VANCOUVER, B.C. – Restrictions imposed on commercial vehicles on British Columbia’s Coquihalla Highway have helped reduce winter closures on the province’s busiest mountain pass, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said late Tuesday.

There were 11 closures on the highway last winter, compared to 27 in 2017-18, the ministry said.

“Enhanced chain regulations and the ‘No Trucks in Left Lane’ pilot program have both made positive impacts on the safety and reliability of the Coquihalla Highway,” the ministry said in an email to Today’s Trucking.

The province said it implemented several initiatives aimed at improving the reliability of its highways following the “challenging winter of 2017-18”.

But the ministry stressed that comparing seasons is very difficult.

That is because the severity of winter is made up of numerous variables such as the snowfall amount, number of storms, temperatures and wind, which are different from year-to-year, the ministry said.

The “No Trucks in Left Lane” was initially applied to the most treacherous part of the highway. It has since been expanded to other sections.

“Positive feedback has been one of the largest driving forces for the expansion of the pilot program to other locations along the Coquihalla Highway.”

When extreme weather is forecast on the Hope to Merritt section of the Coquihalla, the ministry and the local maintenance contractor implement what is referred to as the Coquihalla Snowshed Protocol.

The protocol has been in place for many years.

“Under the Snowshed Protocol, our contractor deploys additional resources to the area, and hires a tow truck to be on standby in case a commercial vehicle spins out,” the ministry said.

The protocol comes into force when more than 15 centimeters of snowfall over a 12-hour period is predicted for the Snowshed corridor, according to the ministry’s website.

“Its sole purpose is to make sure we can maintain safe and uninterrupted travel through the corridor during heavy snowfall or other challenging weather event.”

Last winter, the protocol was implemented 11 times, the ministry said.

Driving means learning every day.

SafetyDriven features Rick Rabbitt, one of our experienced drivers. We are never too old or so experienced that we can’t learn something, especially about safety. Sharing our stories is a great way to learn from each other.

Rick Rabbitt has been on the road for a long time. He passed his driving test in January 1986—that’s nearly 35 years ago, if you’re counting.

Rabbitt’s career began in maintenance before he ever got behind the wheel. He was brought up around trucks and equipment, learning from his dad and uncles how to look after vehicles before they taught him to drive. That experience gave him an appreciation for what it means to keep gear in good condition; he saw first-hand the cost of neglect in damaged equipment. It is far more costly to repair than to maintain equipment and worth the time it takes to repair something before it becomes a problem rather than put it off for just one more trip.

During his career, Rabbitt has driven logging trucks, dispatched trucks for the oil patch, been a supervisor with a fuel company, and been a Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement (CVSE) officer. Today, he drives for Alchemist Specialty Carriers, driving tandem or tri-drive roll-off bins, tandem tractors hauling 53-foot vans, and B-train fuel tankers, end dumps, and roll-off trailers. He mainly does day trips now and the occasional load from Washington State, Logan Lake, and Kamloops.

Rabbitt estimates he has driven well over 2 million miles and has won a few safety awards, mainly for accident-free miles, which he humbly has forgotten the names of. Over all those miles, he has had close calls, mainly due to animals, weather, or traffic conditions, and a few incidents. He was accident-free until December 16, 2018. On that day—the day before his birthday—he was eastbound on Highway 5, the Coquihalla, travelling well under the 120 kph speed limit in winter conditions, when he encountered a vehicle with its 4-way flashers on. He used his engine brake to slow down, but the truck locked up and began to skid. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but the truck was damaged and the trailer written off. Rabbitt says the accident was avoidable, as the road conditions were okay except for black ice.

Black ice is a hazard for any driver; professional drivers need to be especially vigilant, knowing when it can form (early morning and evening, especially when the temperature is between minus 5 degrees celcius and plus 5 degrees celcius), and watching for signs of it (vehicles ahead sliding is a good one; a slight sheen on the road may be another). Rabbitt says he encountered the same conditions twice last year and notes that being in a hurry to finish work often ends in an incident. There is no excuse, he says, especially for drivers of his experience. “Keeping your eyes and mind on the task is the ONLY way to avoid such mishaps.” The lesson learned, ultimately, is to stay home during extreme weather if you can. No load is worth injury, loss of life, or loss of the load and equipment.

