Semi-driver in Humboldt Broncos bus crash had 70 regulation violations

Jaskirat Singh Sidhu had 70 regulation violations in the days leading up to the April 6, 2018, Humboldt Broncos bus crash.

Sixteen people were killed and 13 injured when the team’s bus slammed into the semi being driven by Sidhu.

A logbook review found Sidhu, 30, violated 51 federal regulations and 19 Saskatchewan regulations between March 26 and April 6.

“If Jaskirat Singh Sidhu had been stopped and inspected on April 6, 2018, prior to the incident, he would have been placed under a 72 hours out-of-service declaration for failing to produce the current daily log and previous 14 days,” stated the review.

It stated Sidhu would have been prevented from operating a commercial vehicle under the Federal Commercial Vehicle Driver’s Hours of Service regulations for the time period in question.

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Of concern were Sidhu’s actions on April 6, when five violations were identified due to an incomplete log.

Investigators found 58 minutes were unaccounted for in Sidhu’s daily log immediately prior to the crash.

Sidhu left Carrot River, Sask., at 3:30 p.m. CT and was at the intersection of Highways 35 and 335 at 4:58 p.m. where the crash took place.

According to the investigators, Sidhu would have taken roughly 35 minutes to travel the 50.7 kilometres from Carrot River to the intersection, placing him at the intersection at 4 p.m.

They also noted mileage inconsistencies, finding 31.8 kilometres unaccounted for in the log.

Also of concern was five hours of off-duty time from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., which they said was not a common practice in the industry.

“These must be further investigated to get a true picture and timeline of Jaskirat Singh Sidhu’s day on April 6, 2018,” the review concluded.

Saskatchewan Trucking Association (STA) policy and communications director Nicole Sinclair saw two main issues in the report: hours of service record keeping wasn’t being done correctly and trip inspection regulations were not being followed.

Hours of service regulations dictate how long a professional truck driver can operate before having to rest.

The trip inspection is a basic safety site check of the vehicle, looking for potential issues.

“Log books are commonly filled out incorrectly. What I saw from those reports is a pattern of filling things out incorrectly, so either blatantly ignoring the regulations or a gross misunderstanding of what was expected of them,” she said.

Sinclair added it is the responsibility of both driver and employer to ensure log books are filled out correctly.

These regulations can commonly be misunderstood due to their complex nature, according the Sinclair. The STA does offer training on how to properly keep log books, an essential part of the job.

Sinclair hopes broader adoption of electronic methods to track log books will reduce these issues in the future.

An agreed statement of facts found Sidhu was travelling between 86 and 96 km/h when he ran an oversized stop sign with a flashing red light.

The driver of the bus, Glen Doerksen, braked but was unable to avoid the collision and slammed into the side of the semi.

Sidhu pleaded guilty early in January to 16 counts of dangerous driving causing death and 13 counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm.

He faces a maximum sentence of 14 years for each count of dangerous driving causing death and 10 years for dangerous driving causing bodily harm.