‘It feels like Groundhog Day’: Delta councillor wants tougher action after truck hits overpass
Posted December 29, 2023 10:02 am.
Last Updated December 29, 2023 7:40 pm.
A Delta city councillor questions whether enough is being done to prevent trucks from crashing into overpasses, after yet another incident in the Lower Mainland Thursday.
This is not the first time Chohan Freight Forwarders has been involved in such an incident, which comes after a series of other similar crashes in the region this year.
The business’ entire fleet has been suspended pending an investigation into what exactly caused one of its semis to hit the 112 Street overpass on Highway 99. The incident forced an hours-long closure of the southbound lanes of the busy road and left behind “significant damage” to the overpass, the province said.
“My first reaction was to laugh and say, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Delta city councillor Dylan Kruger said of the moment he learned about the crash.
“It feels like Groundhog Day. We have the same thing that keeps happening over and over and over again. It’s absolutely ridiculous. Every single time one of these overpasses gets hit, communities get separated, residents are unable to get to work, businesses are impacted. There are massive economic impacts and it’s simply not good enough.”
He says fixing the infrastructure could cost millions of tax dollars, and could take months, based on what happened with the Highway 17 overpass in Delta, which was hit by a truck earlier this year.
“I’m thinking about businesses, the local agricultural community, restaurants, breweries, manufacturing — all of these kinds of businesses that I know will be affected in the months ahead,” he told CityNews Friday.
Kruger notes the company involved in the latest crash is a “six-time repeat offender,” as is noted on the province’s website.
“The fact that we’ve had 30 of these incidents in the last 24 months, it’s almost become an epidemic in Metro Vancouver,” he said.
According to B.C.’s Commercial Vehicle Bridge/Overpass Crash Report, the last time Chohan Freight Forwarders was involved in an incident was February 2022. In the latest instance, the province lists the cause of the crash as “driver error: failed to observe conditions of permit.”
On Thursday, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said it was “frustrating to hear that another commercial vehicle driver” had crashed into another overpass, adding initial assessments suggested the infrastructure sustained “significant damage.”
“We know that the vast majority of commercial drivers in B.C. operate safely and responsibly. However, incidents like this are why we’re taking tougher action to deter commercial vehicle collisions with bridges, overpasses or other highway infrastructure,” the ministry added.
That tougher action, announced earlier this month, includes increasing fines and penalties. The province explains that, while new fines will be the highest in the country, “amounts are currently limited by legislation.” Most of the changes will target repeat offenders who, Transportation Minister Rob Fleming said, will see escalating penalties.
However, Kruger questions whether the fines go far enough.
“Companies have to be held to account. A $500 fine is simply not punitive — it’s just the cost of doing business. We need real punitive fines that send a clear message that drivers who do not follow the rules will not be allowed to be on the road again,” the councillor explained.
“Obviously, any increase in fines is a good thing but going from $100 to $500 and change in fines — it’s a drop in the bucket, it’s the cost of doing business. We need real punitive penalties that send a message that companies cannot put inexperienced drivers on the road with impunity. We cannot have taxpayers on the hook for these repairs. We need to find better ways to have these businesses responsible for the repairs and not taxpayers because of one individual or one company’s negligence.”
In addition to increased fines, Kruger says he’d like to see some sort of compensation for businesses that have been directly affected by overpass and infrastructure crashes.
Kruger would also like to sit down with the province to talk about upgrading infrastructure on B.C.’s highways.
Chohan Freight Forwarders says driver ‘failed to wait’ for permit, route
Chohan Freight Forwarders tells CityNews the driver behind the wheel at the time of the latest overpass crash was an owner operator, and “is not a company driver.”
The company says the driver “failed to wait to receive his permit and route directions for his oversized load” Thursday.
“At approximately 12:22 p.m., our Safety Department received a phone call from the driver stating that his load was oversized. Our Safety Manager advised the Owner Operator to wait while he obtained the permit,” Chohan said in an email.
However, it notes that “Within 8 minutes,” the driver called the safety manager back to say he had crashed into the overpass.
“We are disappointed in this driver’s non-compliance as we have been working hard with CVSE and the Ministry of Transportation over the past 2 years,” the company said. “Our company has an exemplary safety rating and has been in compliance with all safety regulations. At this time, we are cooperating with all investigating agencies and no further comment will be provided.”
-With files from Cecilia Hua
