A commercial vehicle enforcement blitz in Burnaby, B.C., sidelined more than half of the trucks inspected, with officers uncovering a range of serious safety violations — including a fuel cap replaced with a sandwich bag secured by a phone charging cable.

The Feb. 25 inspection, led by the Lower Mainland Commercial Vehicle Enforcement group on Marine Way, resulted in 67 inspections, with 35 vehicles placed out of service. Officers identified 172 violations and issued 117 tickets.

Inspectors reported multiple critical defects, including a truck with a defective steering system, a trailer with inoperative emergency brakes, and axles bent from repeated overloading.

In one extreme case, a dump truck pulling a flatdeck trailer was found with multiple violations, including an improperly secured fuel tank and makeshift repairs. The vehicle was issued six tickets totaling $1,215, had its licence plates seized, and was towed for immediate inspection.

“There are many professional drivers and companies that follow road safety laws. This is clearly not one of them,” said Const. Kevin Connolly, Burnaby RCMP’s designated commercial vehicle inspector. “This is not an accurate representation of every commercial vehicle on our roadways, it is, however, a good example of why we do these inspections.”

The operation involved 10 enforcement agencies, including municipal police commercial vehicle units and bylaw officers from across the Lower Mainland.

Authorities said the inspection blitz was aimed at both education and enforcement, highlighting ongoing concerns around vehicle maintenance and compliance.