An overturned semi filled with mail is generating some controversy. The rig flipped on the Coquihalla but it took more than a day to remove. The tow truck company hired to do the job says that’s because Canada Post refused to pay, but the Crown corporation says otherwise. And there are also accusations that ICBC dropped the ball.
The semi landed at the edge of the Coquihalla River early Tuesday morning. Tow truck operator, Jamie Davis of Jamie Davis Motor Truck based out of Hope, says he got a call from Canada Post to remove the truck but walked away after the deal fell through.
“The supervisor (from Canada Post) got on the phone with me and said it’s the carrier’s responsibility. So we basically packed up our gear and left.”
He says he left because of insurance or rather a lack of it. Davis says Canada Post is hiring low bid contractors who carry minimum insurance, not enough to cover the costs of cleaning up a major spill.
“If he (carrier) only has $5,000 in cargo insurance on that load and it cost $30,000 to remove, is he financially stable enough to pay the rest of the bill? So in that case, I become financially responsible for his crash.”
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But Canada Post says it’s only responsible for the mail and not the truck.
“If the truck goes off the road, it’s up to the trucking company to bring in the towing company to get it rectified,” says spokesman, John Cains. “Our main concern is the mail inside that vehicle.”
But Davis says Canada Post should take some responsibility.
“Canada Post has a hand in there somewhere. You get what you pay for and that’s what’s going on here.”
Then there’s the issue of a reported fuel leak. Davis says he got a call from the RCMP indicating that the tractor was leaking fuel. But he says he couldn’t react because ICBC wouldn’t pay to have the tractor towed — something ICBC denies. Davis says the Ministry of Environment eventually picked up the tab.
“There was a four hour lapse time between the original call and the time that we got called to remove it. Probably close to 1100 litres of fuel leaked into the river.”
Davis’ claim that more than 1000 liters of fuel leaked into the Coquihalla River cannot be substantiated.
The semi was eventually removed by another tow truck operator.
As for the mail, Canada Post says it has been removed from the trailer and is on its way to Vancouver for sorting and that if you’re expecting mail and it was on that truck, it will be delayed by a day or two.
Canada Post says the mail in the flipped truck was coming from Kelowna to be sorted in Vancouver.
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