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THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2020
LOCAL NEWS – LOCAL MATTERS.
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SAFETY
Half of checked trucks failed inspection Cornelia Naylor
cnaylor@burnabynow.com
It took just 15 minutes for police conducting commercial vehicle checks in Burnaby last week to find a truck and driver that needed to be taken off the road. The driver was operating an 11,700-kilogram cargo truck unsupervised with a learner’s licence – a licence he didn’t actually have on him, according to RCMP Const. Kevin Connolly, Burnaby’s commercial vehicle enforcement officer. As for the vehicle, half the lights on the truck were burned out, and tape was holding together a crack in the frame, Connolly said. Situations like these are all too common, he said. Last year, 40% of the more than 400 commercial vehicles pulled over and checked in Burnaby had to be taken off the road because they were unsafe, according to Connolly. But he hopes a growing awareness among law enforcement agencies about the importance of commercial vehicle enforcement will translate into changes on the road. It could be a matter of life and death, according to Connolly. “When a commercial vehicle accident happens, it’s almost always bad because of the size of these vehicles,” he said. Last week, officers from 14 different law-enforcement agencies across the Lower Mainland were in Burnaby for a concerted four-day commercial vehicle enforcement blitz, with check stops set up at multiple locations each day. In total, they checked 297 vehicles and took 147 of those off the road because they were unsafe, according
TO THE POINT: An RCMP officer talks to a truck driver at a commercial vehicle check on Gaglardi Way. (Below) An engine is inspected. to Burnaby RCMP. Officers wrote tickets for 440 violations and found 347 mechanical defects. Some of the more notable violations included a truck that featured a block of wood instead of a proper passenger seat. Another truck stopped a couple days later was equipped with only a child’s booster seat for its adult passenger. During a check, Connolly said officers first check to make sure the driver is sober, properly licensed and not prohibited from driving. Officers then inspect the vehicle and ensure its cargo is properly secured. Large trucks carrying
their maximum allowable cargo weight might weigh three to four times more than the truck itself, Connolly said, and shifting cargo can flip the vehicle onto its side. “And as soon as that truck lands on its side, until gravity and friction from the road stops it, that truck is going into whatever is in its path – that could be pedestrians, that could be other cars,” Connolly said. Finally, officers check to make sure drivers have filled out all the documents they’re supposed to, including daily pre-trip inspections. Every day, drivers operat-
PHOTOS CORNELIA NAYLOR
ing commercial vehicles are required to run through a checklist to ensure their vehicles are in compliance before they take them out onto the road. If more of them did that, there would be less work for police, said Connolly. “They’re going to be looking for the same things that we are,” he said. Last week’s enforcement in Burnaby is one of dozens that will be held throughout the Lower Mainland this year. For Connolly, a regional approach is the way to go. “Commercial vehicle enforcement needs to be collaborative,” he said.
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