Whether you are the owner of a trucking company or a commercial driver, driving through Vancouver is not going to be as easy as it was before. In fact, Vancouver police are now cracking down on unsafe commercial vehicles, and their inspections have yet to allow a truck to leave free and clear.
In fact, one news article reported that out of the 75 trucks inspected randomly one day, none were able to leave without being assessed for a violation of some kind. Therefore, if you are operating a commercial vehicle, you need to be aware of
these inspections, what they are looking for, and what it means for your business.
How do Enforcement Inspections Affect You?
According to the Vancouver Police Department’s Commercial Vehicle Unit, and the Provincial Commercial Vehicle Safety Enforcement team, commercial vehicles are inspected at random for violations. So far in 2017, 94 percent of the vehicles inspected had some form of violation.
If you have a violation, you could face significant fines. Therefore, to avoid them, you need to be aware of what they are looking for and what it means for your company:
· Tires: Balding tires are a significant safety risk. Commercial vehicle fleets rely heavily on their trucks to come to a complete stop, with balding tires the stopping distance will be much longer.
· Load Security: The way cargo is loaded into a commercial vehicle greatly affects its safety. Uneven loads can force a semi-truck to roll over, and trucks that are overweight may be unable to stop safely.
· Brakes: A semi-truck with faulty brakes is a catastrophe waiting to happen. Therefore, police officers are inspecting brake systems, including air brakes. If these systems have any mechanical deficiencies, serious fines will be imposed, and can put the
truck out of service until the issues are corrected.
· Windshields: No one will deny that a commercial truck takes a serious beating on a day-to-day basis, and it is likely that a cracked windshield will happen. However, that crack cannot obscure the driver’s field of vision or be too significant. If so, the company or driver will be cited. Therefore, make sure all windshields are crack-free and repair any chips in the glass as soon as possible to avoid costly cracks.
These are just some of the areas being inspected for commercial vehicles. Note, if your truck looks as though it is in a state of disrepair, you will automatically be pulled over and the truck inspected. Therefore, it is best to inspect your fleet, maintain the trucks, and take care of any repairs immediately before putting vehicles back into operation.
Attend a Truck Driving School in Vancouver Today
Increasingly, the police are taking commercial trucking safety seriously. Make sure your drivers are ready for the road by having them attend truck driving courses at a reputed Vancouver driving school.
North Shore Driving School, Ltd. offers commercial lessons at our West Vancouver driving school. Courses include Class 1, 3, and 4 training, air brake courses, professional driver improvement, and we also offer skill upgrading and private lessons.
Call our Truck Division in Burnaby for your commercial license classes at 604-299-9292, or connect with our Car Division in North Vancouver by calling 604-988-1138. You can also contact a representative online with your questions about our truck driving schools, serving Vancouver, Langley, Surrey, and the surrounding areas.