Rabbitt notes that, while you might make mistakes, drivers should remember that accidents are avoidable. Drivers with plenty of experience can be safer and better drivers, but they can also become complacent. “Every day I drive, I learn more,” he says, recommending safety, courtesy, and professionalism in all things. “Be the driver you were when you passed your driving test.”

Have a great safety-related story or experience to share? Let us know! Contact SafetyDriven at 1-877-414-8001 or info@safetydriven.ca

You might say Kool Pak Canada ULC is a cool company. It transports and warehouses frozen, chilled, refrigerated, and dry products.

Formerly Polar Express Transportation, Kool Pak is headquartered in Langley, BC, and celebrated 20 years in business in 2020. The company serves the Vancouver – Seattle corridor and offers less-than-truckload (LTL) and full-truckload (FTL) transportation services, with five temperature-controlled facilities in BC, Washington, Oregon, and Northern and Southern California. In January 2012, Polar Express joined Kool Pak’s transportation companies, which provide services across the contiguous United States.

With expansion, it was obvious a formal safety program was required. In 2015, Kavita Kohli was offered the opportunity to take on Kool Pak’s safety management. She charged ahead, learning as she went, taking SafetyDriven courses, becoming an internal auditor, to build Kool Pak’s safety program from scratch. The company became COR certified in 2017. It has 29 employees, including 15 drivers and owner operators.

Kavita recalls establishing policies and forming the safety committee with the support and approval of the executive at every step. Staff buy-in was immediate overall—drivers, warehouse workers, and office staff—which Kavita credits to “having really good staff who understand the value of safety. Everyone from the president down supports company safety.” Shortly after the program was implemented, Kool Pak held its first Safety Day to reinforce the importance of an operative safety program. It was very effective with the staff and with drivers in particular.

Kool Pak’s safety program involves everyone. The safety committee comprises one manager, one warehouse and one office staff member. Drivers have plenty of opportunity to participate when they aren’t on the road. The safety culture is open; all staff members receive the same information and everyone can bring their ideas and suggestions to regular safety meetings. SafetyDriven resources often inspire meeting topics.

Drivers and staff raise issues like workplace hazards, personal safety such as preventing back problems, incidents, near-misses, roadside accidents, and general driving practices. Suggestions are discussed in the meeting to decide if they will work on the ground as presented or with alterations. Managers and supervisors perform random spot checks, providing feedback immediately, and incidents are reviewed at safety meetings. The review gives the team the opportunity to support employees who are having problems and discuss safety practices. For drivers on the road, regular emails provide updates. For more immediate situations, drivers are called to ensure they remain informed. Regular communication with all staff helps improve the safety program continually.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kool Pak stocked up on personal protective equipment and introduced new protocols. Staff arriving at the worksite undergo a temperature check before their shift. Anyone with a fever is required to stay home; those whose jobs are conducive to working from home can do so. Before starting work in the office, staff sanitize their work stations. They wear gloves to handle paperwork and sanitize counters every hour. Drivers have their own office for paperwork with similar protocols. Only one driver can use the office at a time—they must wait in the warehouse if the office is occupied—and they are required to clean surfaces before working. A COVID update is provided every Monday.

The best reward of any safety program is, of course, keeping everyone safe, but Kool Pak ups the ante by offering cash and prizes. Annual Safety Days are held in September and October to reward those who have exhibited exceptional safety practices. Prizes, such as household items or Tim Horton’s gift cards, are awarded. The top prize for excellent safety performance is $250 in cash. Drivers with clean roadside inspections get $75 for level 1 and $50 for levels 2 and 3. Safety Days are also opportunities to remind drivers and staff about safety topics; during the pandemic, that has meant personal calls from Kavita to every driver out of town.

Along the way, Kool Pak has been awarded for its safety performance with the Overall Winner of Trucking Award from the National Occupational Safety and Health Week (NAOSH) in 2019 and an honourable mention in 2018. The safety committee won SafetyDriven’s Safety and Health Week Team Champion award in 2018 and the warehouse manager won an Individual award in 2019. And Kavita herself won an Individual Champion award from SafetyDriven in 2018 and Safety and Health Week Champion from NAOSH in 2019.

