By Staff
October 4th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
They do it every year – and every year the number of tickets issued and the number of rigs that get taken off the roads seems to climb.
The 2016 Annual Truck Inspection Blitz at Mohawk Racetrack Starts Wednesday
Halton Regional Police have a unit dedicated to inspecting commercial vehicles.
Halton Regional Police, in partnership with other police and law enforcement agencies, will be conducting a two-day commercial motor vehicle inspection & enforcement blitz October 5-6, 2016. The inspection site will be located at the Mohawk Racetrack on Guelph Line in the Town of Milton.
Enforcement officers will deploy across Halton Region, which includes the 400 series highways, looking for commercial vehicles that appear to be deficient in mechanical fitness or display a safety or load concern. Those vehicles will then be escorted back to the inspection site at Mohawk.
Police officers trained to know what to focus on when they are inspecting commercial vehicles.
This annual initiative is an integral part of Halton’s traffic enforcement strategy. Any vehicles found to be unsafe will be taken off the road. Cargo and the corresponding administrative paperwork required to be carried by the drivers will be inspected. Light commercial vehicles such as small panel trucks, cube vans and pick-up trucks with trailers will also be subject to this inspection.
Last year a total of 472 trucks were inspected over a two-day period. Out of those inspected commercial motor vehicles 167 were taken out of service; a 35 percent failure rate.
Traffic issues are seriously addressed in Halton Region. Enforcement campaigns such as this are essential to ensuring our roads and highways are safe for all users. We hope to send a message out to the thousands of commercial motor vehicle operators who travel on our roadways or through our region each day that compliance to rules and regulations is non-negotiable and community safety will not be compromised.
One gets the impression that putting a rig that is known to be deficient and risking getting caught and paying a fine is just part of the cost of doing business and it cheaper than keeping equipment in top shape. Public safety doesn’t appear to be a major concern.
Deputy Chief Nishan Duraiappah, on the right, will be on hand to give the 75 officers that will be deployed a pep talk and emphasize the importance of the work they will be doing for the next two days. Detective Constable Paul Proteau listens carefully.
To kick-off the event, Halton’s Deputy Chief of Police, Nishan Duraiappah, will be addressing the media and law enforcement officers at approximately 7:30 a.m. Wednesday morning. Approximately 75 law enforcement officers from across the GTA have confirmed attendance. The media are invited to attend and observe those remarks made to the inspecting officers before they embark on the blitz and for photo opportunities.
Mohawk Raceway is located at 9430 Guelph Line (Highway 401 and Guelph Line) in the Town of Milton.
35% failure rate? Photo ops are wasting our time and money. Why is this program not executed every day? Imagine if 35% of drivers were found to be impaired or over the legal alcohol limit? When is Halton police going to take these dangerous trucks seriously?