The inconsistencies in Jaskirat Sidhu’s logbook won’t be possible when new rules come into force in 2020.
By then all truck drivers in Canada will have an electronic logbook, which is currently only needed by drivers who go to America.
“That paper log is very easy to manipulate because some drivers want to drive more miles and it makes sense for them because you get paid by the mile,” said Alexander Crizzle, an assistant professor at the University of Saskatchewan School of Public Health who has studied trucker health and safety.
Sidhu would have been taken off the road for 72 hours due to dozens of logbook violations had he been stopped and inspected the day of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, according to an RCMP review of his logbook entered into court Monday.
The review found a total of 70 federal and provincial logbook and trip inspection violations between March 26 and April 6, 2018.
Drivers are supposed to mark time and location of when they start, their destination, the time and distance they drive, when they take breaks and how long those are in order to prevent fatigure, Crizzle said.
However drivers often mis-document the numbers, he said. Companies with a productive driver getting loads to their destination faster are not enforcing the rules, but it’s also difficult for them or police to tell whether a logbook has been manipulated, he said.
The RCMP report, written by chief vehicle enforcement specialist Sean Mustatia and district enforcement supervisor Tyrell Digness, noted “strong concerns regarding the timeline of Jaskirat Singh Sidhu’s day on April 6, 2018 as there are unanswered questions as a result of the incomplete log on that day.”
Sidhu incurred seven violations on April 6. He failed to indicate whether his truck had defects, and failed to sign his name on his trip inspection report.
- Click to read the complete agreed statement of facts
- RCMP forensic collision report in the Humboldt bus crash: Document 11
- RCMP forensic collision report in the Humboldt bus crash: Document 14
- RCMP forensic collision report in the Humboldt bus crash: Document 15
The RCMP investigators said Sidhu didn’t identify any locations once he left Saskatoon that day. Assuming he had left Carrot River at 3:30 p.m., which is 50 kilometres from the crash site, Sidhu should have actually arrived at the intersection around 4 p.m. This leaves about 58 minutes unaccounted for in his log.
Sidhu would have travelled 341.7 kilometres from Saskatoon to Carrot River to the crash site – but his odometer showed 373.5 kilometres travelled that day, leaving 31.8 kilometres unaccounted for by Sidhu’s log, the report said.
The log also shows Sidhu took a five-hour break upon arriving at Carrot River, which is not a common practice in the industry, the report said. In order to claim off-duty time the driver needs to stop working or be relieved of responsibility by the motor carrier.
Sidhu, 29, pleaded guilty to 16 counts of dangerous driving causing death and 13 counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm on Jan. 8.
His sentencing hearing continues Tuesday.
