Commercial vehicle inspections show small improvement over 2016 results.

News 100 redBy Staff

October 12th, 2017

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Policing the commercial traffic on our highways is vital. There was a time when we had wheels flying off trucks that were unsafe because they weren’t properly maintained.

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The Regional Police have a fully equipped vehicle with all kinds of inspection equipment. with the 401, the 403, the 407 and the QEW cutting through Halton region commercial vehicle inspection is a big job.

Police officers and inspectors from seven services, the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Finance/ Environment recently completed a two-day commercial vehicle (CMV) enforcement blitz held at the Mohawk Raceway in Milton on October 4-5.

Results of the showed some encouraging signs for road safety. The data shows a record number of vehicles being inspected and an increase in compliance over 2016.

The two day blitz this year yielded the following results:

• Total commercial motor vehicles inspected: 477
• Total commercial motor vehicles taken out of service: 156 (33% failure rate)
• Total charges laid: 331
• Sets of plates seized by police: 24

2016 Results:
• Total commercial motor vehicles inspected: 470
• Total commercial motor vehicles taken out of service: 179 (38% failure rate)
• Total charges laid: 476
• Sets of plates seized by police: 35

Top six charges laid by police in 2017:

• Fail to complete daily inspection (58 charges)
• Improper brake (24 charges)
• Failure to complete annual inspection (22 charges)
• Insecure load (21 charges)
• Fail to have permit (19 charges)
• Overweight vehicle (14 charges)

TruckSafety_Blitz

Halton police officer checks the tires on a truck during a blitz.

“The results of the 2017 Halton commercial motor vehicle blitz reveal that there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure commercial motor vehicles are safe. The rules of the road apply equally to all motor vehicle operators and ensuring a mechanically fit, safely loaded and secure vehicle remains the law. As always, safer trucks equate to safer roads.” said Sgt. Ryan Snow, Traffic Services Unit.

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3 comments to Commercial vehicle inspections show small improvement over 2016 results.

  • George

    When you are having a 33% Failure Rate you should be increasing the surveillance audits to at least 3 or 4 times yearly.

  • I'm alright now

    Proposed solution for all those big nasty dangerous trucks and how to get them off the road. Quit buying stuff! Solved.

    • Fail to complete daily inspection (58 charges) This could mean simply that the inspection failed to have as much as a “T” – Crossed. I am not kidding.
    • Improper brake (24 charges) Everything could have been fine leaving the yard and Automatic slack adjuster is 1/8″ incorrect from a range of 3″
    • Failure to complete annual inspection (22 charges) Ontario date is critical other jurisdictions you have until end of month.
    • Insecure load (21 charges) This could be something up on top under a tarp but extending beyond to top rail by a couple of inches. Revenue tool.
    • Fail to have permit (19 charges) What no BOL – Bill of lading?, The horror.
    • Overweight vehicle (14 charges) An axle over weight but vehicle under Gross total? Perhaps the loader operator ought to be called to account?

    Perhaps cut the driver some slack some of these monsters weigh 67 Imperial tons, means about 25 of your average sedans can fit in that box.

    When a commercial truck signals to make a lane change a moron car driver will view the signal as a challenge to close the driver out. If the driver yields it can take them 5Km to get back up to speed.
    The best is Brake checking one of these monsters. Cars built after 2012 must come to a stop from 55MPH in 135′, a commercial vehicle must be able to stop within 350′- empty, 8X farther fully loaded. At 1.5 million tons of force this would flatten your car, use your brain, don’t lose it.

    Be glad the driver cannot go into your place of work and throw your office asunder, because when you are on the highway you are in the Commercial Drivers office, be respectful.

    If you eat it or use it, a truck probably brought it.

    • JQ Public

      Ok, you make some valid points and give us things to think about as car drivers. However, as you say, trucks can completely demolish cars whenever they come into contact with each other, as they often do.

      The truck regulations are in place to make them as safe as possible when sharing the road with cars, just as car safety checks are supposed to do. When truck safety checks continually come in at 33 – 40% failure rates, it indicates there is a systemic public safety issue that is more than just a story to be published each year and then ignored.

      If an airline had that failure rate, how long do you think it would take to shut it down for a check on every aircraft? Right, it would be within days.

      As a citizen and consumer, I appreciate the need for trucks on the road to fulfill my needs and those of others. As a car driver I expect those trucks to be maintained as well as I maintain my car for safety. But it’s not being done.

      When will the Department of Transport do it’s job and deal with this problem as a crisis, rather than just as a yearly reporting exercise to the public?