Dear Editor:

Thanks for your last blog entry on Trucknews.com. It really opened my eyes to the frantic pace that truckers and drivers are moving at these days.

I was always so quick to blame the four-wheelers that I had lost track of the real problem…the speed at which people travel and that the focus is on getting there as opposed to how you get there.

It should, however, be noted that there are external forces at work on GTA drivers.

I just quit my job because my company is sub-leasing all their trucks to their drivers to cut costs. If you sub-lease a truck from them, you have a job. As a regional driver, I also refuse to work over 60 hours a week and there are many drivers now that are willing to push that envelope.

I gave my two weeks notice in good faith but when I returned from my one-week vacation, I was told that they had sold another truck and I had nothing to drive.

My week might not be nearly as bad as a mother of four, in an SUV that is trying to accommodate a busy schedule.

I realized that I really can’t fault the drivers in the GTA anymore.

They are trying to earn a living in a very expensive city that is anything but a tax-haven. Rush hour seems to be the trigger. This is when I am doing my job or driving into work at 100 km/h and watch the tailgaters in the rearview that are coming unglued at my speed.

The facial expressions and hand gestures usually mean that there is a lot of emotion behind the wheel. The scary part is that many think there is nothing wrong with this kind of behaviour but there is something wrong with the guy doing 100 km/h.

Impatience is what is causing accidents.

I see it everyday where all traffic – regardless of the road or speed limit – feel they have to be 13-18 km/h over the limit all the time. They ride in that comfort zone where they are not quite maniacs and not quite grannies.

The three afflictions that stop motorists from cooling their jets are ego, denial and impatience. Ego because at the last survey, 97% of drivers believed they were great drivers. Denial because they don’t believe it could ever happen to them and the latter requires no explanations. I am none of the above – I consider myself lucky.

Angelo Diplacido

Via e-mail