Trucking advocate says out-of-province drivers have concerns about Highway 3

Truckers from outside B.C. are expressing concerns about the only highway currently open to them between the Lower Mainland and the Southern Interior, one advocate says.

Highway 3, also known as the Crowsnest Highway, is currently the only corridor that trucks can use to get to and from the Lower Mainland following last month’s landslides and flooding.

"It’s very bendy and windy, the grades, it's much more difficult than the travel on, say, the Coquihalla for instance," said Shelley Walker, CEO of the Women’s Trucking Federation of Canada.

“We do have a lack of experience when it comes to mountain driving.”

Walker says B.C. trucking schools are the only ones that teach mountain driving, creating a challenge for out-of-province drivers who were previously unfamiliar with the route.

“Other provinces need to include mountain training,” she said. “It should be mandatory across the board.”

Highway 3 is currently open to essential travel only, and Walker says non-truck drivers have been causing safety issues.

“I’ve seen a lot of dash cam footage from drivers, people are cutting them off, they’re slamming on the brakes in front of them,” Walker said. “People need to have patience. This is the only open route right now and we need to keep it open.”

Environment Canada has issued snowfall warnings for several parts of Highway 3 this weekend, with up to 20 centimetres expected to fall in some places.

“Leave more distance and don’t be in such a hurry,” Walker said. “If you follow a truck too closely and it slams on the brakes, you’re going to be under that trailer.”

Walker says Highway 3 also lacks places to pull over if needed during a snowstorm.

Before last month’s slides, Highway 5 – also known as the Coquihalla Highway – was the primary truck route between the Lower Mainland and the B.C. Interior. Crews have been working day and night to repair it, and officials say the section of highway between Hope and Merritt is slated for reopening – to commercial traffic only – in early January, if the weather cooperates.