Driver Posts Video of Himself Rolling Coal on Cyclists—and Is Surprised by the Backlash (2024)

• A truck driver in Texas posted a video on social media of himself rolling coal on a cyclist nearby.
• Once it was found, cyclists in the community responded negatively to the dangerous practice and started posting negative reviews about the business where the driver works.
• Rolling coal is the term used for when a vehicle blows a pile of black smoke from its exhaust onto those in the vicinity, which is often cyclists.

The practice of rolling coal—purposely blowing a stream of billowing black smoke from a truck onto a cyclist or group of cyclists—is incredibly dangerous, not at all environmentally friendly, and illegal in some states.

So why are some drivers still engaging in the practice, and why are they posting online to brag about it? One auto shop owner in Texas recently found out that sharing a video of rolling coal on a cyclist online isn’t just going to inspire ire from local riders, it could potentially be bad PR for business as well.

This most recent incident took place in McKinney, Texas. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram alleged that driver Kevin Soucie, the owner of Turn 5 Fabrication, posted a video of himself driving, spotting a cyclist, then rolling coal on the cyclist—zooming the video in for better effect. And yes, he clearly sees the cyclist, right before he zooms in, he says, “Oh my god, a cyclist.” (You can view a version of the video at the Star-Telegram.)

Because it’s Earth Day, let’s also mention the implications of converting a truck to be able to roll coal in the first place. You can’t just blow black smoke from smokestacks on any old truck. A truck with a diesel engine needs to be customized by removing a filter and adding large exhausts and smokestacks in addition to a switch that allows the truck to belch out the thick, sooty smoke on cue. It’s not only considered an affront to cyclists, it creates air pollution in the process.

That, in addition to the danger it poses to cyclists, is why it’s illegal in a dozen states and provinces, as well as in many towns and counties. While Texas doesn’t have a statewide law against rolling coal in place, many counties within the state do, including Collin County where this incident took place—and there’s a way to report modified trucks.

The rolling coal part is bad enough, but consider the distracted driving that was happening in the process as the driver also filmed the incident. The danger associated with rolling coal is high enough without worrying about auto-focus on a camera: Just last year, a teenager mowed down a group of six cyclists in Houston, Texas, while rolling coal on them. Four of the six required hospitalization, two needed to be airlifted from the scene.

Even without making contact, rolling coal can cause serious harm to cyclists: The black smoke can obscure vision and cause crashes, and if a cyclist is breathing hard, the smoke inhalation can also lead to difficulty breathing and potential crashes from that.

Soucie later posted his video to social media. It was met with a few anti-cyclist jokes, but was also spotted by people in the local cycling community. Quickly, as the video circulated, negative reviews and comments on his company’s Google page and social accounts began to flood in.

Eventually, the Star-Telegram reports seeing an apology video made by Soucie, where he says he did something “dumb.” He followed it up by saying, “People can hate me all they want, they can dislike me all they want, they can badmouth me all they want, but when you start to badmouth a company, which is not in reflection of what I do in my personal life, that’s where I draw the line.” The paper also reported that the video is now unviewable to people who are not his Facebook friends or it has been taken down.

He also noted, “It’s not like I hit the guy or swerved toward the guy.”

We have to give a hat tip to CarScoops.com for their amazing headline when covering the incident: “Texas Ford Truck Driver Rolling Coal on Cyclist Gets Blowback Of His Own.” Top notch.