Enforcement officials placed 27% of inspected trucks out of service during a recent commercial vehicle enforcement blitz in the Halton Region situated in the Golden Horseshoe of Southern Ontario.
The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS), working with more than 80 police officers and ministry officials from police services and agencies across the Greater Toronto Area and Southwestern Ontario, inspected 487 trucks, placing 132 OOS during the annual event that took place Oct. 1-2 at Elements Casino Mohawk, just off Highway 401.
Areas of concern included driver licensing, daily trip inspections and hours of service, along with truck-oriented issues which included mechanical fitness, load security, and weights of trucks and loads.
A total of 322 charges were laid for various defects and infractions, which is a 10% increase from 2023, according to a HRPS release. A total of 35 trucks were also found to be in such a sufficiently deteriorated state that the licence plates were seized, forcing the truck owner to make repairs to recertify and re-plate the vehicle.
Drivers operating with suspended licence
There was also an increase over 2023 in incidents of truck drivers found operating with a suspended driver’s licence, with more than a dozen such charges laid. One driver was found to be prohibited from driving and was criminally charged, with the truck impounded for 45 days at the truck owner’s expense.
“The results of this year’s HRPS CMV blitz are both impressive in terms of our ability to collaborate with our partners to achieve results, however they’re also a disappointing reminder that unsafe trucks continue to be operated on area roadways” HRPS Staff Sergeant Ryan Snow said in the release. “Truck safety and enforcement is a 365-day-of-the-year commitment for police, and we encourage truck drivers and owners to do their part to maintain safe roads,” he said.
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