B.C. announces high fines, jail time for commercial truck drivers who hit overpasses

B.C. commercial truck drivers could face high penalties and fines for hitting overpasses under the province’s new plan.

Proposed changes to the Commercial Transport Act (CTA) will enable the courts to impose fines for as much as $100,000, and imprisonment up to 18 months.

3:57 B.C. announces strict fines for overpass strikes

This is “far above” other provinces and territories, according to the province, but it does fall in line with the maximum penalties applied to rail and dangerous goods safety.

“With these new penalties, we are taking the strongest action possible to keep our roads safe and to keep people, goods and services moving,” said Transportation Minister Rob Fleming.

“This also sends a message to commercial truck drivers that they are responsible for the safe transportation of goods and services on our roads, and a lax attitude toward safety will not be tolerated.”

Fleming said overpass and infrastructure crashes have cost the province millions of dollars in repairs, along with lengthy highway closures and supply chain disruptions.

According to the province, there have been 35 crashes in B.C. since 2021 by over-height commercial vehicles.

“The BC Trucking Association welcomes the legislative change by the province to hold carriers accountable,” said Dave Earle, president and CEO of the BC Trucking Association.

“Imposing stricter penalties for carriers supports road safety and helps protect infrastructure, and ultimately enhances safety for everyone on our roads.”

Fleming will be speaking about these changes at noon, which will be livestreamed above.

2:15 B.C. government pulls operating licence of trucking company after multiple infractions

The province has also taken other measures recently, including revoking the operating licence of Chohan Freight Forwarders, a trucking company involved in six overpass strikes within two years.

“This is the most severe action that can be taken against a company with multiple infractions and it sends a clear message to operators that infrastructure crashes around our province need to stop,” Fleming said in mid-February.

“It has never been easier to follow a route to guide a load safely through our highway system and avoid the potential for impact with infrastructure.”

The company’s fleet was grounded in December 2023, after one of Chohan’s trucks was involved in an overpass strike — the company’s sixth strike in two years.

“We fundamentally disagree with the action taken by the government of British Columbia. We will continue to take steps to challenge this action on behalf of our drivers and their families,” a spokesperson for Chohan Freight Forwarders told Global News in an email regarding the cancellation.

In an updated statement on March 12, Nitasha Chohan, the director of safety and compliance, on behalf of Chohan Freight Forwarders said “Chohan Freight Forwarders Ltd. has challenged the cancellation of its safety certificate using the process set out in the Motor Vehicle Act.

“With respect to the government’s recent announcement, we support any steps the government can take to hold commercial drivers accountable when these accidents occur, rather than punishing an entire fleet or carrier. In our view, the current enforcement against individual drivers has not been sufficient in reducing the risk to public safety.”