On second thought, I'll stay home.
The article has the best quote though:
According to the B.C. Trucking Association, while driver error contributes to overpass collisions, the province needs to do more to improve highway infrastructure.
Yes. Raise the overpasses by at least two metres. I agree. That is a solution the government should pounce on.
At least 20 times in the past two years, a truck driver has hit an overpass with their vehicle. This time the driver fled the scene:
RCMP are looking for the driver of a truck that hit the Main Street overpass on the Trans-Canada Highway in North Vancouver on Tuesday night, causing an hours-long closure of the highway eastbound for hours.
DriveBC first notified commuters on X, formerly known as Twitter, of the closure just after 7:15 p.m. PT. It said the truck had been cleared and the roadway completely reopened around 3 a.m. Wednesday.
Truckers have been raising safety concerns after a string of collisions between trucks and overpasses in the region in the past.
[...]
Last year, the Ministry of Transportation said it would be stepping up enforcement particularly around the height of vehicles.
[...]
The ministry said commercial vehicle drivers were responsible for ensuring their loads met the conditions of their licence.
It added that it was working on enforcement actions to ensure no more collisions occurred, including higher fines, longer licence suspensions and more driver education.
In one of the linked articles the CBC shared, the trucking industry states that loads have been getting bigger. Seems like the trucking industry has a loading gauge issue, which is something short line railways could solve!
A commercial truck struck a highway overpass, again, Tuesday morning, resetting the count for days without a bridge strike in B.C.
The province made it 11 days this time, according to government data. Based on that list, Tuesday’s incident was the 15th time a commercial vehicle has hit a bridge on a highway in B.C. this year.
In the latest instance, a vehicle travelling west on Highway 1 in Langley struck a CP Rail overhead near 232nd Street.
The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure told CTV News the damage to the overpass is “minor and cosmetic,” and there were no impacts to the railroad.
A truck carrying what appears to be heavy construction material smashed into an overpass in Delta, B.C., on Thursday, shutting down the southbound lanes of Highway 99.
It's the latest in a rash of overpass collisions that prompted the province to announce harsher penalties for companies and drivers with repeat offences earlier this month.
B.C.'s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure called Thursday's collision "frustrating," saying "the issue needs to stop."
Drive BC says the incident south of Vancouver has blocked traffic in both directions on the 112th Street overpass.
Delta Fire and Rescue Deputy Chief Dave Wood says the crash caused a "secondary accident'' involving another vehicle.
He says crews were called to the scene at 12:14 p.m. and he didn't know of any injuries.
The ministry did not name the company involved, but said its Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement branch is suspending the company's ability to operate in B.C. while an investigation is underway.
"It's frustrating to hear that another commercial vehicle driver has crashed into provincial highway infrastructure," a ministry spokesperson said in an email.
The ministry said a maintenance contractor's initial assessment "appears to show significant damage to the overpass."
Metro Vancouver went two whole months without an incident!
[,,,]
Delta Fire and Rescue Deputy Chief Dave Wood says the crash caused a "secondary accident'' involving another vehicle. B.C. Emergency Health Services confirmed one person was taken to hospital in stable condition.
Fleming said B.C.'s Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement branch has suspended the safety certificate for Aldergrove-based Chohan Freight Forwarders Ltd. Its entire fleet of 65 commercial vehicles will be unable to operate in B.C. as of 4:30 p.m. Friday, pending the outcome of an investigation, the minister said.
Chohan trucks have struck overpasses six times in two years, according to Fleming, accounting for nearly one in five of the province's 31 overpass crashes recorded since December 2021.
"This suspension is a result of the company's unwillingness or inability to operate safely within the province," Fleming said.
The company blamed Thursday's crash on driver error and said the person driving was not an employee.
"Unfortunately, one of our trucks operated by an owner operator was involved in an accident today in Delta," said the statement to CBC News. "The driver, who is not a company driver, failed to wait to receive his permit and route directions for his oversized load."
"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.
"Within eight minutes, the safety manager received a call from the owner operator advising that he had crashed into the overpass."
[...]
