quebec east. No matter how hard you try you cant teach a newfie to speak english

Graduated licensing program. Restrictions on what you can do and cant do until you have a certain level of experience and proven skills

License endorsements. You should have an endorsement proving you know how to chain up your rig, an endorsement for mountain driving, an endorsement for winter driving.

Training and education for the general public so they understand why that truck may be going slow, or why that truck is running a hill

Better CVSE enforcement and presence. Everybody is always at their best behavior when the cops are out, so put more of them out in more areas.
Training the people in passenger vechiles is a good one.

Unless you have driven a big rig you really don't know what it's like.

Maybe part of the class 5 license should be having to make a lap in a class 3 or bigger vechile?

Despite what our all inclusive governments think, not everyone can drive.
 

Bnorth

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We dont get GST, that is federal.

We dont charge PST on wages which is a huge part of that 5.7 billion. We do get the BC portion of income tax on those wages, for BC employees, but the thing is the unemployment rate in BC is very low which means imported workers. Even if we did get PST on all 5.7 billion over 20 years that amounts to less than 20 million per year. Yes that is allot of cash, but a far cry from the 5.7 billion trumped up number

My point is yes there is a strong short term economic impact from the Kinder Morgan project, but that 5.7 billion number is not a royalty number, its a general overall stimulas number based over 20 years. The actual amount of real cash in the BC government bank account is far less.

That comment is in very poor taste. From this day forward I'm going to post a picture of every wreck I can find where public has been at fault for a wreck.

There's a highway truck involved in a fatality every week through the winter between Kamloops and the AB border on Hwy 1, you really want to play that game?

You and ST are both log truckers up north. With all due respect you don't see near the traffic volumes or poor drivers up there as between the lower mainland and AB border. Northerners love to complain about traffic volumes particularly on Hwy 97 but they are great in comparison. Hwy 16 east is decent until Tete Jaune, 16 west is a bad stretch but still no comparison to Hwy 1. I know I lived up there for more than 20 years.
 

eclipse1966

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S.W.A.T.

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There's a highway truck involved in a fatality every week through the winter between Kamloops and the AB border on Hwy 1, you really want to play that game?

You and ST are both log truckers up north. With all due respect you don't see near the traffic volumes or poor drivers up there as between the lower mainland and AB border. Northerners love to complain about traffic volumes particularly on Hwy 97 but they are great in comparison. Hwy 16 east is decent until Tete Jaune, 16 west is a bad stretch but still no comparison to Hwy 1. I know I lived up there for more than 20 years.

True but I've also spent a great deal of time all over the western provinces top to bottom. Driven the golden revi hwy more then I could count. Seen so many wrecks and most of it caused by impatient drivers. Pine pass one time I pulled the same car out of the ditch twice and just drove past him the third time. Couldn't count how many 4x4 I've seen upside down on 43 between whitecourt and gp. Point is that people just think they are entitled to do whatever they want and if something goes wrong with that it must someone else's fault.
 
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