Officers from 14 different law-enforcement agencies across the Lower Mainland were in Burnaby all this past week for a concerted four-day commercial vehicle enforcement blitz, with check stops set up at multiple locations each day.
And boy did they ever find some crazy stuff.
According to this article by NOW reporter Cornelia Naylor, one driver was nailed because he was an ‘L’ driver out on his own – in a commercial truck. You can read that story here.
In a second case, on day 3 of the truck blitz, Burnaby RCMP said they stopped a commercial truck where instead of a wood block to seat an extra adult passenger, the trucker in question used a child booster seat that is pictured above.
You just can’t make this stuff up.
The trucker was issued a $598 ticket and the extra passenger had to take the SkyTrain back to work.
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 RCMP Const. Kevin Connolly, Burnaby’s commercial vehicle enforcement officer.
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.
That is an understatement. These trucks often carry dangerous loads as well.
Good work by law enforcement to keep up the pressure on this industry.
- With files from Cornelia Naylor
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
