HOW TO DRIVE TRUCK THROUGH THE 401 IN TORONTO
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 มิ.ย. 2021
- For those of you that like my verbal diarrhea this video is for you! Haha, join me as I take a drive through the busiest highway in Canada, and how I keep myself "entertained" during the drive.
This video includes:
Trouble spots and places I've noticed to avoid on the 401
Areas where lanes end, and new ones are created
Mapping out common traffic patterns in high congestion areas
Why I don't like just "sitting in the middle lane"
Do you agree or disagree? Have any other tips for driving? Leave them in the comments below! - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
Seeing this a year later and feeling the relief that all that construction west of Toronto is finally complete. What a slog that was
yep now driving there is a breeze with both collectors and express open.
still a slog if you ask me. not sure whose bright idea it was to make the express two lanes with HOV as the third. It would have been wiser to be 3 lanes plus HOV. You now have truck drivers who use the passing lane and they can barely pass the truck in front of them or get passed by other trucks on the right. it's ridiculous. It leads to many single occupant drivers using HOV when they shouldn't because a stupid truck is blocking the passing lane, not passing anything.
How to drive the 401 through Toronto, close your eyes and floor it😁
you forgot the integral step of, while your eyes are closed, whipping the steering wheel side-to-side repeatedly from milton to cobourg
and take the hammer lane!
If you can handle the 401 at rush hour in either a truck or car you can handle any city driving imo
Bro, try driving in Cairo lol. No rules, just honk and merge.
@@bsar11 most developing countries are like that rolf
lol 401 everyone thinks theyre in a taxi, they dont even drive
LA traffic is up there in terms of skill too
@@bsar11 I believe it. I took a Taxi in Bangkok one time and holy crap....it was crazy.
Well as a person who basically lives on this highway, from 6:00 am till 5:00 pm it is a unpredictable disaster. And patience goes a long way on that highway. The things I see on that highway and the drivers I run into make it worth while. Never a dull moment, always have to be ready and focused.
Great video! When I was a novice driver, I found driving through Toronto on the 401 intimitating. So, I picked a truck to follow reasoning that a professional driver would be the best to take a lead from.
Lmao that's quite an odd reasoning. You don't want to be following a semi.
A truck manages its danger zone, and wont stop quickly.
Also the gentle acceleration and braking is good for fuel economy.
Lol. You haven't spent much time driving in the GTA have you. Stay the f**k away from trucks.
This was fun seeing it from the perspective of a truck instead of a car. There are good tips I wish I knew about when I first started driving. I eventually figured it out after a year of regular driving on the 401.
"I always call it yonge cause it bothers EVERYONE im talking to" LOL thanks for the laugh
I've made this drive thousands of times over the years and, like you...always tried analyzing traffic patterns and typically wove in between express and collectors. I called it the traffic flow crapshoot. Sometimes you guess correctly...sometimes you get bogged down. In the 80s I lived at the extreme east end around Morningside Ave. and worked in the west end at Royal York and Dundas - so I commuted the 401 back and forth every day through rush hours. At times it was tedious (I drove a pickup with 4-speed manual back then) with slow-downs. It's gotten much worse over the years. Glad I finally escaped to the relative sanity of Niagara region and seldom use the 401 these days. I don't miss it at all. Thanks for the trucker's view video and the 'verbal diarrhea', lol. It was entertaining. Stay safe trucker.
haha exactly, same here man. Its a guessing game and sometimes no one wins and you just have to muscle through it.
I run the collectors for 2 reasons: there's some massive pot holes between 404 and 400; and with the express, the lanes are stagnant and Ive watched many trucks sit in the middle lane for the entire city. But with the collectors, you are forced to keep moving to the left every few miles. So it just makes life less agrrivating when you want to boogie through the city
from central Illinois -- watched the 401 being built in the 1950's through my grandfathers farm east of Dixie Rd - last time across the top of Toronto was 11 or 12 years ago at 2 AM in a raging snow storm -- nobody in the express lanes that night -- glad you had a safe trip thru TO
Hi everyone from Switzerland 🇨🇭l love Toronto 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦👋👋👋👋👋 Happy wonderful weekend to all Canadian
Thanks for this video, watching from Kingston, Jamaica 🇯🇲 👍
I really enjoyed taking this trip with you, it was nice having you talk your way all the way through it. You have a Good & Safe trip now. I'll catch you again next time....