Though Kool Pak may seem pretty chill, when it comes to safety, it’s all business.

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Apply for the Innovation grant

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Competition launch: November 23, 2020

Application form due: February 12, 2021 at 4 p.m.

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Important dates:

Competition launch: November 23, 2020

Application form due: January 29, 2021 at 4 p.m.

Please contact us at info@safetydriven.ca and your inquiry will be forwarded to the correct department and responded to accordingly.

To continue to increase safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, ICBC customers will soon need to make an appointment before their visit to five ICBC driver licensing offices. This pilot project begins Nov. 23, 2020, at the Burnaby Metrotown, Richmond Lansdowne, Surrey Guildford, Kamloops and Victoria Wharf Street driver licensing offices.

The pilot will help minimize the number of customers waiting for service in-person, ensuring that the appropriate number of customers are in an office at the same time, while maintaining physical distancing as required by the Provincial Health Officer and WorkSafeBC.

To help customers transition to the changes during the pilot, these five locations will also designate time each day to serve walk-in customers.

Locations and walk-in times

Customers who are unable to book an appointment may visit their ICBC office at the following times:

• Burnaby Driver Licensing (Metrotown), 232 – 4820 Kingsway, Monday – Saturday from 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
• Kamloops Driver Licensing, 937 Concordia Way, Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
• Victoria Wharf St. Driver Licensing, 955 Wharf St., Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
• Richmond Driver Licensing (Lansdowne), 402-5300 No. 3 Road, Monday – Saturday from 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
• Surrey (Guildford), Unit C1A 15285-101^st Ave, Monday – Saturday from 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

All other times will be reserved for customers with appointments. See the locator for full details.

Booking an appointment

The easiest way to book is online at www.icbc.com/appointment. Customers may call 1-800-950-1498 if online access is not possible. Depending on appointment availability at the preferred location, customers may search for a same-day appointment or book one up to 12 weeks in advance. Customers will receive a confirmation email as well as two reminder emails with instructions ahead of the appointment.

Based on the results of the pilot, ICBC may consider making these changes permanent, expanding the pilot to other offices, or returning to taking walk-in customers and appointments, at all times.

Disclaimer: The information above is accurate as of the date of publication. For the most up-to-date information on ICBC’s services during the COVID-19 pandemic, visit https://www.icbc.com/about-icbc/contact-us/Pages/covid-19.aspx.

Take the Time for the National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims

After November 11 has passed each year and the poppies have been put away, there’s another sobering day of remembrance that’s less widely known. On the Wednesday following the third Sunday in November, Canada observes the National Day of Remembrance (NDR) for Road Crash Victims.

Canada’s NDR is part of a global effort, the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, which seeks to:

• remember all people killed and seriously injured on the roads;
• acknowledge the crucial work of the emergency services;
• draw attention to the generally trivial legal response to culpable road deaths and injuries;
• advocate for better support for road traffic victims and victim families; and
• promote evidence-based actions to prevent and eventually stop further road traffic deaths and injuries.

According to the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, almost 300 people are killed each year by road crashes in this province, and many more are seriously injured. Our fatality rate of 5.7 deaths per 100,000 population is higher than the Canadian national average.

The sad fact is that road crashes are a leading cause of unintentional injury or death for British Columbians of all ages. The term “road crash” is used rather than “accident” because almost all crashes are preventable. Speeding, distracted driving, and impairment are all major factors in crashes, and all are avoidable.

Speeding topped the violations recorded during this year’s Operation Safe Driver Week held across North America in July, with almost half of the citations given to commercial drivers linked to excessive speed. Given that speeding remains the number one contributing factor to fatal road crashes in BC, this “need to speed” can be a deadly habit. ICBC states: “Speeding is a major contributing factor to car crash fatalities in BC. The faster you go, the longer it takes to stop—and the more dangerous a crash can be.”

With almost everyone now heavily reliant on smart phones for everything from driving directions to social connections, distracted driving has become an even more serious issue in the past few years. Although distractions can be anything that takes the driver’s mind, eyes, and ears off the road, phones are like magnets that many people cannot ignore, even while driving. In the article “Distracted Driving Puts all Canadians at Risk,” the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) writes: “Constant stimulation and short attention spans have become the norm, with phone alerts providing the soundtrack in our hectic lives….[M]ore than half of Canadians admit their cellphone distracts them while driving.”

