A B.C. city’s bylaw crew has a trained eye on commercial trucks
ABBOTSFORD, B.C. — The City of Abbotsford is set to launch a new Commercial Vehicle Inspection program with a focus on weight restrictions and other bylaw issues.
The unit is being operated under the city’s Public Safety Inspection Division and is being deployed on April 1.
The Commercial Vehicle Inspection Section was formed to enforce street and traffic bylaws governing commercial vehicle use in the city. The parameters of the unit are to enforce Street and Traffic Bylaws, specifically weight laws, with the use of portable scales. The unit will also enforce other bylaws related to parking, noise, soil removal and
insecure loads.
“The city council has been concerned about overweight commercial vehicles on their streets for years, as well as staying on designated truck routes, some which have yet to be defined,” explains Tim Short, manager of the Public Safety Inspection Division.
with the formation of a new bylaw unit.
Short notes that the need for this venture might have occurred as a result of the Abbotsford Police Department not having dedicated traffic members to enforce commercial vehicle inspections and or infractions. The police department will now be able to use their full resources to combat more criminal events.
The new three-member unit is made up of veterans of commercial vehicle enforcement and bylaw enforcement in the Lower Mainland. One member will deal with commercial vehicle parking in the city. The other two members will be performing static and mobile patrols, with the ability to stop moving violators.
“They have an overall experience in vehicle enforcement of 40 years,” adds Short. “Their overall knowledge of federal and provincial laws is tantamount to their ability in enforcing the city’s bylaws, and the necessary grounding to enforce the city bylaws without confusion.”
The new city unit will also at times work in tandem with the Ministry of Transport, the Abbotsford police and the Integrated Road Safety Unit (IRSU).
“We are not taking on the role of the Ministry of Transport (CVSE) Inspectors or other agencies whose purpose is to enforce provincial laws,” Short points out.
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