The province's Commercial Vehicle Bridge/Overpass Crash Report says a Chohan vehicle struck the same overpass bridge on Feb. 17, 2022, and was issued a violation ticket and ordered to present a safety plan after the investigation found the driver failed to follow the approved route.
Chohan Freight Forwarders said it has an "exemplary safety rating" and complies with all safety regulations.
Chohan will not rest until it sends all of its contract mercenaries to destroy the 112 Street overpass.
Via CityNews:
Photos on social media appear to show the trucking company that had its license suspended in B.C. last week is still operating its Alberta fleet in the province.
The Ministry of Transportation says an overpass along Hwy 99 in Delta sustained “significant damage,” after one of Chohan Freight Forwarders Ltd.’s trucks hit it on Dec. 28.
Following the incident, the ministry said it was suspending the company’s B.C. fleet of 65 commercial vehicles while it investigated the company.
“The company faces the highest fines allowed in the country,” the ministry stated.
It adds Chohan can’t transfer any of its vehicles or operate them under another company name within B.C.
[...]
The ministry says Chohan operates in Alberta as a separate entity, and the Alberta-registered vehicles of the fleet are regulated by that province.
[...]
They add that, generally speaking, carriers from one province may operate in other jurisdictions as long as they carry the proper insurance.
The Ministry says they are looking into the posts, and are speaking to the regulators in Alberta to make sure they know the company is suspended in B.C.
The eastern front is building to take down the 112 Street overpass.
Very little details about it, but it was confirmed in some groups as having occurred on January 2nd, 2024. Truck is operated by Bronco Transportation.
Weirdly not updated on the Ministry of Transportation's overpass strike page.
It's the company's first collision so let's hope it's a one-hit wonder.
Once at the Massey Tunnel on Highway 99 (right) and another at the Gilmore overpass on Highway 1.
Yesterday during the morning rush hour on Highway 1 through Coquitlam, someone managed to whack a helicopter on an overpass.
In a petition filed in B.C. Supreme Court, Chohan Freight Forwarders Ltd. says it has lost millions since Dec. 28 — the day the Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement (CVSE) branch suspended the company's operations after six overpass crashes in just over two years.
The company claims it's stuck in a kind of limbo with no ability to appeal until it gets a formal notice of cancellation — something it's been told to expect, but with no indication of how long it might take to be issued.
[…]
But on Dec. 28, "a Chohan-branded truck driven by an owner-operator, Jasveer Sangha, struck the 112 Street overpass on Highway 99 in Delta," the petition reads.
Chohan Group Ltd. — an Alberta-based company owned by the son of the owner of Chohan Freight Forwarders Ltd. — is also suing over claims they were denied oversize permits after the director of the CVSE concluded the two firms were "essentially one operation."
The court documents describe the two businesses as "separate legal entities" run as "independently-owned fleets, with different employees, drivers … and trucks" but says that "for reasons of cost-saving and efficiency" they work "collaboratively."
Some employees use the same email domain, on occasion, the companies share equipment, and their trucks all have "Chohan" branding. The daughter of the owner of Chohan Freight Forwarders Ltd. also "assists" both companies with their safety policies.
As a result, the company claims "sensationalized media coverage" erroneously stated the "Chohan Group" was operating in B.C. despite a suspension — when in fact, it was the other Chohan company that had been ordered off the road.
Not the same company. Nope.
The province says it's prohibited a transportation company from operating in B.C. after it was involved in six overpass strikes in three years.
A statement sent a 6 a.m. PT from B.C.'s Transportation Minister Rob Fleming said, in the interest of safety, a formal cancellation notice was issued to Chohan Freight Forwarders Ltd. for its operations in B.C. on Thursday.
The province had previously suspended the carrier following an overpass strike on Highway 99 in late December. On a provincial list of the overpass strikes that have occurred since December 2021, Chohan is named six times out of 34 total strikes.
"This is the most severe action that can be taken against a company with multiple infractions — and it sends a clear message to operators that infrastructure crashes around our province need to stop," said the release from Fleming.
"It has never been easier to follow a route to guide a load safely through our highway system and avoid the potential for impact with infrastructure."
[...]
On Friday morning a company spokesperson said it would provide media with a statement over having its operating licence permanently cancelled.
Great news! It has been a month since the last collision!
