Page 6 - Newcom

Between The Rock
and a Hard Place
Wreckhouse winds, precarious weigh stations and
ferry booking systems challenge Newfoundland fleets
By Leo Barros
Trucking companies in Newfoundland
have a lot on their plate besides typical
operations. Wind gusts on one section of
the Trans-Canada Highway are known
to exceed 100 km/h. The turns in and out
of provincial weigh stations can be dan-
gerous in their own right. Then add ferry
issues into the planning process.
It can all catch carriers between The
Rock and a hard place.
The Wreckhouse
Trucks that catch the ferry from Nova
Scotia are welcomed to the province by
a stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway
known as The Wreckhouse. About 30 km
long, it’s known for wind gusts that often
blow trucks on their sides.
Brian Easson, general manager of
Eassons Transport, said Environment
Canada now provides hourly updates on
those wind conditions. It’s something
that used to happen every 10 minutes.
“Our policy is if winds are gusting over
70 km/h and you are empty, you don’t
go. If it’s over 80 km/h and you are load-
ed, you don’t go,” he said.
Jason Murphy, Eassons Transport’s
terminal manager, said there are signs
warning drivers about the dangerous
winds, but sometimes they don’t work.
He wants more done to improve safety.
‘Stop’ and ‘Go’ signs for commercial
vehicles like those on the Confederation
Bridge linking New Brunswick and
Prince Edward Island would help.
Ryan MacDonald, president and
general manager of Tom MacDonald
Trucking agrees. “They shut down
the bridge going to P.E.I. due to high
winds. They should do this here in
Newfoundland, too,” he said.
Sheldon Guy, an owner-operator with
Eassons Transport, said existing signs
at The Wreckhouse sometimes identify
high wind conditions even though they
may be limited to a manageable gust
or two. “On other occasions, the wind
speeds may be low, but a freak gust
could get you and you are hanging on to
the wheel for dear life,” he said.
A windsock used to provide additional
guidance. “Now there’s only the pole. No
windsock,” he said.
Weigh stations
Several carriers have also highlighted
dangers associated with two weigh sta-
6 TODAY’S TRUCKING
tions along the Trans-Canada Highway.
Trucks heading east at Pynn’s Brook and
west at Goobies must turn into oncom-
ing traffic to enter and exit the scale.
The Pynn’s Brook facility sits at the
bottom of slopes on both sides of the
highway, and slow-moving commercial
vehicles must line up and wait in the
passing lane to make the turn. To com-
pound matters, Goobies is sometimes
shrouded in fog.
Chris Howlett, CEO and owner of
Akita Equipment has had enough,
especially after one of his trucks was
in a near-miss. “We’re not crossing the
highway into the weigh station no more,”
he said. “We’ve got a few tickets. We’re
going go to court with them.”
MacDonald has instructed drivers to
move along if access to the weigh station
is backed up with trucks.
The Department of Transportation
and Infrastructure warned that it’s an
offence to not report to an open weigh
scale when required to do so. Fines
range from $300 to $700, and violations
can add three points to a carrier’s safety
profile.
“Left-hand turns are necessary for a
variety of reasons, including reporting to
some weigh scales, and should be done
in a safe and responsible manner,” a
department spokesperson said.
Intersections at all six of the province’s
weigh scale locations – Foxtrap, Goobies,
Grand Falls-Windsor, Pynn’s Brook, Port
aux Basques, and Wabush – achieve or
exceed Transportation Association of
Canada safety design standards, includ-
ing those for speed limits and sightlines,
the spokesperson added.