I have no idea why I am watching this but I find it kind of soothing somehow haha
I usually run from Peterborough to Cambridge and Woodstock every night, oh the joys of going through the city lol it’s an art to know when to jump between collectors and express
You have my sympathy! Honest!
Can’t wait for the summer to see the beauty of Canada with that sunshine
Proud to be Canadian 🇨🇦
Going for my 1a next month!!! I'm only 19 but I'll be doing local stuff oilfield/farm hauling. I'm from Saskatchewan so it's right up my alley! Great videos man and that truck is a beast! Beauty
As soon as i saw this video in my feed i clicked instantly love the videos man
I used to live in Toronto, near Bayview and the 401, when it was 4 lanes total. Always adding more and more lanes! Great video - thx.
Very cool to see things from your perspective up there. I'm usually either on my motorcycle or in my F150. Thanks for sharing. Always wondered why these trucks were blocking the middle lane for some reason.
I lived in Toronto - DVP and Lawrence for 11 years and worked in Vaughn - 400 & Steeles. I go through that every day!! Definitely do not miss it. I live in Vancouver now. Great Video!! Thanks for the memories
nobody misses that highway lol
Great video- thanks for the ride! You really catch the rhythm! I am an old wet coast motorcycle geezer who loves the road Cheers!
Enjoyed the ride-along! Much appreciated!
That HOV lane is a nightmare now. You're only allowed to cross the lanes to get in/out of it near off ramps, so you end up with people who need to suddenly cross the entire highway to get off. It has caused so many accidents and continues to cause so much backed up traffic, it's insane.
Will never forget OPP passing me at 170km/h on the left most lane to then cut everyone and take the off ramp…
Yep seen that a few times...
Late for lunch
@@papabits5721 Or a doughnut and coffee.
Fresh Batch at Timmies!?!?!?
Respond Code 3 !!!!
I've seen this happen too on the 401. Then they almost always peel off at the Keele St exit I assume because they're late for traffic court?
"sit in the middle lane, and plug up traffic, kinda what I'm doing right now..." HOLY SHIT, A SELF AWARE TRUCK DRIVER!
Also you moved over in order to pass, not stay and clog 2/3 of the highway capped at 105 km/hr. Bless you.
Hi just wanted to say I Love Your videos. That’s a good looking truck to. Travel safe.
I’ve seen many big trucks in the hammer lane.
Then there is a lot of idiots in cars that get onto the 401 and go directly to the left lane and stay there doing 100-110kmh when traffic is moving at 130-140kmh..
Construction starts in the spring and ends eight years later.
Your traffic commentary is absolutely the best... 😆
Heh, I know this exact stretch and can pin point all the major points in this video. Cool video. Thanks for posting it
Very well explained sir 👍
Love Toronto ❤
Awesome video bud keep up the good work 👍👍
I don't drive through the west end of the 401 but the eastern end through durham. I find the right lane is usually fastest because no one understands lane etiquette and most people are too lazy to help the traffic merging so they clog the 2 left lanes. The only time I find that isn't true is in the middle of the night when its all trucks, you guys actually know how to drive and its easier to get moving at the speed limit.
Came back from work, driving in early Friday rush hours. Now watching this 🤣😆. Oh Lord have mercy 🤣!
Another great video!! I'm familiar with the exits you are mentioning.. I take exit 320 to see my friend in Acton .. and my cousin lives on Yonge st in Toronto.. I really can't stand rubber neckers , I've learned from experience the left lane is usually the quickest way , but as soon as there's an accident, the left lane is always the first to slow down.. As soon as I see what's going on I hop in the middle lane because if I don't I end up stuck in the left lane with all the rubber neckers and it is hard to even get into the middle lane sometimes because it has such a good flow.. We love your videos, stay safe out there.
