Overpass crash not a result of insufficient guidelines, says BC Trucking Association president

BC Trucking Association president and CEO Dave Earle says he doesn’t know the cause of the hit-and-run Highway 1 overpass crash in North Vancouver Wednesday, but he says it isn’t a matter of insufficient rules and guidelines in place for truckers.

“The rules are really clear and they haven’t changed for decades,” he said. “If your load is over 4.15 metres, you have to pull a permit and all the overpasses are above that amount.”

He says even the most careful drivers do make mistakes, but this incident wasn’t just an example of a driver getting distracted while following all the rules.

Related links:

• B.C. truck company ‘suspended pending investigation’ after North Van overpass crash

• North Vancouver Hwy 1 overpass struck by truck in hit-and-run: RCMP

“I don’t know what happened this time, but just looking at it based on the little information we have, it looks like this was…not just somebody who didn’t pay attention,” he said.

“There was something else at play.”

And there is no way this was related to any issues with the road or the overpass itself, Earle said, because “overpasses don’t move.”

Earle says the government should consider taking away licences from drivers and business licences in situations like this, to work as a deterrent.

In the case of the most recent crash, the B.C. government says the trucking company has been “suspended pending investigation.”

Earle says there is absolutely no reason a driver should ever leave the scene of a crash either.

“Ultimately, I don’t know where the individual was going to go,” he said. “The name and ID is on the truck, it’s not going to be hard to figure out who was behind the wheel.

“So ultimately, that tells me there is a sense of panic, which is really unfortunate.”

Earle adds that customers should take a careful look at the companies being hired to haul items and make sure they have proper safety procedures in place.