Unsafe big rigs need better monitoring, says trucking association

The province needs to do more in preventing unsafe big rigs from being on the road, according to the Ontario Trucking Association.

Association representatives were commenting, following anOPP blitz that pulled more than half of inspected transport trucks off highways

Police, alongside the Ministry of Transportation, placed 26 tractor trailers out of service during a two-day safety blitz in Tecumseh and Leamington. In total, they inspected 47 commercial vehicles.

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President of the Ontario Trucking AssociationStephen Laskowskiwants to see Ontario keep better records of repeat offenders and put them out of busy if they continue to drive an unsafe vehicle.

"It is frustrating for us that anyone would operate a commercial motor vehicle on a public highway without 100 per cent commitment to safety," he said.

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Another deterrent to unsafe truckers, he said, would be making it more difficult to get into the transportation business from the outset.

An MTO spokesperson told CBC the charges laid during the blitz, "consisted of violations detected during the inspections, including trip inspections, expired annual inspection decals, vehicle maintenance and driver licence related offences (improper class or suspended)."

The spokesperson also said results were similarduring a blitz in 2017.

He also noted police and MTOofficials are not randomly pulling over truckers but are targeting vehicles they suspect of infractions "trucks that appear to be of higher-risk to road safety (e.g. visible defects, cargo securement, driver behaviour, etc.)"