Alexander Cassidy crashed into Wayne Strickland's car near Livingston last July, causing it to burst into flames.
Cassidy, 29, from Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, drove without due care and attention.
The judge said he had decided not to jail the 29-year-old.
Lord Clark said the victim's family wanted Cassidy to know "that they bear no malice" towards him.
Cassidy had failed to spot slow and stationary traffic.
Mr Strickland, 49, from Inverkeithing, Fife, ended up trapped in his car which burst into flames.
Cassidy appeared at the High Court in Glasgow. Hr originally faced a charge of causing death by dangerous driving.
Cassidy was also banned from the road for four years.
The judge said: "I accept, as does Mr Strickland's family, that you have shown genuine remorse for your actions.
"Although of little, if any, consolation to the family, you will require to live with the consequences for the rest of your life."
Mr Strickland died after Cassidy's Mercedes van slammed into his car shunting it into the vehicle in front.
Cassidy rushed out to help but had to be dragged back amid fears Mr Strickland's motor would explode.
He was heard to say: "I tried to get him out but the door was jammed. It's all my fault. If I'd been able to stop, it would not have happened."
A van driver who admitted causing the death of a man in a crash on the M8 in West Lothian has been ordered to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work as part of a 12-month community payback order.