Police nab two truckers for alcohol-related violations on same Thunder Bay, Ont., road in two days
Two commercial truck drivers were found to have alcohol-related driving violations within two days on the same road in Thunder Bay, Ont., including one driver accused of impaired operation after police discovered open vodka bottles inside the cab.
The incidents occurred on Dawson Road and involved the same member of the Thunder Bay detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police conducting traffic enforcement and mandatory alcohol screening, according to an OPP social media post.
On May 7, at about 2:45 p.m., the officer stopped a tractor-trailer for a designated truck route offence. During mandatory alcohol screening, the driver was arrested for impaired operation and operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration over the legal limit.
The officer found numerous open vodka bottles in the cab that were readily accessible to the driver, according to a social media post.
The driver was charged with impaired operation, dangerous operation, failing to provide a breath sample, having alcohol readily available in the vehicle, and disobeying designated truck route signs.
Police said the driver’s license was suspended for 90 days and the tractor was impounded for seven days.
The previous day, on May 6, the same officer stopped another tractor-trailer on Dawson Road and conducted mandatory alcohol screening. Police said the driver registered a warn-range reading, resulting in a seven-day license suspension.
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See what enforcement can do? This officer was enforcing a simple designated truck route. Simple, easy, if a truck is there, it needs to be ticketed. The officer found two individuals in two days with alcohol violations potentially saving a huge catastrophe down the road requiring 10X the workload of the MTO and OPP when this driver gets in an accident. Not if the driver gets in an accident, when, because this drinking habit will eventually lead to an incident.
More enforcement is key here. Law enforcement say they have little time for regular enforcement. I believe that regular enforcement is paramount and would eventually pay off in multiples as they ticket, place out of service, pull plates or simply educate drivers and operators. In today’s data driven world, more enforcement is the only way to identify where future potential issues lie and where more targeted enforcement can be more effective.