The panoramic view from Ross Ward’s truck opens a window to the miles of dandelion weeds and rolling hills that line the stretch of Hwy. 401, between Guelph and Kitchener, Ont. As Ward approaches Chatham about half a dozen roadkill carcasses later, the hills begin to shrink into flatland, the paved shoulder is meshed into gravel and the highway is squeezed into two lanes.

Just ahead, on both sides of this narrow corridor, two charcoal-colored clouds hover over the treetops and, like curtains closing at the end of a play, come together to create a mid-summer thunderstorm.

As Ward quickly slows down in synch with the dozens of red brake lights flashing in front of him, it’s not difficult to imagine how thick fog played a similar, but catastrophic role on that road last Sept. 3, where eight people were killed and 45 injured in a massive 80-vehicle accident. Ward, a 36-year veteran with TST Overland Express, who routinely drives that stretch between Mississauga and Windsor, said the region is notorious for taking the brunt of bad weather.

“It doesn’t happen often but when it does it’s just awful,” says Ward. “For fog especially, the corridor acts something like a tunnel. The fog blankets overtop and then just sinks down. You could be going along and it’s perfect. Then, like a brick wall, it hits you.”

Disabling weather is just one of many problems on this piece of highway, which historically has been considered one of the most accident-prone in the country.

Recently, an Ontario coroner’s jury into last September’s pileup announced 25 recommendations that address a variety of issues, including speed, fatigue, and highway design. Although some guidelines-such as increased police enforcement, more frequent monitoring of log books, infrastructure improvements, and electronic signs that give weather and traffic warnings-are noble in theory, many aren’t practical and it’s unlikely the powers that be will loosen the purse strings for the few recommendations that are.

In the meantime, trucks continue to roll over, four-wheelers still dart in and out of view, throttles get pushed closer to the floorboard, and eyelids still get heavy.

Instead of waiting for the government to untangle itself from the red tape, here are a few practical solutions, suggested by some of the industry’s most safety-conscience fleet executives, to help any safety manager take matters into his own hands and address at least some of these problems right away.

1 Technology helps. Many trucking operations just can’t seem to justify the short-term costs of safety-related technology. But after carefully weighing the benefits, it becomes evident how safety technology constitutes an investment, not merely an expense, says Michael Tremblay, operations manager of Transport Besner.

The St-Nicholas, Que.-based fleet-an early adopter of anti-lock braking systems, automated mechanical transmissions, and the first in North America to govern its speed at 90 km/h-arms its trucks with the Eaton VORAD collision warning system, a radar-based technology designed to help drivers steer clear of accidents like the one that happened on the fog-shrouded 401 one year ago.

Tremblay says the system-which warns a driver within seconds of imminent dangers ahead, monitors the distance of trucks in front or behind, and signals when objects are in the driver’s blind spot-is ideal for highways like the 401 corridor.

The collision-warning system is expensive-around $3500 a unit. But Tremblay says it typically pays for itself by limiting vehicle repair costs and reducing insurance premiums. He notes that accidents within the fleet have dropped 38% since Eaton VORAD’s system became part of Besner’s spec.

Tremblay also stresses the importance of choosing the best braking system for your application. New trucks are getting more powerful, and gross vehicle weight limits have gradually increased over the years. Carefully spec’ing brakes that fit well with the truck, trailer, gross vehicle weight, and routine routes is critical, he says, followed up with ongoing reminders about how to use brakes effectively. While today’s antilock braking systems are proven and reliable, they won’t shorten stopping distances at any cruising speed, and drivers still should be trained how to properly use ABS.

Braking technology is evolving faster than regulators in North America are willing to accept. Electronic braking systems (EBS), used widely in Europe, are available in North America as long as you have a redundant air system. With EBS, or “brake by wire,” an electronic signal starts the braking process once you touch the brake pedal. The signal travels more quickly than air and gets to all of the wheel positions at the same time, creating better brake balance and overcoming the lag in getting air to the rearmost axle. EBS can also brake the wheels independently according to need and adjusts the braking force in proportion to the load.

Freightliner LLC tested EBS with disc brakes on a tractor-trailer combination and recorded a 200-foot stop from 100 km/h-about half the distance required by the U.S. government for heavy trucks.

2 Don’t just tell. Show. Leading the list of the coroner’s jury recommendations was the re-introduction of photo radar-a provincial speed-enforcement program that consisted of van-mounted radar cameras, which snapped pictures of speeding motorists’ plates along Ontario’s highways. Many analysts testified that photo radar would be useless-a Band-Aid-solution that would not even stick to the cut.

This does not mean, however, that speed should be dismissed. It’s arguably the most problematic factor on the corridor, where much of the truck traffic is working to keep up with just-in-time schedules set by automotive industry clientele.

With so much to lose for going slow, Bob Pratt, strategic development manager at Guelph-based Markel Professional Transport Training, says it’s time to show fleet managers and owner-operators what’s to gain.

“When you’re speeding, you’re wearing out tires, you’re using a lot more fuel, and your maintenance costs will jump. You’re directly costing your company or yourself personally, a lot for money,” he said. Although every driver and fleet manager knows or has heard of the benefits of slower speeds in theory, Pratt says that they must be shown proof. In-house seminars-including statistics, charts, and graphs-may help do the trick.

Some points to ponder: The old rule of thumb says each mph faster typically means a loss of 0.1 mpg, slightly more for high-horsepower engines. Driveshaft torque increases nearly 20% going from 65 to 75 mph. If the drive axle ratio is changed from 3.91 to 3.58 to reduce engine rpms, the torque jumps another 9%: the extra torque reduces universal joint life by more than 30%.

