The province has taken all 65 trucks in a company’s fleet off of the road following Thursday’s crash into an overpass in Delta.
Chohan Freight Forwarders Ltd. has had its safety certificate yanked by the Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement Branch, according to an update from the transportation minister. The suspension comes into effect Friday at 4:30 p.m.
Rob Fleming says this is the sixth “infrastructure crash” for this company in the past two years.
“This suspension is a result of the company’s unwillingness or inability to operate safely within the province,” he wrote in a statement.
“We recently announced increased fines and the ability to ground fleets through suspensions like this, so highway traffic keeps moving safely and reliably for travellers and commercial vehicles, and people can count on their commute.”
Fleming stressed that the majority of drivers and companies operate safely, but that stiffer penalties and harsher consequences that were recently announced are necessary to prevent and deter these costly crashes.
Chohan Freight Forwarders Ltd., in a statement to CTV News, said the company received a call from the driver about the load being oversized eight minutes before the crash and was advised to wait for a permit and route directions but failed to do so.
“We are disappointed in this driver’s non-compliance as we have been working hard with CVSE and the Ministry of Transportation over the past two years,” a spokesperson wrote.
“Our company has an exemplary safety rating and has been in compliance with all safety regulations. At this time, we are cooperating with all investigating agencies and no further comment will be provided.”
With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Jonathan Szekeres
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