Saturday afternoon, a truck and train collided as the truck was crossing the railway tracks where they intersect with Highway 11. In such cases, unless signal failure is proven, the truck driver will always be at fault. That fault could extend well beyond the damage to the truck, load and damage to the train itself.
For the past two decades, there has been a program, Operation Lifesaver, to remind Truck Drivers of the dangers of crossing railway tracks intersecting roadways used by vehicular traffic. At one point the efforts of the program had reduced the annual rate from mid to high forties to in the low twenties but the the money ran out and the rate immediately ran right back to the mid forties where it continues.
There isn’t a truck train collision that doesn’t start in the seven figures and often becomes eight figures very quickly and that has nothing to do with the costs of human life that is often part of the scenario.
The Canadian Owner Operators Co-operative has brochures available with tips for truckers to safely navigate the thousands of rail crossings in Canada. Whether you’re a one truck operation or a major carrier, contact the Co-op — cctgw@rogers.com — and request the number of brochures you require for your organization. Those brochures will be forwarded to you postage paid. These are suitable for safety meetings or just plain reading and keeping these dangers first and foremost in a world where patience is tested at every turn.
Let’s get those truck train incidents reduced to zero now.