Taking the wheel when impaired by alcohol or drugs is extremely dangerous and, of course, illegal. Being caught could cost you your vehicle, your driver’s license, or your job, or even put you in jail. Not being caught could cost you your life, or someone else’s. Although cannabis is now legal in Canada, driving under its influence is not. Remember that driving within three hours of consuming cannabis doubles the risk of being in a crash, and using alcohol and drugs together increases the risk even more.

When it comes to avoiding crashes, drivers of large commercial vehicles need to be even more cautious than the general public, both because they spend more time on the road and because their trucks are more dangerous. TIRF’s “Road Safety Bulletin: A Question of Size” states: “It is estimated that in Canada about 15% of highway deaths each year are due to collisions involving large trucks.” Professional drivers can and should be role models for the best in road safety practices.

Due to COVID, gatherings to mark the National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims are not possible this year, but it’s a good reminder for everyone to reflect on how we can all drive safer. In his blog post on the NDR, road safety advocate Paul Hergott wrote: “If we pause to contemplate the magnitude and preventability of this ongoing loss, we might become motivated to take constructive steps to reduce it.”

Safety success

“How can we make it safer?” This question reflects one of Quality Move Management’s integral values: Safety is top of mind at every turn.

Quality Move Management (QMM) was established in Vancouver in 1996 and hit the ground running; by 2000, it had become Allied Van Lines’ first-ever dedicated corporate agent in Canada. It expanded into Calgary in 2004, Edmonton in 2010, and Toronto in 2017. QMM has become Allied’s largest agent in Canada and largest cross-border agent in North America. It hauls more than 3.6 million kilos (8 million pounds) of household goods between Canada and the US each year and has been the Allied Cross Border Agent of the year for 13 consecutive years. In 2019, Allied named QMM the Agent of the Year in the US, a first for a Canadian company.

QMM attained COR certification in 2013. Their initial COR audit provided the opportunity to identify key areas that could be updated and improved to create a comprehensive health and safety program. Today, the company is a shareholder-owned company with 39 owner operators and contractors. Its President and Chief Operating Officer, Tim Nager, who joined QMM in 1997, has played a key role in the company’s growth and expansion. Under his leadership, QMM demonstrates its values of respect, teamwork, excellence, and safety.

Christina Welsh, co-chair of the Joint Health and Safety Committee, notes that QMM’s safety culture has grown over the years, with open discussion becoming the norm. Everyone receives the same safety information, whether they sit behind a steering wheel or behind a desk. Everyone can provide feedback and often it is an owner operator who raises an issue and makes a case for improvements. Every meeting at QMM opens with a safety moment. If something goes wrong, there is that question to be explored: How can we make it safer?

Communication includes a safety information board in the office, emails to drivers on the road, and Q4 News, the company newsletter, which is circulated to all staff. With operations across a large geographic area, adhering to safety protocols requires effective communication at a distance. Operations managers have daily contact with drivers and crews, including during cross-border operations.

Managers do on-site visits when crews are within reach. Otherwise, owner-operators, who are rated on their practices, ensure loaders work properly. Additionally, QMM operations managers engage drivers with tool box talks and twice a year, owner operators have a large group call. They know the door is always open to talk with management or safety committee members. And employees watch out for each other; they can nominate local team members with excellent safety practices for gift cards and kudos under QMM’s Playing-to-Win program, and for QMM’s annual safety Stars Award.

Driver-related resources from SafetyDriven support the QMM team, as do events that help people interact over safety. QMM holds an annual Summer Safety Week as a broad overview of occupational health and safety issues. It is as interactive as possible with get-togethers and the SafetyDriven safety carnival, but the COVID-19 pandemic changed interactivity in 2020.

