Successful Commercial Motor vehicle blitz
By Staff
May 4, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Over the course of a two day period a joint commercial motor vehicle blitz was conducted in partnership with the Halton Regional Police Service (20 and 30 Division District Response Team), Peel Regional Police Service, Guelph Police Service and the Ministry of Transportation Ontario.
Police officer doing a safety check on a truck.
The May 2nd and 3rd blitz received an overwhelming success, 91 trucks were inspected resulting in 187 charges being issued with 53 commercial vehicles being removed from the roadway for unsafe violations. 2 drivers were suspended and 5 licence plates were removed. In one circumstance officers prevented a possible critical situation when they identified one commercial vehicle that had all its lug nuts loose permitting its tire to come unfastened.
These are astounding numbers – more than half the trucks inspected were taken off the road – one had wheels that were close to falling off!
As describe by Sergeant Bistas of the Oakville DRT Team, “taking these trucks with major defects off the road makes our community a safer place to drive”.
Tougher decisions and higher fines are in order here. We share the roads with those trucks.
If any citizen would like to report a traffic concern in Burlington or Oakville they can do so by calling (905) 878 5511 or visiting our website and submitting an online traffic complaint at https://www.haltonpolice.ca/services/reporting/trafficcomplaints.php
Hoosgow: a correctional institution used to detain persons who are in the lawful custody of the government
Sadly, it will most likely take a tragedy for our police to enforce the law. I wish our cops would police the heavy trucks barrelling down Guelph Line everday from north of Dundas Street to wherever they are heading south of Uppermiddle Road. Passing through yellow and red lights going downhill. If these huge trucks do decide to hit the brakes they are usually accompanied with heavy smoke and smell from their tires locking up, no matter the depth of tread, if any.
Sounds like a successful blitz means a dismal safety record for trucks and a very concerning risk for other motorists. These report results are nearly the same each time, yet we do little to solve the safety issue. Far more unsafe trucks on the road than cars, yet we pay only lip service to clamping down on these large, heavy commercial vehicles roaming our roads. What other activity that poses such a risk of death and injury to the public would be allowed to continue unabated? Answer: none.
The result makes me wonder why these “blitzes” are not used more frequently. It seems obvious that they are very much in the Public Interest.