A commercial vehicle inspection in Abbotsford on Friday (April 22) resulted in 14 vehicles being taken off the road, including a truck that was improperly carrying a 12,000-pound excavator.
The inspection was conducted in the area of Windsor Street and Marshall Road. It was a joint operation of the Abbotsford, New Westminster and Vancouver police departments; the Burnaby RCMP; and passenger transportation enforcement officers.
Abbotsford Police media officer Const. Paul Walker said the random checks were conducted on 25 vehicles. He said officers found 98 violations and issued 62 tickets.
RELATED: Dump truck taken off the road in Abbotsford after inspection finds six brakes not working
Walker said the most concerning issue was the truck carrying the excavator. He said the inspection revealed that:
• the drive shaft was loose and had an inch and a half play along with its carrier bearing loose;
• the Tidy Tank carrying fuel on the truck’s deck was only strapped down with a non-rated strap, which was loose;
• the excavator was chained down with non-rated chains;
• the truck’s front bumper was pushed into the front tire of the vehicle, which was half an inch away from the tire tread;
• the truck’s deck was covered in loose gravel; and
• one of the excavator buckets wasn’t strapped down.
Walker said Abbotsford is home to numerous commercial vehicles on a daily basis.
“During the one-day blitz with the assistance of our policing partners, it’s concerning to see that over 56 per cent of the commercial vehicles inspected were immediately pulled out of service by officers, as they didn’t meet the minimum safety standards to operate safely,” he said.
Walker said the APD’s traffic enforcement unit will continue to conduct random inspections on commercial vehicles within the community.
RELATED: Semi-truck with 10 defective brakes among vehicles stopped during inspection
vhopes@abbynews.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