Yeah the left-most lane almost always is the fastest through, but ya know, truck aren’t allowed in it, so I gotta make do with what I can! Yesterday going through Toronto the overhead signs said “2left lands in express closed” so that’s never good during afternoon rush hour... I rode collectors all the way up, and by the time I got up to the wreck they had it cleaned up so express was moving, but everyone was still piled into collectors so it was actually the slowest choice 🤦♂️ ah well you win some you lose some
@@callthemall Haha like you said it's always a gamble .. Thanks for the response, you are the best!
I'm so jealous you own a 379; what a beautiful ride! I drive a 579 and while it is very luxurious inside, it hard to distinguish it from a Freightliner to be quite honest. It's just not the same.
notice the lack of back and forth steering adjustment... 379 is fun to drive with less fatigue
always wondered how the new aero petes did when it comes to handling and the hotrod feeling vs long nose
If you ever get yourself in the 427 renforth collectors and need to get back to 401 east.
Take 427 north for literally a mile and take 409 on ramp it will connect you back to 401 east if that makes sense.
Also helps cut out some traffic!
401 and forever traffic lol. Nice video bro
I used the 407 Etr for years. Well worth the transponder and fees! It shaved an hour off my drive time. 🍻
Hi enjoyed it ,,same old ways,,but no snow 😂,,iv did some Calgary Edmonton, Vancouver but Toronto,,now there's some interesting things too watch out for, always,,,enjoy your day, driver
Loved the video callthemall keep it up
That's a really nice truck, I like the interior, Looks better than most of the modern cars lol.
Love your videos man, you’re the main reason I want to get into trucking. I’m 19 so I still gotta wait 2 more years but I’m thinking about hauling for the oil Fields in Texas since there paying well. Keep up the awesome videos as always, Ps. Your peterbilt is still the best on TH-cam imo. 🇺🇸🇨🇦
Thanks buddy 🤙🤙
you can get your cdl at 18
@@micah5669 yea I was thinking about doing it at 18 but the pandemic hit when I celebrated my birthday and just some personal things has kept that from happening, so I’m very hopeful that when I turn 21 everything should be good. Also you can’t drive out of state with a CDL until you’re 21 so you can only operate a Semi in your own state but idk I don’t have all the info but that’s what my state requires.
Don't do it. One of the worst jobs out there.
@@neilbreen9041 I’m specifically talking about hauling Frack Sand or hauling tankers instead, like fuel or chemicals. I’m looking for things to haul that can pay well, but I don’t want to do heavy haul but I know tankers pay well and hauling Frack Sand for the oil fields also pays well too. I really don’t want to do otr either…
Good, a canadian truck youtuber that actually speaks english.
another awesome video!! always enjoy watching your videos!! I live in Alberta and I'm saving up for my own semi
Best of luck buddy!
@@callthemall thank you
@@Rhelmer21 good luck ain’t no better feeling gliding through with a 189-18
I'm so glad they finally finished that stretch of the 401 in milton. It really helps with the congestion there. I run a straight truck both in and around the GTA including downtown. My first year or 2 on the 401 can be very intimidating. But once you know how to handle the Civies it's not that hard. I've never heard it called it the mixer. More basketweave or just the weave. If you are a 4 Wheeler and don't want to deal with big rigs I suggest using the far left lane that restricted. Drive 110km and not leave 300 or 400m gaps because we'll take em.
I just discovered your channel yesterday and already watch like 10 videos! Love it! I truck out of NS but we have a yard in Brampton so I'm around there a lot. Will have to keep an eye out for you. Do you have a CB handle?
I like the marker truck idea. I used to travel by motorcycle and just hated anything over 3 lanes but at least I was able to sneak between vehicles. Can't imagine what it's like in a semi.
