After more than 30 overpass strikes by commercial trucks in B.C. in the past two years, a trucking group is urging the transportation minister to conduct a wide-ranging safety review of the provincial supply chain.
The United Truckers Association says in a statement that recent overpass strikes have brought to light “deficiencies” in road safety for commercial vehicles.
New training and protocols must be applied equally across all parties, including cargo shippers and B.C.’s importers and exporters, according to association spokesman Gagan Singh.
“For reforms to have a lasting impact, the B.C. government’s efforts to tighten up the Commercial Transport and Motor Vehicle Acts must be far-reaching and not simply focus on commercial truck companies and operators,” he said.
The Transportation Ministry grounded the 65-truck fleet of Chohan Freight Forwarders last week after freight on one of its vehicles hit an overpass in Lower Mainland — the company’s sixth infrastructure strike within two years.
A statement from the ministry says Chohan also operates a separate company in Alberta, and while carriers from one province may operate in another jurisdiction, it is communicating with regulators in that province who are aware of the suspension in B.C.
The clearances for commercial vehicle load heights vary between Canada and different American states by as much as 12 inches. These differences and their impact on trucks that regularly cross the B.C.-U.S. border, must be factored into any overhaul by the province.
Singh says his group is “imploring” Transport Minister Rob Fleming to understand that all parties in the supply chain must be held accountable to improve road safety.
— with files from Global News’ Elizabeth McSheffrey