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    Higher semi-truck training standards should apply to farmers, too
    Regina Leader-Post5 Dec 2018MURRAY MANDRYK Mandryk is political columnist for the Regina Leader-post. mmandryk@postmedia.com

    Certain events shake our very foundation, and no event shook the foundation of Saskatchewan harder than the Humboldt Broncos bus crash.
    The deaths of 16 people and horrific injuries to 13 others forced all of us — including the Saskatchewan Party government — to think about what’s happening on Saskatchewan highways and why things on our roads occasionally go awry.
    For years in this province, large semi-trailer truck operators roamed our highways with nothing more than an air-brake endorsement on their Class 1 driver’s licence.
    Let us be clear that this is, by no means, nothing. That we haven’t had more tragedies in this landlocked province heavily reliant on semi traffic to haul everything from household goods to the grain we produce suggests the Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) testing has been rigorous enough to be rather effective. The overall pass rate for Class 1 is 72 per cent.
    Nevertheless, the notion that anyone who passes the tests can drive anywhere in any driving conditions with any size load without taking any training is unsettling. Yes, you read that correctly. Without any formal training requirements.
    While your 16-year-old kid has had to go through a learner’s permit process and endure a graduated period limiting everything from the number of people allowed in the driver’s vehicle to zero blood alcohol content, there are no restrictions for new Class 1/air brake licences.
    Again, context is everything here, so let’s be fair to the licensing system as it has existed for years.
    Roughly 90 per cent of those seeking semi-trailer licences do go to the trouble and costs of taking formal, professional driver training costing more than $2,000, according to SGI.
    And while SGI Minister Joe Hargrave may have badly fumbled in making his point Monday, there is validity to the notion that long-haul truckers do face greater challenges driving in B.C. (Think that’s province’s Coquihalla Highway in the winter or Ontario’s 401 Highway that sees 420,000 vehicles a day.)
    If Hargrave’s argument is that farmers shouldn’t necessarily have to face the same rigours as long-haul truck drivers on the road for 365 days a year, the numbers bear this out.
    Between 2010 and 2017, there was an average of 1,189 collisions per year involving semi-trailer units in Saskatchewan. (These numbers do not reflect who was at fault.) Of those, an average of a mere 86 collisions a year involved farm-plated semi-trailers. Of interest, an average of 439 collisions a year involved out-of-province plated semis.
    Unfortunately, in the new rules for trucking licensing, farmers aren’t just being treated differently. They are exempt from the new rules altogether, and that doesn’t seem right.
    Effective March 15, 2019, new rules will require 121.5 hours of professional written and road training for future semi licences, However, Hargrave and the Sask. Party government grandfathered existing Class 1 licence holders and exempted farmers from having to take any formal professional training. He did say there will be further consultations.
    Even if one accepts that farming semi-truck hauling is a small percentage of both the semi traffic and collisions on our highways, shouldn’t all drivers face similar rules?
    We do know that there is a pattern of concessions by all Saskatchewan governments to the agriculture sector, including child labour laws, property taxes, PST on inputs, etc. Irksome to some is that the latest concession exempting farmers from the $8,500 course and from enduring the more stringent testing requirements, in effect March 15, is being made over public safety.
    Shouldn’t there at least be a compromise? Shouldn’t farmers still be required to take at least a slighter-less-intense professional training course? Shouldn’t farm semis have separate licensing and driving restrictions better reflecting farm-based operations?
    The government needs to put more thought to the matter than simply grandfathering old rules or completely exempting anyone.
    Surely, the lessons we should have learned on the evening of April 6 at the intersection of highways 35 and 335 have taught us we need to do all that we can.

    Mandryk opinion today. I agree totally. All of us with 1A drive highways and through cities to deliver. How many farmers drive commercially off season. All 1A should have same training. Many of us also have a flatbed to haul water or a trackhoe. My 20 year old son just got 1A, started Monday had 1A Friday morning. No way was he ready to get on the road. He will haul 12 miles to terminal on gravel, but it will be a while before he is comfy enough to get on highway.
    I also think all drivers should have a road test every. 20 years. Might eliminate some of the stupidity on roads

    #2
    I listened to comments on Gormley....I hate driving into moose Jaw to deliver to PH..and I wouldn't be on any highways if they hadn't closed the 10000 tonne concrete at Eyebrow.

    I could drive slower at lighter loads and still get more done...