During the pandemic, safety practices have had to be more reactive to situations drivers encounter. For example, QMM handles many moves between Alberta and Texas; American clients have different protocols. The company has had to adjust to changing provincial and state rules, federal rules in two countries, and border restrictions interpreted differently depending on location. QMM has adopted digital versions of surveys and paperwork so the only places drivers handle paper is border crossings and scales. Requiring customers to ensure they can provide clean, COVID-safe spaces for workers means imposing their protocols on people not subject to their rules. Relying on familiar workers within the Allied network has helped, but in general, clients have accepted QMM’s requirements.

QMM has won a number of awards during its tenure. In 2013, QMM was awarded Allied’s Canadian Safety Recognition Award for their “exemplary safety record, policies and procedures in British Columbia and Alberta.” It won Allied Van Lines’ International Customer Choice Award and Canadian Agent of the Year in 2019. Allied has also awarded safe driving, million-mile awards to QMM drivers.

In 2018, the Canadian Association of Movers (CAM) recognized QMM as the CAM Agent of the Year and the Move for Hunger Mover of the Year for their donation of 27,000 kilos (61,000 pounds) of food to local food banks. In 2019, QMM was a winner of SafetyDriven’s Health and Safety Innovation Award for their leadership and innovative methods in maintaining a vibrant workplace and industry safety culture. Three QMM drivers were winners in SafetyDriven’s 2020 Driver Appreciation Week.

QMM strives for excellence in all areas and ensures safety policies and practices exceed industry standards. Its safety culture prioritizes employee well-being, making safety a keystone of its success.

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Imagine being hired as a trucking firm’s safety manager with no trucking and little safety experience and in less than three years building an award-winning, COR-certified safety program that has the enthusiastic support of the company’s workforce. Sounds incredible, but it’s what David Law has done as the Safety and Compliance Manager at F&G Delivery. After working in warehouse management, Law was hired to fill a vacancy because he showed promise. It was a wisely prescient decision.

Walter Ford and Ken Gibson founded F&G Delivery in 1958 in Burnaby, providing local delivery service with pick-up trucks. In the 80s, they sold the company to their sons, Lloyd Ford and Brian Gibson, and moved it to Port Kells, Surrey. Today, as a major provider of truck and crane services, it has 140 owner operators with vehicles that include flat decks, Hiabs, cranes, and tractor-trailer equipment to service BC’s Lower Mainland.

When Law joined F&G two-and-a-half years ago, he was concerned about being accepted. He not only had to win over the owner operators, he had to learn the ins and outs of two unions. At F&G, truck drivers and administrative staff are Teamsters, while crane operators belong to the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE). It sounds tricky, but Law has made it an opportunity for communication and openness grounded in safety.

Law climbed a very steep learning curve by taking every course he could to learn about load securement, defensive driving, vehicle inspections, transporting dangerous goods, and all applicable regulations, including the National Safety Code. He wasn’t alone; F&G supported him and SafetyDriven helped build their safety program.

The company’s existing safety practices didn’t go far enough. Law created a collaborative environment by breaking down barriers, essentially becoming the face of safety at F&G. Although one person can make a difference, he cannot be the safety policy—team buy-in is necessary. Before any policy is finalized, Law seeks individuals’ input. He also consults with the four other members of the safety committee, who collectively represent about 100 years’ experience, to review proposals to determine how well they will work on the ground.

Safety committee member Rob Lowey, a crane operator with 13 years at F&G, says the approach has made a huge difference because Law never just cites the rules; he works with people to figure out how to get the job done safely. Individuals having a voice has enhanced the company’s safety culture. Lowey says “people feel valued and protected by a safety program that is proactive, not punitive.”

F&G sees great results through collaboration. In 2019, F&G attained COR certification and won SafetyDriven’s Innovation Award, COR Best Overall Large Employer, and COR Achievement of Excellence. Also in 2019, National Occupational Safety and Health BC (NAOSH) awarded Law as their Trucking Champion and Law and Lowey as Individual Champions. One of F&G’s long-time drivers was a winner of SafetyDriven’s 2020 Driver Appreciation Week.

Drivers and operators are engaged in their safety; they ask for training rather than being sent. F&G will have every driver through COR training by the end of 2020. They feel more secure and understand better how a safety program helps them. They feel they own their safety, can use their knowledge to make decisions, and if things go wrong, the program is there to support them.

SafetyDriven.ca has safety courses, training videos, templates and more to make your company safer