BC trucking group has concerns over recent overpass crashes

Randy Andersen/Submitted

The BC Trucking Association is calling on the Ministry of Transportation to share incident investigation reports of the recent collisions involving over-height trucks and overpasses on BC highways.

Most recently, on Monday, a truck slammed into the Glover Road overpass above Highway 1 in Langley.

In a separate incident last week, two people were hospitalized after another truck crashed into an overpass along Highway 1 in Langley, under the 192nd Street overpass.

Randy Andersen

Photos shared online showed debris scattered on the highway and damage to the bridge. There appeared to be a hole in the cement from where the truck made an impact.

While Dave Earle, president and CEO of the BCTA, is thankful these kinds of collisions are rare, he says, “When we see a cluster of these events, it gives us a pause to say, ‘What’s going on?'”

“Is it that companies and drivers aren’t paying attention to the law and just aren’t bothering to do their work … their pre-trips, their measurements, and making sure they pull the appropriate permits if it’s oversized? Or is it a mistake in measurement? Is it not securing the load properly so it moves through transit. Or is it an honest error on the part of the driver taking the wrong route?” he asks. “We just don’t know.”

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“Let’s see if we can learn from them where the misses are happening.”

In the last 12 months, the ministry has said there have been several incidents in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley of transport trucks carrying over-height loads and striking overhead bridges.

UPDATE – #BCHwy1 – Due to the major vehicle incident at 192nd St. in #LangleyBC, WB traffic is being diverted off the highway at 200th St. Please drive carefully and expect major delays. Please avoid the area and plan your route accordingly. #SurreyBC pic.twitter.com/iQgj0UBK9S

— DriveBC (@DriveBC) July 12, 2022

The ministry is looking for ways to share information about other types of commercial vehicle incidents publicly.

The ministry adds that while most drivers in the trucking industry are doing their due diligence to be safety conscious, some fail to take the proper precautions with tall loads.

In response to the recent spate of overpass collisions, the ministry says it has increased its Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement patrols with an emphasis on enforcing height restrictions.

And to improve BC highways for commercial drivers, the ministry has a minimum height standard used in building all new infrastructure, which is five metres.