Fines of $100,000 and imprisonment for truck drivers in overpass collisions

Fines of up to $100,000 and imprisonment for BC truck drivers involved in overpass collisions

Sukhwant Dhillon/AM 600 Sher-E-Punjab Radio

After the recent spate of incidents of heavy commercial trucks colliding into highway overpasses, the Government of British Columbia is imposing new significant penalties on the drivers responsible for such incidents.

It was announced today that forthcoming amendments to the Commercial Transport Act will allow courts to impose fines of up to $100,000 and penalize drivers with imprisonment for up to 18 months upon conviction.

Such new maximums for punishment are far above other Canadian jurisdictions and in line with the maximum penalties for rail and dangerous goods safety, according to the provincial government.

You might also like:

These new amendments follow 35 crashes that have occurred since late 2021 involving over-height commercial trucks colliding with highway overpasses, which resulted in major disruptions to the flow of traffic and the movement of goods, and necessitated spending millions of dollars in public funding on highway infrastructure repairs.

“With these new penalties, we are taking the strongest action possible to keep our roads safe and to keep people, goods and services moving,” said Rob Fleming, BC Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, in a statement.

“This also sends a message to commercial truck drivers that they are responsible for the safe transportation of goods and services on our roads, and a lax attitude toward safety will not be tolerated.”

These new maximum penalties are supported by the BC Trucking Association, with the new policies being some of the most significant changes to legislation since the 1970s relating to highway infrastructure crashes.

“The BC Trucking Association welcomes the legislative change by the Province to hold carriers accountable,” said Dave Earle, president and CEO of BC Trucking Association. “Imposing stricter penalties for carriers supports road safety and helps protect infrastructure, and ultimately enhances safety for everyone on our roads.”

In response to the recent pattern of crashes, the provincial government also recently increased its fines for overheight vehicles from $100 to up to $500 and created a new requirement for in-cab warning devices to alert drivers of dump-style trucks when the dump box is raised. The province also now requires speed-limiter devices that prevent heavy commercial trucks from travelling at more than 105 km/hr on highways.

The provincial government is also developing new training materials that provide truck drivers with more education and guidance on the proper measurement of vehicles and loads.

You might also like: