Today's protest from dump truck drivers may have little impact on Toronto cyclists, since it is being limited to the expressways. Of course, there will be spill-over in the congestion, just like north end cyclists saw last night when part of the 401 was closed. All nearby arterial streets became parking lots, overflowing into the neighbourhood streets.
Drivers are complaining about overloaded trucks, long hours and high diesel prices.
The part of the story that concerned me was this:
``The brake system is designed for a load of 21 tonnes. When the truck is eight or nine tonnes overloaded, the momentum doesn't let you stop unless you really stand on the brakes."
That'll definitely be on my mind next time I take the lane in front of a dump truck.
Through various media outlets, the drivers are asking for public support, which makes one ask where the responsibility lies. The drivers may not know the exact weight of their load, but surely they can eye the difference between 21 tonnes of gravel and 29 tonnes. Once leaving the work site, it's the driver who gets charged, but the drivers are blaming the contractors they work with.
Even worse, he said, is that drivers who question overweight loads are often banished from a work site.
After being banished, wouldn't that driver go give a tip to the Ministry of Transportation? Are there no spot checks? It seems there's a good load of blame to go around.
So while a certain amount of the responsibility for overloading lies with the dump truck driver, at least they are drawing attention to the issue. I can only hope the provincial government considers this important enough to improve enforcement.
Photo credit Kenworth Dump Truck by Ashman 88
Comments
hamish (not verified)
regulating the guy$ of construction
Thu, 05/08/2008 - 10:37Like the auto industry, Ontario is dependent on the throughput of our landscrape into housing and waste. Regulating means slowing the flow. Slowing the flow means extra cost + friction.
Conservation may mean survival, but it's not good for our "economy".
And there's a certain degree of "truckulence" with limits, though many truck drivers are decent hard-working people.
Last year I guess it was going up to the Bayview Memorial, there was a blaring sound as a concrete truck smoked through York Mills and Yonge against the light. Astounding that no-one was in a smearious wipe-out. A few minutes later, I see the same truck headed north, and I caught the # etc.
A while later, I email the details into the City and get a non-response saying the police won't likely since they didn't see it or words to that effect.
It's one loose end I've not chased but pretty pathetic, and Vic G and others were there to see the truck smoke through.
And these overweight trucks wear out the roads weigh faster than the bikes do.
Tone (not verified)
That's scary
Thu, 05/08/2008 - 12:32I don't know what's scarier ... the fact that overloaded trucks -- barely able to stop -- are on our roads. Or that the drivers are so used to it that they freely admit it in the media!!
rob r
Don't dump on truckers
Thu, 05/08/2008 - 14:43I don't understand why you're against the truckers on this one. They're taking a stand on systemic corruption, here. You've got to remember - these are the little guys. They're not making the decision to overload their trucks and drive at speeds that are unsafe. They're being forced into it by an industry that's willing to put profit over people's safety.
You ask "After being banished, wouldn't that driver go give a tip to the Ministry of Transportation?" In this economy, people do what they can to stay employed. When they lose their jobs, the first order of business is finding a new job immediately so they can keep feeding their kids, not taking a complaint to a government bureaucrat who likely doesn't give a shit.
The protest is a noble act and I don't think they deserve your scorn for bringing this issue to the attention of the public.
Svend
Truckers need to pass on
Thu, 05/08/2008 - 15:27Truckers need to pass on their costs to those who use their services - ultimately "us".
Costs need to increase for disposal and shipping on our highways - then perhaps rail will be a reasonable alternative.
darren
enforcement
Thu, 05/08/2008 - 16:39Rob, I do think this is ultimately an enforcement problem and I appreciate what the truckers are doing: bringing this issue to the attention of the public, since it sounds like the government needs to regulate the industry better.
One thing I'm saying is that if someone is regularly carrying about 40% more than the capacity of their truck, they have to bear some responsibility.
While I can't say I've been on a work site, I have to assume that the reason they can't say "That's enough" is because another trucker is happy to take the job and carry the load. So I agree it's a systemic problem. I don't know what kind of powers The Ontario Dump Truck Association has, but it sounds like it doesn't enforce these kinds of things. If the association is asking for more spot checks from police, then good on them.
-dj
lucy (not verified)
support the truckers
Tue, 05/20/2008 - 15:11The Ontario Dump Truck Association is a one year old organization formed to fight corruption in this industry. This association has no power whatsoever. In fact, I was impressed that being a young association, they were able to get the public’s attention, the media attention and were able to negotiate their issues in a professional manner with the Earth Movers Association. I commend them for doing that and hope that they do not give up in their fight for their rights. It was a well organized protest and they were sensitive to the public trying to not disturb commuters on highways – hence they picked 10:00am for their rolling protest staying out of the rush hour traffic.
As for the load overweight, the truckers are asked to sit inside their trucks while they are loaded with dirt or gravel. Surely they can count the number of scoops that the excavator machine loads them with. If they get out of the truck and complain, they are told to haul that last load and not come back. The independent trucker has no choice but to keep their mouth shut hoping that they will not be stopped by the police at the weigh stations. I am sure if I had to choose between feeding my family or fighting corruption, I would surely choose to feed my family especially in the current economy where low-skilled jobs are really scarce.