    So while people complain about farmers, maybe they should have a look at cause and effect...

    You consolidate the grain handling system ....how the **** do people think grain will get to export and help the economy ....and if farmers don't deliver the grain themselves then a trucking industry will be required...do I like it?...nope...why?


    Because the grain got moved just as well in the 80s with boxcars on branch lines...don't like trucks....think about how we got here...

    Did that load on the back of the semi that killed 16 people have to be on a truck if the infrastructure was built to move on rail??????

    Cause and effect.... people and politicians let this happen in the name of efficiencies....think on that for a while...but the shareholders of the railways are happy....

    Cause and effect ...its a tragedy but thats the collateral damage to letting our rail infrastructure deteriorate to what we have today......
    Last edited by bucket; Dec 5, 2018, 09:08.

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by rodd View Post
      I agree totally. All of us with 1A drive highways and through cities to deliver. How many farmers drive commercially off season. All 1A should have same training. Many of us also have a flatbed to haul water or a trackhoe. My 20 year old son just got 1A, started Monday had 1A Friday morning. No way was he ready to get on the road. He will haul 12 miles to terminal on gravel, but it will be a while before he is comfy enough to get on highway.
      I also think all drivers should have a road test every. 20 years. Might eliminate some of the stupidity on roads
      Maybe come to Ontario first, before you want to see how much you can get government involved in your life.

      Annual safety inspection, which was updated 2016-2017 and was done to basically eliminate all vehicles older than 10 years. If the mechanic says your truck didn't shift smoothly in his test, your buying a transmission overhaul.

      Annual sniff test. $200 a hit. Test might fail, you stil get charged. And you have a to spend however much it costs to pass, or you get a different vehicle. Not a problem usually with brand new vehicle. But if you got something from 80's or 90's, go ahead and haul for scrap already.

      Insurance. $5 million liability on a tandem dump is going to run around 30k a year.

      Permit. Registration fees for tandem dump will be in the $15000-20000 range.

      Once you hit 65 you do a full medical and eye exam every year.



      But don't worry, the towelheads will be more than happy to looks after you as drivers. They are very smart. Have their own mechanics, insurance companies, doctors and driver testers. Very efficient.

      Comment


        #4
        All we need is stricter licensing. Used to be you take the course they hand you the 1A at the end of it. Should be if you are not ready then you stay as a learner. Simple as that.

        If you can’t tell good drivers from bad drivers you shouldn’t be administering the road test.

        Comment


          #5
          There is a lesson in the Ontario story.

          Better training and graduated licenses are fine with me.
          But what are the stats for accidents involving semis?

          Comment


            #6
            Training is a great idea especially with the weather and road conditions we have in western Canada.
            However driving distracted or without due care...…. Not stopping at a stop sign has absolutely nothing to do with experience or what class of licence you have. And would have had little or no effect on that tragedy.

            Comment


              #7
              Add increases in the cost of hauling grain to list of cost increases for 2019. I do agree that some more stringent standards should be met here with truck licenses but as the Ontario experience shows bureaucrats will not stop once they start on this road. My operation struggles to survive and there is no way I can afford the Ontario costs. Just glad for new terminals close by where I can still haul with a tandem.

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by 15444 View Post
                Maybe come to Ontario first, before you want to see how much you can get government involved in your life.

                Annual safety inspection, which was updated 2016-2017 and was done to basically eliminate all vehicles older than 10 years. If the mechanic says your truck didn't shift smoothly in his test, your buying a transmission overhaul.

                Annual sniff test. $200 a hit. Test might fail, you stil get charged. And you have a to spend however much it costs to pass, or you get a different vehicle. Not a problem usually with brand new vehicle. But if you got something from 80's or 90's, go ahead and haul for scrap already.

                Insurance. $5 million liability on a tandem dump is going to run around 30k a year.

                Permit. Registration fees for tandem dump will be in the $15000-20000 range.

                Once you hit 65 you do a full medical and eye exam every year.



                But don't worry, the towelheads will be more than happy to looks after you as drivers. They are very smart. Have their own mechanics, insurance companies, doctors and driver testers. Very efficient.

                Could I get some clarification on those costs??
                $15k to register a tandem??
                $30k for liability??
                Are those actual commercial costs today? Farm costs?