One of the biggest potential penalties of speed relates to tires. At higher speeds, tires run hotter, accelerating tread wear, irregular wear, and casing degradation. Going from 65 to 70 mph would raise the operating temp by about 20º F. Tires are less resistant to impact at higher speeds, making it easier for them to fail in the casing or tread area.

Engine electronics make governing speed easy. But companies that do so risk upsetting and frustrating their drivers, and creating further concerns about mixed traffic speeds on a stretch of highway where cars whizzing by at 140 km/h isn’t unusual.

Although he empathizes with drivers who are constantly overtaken and cut off, Frank Haselden, vice-president of safety, maintenance, and compliance at TST Overland Express, says that a line in the sand must be drawn.

“The age-old debate is to give drivers extra on the governor so they have reserve to pass. Theoretically, the idea is fine, but now all the drivers run flat-out so they still need a reserve to pass someone going even faster,” says Haselden. “If we do allow the reserve, then from a corporate responsibility standpoint we’re saying we allow them to go that fast. We’re not prepared to say that. . If they can’t get around somebody, then we advise the drivers to just get behind the other truck and follow.”

To avoid being torn by the many differing opinions of what speed should be governed at, Haselden said the safest indicator is, quite simply, to be in tune with provincial speed limits-give or take a couple ticks on the speedometer.

3 Take them to school. Because of across-the-board driver shortages, too many driving schools hand out licenses like playing cards, say Tremblay and Haselden. They add that many schools and fleets train only in the most ideal weather conditions, never exposing rookies to the real-life weather and traffic conditions that plague roadways like the 401 stretch.

Transport Besner employs eight in-house trainers that take new drivers through a series of real or make-shift skid, black-ice, and jack-knife tests. Haselden sends drivers south of the border to the Michigan Center for Decision Driving, which incorporates similar vehicle control programs. They say young drivers who go through such exercises are less likely to panic or lose control of their rig during real-life situations.

4 Treat the 401 like the challenging route it really is. There may be even simpler solutions for smaller fleets whose pockets don’t run as deep. Education, and more importantly, communication, are keys.

Drawn out on a map, the straight stretch between London and Windsor looks simple enough. But any professional driver who each day encounters the high volume of traffic, accidents, the soft shoulders, unpredictable weather, and mind-numbing monotony of the highway contrasted with Ambassador Bridge bottlenecks, will likely tell a different story.

Roy Craigen, manager of the general freight division at Edmonton-based Economy Carriers Ltd., says that although the everyday challenges of unforgiving highways like the 401 stretch are well documented in the industry media, they’re rarely discussed in company boardrooms on a regular basis.

“If our track record in the industry shows that there has been a specific area at risk, then there’s nothing wrong with making that clear for drivers on a constant basis,” he said. “It takes nothing, and may do wonders, just to say to your drivers, ‘Hey guys, heads up. You’re operating in one of the toughest environments in North America.’ ”

The stretch of road should be recognized as challenging and managed accordingly. For instance, if speed isn’t governed at your company, try slowing down at least between Chatham and Windsor. Or try assigning veteran drivers to the corridor, while rookies get experience on city runs. Of course, driver shortages and freight volumes dictate it could never be done exclusively, but it may help to at least use the strengths of the more talented drivers where they are needed most. At your safety meetings, give drivers a chance to share experiences and suggestions on dealing with problematic highways like the 401 corridor.

“There is a big difference in preaching to your drivers and working with them,” said Craigen. “Everybody has a responsibility to the guy beside him. If the culture of the organization lends itself to that, then it’s easier to pay attention.”

5 Go or no-go: Who makes the call? Make your answer crystal clear. It seems every fleet manager claims that individual drivers are given the authority to decide whether to pull over because of fatigue, weather, or road conditions. Many companies maintain drivers are encouraged to stay alert by stopping every few hours to stretch, check their equipment, or get a coffee. But the truth is, the corner office does not always support a driver’s judgment when time-sensitive freight is involved. In that case, any practical attempt to improve driving on dangerous roadways becomes as futile and ideological as many of those recommended by the coroner’s inquest.

Roy Craigen suggests that management, therefore, should accept the onus for late shipments resulting from a driver taking extra caution on the road.

“If we keep pushing the envelope of safety because of time-sensitive freight, then we are boxing the driver in and contributing to the overall safety problem,” he said. “If we keep using a (driver’s authority) as a cop-out to pass on the decision on to him and then intimidate him not to use it, then it’s there for all the wrong reasons. No amount of communication or recommendations are going to solve anything.”

Another quick-fix cure for all the problems on the 401 corridor is often said to be “common sense,” a loose term that gets thrown around as fast as diesel prices rise.

Bob Pratt says the term can also mask another cop-out, producing more questions than answers. “What’s common sense to one person may not mean the same thing to another. Common sense has to be clearly defined within the walls of the company,” he says. “How is it defined? That’s what everybody in the company needs to discuss with each other.”

*** Just seconds after motoring past a massive blue sign that reads “keep your distance,” Ross Ward points out a tractor-trailer just ahead that is riding the bumper of a car in front of it. The irony of the situation invites him to recall a story that occurred on the 401 corridor, near London, several years back.

As Ward followed his wife home in his tractor, he watched another rig move within a foot of his wife’s back bumper. Ward got on the CB and informed the other driver, an acquaintance, that the car the man was riding was that of his wife.

“This guy says to me, ‘Oh, sorry buddy, I didn’t know she was your wife,” Ward laments with a grin. “So I say to him, ‘Oh, sorry buddy, I didn’t know it mattered whose wife it is!'”

There are times, indeed, when common sense needs no further explanation