Commercial trucking is the lifeblood of our economy. In 2005, the trucking industry is estimated to have generated $67 billion in revenue. Transportation Canada reports that more than 600,000 heavy trucks wind through the veins of our highway systems every day.Heavy commercial vehicles, however, pose a significantly greater risk to motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. Who doesn’t grip the wheel a little tighter when being passed by a rig, or feather the brakes when in front of a dump truck. According to research from the Transportation Institute of the University of Michigan, in December 2000, 15,000 commercial trucks roll over in the US, each year, and 12% of those resulted in a fatality. In Quebec, the ASTE requisitioned research into the study of heavy commercial vehicle tire blowouts due to the number of deaths and injuries experienced in that province. The research revealed that the rapid degradation of the tires under heat create flammable gasses, and when in sufficient concentration, with sufficient pressure and oxygen, create a violent explosion of more than 1000 psi, which produces shock waves.

In December 2000, 15,000 commercial trucks roll over in the US, each year, and 12% of those resulted in a fatality.

Add to these unique problems, inadequate servicing of vehicles traveling hundreds of thousands of kilometers each year, driver fatigue, pressures from dispatch, sight line problems, and longer stopping distances, and it is no wonder collisions with commercial vehicles are a significant concern. We know the inside and outside of the trucking industry. Before law school, Darcy Romaine worked for 5 years for a mid sized trucking company, as the parts manager and assistant to the garage and maintenance manager.