Close X
Thursday, October 10, 2024
ADVT 
National

B.C. truckers group calls for government safety review on overpass strikes

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 03 Jan, 2024 01:14 PM
  • B.C. truckers group calls for government safety review on overpass strikes

After more than 30 overpass strikes by commercial trucks in British Columbia in the past two years, a trucking group is urging the transportation minister to conduct a wide-ranging safety review of the provincial supply chain. 

The United Truckers Association says in a statement that recent overpass strikes have brought to light "deficiencies" in road safety for commercial vehicles. 

Association spokesman Gagan Singh says new training and protocols must be applied equally across all parties, including cargo shippers and B.C.'s importers and exporters. 

B.C.'s Transportation Ministry grounded the 65-truck fleet of Chohan Freight Forwarders last week after freight on one of its vehicles hit an overpass in Lower Mainland, the company's sixth infrastructure strike within two years. 

A statement from the ministry says Chohan also operates a separate company in Alberta, and while carriers from one province may operate in another jurisdiction, it is communicating with regulators in that province who are aware of the suspension in B.C. 

Singh says his group is "imploring" Transport Minister Rob Fleming to understand that all parties in the supply chain must be held accountable to improve road safety. 

MORE National ARTICLES

Eby to visit wildfire ravaged areas of BC

Eby to visit wildfire ravaged areas of BC
BC Premier David Eby wants to visit the province's fire-ravaged southern Interior today to reassure residents that the government will be there to help rebuild when the wildfire crisis has passed. Several large blazes are burning in the region, including the 110-square-kilometre McDougall Creek wildfire.

Eby to visit wildfire ravaged areas of BC

Broaden scope of Canada's weather alert system to account for wildfires, expert urges

Broaden scope of Canada's weather alert system to account for wildfires, expert urges
As wildfires rage in western Canada, a communications and broadcasting policy expert says the national weather alerting system should account for a wider range of extreme events. 

Broaden scope of Canada's weather alert system to account for wildfires, expert urges

Explosion in Prince George

Explosion in Prince George
A large explosion at an abandoned building in downtown Prince George, B.C., has sent several people to hospital, RCMP say. The blast happened about 7 a.m. Tuesday.

Explosion in Prince George

West Edmonton Mall locked down as 3 seriously injured in shooting: police

West Edmonton Mall locked down as 3 seriously injured in shooting: police
Three men were injured in a shooting Monday night at West Edmonton Mall, where those inside were locked down in stores and restaurants for two hours. Police said in a news release that the men were taken to hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries.

West Edmonton Mall locked down as 3 seriously injured in shooting: police

Kelowna teacher charged with child luring

Kelowna teacher charged with child luring
A Kelowna teacher has been charged with luring a child after police investigated allegations of inappropriate communications with a student. Kelowna R-C-M-P say Jeffrey Allen Jennens was scheduled to appear in court yesterday.

Kelowna teacher charged with child luring

Critical firefighting equipment being moved or stolen, says BC Wildfire Service

Critical firefighting equipment being moved or stolen, says BC Wildfire Service
BC Wildfire Service says critical equipment used to fight some of the province's devastating blazes has been moved and sometimes stolen, in one case three times. The fire service says the pumps, sprinklers, hoses and ATVs that have been taken in the North Shuswap area are "critically impacting" the effectiveness of structural protection.

Critical firefighting equipment being moved or stolen, says BC Wildfire Service