Transportation Minister Rob Fleming says driver, carrier will ‘face the toughest fines in the country’
B.C.’s transportation minister has issued the suspension of a trucking company’s safety certificate after one of the drivers hit a Lower Mainland overpass Thursday – the sixth hit for the company in two years.
Chohan Freight Forwarders Ltd. will be unable to operate its entire 65-commercial vehicle fleet in B.C. as of 4:30 p.m. on Friday (Dec. 29), Transportation Minister Rob Fleming said in an emailed statement hours after the Delta crash.
Fleming added the driver and carrier responsible for the crash “will face the toughest fines in the country.” The investigation could also lead to further action.
“This suspension is a result of the company’s unwillingness or inability to operate safely within the province, following its sixth infrastructure crash in two years,” he said.
READ MORE: Semi collides with Highway 99 overpass at 112th Street
According to the province’s “Commercial Vehicle Bridge/Overpass Crash” report, Chohan Freight Forwarders Ltd. had other incidents on: June 6, 2022 on Highway 1 in Langley; June 1, 2022 on Highway 1 in Richmond; Feb. 17, 2022 on Highway 99 in Delta (the same over pass as Dec. 28, 2023); Feb. 12, 2022 on Highway 1 in Langley; and Dec. 10, 2021 on Highway 1 in Surrey.
The suspension is the first one since Fleming announced on Dec. 14 that the province will implement escalating penalties for companies and drivers with repeat offences, adding longer suspensions and possible loss of their operating certificate.
“This needs to stop. We know that the vast majority of commercial drivers in B.C. operate safely and responsibly. However, some operators are not getting the message.”
For companies that have a history of non-compliance, such as previous infrastructure crashes, the province said enforcement measures will become increasingly severe. That includes suspension – like the one on Dec. 28 – or possible cancellation of a company’s carrier safety certificate, essentially preventing their operation in B.C.
READ MORE: Trucks hitting overpasses to face escalating scale of penalties in B.C
– With files from Kyler Emerson, Marla Poirier
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