                Comment


                  #9
                  I am not against more training but there is a difference here. A young guy grows up on a farm in rural setting and he follows his Dad and sees what he does day in day out. Driving tractors and trucks around the farm and country roads learning what its like to pull things that are heavy and what it takes to stop heavy machines. He also knows what its like to drive on snow, ice and fog.

                  The next guy grows up in a urban setting and has never seen snow in his life and most likely has never been behind the wheel of any vehicle. He immigrates to Canada in July goes through a two day bogus drivers course gets handed a class one. Then he is shown a truck and told head across the country.

                  This is just a knee jerk reaction from the government that was looking poor because they had done absolutely nothing since the accident.

                  A four year old knows what a STOP sign is and more training won't fix stupid.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    The other issue is that I don't drive often enough to say I am a professional driver....

                    I have my 1A, try to ensure my truck doesn't lot rot on me but its expensive....I look at getting it custom hauled....whoa thats expensive....

                    I can't recoup any of the costs..... either way...

                    My son will be training for a 1A in january....I still just wish the eyebrow elevator was open...close...slow driving...not overweight...good way to train a young driver on gravel roads where there is less traffic and let him build confidence...

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by ajl View Post
                      Add increases in the cost of hauling grain to list of cost increases for 2019. I do agree that some more stringent standards should be met here with truck licenses but as the Ontario experience shows bureaucrats will not stop once they start on this road. My operation struggles to survive and there is no way I can afford the Ontario costs. Just glad for new terminals close by where I can still haul with a tandem.
                      I've been in an elevator when a tandem pulls up? They curse and swear call them Tonka trucks. Don't want to waste time on them.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Government mandated training... Where does one draw the line?

                        If you get your class 1 in the summertime have you done any training on ice? Driving in snow with covered over tail lights, soaking wet heated mirrors? Ice fog with hardly any visibility out your front window? Or if you get your class 1 in saskatchewan, should be able to drive in BC without any mountain training? Or decend or climb a river hill without any river training? Or board a ferry without any ferry training? Or Drive in a city without urban training? Or pull super B's or A and C trains without any Super, A, and C training? Or if you train in a kenworth, with an overslung clutch, should you be able to drive a peterbilt without underslung clutch training? Or if you train in a 9 or 10 speed should you be able to drive in a 13,15, or 18, or 5 and 4 without additional training?(We've already gone automatic vs. manual transmission license) Should you require additional training if you're pulling fluids? decks? flammables? animals? vans? reefers? Equipment? Or, if you trained in a truck with a C7 cat, should you require additional training to run a C15, an ISX, Detroit, or Volvo? If you trained in a daycab with a rear window should you require additional training to run with a bunk and no rear window? Should you require additional training in the use of chains before being allowed to operate in muddy, or icy/snowy conditions? Should you be able to park in a truck stop without additional close quarters training?
                        Maybe we should though? I mean, it could prevent the death or injury of one person, and what if that person was a family member or close friend of yours? If the argument in favor of government legislation is always, "it's worth it if we prevent the death/injury of one person", where will regulation stop? The leviathan can't help itself, and we can't help but cheer them on.

                        I could go on... And perhaps I should...

                        What about the real lack of enforcement of the rules that are already in place. What the hell are some of these goons and their garbage equipment doing on the road in the first place? Where are the traffic enforcement officials? You can drive from the BC border to Winnipeg and back quite often without being stopped once, or even asked to report for a weigh in let alone a paperwork check. You can drag 150,000+ lb loads on super B's from central saskatchewan to alberta feedlots at will! You can treat your paper log like it's little more than ass-wipe. You can run full loads down saskatchewan spring weighted roads with impunity.

                        On another front, is the shipper that hired the fly by night operation that was hauling the peat moss suffering any consequences? Maybe they should? Hell if we're going to pass a shitswack of additional rules, perhaps we could solve a whole lot of the problem by simply stating the shipper is liable while the carrier is in transit. Did they pass up 2,3, or 15 bids at a higher rate to go with the lowest cost company to ship their goods? What is the reason for the bidder's bargain basement pricing? Are they skirting the Hours of Service rules to undercut the competition? Are they skimping on maintenance to undercut the competition? Do they cut corners on load securement to get the job done quicker so as to undercut the competition?

                        Take the case of us as farmers... We'd sure think differently, about who pulled underneath our auger, or pulled bales out of our field, etc... Should we?

