Enforcement officers slam the brakes on unsafe trucks
Stop! And yes, brakes need to be working properly to stop. Truck drivers must check their brakes before heading out on the road.
It was clear that many truck drivers didn’t do so as Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) and MTO officers pulled them in for inspections on Aug. 27 during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) Brake Safety Week.
Officers found major brake defects in most trucks that were inspected in the lay-by on Steeles Ave. in Halton Hills, Ont. The list was varied and included shoe linings not in contact with the drum, friction surfaces rusted over, and air leaks. Some defects were found on tractor brakes, others on trailer brakes and in some cases — on both.
All the drivers said they had done a pre-trip inspection, and none of them cited any defects in their paperwork. In one case, the trucker had just left the yard and completed a pre-trip inspection six minutes before being pulled over. And the officer found a brake defect almost immediately.
Marc Taraso, commercial vehicle inspector, HRPS commercial vehicle unit, encouraged drivers to perform a proper pre-trip inspection. He also urged operators to give their drivers the time to do that, and to listen to drivers when they report defects and fix them.
He’s heard too often from drivers that they were told to drive the vehicle with defects or find another job. “Drivers have a right to report that kind of thing to the Ministry of Labour. Drivers have a right to refuse unsafe work, and if they’re disciplined or fired for refusing unsafe work, that’s certainly something the Ministry of Labour would love to hear about, investigate and take action,” he said.
He added that officers this week were focusing on rotors and drums, specifically cracks and missing pieces, general brake defects and push rods out of adjustment.
Taraso noted there is a sliding scale of carriers. Some have excellent safety ratings. Almost nothing is found during inspections on their equipment on most occasions. And there are others whose trucks are stopped, and defects are found on a regular basis.
HRPS lays charges and the court system penalizes them. For carriers that repeatedly have the same issues, he added that the Ministry of Transportation can impose sanctions on them, suspend them and even cancel their permits.
As the officers were busy issuing tickets to a bunch of gloomy drivers, a ray of positivity emerged. Terry Fanson sat calmly in his truck as a HRPS officer conducted a Level 1 inspection. He was the only driver rewarded with a CVSA decal that morning for passing the inspection.
“I feel pretty good,” he said when he was given the good news. “I’m particular about what I drive, so I’m all over everything.”
A proper pre-trip inspection is important, he added. “I get paid by the hour, so might as well make good use of it.”
Constable Laura Brooker, from HRPS’s traffic unit in Milton, Ont., said that her job is to make sure that truck drivers and other road users are safe.
Besides brakes, she said officers pay attention to the general shape of the commercial vehicle. During a recent enforcement blitz, Brooker encountered “mind-boggling stuff” that included holes in cabs, brakes falling off, and disconnected air lines.
“We would hope that all operators would have the same level of care for road safety like the carriers that properly maintain their vehicles,” Taraso said. He added that properly maintaining the vehicle keeps a carrier from unnecessary downtime and helps the pocketbook in case of an otherwise preventable collision.
Proper maintenance saves lives and prevents catastrophes on roadways, he said.
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How many trucks did they inspect to only have one passing inspection? That is nuts.
It’s funny that this only happens during blitz time. This should go on all the time in over 40 years of trucking. I’ve never been put out of service but let me tell you this I would say 90% of all these clowns at around the road today. Do not do a proper pre-or post trip the company I work for requires us to do a pre-trip and we’re paid for it. Any post trip which were paid for by the way that’s the problem. All these carriers. Expect everybody to do everything for nothing so maybe if they started paying maybe just maybe all these people that drive truck would care more to look after their stuff and from what I’ve seen all the trucks coming out of ontario are in pretty tough shape.
I am glad to see that the MTO is out and about getting unsafe trucks off the roads.
A lot of drivers are pushed down the road or not my problem let someone else worry about it.
This kind of enforcement is way overdue & needs to be country wide. I’ve just retired after 44 years in the transportation industry, mostly contributed to frustration over the lack of care and attention to safety. Mostly the people driving just don’t care about everyone’s safety including their own.
That’s great that they are taking the bad operators/companies stuff off the road. I drove truck for 49 years and had my own trucks for 45 years. I have never had any of my trucks shut down for maintenance issues. If a driver said there’s an issue it got repaired as soon as they got back to the yard. There are far too many unsafe drivers and equipment on the road these days. I think a lot of the problem is that they cut rates so bad that they can’t afford the maintenance.
As an air brake instructor and a Class “T” and “S” retired mechanic. I applaud the safe measures that are being taking by MTO OPP and other police agency’s across Ontario. I tell my students “You are the New Era of Drivers”. Take pride in what you do”.I have had 2 students over the past 5 years that were noticed by thier employer on how they were inspecting thier vehicles. Now they in turn showed other drivers that they work with on how and why what they do. My oldest driver 82 years young come to after the class ans said Thank You. Now I understand on what I did not know.
Keep up the good work and keep our roads in Ontario the safest in North america
Years ago, when I owned my own tractor, I was told by an inexperienced dispatcher to take a loaded trailer and deliver the load, then pick it up, and the brake leak would be fixed when I returned. I went to the first scale, but it was closed. However, they were still there and reported it. They put the trailer OOS and thanked me. When I got back to the yard, the dispatcher was in the general manager’s office getting a talking to. He never spoke to me after that! No great loss!