Commercial Vehicle Safety Inspection Blitz

The Province’s Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement (CVSE) branch will be out in force throughout Vancouver Island this week ensuring commercial vehicles are operating with safe braking systems, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Shirley Bond announced today.

            “When our inspectors pull unsafe vehicles off the road, we find faulty brakes are the most common defect,” said Bond. “We know that the vast majority of operators conduct themselves safely and professionally. We want to remind all drivers of the importance of ensuring their brakes are regularly inspected and properly adjusted.”

            This week’s inspections coincide with the Commercial Vehicles Safety Alliance (CVSA) International Brake Safety Week, a North America-wide strategy to focus commercial vehicle inspections on braking systems. The results of these roadside inspections may result in increased focus on some designated inspection facilities and commercial businesses.

            The Province has recently introduced amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act to provide greater oversight of the vehicle inspection process. With these amendments, it is easier for CVSE to cancel the designation of a facility or inspector for improper conduct and also allows inspectors to immediately seize the vehicle’s licence plates for if critical defects are found, including those involving brakes. Critical defects are those that:

• Clearly affect safe operation of a vehicle.
• Should have been detected by the drivers during their pre-trip inspection.
• Cannot normally be repaired at the side of the road and are indicative of ongoing poor
• maintenance.

            Enforcement will take place on major highways and companion roads on Vancouver Island. There are almost 200 CVSE field staff throughout B.C. who carry out more than 20,000 roadside vehicle inspections a year.