L&A OPP removed 7 “unsafe” commercial vehicles from local roads last Friday

Lennox and Addington Ontario Provincial Police joined forces with the Ministry of Transportation last week to conduct commercial vehicle safety inspections for the week long operation safe driver and charged drivers with a string of violations.

“It’s province wide, and in partnership with the Ministry of Transportation, and the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA.) Those are commercial truck inspectors that are qualified to conduct the inspections, and can take commercial and take vehicles out of service that are deemed unfit,” said Staff Sgt Derek McLeod.

McLeod explained that about 30-40 per cent of vehicles inspected end up being taken out of service.

“Things from inadequate brakes, low security issues, tire issues, that would make the vehicle unsafe to be driven any further,” McLeod said.

McLeod said that drivers themselves must do daily inspections of their own trucks before operating them and that Police, the Ministry of Transportation and CVSA follows up on what the driver may have missed or neglected.

L&A OPP say safety inspections were conducted on 17 tractor trailers last Friday and seven had to be taken off the road for safety or equipment issues.

A total of 16 charges were laid and one driver was issued a 3 day drivers license suspension for registering above a zero blood alcohol level.

According to provincial police statistics 32 people have died in collisions involving commercial motor vehicles that is up from 23 last year over the same period of time.