New subscriber because your truck looks awesome and you sound cool too!
Beautiful truck brother!
Enjoyed the video and know that run pretty well. As someone who trained and tested bus drivers in Ontario for years, I'd advise you keep a bigger distance between you and the vehicle in front, especially in that traffic. However, I know the pressure commercial drivers are under and get it that you don't want to lose momentum unless you really have to. I've been there!
Your an excellent driver. I’d advise new drivers to watch your channel
Watching a year later. Been driving 401 for 52 years but never drove tractor trailer. Bus and medium size truck. And four wheeler of course. Your perspective of the whole thing is interesting. Everybody should be from Toronto for a while then they’d see how sane their part of Canada is. Except for Toronto drivers that found their way there. I was actually surprised at how little commentary you had about four wheelers Usually on almost any drive you see a large amount of crazy. One tip. Going eastbound the stretch after Warden Ave the express almost always is moving while the collectors are congested There was construction east of Morningside but I think it’s cleared up now. Happy trucking.
My first time on the 401, had a rented fiat 500 out of Pearson. I’m used to sketchy situations but that was wild. Pedal to the floor and the limiter they setup locked it down at 130. I had tandem concrete trucks tailgating and doing last ditch manoeuvres to get around me. All other lanes were passing me as if I was stopped.
@@Jim-ku6ry My thoughts as well. Trucks are at around 100-110 (because of the governor), and it's nigh on impossible, not to say highly illegal, to do 130 anywhere on the 401 in Toronto because of the traffic.
In Canada, us truckers usually stay in the middle lane so that passing traffic can do so at will and merging traffic doesn't have to race to get around us.
Smooth ride, wish I could say the same in winnipeg lol
I enjoy hearing you vocalize your driver movements. I do the same thing... without the camera. Which I guess just makes me crazy, but hey who isn't these days? 😅
Thanks for this terrific video. Why don't the road designers talk to experienced truck drivers for their clever suggestions!!! And why isn't the underused 407 free (or tolls are okay, but to the government, NOT to a company). Loved hearing the engine sounds inside the cab.
I'm out of Oshawa and run quad loads between London and Montreal. I despise running anywhere in the GTA during the day, same as the Montreal and Ottawa areas. The construction starts around mm 318 in Milton to about Mississauga Rd. Eastbound Express at the basket weave has gone from 4 lanes to 2 now due to more construction. It's getting worse instead of better, especially with so many LCV's and heavy loads like mine taking up atleast 1.
Great video... thanks 😀👍
If you get those heavy duty Wipers with the red ends they work pretty good year round. I can’t remember a brand for them.
Love this engine sound.. roaring
Stay out of the middle lane if nobody is merging and you're not passing anyone. That is truckers passing lane as we are not allowed in the far left, help end road rage, and help eliminate congestion by "Keep Right Except To Pass" really simple.
So busy, so fast, so heavy .. all a bit too much for me .. glad to be retired and leaving it to you younger guys .. every ones lane discipline is so important .. no much chance of leaving yourself 'an out' .. watch those 4 wheelers and take care out there .. our traffic is heavier in the UK but truck speeds are slower .. stay sharp, keep safe.
Much smaller combination (pickup + horse trailer), same situation when we show as 400/401 is the most direct route. Depending on time of day and traffic we may "back road" it down and avoid 400/401 interchange but coming back on Sunday evening after showing the big road is usually good.
Most frustrating thing is what you describe, the ones cutting and jamming on brakes. Leaving room in front of us to gradually slow down and not toss the horses around appears to be an invitation to fill in that safe following distance...
