MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – The Roadcheck program stops thousands of truckers during their annual three-day vehicle inspection blitz. But trucker opinions on the program vary greatly with some calling it a boon for road safety and others simply calling it a pain in the neck. Truck News stopped by the Husky Truck Stop on Shawson Dr. in Mississauga, Ont. to find out driver’s experiences with Roadcheck and roadside inspections in general.

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Jim Dempsey, a 40-year trucking veteran driving for Canada Cartage System, wasn’t stopped during this year’s event which ran in early June.

“It’s been a long time since I was stopped by Roadcheck and last time I did I went through with flying colours,” he said.

Though he’s never had a warning or been taken out of service, he still thinks the program is beneficial – especially for inexperienced drivers.

“I think the program is good. It keeps all the crap off the road.”

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Randy Sutton, a driver with RSB Logistics in Saskatoon, Sask. was stopped during this year’s Roadcheck and narrowly escaped a warning .

“I was at a regular point of entry in the state of Oklahoma,” he said. “On my particular trailer, the winches have to be tied down in the (wrong) direction (based on new cargo securement legislation).”

After some confusion over proper tie-down procedures, the officer eventually let Sutton off the hook.

“The officer said, ‘Well I guess I’ll just catch the next guy,’ but something’s going to have to get figured out on that to avoid this confusion.”

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Roy Taylor of R & A Transport in Seaport, Ont. wasn’t stopped this time round, but has received a warning in the past. Like Sutton, he was in disagreement with the officer over the charge.

Though he agrees with Roadcheck from a safety perspective, he still acknowledges some downsides.

“There’s a lot nitpicking going on, you lose time and a lot of the officers don’t even know exactly what they’re looking for,” he said.

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Ray Kirby of Maritime Moving and Storage was stopped a couple of times during the blitz, but said his experiences have differed depending on where he was in the country.

“Ontario is the worst. You get more harassment in Ontario than anywhere else in Canada,” he said.

And like Taylor, Kirby said it’s the nitpicking that happens during Roadcheck that really irks him. “Sometimes they take things too far.”

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Neither Matt Kauenhowen of Plett Trucking, Ltd. in Landmark, Man. or anyone he knows has ever received an infraction from a roadside stop though he says the stops can be a bit tedious.

“I think Roadcheck is a good idea to encourage safe vehicles unless you get stuck with an officer that thinks he’s way above you and wants to be unreasonable,” he said.

But at his most recent stop in March, they did a full inspection and sent him on his way.

“I think as long as you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing, you’ll be alright,” he said.