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by blackpowder View Post
                          Could I get some clarification on those costs??
                          $15k to register a tandem??
                          $30k for liability??
                          Are those actual commercial costs today? Farm costs?
                          Tandem gravel truck in commercial setting from the local guy, friend, that does a lot of the contract work around here, including me. 15k for plate sticker each year. 30k for liability, less if you keep your coverage low, but if you have a driver that kills someone, 1 mill means **** all. All the vehicle costs went apeshit in this province under 15 years of Liberals.

                          Add in his semi for lowbedding and belly dump and the costs are even higher.

                          Farm costs would be less but not by much. 1/2 at best for the sticker.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by helmsdale View Post
                            Government mandated training... Where does one draw the line?

                            If you get your class 1 in the summertime have you done any training on ice? Driving in snow with covered over tail lights, soaking wet heated mirrors? Ice fog with hardly any visibility out your front window? Or if you get your class 1 in saskatchewan, should be able to drive in BC without any mountain training? Or decend or climb a river hill without any river training? Or board a ferry without any ferry training? Or Drive in a city without urban training? Or pull super B's or A and C trains without any Super, A, and C training? Or if you train in a kenworth, with an overslung clutch, should you be able to drive a peterbilt without underslung clutch training? Or if you train in a 9 or 10 speed should you be able to drive in a 13,15, or 18, or 5 and 4 without additional training?(We've already gone automatic vs. manual transmission license) Should you require additional training if you're pulling fluids? decks? flammables? animals? vans? reefers? Equipment? Or, if you trained in a truck with a C7 cat, should you require additional training to run a C15, an ISX, Detroit, or Volvo? If you trained in a daycab with a rear window should you require additional training to run with a bunk and no rear window? Should you require additional training in the use of chains before being allowed to operate in muddy, or icy/snowy conditions? Should you be able to park in a truck stop without additional close quarters training?
                            Maybe we should though? I mean, it could prevent the death or injury of one person, and what if that person was a family member or close friend of yours? If the argument in favor of government legislation is always, "it's worth it if we prevent the death/injury of one person", where will regulation stop? The leviathan can't help itself, and we can't help but cheer them on.

                            I could go on... And perhaps I should...

                            What about the real lack of enforcement of the rules that are already in place. What the hell are some of these goons and their garbage equipment doing on the road in the first place? Where are the traffic enforcement officials? You can drive from the BC border to Winnipeg and back quite often without being stopped once, or even asked to report for a weigh in let alone a paperwork check. You can drag 150,000+ lb loads on super B's from central saskatchewan to alberta feedlots at will! You can treat your paper log like it's little more than ass-wipe. You can run full loads down saskatchewan spring weighted roads with impunity.

                            On another front, is the shipper that hired the fly by night operation that was hauling the peat moss suffering any consequences? Maybe they should? Hell if we're going to pass a shitswack of additional rules, perhaps we could solve a whole lot of the problem by simply stating the shipper is liable while the carrier is in transit. Did they pass up 2,3, or 15 bids at a higher rate to go with the lowest cost company to ship their goods? What is the reason for the bidder's bargain basement pricing? Are they skirting the Hours of Service rules to undercut the competition? Are they skimping on maintenance to undercut the competition? Do they cut corners on load securement to get the job done quicker so as to undercut the competition?

                            Take the case of us as farmers... We'd sure think differently, about who pulled underneath our auger, or pulled bales out of our field, etc... Should we?
                            The tough part about making the shipper liable is that cost doesn't necessarily equate quality. It isn't up to me to ensure the trucker doesn't have two log books or that his truck won't pass a safety. That is what DOT are for.

                            I drive by a weigh scale every time I haul to town. It has only been open a handful of times in the last 18 months because they don't have enough staff. Getting it open regularly would be a definite help. When they have been open there are usually 3 or 4 guys on creepers and they write a bunch of tickets.

                            You would think they could pay for themselves pretty quick.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Scary shit, but it doesn't surprise me.
                              Without looking it up I think I pay $4k ish a year to insure and register 2 tractors, 1 tandem, 4 trailers( 1 is a wide sprayer trailer), and 3 pickups. No inspections yet, but there are more roadsides lately.
                              And this is in a province where the evil private sector SELLS the insurance.
                              Granted, farm use. Rural residence for passenger vehicles, and no drivers under 25.
                              Oh how much safer I'd feel if only the government would look after this too. Maybe ban something if it saves 1 in a million risks. Gee, maybe only let govt own and operate these dangerous items. Sound familiar???

                              Comment

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