A commuter asked “I would really like to see the article written
about what to do when we see a commercial transport vehicle that is
driving in an unsafe manner. You gave us a phone number to call that
specifically relates to tractor trailers, and who to
call when we witness a driving infraction. I see it on a regular basis
and most of the times the trucks are unmarked.”
I understand what this person feels as I had a recent encounter with a
tractor pulling a van trailer at the south end of the Nanaimo Bypass
last Friday afternoon. I was in the right lane keeping to the speed
limit and was followed at a frighteningly close distance.
Why the driver felt comfortable with this or did not pass me I cannot
understand.
After I changed to the left lane the truck passed by me and I could read
the company name, TRANSport, off of the driver’s door. Unfortunately,
that’s all I was able to read as I had to pay attention to where I was
going.
Recording the trailer licence plate might help, but it frequently
belongs to another company or is leased, leaving no simple trail back to
the commercial driver.
Depending on how threatened you feel by the encounter, you have a number
of options ranging from calling 911 to shrugging your shoulders and
carrying on.
Obviously, a continuing danger should be reported immediately by calling 911 and providing as much information as possible.
If this is not the case, there are other options to initiate enforcement
action. I’ve outlined the process of reporting bad drivers to police in
the article Q&A – Making a Driving Complaint to Police.
You may also report commercial vehicle safety violations to Commercial
Vehicle Safety and Enforcement (CVSE) by telephone: 1-888-775-8785. CVSE
personnel are provincial police officers charged specifically with
commercial vehicle traffic enforcement.
To be effective, you will have to be ready to act as a witness in court
to support charges against the driver. In cases where you are unwilling
to do this, the information is passed on to the driver or company for
action as they see fit. Repetitive complaints
without charges do not result in any public sanctions being taken to
halt the improper behaviour.
The trucking community shares your concern. The majority of the drivers
don’t care to be labeled as dangerous because of the actions of a few.
They also point out that the majority of collisions between heavy trucks
and light vehicles are the fault of the light
vehicle driver. This is difficult to corroborate in BC as ICBC does not
publish determination of fault in their annual collision statistics
report.
Reputable companies share your concerns and will act on valid complaints
themselves. If you choose not to report to law enforcement you can
search the company name and provide the circumstances to them. If your
internet search is not successful, the BC Trucking
Association and local weigh scales can be a good source of knowledge.
Heavy trucks intimidate other traffic through sheer size. I wonder if we
tolerate identical behaviour from drivers of smaller vehicles because
we see it more often and don’t feel as threatened by it. Food for
thought…
Constable Tim Schewe (Retired)
DriveSmartBC: Where better than average road users satisfy their curiosity.