Dozens of commercial vehicle drivers were charged by officers from OPP Caledon during last week’s Operation Safe Driver campaign, the detachment said Wednesday.

The annual event, organized by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) and supported by police and other road safety partners across North America, ran from July 12 through July 18. It focused on speeding and other dangerous driver behaviors.

Caledon OPP said 40 commercial vehicle drivers were caught violating traffic rules during the campaign.

Eighteen of them were charged with speeding. Other offences included distracted driving, seatbelt violations and use of defective equipment.

Hundreds of non-commercial drivers were also charged during the blitz, the OPP said. A majority of them, more than 450 drivers, were charged with speeding.

Last year, there were 8,432 crashes and 96 deaths involving trucks alone in OPP patrolled areas.

That was the highest number of commercial vehicle collisions and fatalities in the province in more than 20 years.