The United Truckers Association has issued an “urgent call” to Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Rob Fleming to introduce a wide-ranging safety review across all of B.C.’s supply chain.
But any new training and protocols must be equally applied across all parts of B.C.’s transportation system, UTA spokesperson Gagan Singh said in a release Wednesday.
Additional training and safety measures must be extended to cargo shippers and large importers/exporters “to truly achieve success,” he said.
The request was made following the latest crash by a commercial truck with an over height load into the 112th Street overpass on Hwy. 99 on Dec. 28, plus another two overpass crashes on Jan. 2.
“For reforms to have a lasting impact, the B.C. government’s efforts to tighten up the Commercial Transport and Motor Vehicle Acts must be far-reaching and not simply focus on commercial truck companies and operators,” Singh said.
As an example, the release said that clearances for commercial vehicle load heights vary greatly between Canada and individual U.S. states, sometimes with differences of more than 30 centimetres.
With commercial trucks that regularly cross the border with a variety of loads, this must be factored into any review by the B.C. government.
As well, shippers must be expected to know the exact height of their loads, to ensure they meet B.C.’s 4.15-metre clearance standards, the UTA said.
In 2021, BC introduced the mandatory Class 1 MELT (Mandatory Entry Level Training) Program training for all new Class 1 commercial licences.
The association said it supports this new level of training, but safety in other areas of the supply chain must be addressed.
“The UTA is imploring Minister Fleming to be comprehensive in his future deliberations by understanding that all parties within our province’s supply chain must be held to account effectively. Everyone has a role to play in improving safety,” Singh said.
