On October 6th and 7th, Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) performed its annual commercial motor vehicle enforcement blitz at the Mohawk Raceway in Milton. There were some areas of CMV safety that showed improvement.
The purpose of the CMV blitz is to conduct proactive enforcement to ensure compliance with legislation pertaining to mechanical fitness, weights, load security, safety and inspection compliance and licensing.
This year, with the help of neighbouring police services and agencies, officers were able to inspect 340 commercial motor vehicles.
| Commercial Motor Vehicle Blitz Statistics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2020 | 2019 | % Change |
| CMV inspected | 340 | 305 | 11.47% increase |
| CMV taken out of service | 96 | 99 | 3.03% decrease |
| Charges laid | 250 | 239 | 4.06% increase |
| Licence Plates Seized | 7 | 11 | 36.3% decrease |
2019 vs 2020 CMV Inspection Statistics
- 10.3 per cent more trucks inspected
- 3 per cent less CMVs failed
- 4.8 per cent fewer charges were laid
- 1.5 per cent fewer licence plates were seized
Alcohol screening at the blitz also led to licence suspensions for three drivers. The most egregious of the alcohol related licence suspensions was identified as a 14 year suspended driver. This resulted in a 7-day vehicle impound, along with a total of 19 charges laid against the driver and his employer. These charges included: overweight vehicle, no insurance and multiple mechanical issues.
"Issues identified at the blitz varied across all categories and are reflective of those commercial motor vehicle type offences seen throughout the year," said Traffic Services Unit Sergeant, Ryan Snow.
"The mechanical issues identified suggest a lack of maintenance and due diligence in daily inspections. Weights also continue to be a safety concern as police continuously note that dump truck drivers claim little control pertaining to overloading of their vehicles. These weight-specific concerns remain an area of ongoing education and enforcement given the obvious handling and braking issues that can occur, along with the additional damage that these weights can render to roadways.
It should also be highlighted that an out of service rate of 28% only means 28% of trucks directed into the blitz failed to meet required standards, and is not necessarily a reflection of all trucks on area roadways."