Manitoba Motor Carrier Enforcement officers placed 26 commercial drivers out of service and recorded 51 failed inspections during a week-long hours-of-service (HOS) enforcement blitz in December.

A total of 150 offence notices were issued during the blitz, of which 66 were written to drivers, while carriers received the remaining 84 tickets. Twenty-seven enforcement officers inspected 317 commercial vehicles across the province, according to a news release.

Of the vehicles inspected, 240 passed, representing 76% of inspections. Fifty-one inspections, or 16%, resulted in failures where drivers were permitted to continue operating. The remaining 26 inspections, accounting for 8%, resulted in drivers being put out of service.

Hours of service was selected as the focus of the blitz due to its role in reducing fatigue-related incidents. In previous enforcement initiatives, HOS violations have consistently ranked among the most common driver out-of-service infractions.

Enforcement officials noted that even unintentional violations, such as outdated logbooks or incorrect use of electronic logging devices, can lead to penalties and negatively affect a carrier’s safety record.