Larry Ash, a trucker for over 25 years, grabbed his CB radio after another semi veered into an oncoming lane – across two solid lines – on a blind corner to pass him on a British Columbia highway.
“I said, ‘Buddy, you just lost your license,’” Ash recalled. “He never said a word.”
Ash, however, did get responses from authorities and the other driver’s employer after he posted high-definition dash cam footage of the August 10 incident on Twitter. British Columbia’s Ministry of Transportation referred the case to commercial vehicle enforcement authorities, while the carrier, Stryder, said it fired the driver.
“We have identified the driver in the video and taken him out of service – he will never drive for us again,” Stryder Canada tweeted. “We apologize to everyone affected by this misconduct as it is not reflective of our company’s values or safety policy.”
For Ash, 57, a driver and instructor with more than 3.7 million safe miles under his belt, the response vindicated his hobby of posting dash cam videos of bad driving online. Ash also sends videos to transport authorities and carriers. This marked the first time that Ash knows of another driver being fired as a result of his videos.
Ash drives long-haul routes for Evolution Environmental based out of Brooks, Alberta. He started posting dashcam videos on Twitter over the past six months in response to what he sees as an “epidemic” of bad driving.
“When you get a semi crossing a double line, around a blind corner, on a hill, you shouldn’t be driving a semi,” Ash said.
“It wasn’t even the worst one,” he added.
“When you get a semi crossing a double line, around a blind corner, on a hill, you shouldn’t be driving a semi.”
– Larry Ash, truck driver
But he doesn’t report every incident of bad driving he sees. “I’m not going to turn in every idiot,” he said.
On August 10, Ash was driving his Volvo about 25 miles per hour uphill, weighing in at over 130,000 pounds with a load of glass bound for Alberta. He estimates that the other driver gained about 60 seconds by passing him.
The incident, he said, reflects an overemphasis of speedy deliveries over safety.
“It’s absolutely getting worse. Everyone wants stuff now,” Ash said. “It’s not like the olden days. Everything is now, now, now, now.”
Ash’s videos have gotten some negative comments from people identifying themselves as drivers. Ash plans to upgrade his truck’s video setup by adding two-rear facing cameras.
He is unapologetic. “I’m saving lives ultimately,” Ash said. “I hope this catches on.”
Obsidian Fury
The only drivers that would defend this guy are ones that are just as irresponsible and self-entitled as he is. In short Ash you only report drivers that do things that you don’t like or inconvenience you in some way. You are a joke man.
Patrick Lawrence
The driver in the right lane lost HIS lane, was traveling at 25mph by his own account, failed to yield as he moved left into the path of an obviously faster vehicle, and expects THAT driver to reduce his speed by about half– likely 25-30 miles per hour? WTH?
Had he either cut his speed a few kms, or stayed right a few more seconds the faster driver could have stayed in HIS own lane and no one would have been endangered.
When I am significantly slower than traffic approaching me as I am MERGING I have often had to slow further or stay right until I have a safer gap to change lanes.
David Martin
So we don’t know the whole story but it’s obvious in the video that truck with Dash Cam failed to yeild right of way to truck on the left.
Truck with the Dash Cam lane was ending there for he ran the truck with right of way into on coming traffic lane. That’s what I see in this video.
Chowhound
This was was on the truck with the dash came. He was the one in position to see the signs and what was getting ready to happen. That driver made the decision to hang him out there. The responsible driver would have backed out of it so the other driver could make his pass.
Chris Brown
I agree 100%. A responsible driver would have seen what was going to happen and acted accordingly.
S
Regardless of whoever says you serve slow down. They’re both irresponsible if Ash was an instructor and in driver safety he should know no matter what we have to compensate for other drivers mistakes a good driver will always compensate for other drivers mistakes if Ash knew his lame was going to run out what she did and he was the most responsible driver he should have let off the fuel and stop that guy from going into the other lane and possibly killing somebody else we all go through this I constantly compensate for other drivers mistakes. That happens every week going into California just about on every Hill we climb. I’ve also taught driver safety I’ve got 20 years into it but that’s not the point anyways anyone responsible out there with common sense in a we have to stop at accidents from happening that’s what we do as professionals if Ash knew that guy was gaining speed and was going to pass him absolute all that fuel he should have been the responsible one let off that fuel if he knew it was going to force that other driver in the other light and not to mention if he didn’t know and only realize it at the last second then he wasn’t paying attention to his left they both should be fired.
Villtles
Stonefly and trinity, you both wrong for that, in with Rainer and and ash on this, instead of ash slowing down, let’s talk about how fast that idiot went by him, he knew the road was coming to an end and he decided to cowboy it thro6and just as he did that, there comes a 4 wheeler? Are you kidding me man? That some reckless and dangerous moves, instead of ash slowing down which he was withn his right, the other driver should of slowed down “BY ALOT” before blowing through like he did…this a damm shame man !
Rainer
Good for you, the industry needs a whole lot more professionalism and this is just one evolving tool to further that. Hopefully with more professional drivers in the industry the rates will increase.
stonefly
You could have let him pass you. It was your lane that was ending, not his.
You only needed to slow a little. He’d have practically needed to come to a stop.
You’re short on courtesy and long on snitching.
Trinity
I agree with stonefly… looks like they were pulling a hill and the red truck should have backed off because it WAS HIS LANE ENDING….if anyone should have been fired it should have been the driver in the red truck….oh and by the way I am a 36 year veteran and as the old saying goes…..”been there done that”…so I know what I am looking at from experience
Johnny W
And I agree with both of you, I’m a driver and I know what it is like to be behind someone going slow and then when the lane opens up so others behind you can pass, you gas on it and make it where they can’t pass and then go slow when the lane closes, I would have done the same thing,
drew
exactly what i thought. hes a scumbag out to play game with people then report them
Robert
Yep, and he only turns in some drivers; from what i see, it’s the drivers he screwed over with his driving, he turns in the ones that the videos don’t make him look bad too.