EPS spring safety road checks reveal disturbing trend
In 2013, only 30 per cent of commercial trucks passed the check
Edmonton police are doing their annual spring safety check of large commercial vehicles along the streets of Edmonton.
Police plan to check up to 300 vehicles between Tuesday and Thursday, but say they are already seeing a disturbing trend.
More than half of the trucks they inspected Tuesday were declared “out of service.”
“An out of service can be a major issue where the truck has to be towed away from the site for repairs. Some are issues that may just require extra load securement which can be rectified at the site and they're on their way,” said Sgt. Kerry Bates with the commercial Inspection Detail.
Nearly half of all commercial vehicles they inspected in 2013 were also found to be troublesome.
By the numbers: Police inspected 91 vehicles on Tuesday. Of those:
- 52 were declared “Out of Service”
- 15 needed servicing
- 8 were towed
- 24 passed with no problems
- 272 violations identified
- 52 summons issued
- 2 warrants served
Perhaps more of a concern: last year only 30 per cent of commercial vehicles passed the inspection.
Operators found in violation of trucking standards face hundreds of dollars in fines.
Bates said keeping drivers accountable for the condition of their vehicles is imperative to keeping Edmontonians safe on the road.
“Hopefully [the fines are] a good reminder for companies involved that they are keep up their maintenance and be proactive with it. Keep your vehicles and likewise through the winter,” said Bates.
In each inspection blitz, EPS inspects between 275 and 300 commercial vehicles, looking for things like overweight loads, faulty equipment, dangerous and stolen goods and checking driver condition.