Sudbury-based truck driving instructor says industry needs to change to improve northern highway safety

Timiskaming—Cochrane MPP John Vanthof recalls the meeting in Thunder Bay earlier this month. He was part of the nine-day road trip along Highways 11 and 17 with other NDP MPPs.

That night, he said nearly everyone in the room raised their hand when asked if they had experienced a serious close call or lost a loved one in a highway crash.

“That was chilling,” he said, adding that people repeatedly raised concerns about sharing the narrow highways with transport trucks.

“People in many parts of northern Ontario are afraid, and with reason, to drive on highways.”

During the road trip, which aimed to raise awareness about highway safety in northern Ontario, the NDP MPPs who took part said they heard consistent concerns about close calls, fatal crashes and the risks of sharing narrow, two-lane highways with transport trucks.

“Several people gave stories of them being basically being pushed off the road by trucks,” Vanthof said.

One tow truck operator told Vanthof about responding to a crash involving a fully licensed transport driver who didn’t understand the truck’s air brake system.

“This is someone who does this for a living and said, ‘there are a lot of good drivers on the road, but there are a lot of people who are licensed, who should not be qualified to drive transports.’ That came through loud and clear,” he said.

But a trucking industry trainer said the issue is more complex than blaming drivers.

Adam Delamorandiere, training and development manager at the Northern Academy of Transportation Training in Greater Sudbury, explained that most long-haul drivers are paid by the mile.

“The truck with the driver doesn’t make any money until the wheels start turning,” Delamorandiere said.

This pay structure can discourage drivers from taking extra time for inspections or stops, even though they are responsible for checking their vehicle before heading out, he explained. 

“As a driver, I’m not getting paid until I jump in the truck and start rolling. And anything else that stops me from getting on the highway is an interference of me collecting my paycheck,” Delamorandiere said. 

“As soon [as a driver] enters onto public roads and highways with that truck, the driver becomes responsible for every aspect of that truck and how it’s loaded and how it’s operated.”