The 407 is ideal for local del. and pick-ups in the GTA ! I did that when they first opened that new 407 ! it was free for a while and Wow , all my customers were close to that 407 and even my dispatch asked me how the heck was i working so fast ! LoL All the industrial parks are all along that 407 ! I did at least 20 years of back & forth MTL,-TOR. every day at the other end ! 3 trips a week ! then it got to crowded and got sick and tired of that 401 and moved in Edmonton, AB. and did western Canada including Yukon and NWT. and never was in traffic ! did that for 10 years and lloved it ! doing all kinds of hauling ! Super B-trains, dry-box, reefer, flat-bed sometimes wide loads with escorts ! lots of fun ! lots of jobs ! So i recommand anyone to do the same ! 🤠
I’ve only driven in the GTA a handful of times, all of which being last year. I somehow ended up on the 427, thankfully, the first time was in my Alberta plated truck, so I didn’t see a toll, and the second was in a National defence plated van, so also no toll hahah
@@Rovari1969 my mistake. The 407
Well, i used to live off "Yongz" street even though people told me to stay away from that street. I hear a sqeak noise when your wipers are operating, like fingernails over a blackboard. Haha. I hope that is not a metal part rubbing on the glass. Thanks for the video.
Good stuff bro 😎 I drive WFS truck and sure I’ve seen U !! Burgundy Pete with trains ?
I have been a trucker since 1976. Straight trucks in 1976 and Tractor trailer in 1977. The 4 0 and 1 will always be the main artery for Toronto and surrounding areas. I am coming into my 50th year trucking in 2026. Man that is a long time, and I wonder where it has all gone. I didn't quite hear what the other driver said, marker 20:26 but it is typical of drivers these days to mouth off about something, even though it is just Rederick. If it is just BS chatter, where another driver is mouthing off and talking stupid, I just turn it down, and pop it back up after a few minutes. never let it piss you off, get over it and truck on down the road.
The sale of the 407 was one of the biggest blunders in Canadian history. The tolls are ridiculous. If it was just open to use, the 401 would move a lot better. Not to mention the 407 would actually get some real use and balance out traffic flows in the entire region. But no, we gotta add more lanes to the 401 which won't do anything but make the parking lot bigger...
Mississauga to Mavis on either side is almost always stopped lol, I either hop on Winston or Trafalgar for that whole reason
I been driving in Toronto for 13 years for a transit company and now looking forward to trucking out of it lol
Squall is amazing! ️
I love your channel I want to drive truck back in the 80’s but I didn’t
the whole HOV idea might seem good on paper but in practice it causes a lot of traffic problems.
Drove transport in the late 70’s thru the city. Some streets like Parliament were a night mare as you shaved telephone poles leaning into the road.and well Traffic on a Friday afternoon .
Sorry does your odometer read 1.7mil kms?!? Am I seeing that right?! Nice to see some good Canadian trucking content. I'm around an hour 45 north of all that mess. Thanks for being a normal dude lol
As someone who was born in Mississauga in 1982 and grew up near 401/Erin mills parkway. The expansion is severely needed.
`` Sometimes `` I will sit in the collectors in the left lane for a bit. My truck may or may not do 120 haha
Hahaha, I know the feeling!
I went through there at about 4am no problems lol 😂
thats what we do its much better
Lmao I’m on the 401 every single day. Always some sort of fuckery happening😂 and I swear the opp speeds more than us. Accidentally passed one going 155km coming from Toronto and he speeds up just to pass me😂😭
😂 I’d call that your very lucky *get out of jail free* card!
@@callthemall and highway 89
Awesome!!
your 100% right at 8:00
even with the upgrades recently its STILL the same LMAOO
Its like the NJ turnpike but set up differently with entrance ramps and exit ramps.
I’ve wondered if the 400 series highways were as bad as the TV show “Rescue 401” makes it to be. Certainly looks more complicated than highways down here in the states! 😂
@jesse sager
You are absolutely right
It is very difficult to navigate especially with construction going on
And collector thing is shittiest thing i have ever seen in my life
It is more complicated! I hate it!
Never thought about it much but I was never really confused driving from the Windsor/Detroit crossing to New Orleans.
