Truckers in B.C. call for more training after latest highway overpass strike

A truckers' group in British Columbia is calling on the province to strengthen drivers' training after the latest case of a semi-trailer slamming into a highway overpass in Metro Vancouver.

Gagan Singh with the United Truckers Association says his group will send a letter to the provincial government, asking for better support for drivers who have to handle oversized loads.

Singh says many truck drivers do not have the proper tools to measure the height of their loads, while others do not know how to determine the clearance they need on B.C.'s highways.

Harry Bacchal, the president of Big Rig Driving School, said he believes more training would also solve the issue.

“This keeps happening,” he said. “The only way to prevent it is for drivers to be trained properly.”

On Thursday, a truck operated by Chohan Freight Forwarders Ltd. struck an overpass on Highway 99 in the Metro Vancouver municipality of Delta, disrupting traffic for hours.

Transport Minister Rob Fleming said it was the sixth such crash involving Chohan in the past two years, and the province has suspended the company's safety certificate to operate effective this afternoon.

Chohan Freight Forwarders Ltd., in a statement to CTV News, said the company received a call from the driver about the load being oversized eight minutes before the crash and was advised to wait for a permit and route directions but failed to do so.

"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 two years," a spokesperson wrote. 

A Transport Ministry spokesman said the crash had caused significant damage to the 112 Street overpass adding that while an engineering assessment is still underway, an initial estimate indicates repairs could exceed $2 million.

In a joint statement Friday, Delta police and the City of Delta said they would push for stiffer penalties for oversized-load violations, but also work with transportation companies and others “to address the root causes of these incidents.”

Delta Mayor George Harvie said in the statement that he would speak to Fleming to request upgrades to “aging overpasses” along key routes, bringing them up to “modern heights and standards.”

The spate of overpass collisions prompted the province to unveil harsher penalties for companies and drivers with repeat offences on Dec. 14, raising fines for over-height vehicles from $115 to $575.

“This is not a blame game,” Singh said, adding that collisions continue to happen despite the penalties. “This is only to keep the roads and our highways more safe, and keep the community safe.

“We do understand that in order to keep the community and roads safer, someone has to step up.”

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Isabella Zavarise

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 29, 2023.