'None of this should be happening': Stiffer fines coming for truckers who hit highway overpasses

When a commercial truck carrying chickens struck a highway overpass in Langley Tuesday, it was the 28th overpass hit in B.C. since the start of 2022 according to provincial data.

Fifteen of those crashes happened this year.

The data also shows B.C. only went 11 days between the two most recent overpass strikes.

“None of this should be happening, and so it is a concern,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Rob Fleming, who said his ministry has already taken action.

“In the last couple overpass strikes, what we’ve done is basically suspend all commercial activity for the entire fleet of the company that was involved for the duration of the investigation,” he said, adding that this is a heftier financial penalty than fines.

However, he also said that B.C. needs “stiffer penalties."

"Those are coming," he said.

The B.C. Trucking Association said it not only supports suspending licenses for companies involved in overhead strikes, the organization has been advocating for it.

“The penalties that inflicts on a company are immediate. It’s right now. So, your services to your customers are going to fail,” said Dave Earle, president of the B.C. Trucking Association.

“The costs that you have as a company continue to run for as long as it takes you to show to the ministry you can run safely,” he said.

That’s what happened after a commercial truck slammed into an overpass in North Vancouver last month. The driver fled the scene.

According to the province, the carrier was suspended for eight days and given violation tickets.

The company, Whistler 99 Courier and Freightways, posted a statement on its Facebook page Wednesday.

“Whistler 99 Courier and Freightways wishes to clarify that the company co-operated completely with investigators looking into the Tuesday, Sept. 19, bridge strike on Highway 1 in North Vancouver. Whistler Courier is operating with new safety policies and procedures following that incident. We understand that all investigations into the matter are concluded,” the statement reads.

The company previously indicated that two employees were facing disciplinary action.

Though RCMP have said their investigation is closed and no charges have been forwarded, Fleming told CTV News that the driver involved in the North Vancouver incident has not been found.

“Since the evening when the driver abandoned their vehicle after the accident, police have been seeking that individual to interview them about how that accident happened and have not been able to locate him to date,” Fleming said. “I don’t know why this individual hasn’t been apprehended, except they may be literally running away from justice right now."

Meanwhile, the minister and the trucking association said mandatory training for drivers has improved, and it's frustrating that overpass crashes keep happening.

He said his association is working with the CVSE (Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement) to ensure that after a company’s license is suspended, there are checks in place to ensure the business’ commercial vehicles don’t continue operating.

“Obviously, there’s a pattern of behavior that needs to change, and it’s incredibly frustrating for the carriers and drivers that are so diligent and so professional in their work to constantly see this happen,” Earle said.