I've driven this route hundreds (thousands?) of times, never from a truck though, interesting perspective and commentary. (BTW, if you end up on 427 north you can get on to 409 east that meets back with 401 at Islington, no tolls.) Can you let us know the day of the week and time of your trip?
it was Tuesday, 9:15 am
I thought I would watch this before going to bed then I realized it was a 40 minute video, it's now 1:30AM. Not like I have to be anywhere tomorrow. Funny thing is that I have been driving a Peterbilt the last three nights in my dreams, I hope that I'm not on the 401 tonight. LOL I have some strange things that happen when I dream about driving, must be sub-conscious thoughts from watching some of these other videos on TH-cam.
I remember when the hurricane hit the I-10 and ripped up the deck back in 2003 (I think). It was strange driving across the road and part of the concrete was missing from the roadway, just driving on the steel structure, looking down and seeing the water under ya.😲😵
Well, if I ever drive through Toronto, Canada, I'll know what lanes to take.😉 It's always a crap shoot when dealing with traffic or backups. Back when I was driving OTR, talking to other drivers made a big difference. A couple of times I stayed in traffic and other drivers went around on back roads but usually we ended up at the same spot when it cleared up. That's one of the things I miss about driving, talking to others on the CB. I need to get me a base station set up but I don't know if it will be worth the time or effort. There are a few local guys with base stations so I could always talk to them.
Thanks for the ride along, I enjoyed it!!!
Keep 'er between the ditches and the shinny side up!
Spoke to ya later.😎
So I schedule my videos to upload every time, and for whatever reason the time was set for 12am today 😂 oh well everyone gets a midnight snack I guess!
That’s crazy they still kept the road open like that after the hurricane. I wouldn’t think it would be structurally sound like that...
Before I was driving I wanted a cb radio. Eventually got one in my old van, then transferred it to my car, but I would go to local garage sales looking for one, and one day the community center had an old base station for sale, it said it “works” (aka the lights come on when you plug it in) it wasn’t really what I was looking for, so I shot them a super lowball offer of $2, and they said yep it’s yours get it outta here! 😂 I NEVER was able to get a peep out of that thing, might have been the fact there was no antenna, or everything inside was fried. When I got a proper setup I could actually hear chatter it was the coolest thing back then 😎
@@callthemall It was worth staying up to watch and I still got up at 7:00AM.
They had repaired the deck platform (structure) but just hadn't poured the new concrete yet. It was like driving on the old bridges that only had an open deck steel roadway surface. The trippy thing was that most of the original road surface was still there with sections of open deck.
I had my Conex 3300HP set up as a base for awhile then I put in in my Crown Vic. I have several radios that I can use as a base and with a big antenna tower they will get out there pretty far.
I can spot trucks from my back porch because my backyard goes right up to I-985 here in Georgia.
That was cool to c one of the spg company trucks at the beginning of the vid. Not sure which one but ik it wasn't me lol.
Is it hard to stay inside your lane in a semi? Sometimes lanes seem pretty narrow and you really don’t have much room on either side of your trailer.
Only in North America are trucks allowed to drive in any lane as opposed to just the right lane like any other country in the world hence why there are many traffic delays and many many traffic accidents.
It's not really a problem when there are four or more lanes in each direction. Trucks in North America are mostly allowed to drive the same speed as cars
Great Vid Driver! But, I think I'll stay out West!
30:54 passing my exit. Great video.
Was on the 407 a few times. Was in a traffic jam three times in a month so now I just take the 401 where traffic jams are cheaper.
I know this may be a stupid question but what engin do you have in the peterbilt? Detroit or cat?
That’s cool how truckers can talk to each other on radio
Toronto has two seasons. Winter and Construction
Man, every time they add lanes to the 401, it's good for a little while before ultimately becoming worse from the induced traffic because more people who would have used public transit switch over to driving now
Not sure if things have changed in the past 20 years, but back in my college days the 407 couldn’t understand my New Brunswick licence plates, so free for me! 😁
Probably improved. They get me when my plate is covered in snow now.
It is very rare that its worth switching to collectors, especially since some offramps can back up onto the 401.