CALGARY – Trucks traveling through southern Alberta didn’t fare too well in the annual Operation Air Brake enforcement blitz taking place across North America this past week. 

According to the Calgary Sun, Sgt. Wayne McCormick of the Calgary police reports that between 35 and 40 percent of trucks stopped were placed out of service.

Overall, out of the 199 trucks inspected, only 76 left with a complete bill of health. Of the flagged trucks, about 35 percent required major, says McCormick, while 27 percent needed minor work and were sent on their way.

The OOS rate at this Calgary inspection site overwhelmingly exceeds both the provincial and national OOS averages from recent enforcement campaigns conducted by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.

In the May 2010 CVSA Roadcheck, only 20 percent of commercial vehicles in Canada were placed out of service, continuing an overall downward trend over the past several years. 

In the U.S., where over 65,000 trucks were checked, the compliance rate was over 80 percent.

Alberta, which in recent years has posted some of the highest OOS levels in Canada, had an OOS rate of 24 percent in May.

The official numbers from across Canada are expected to be released by CVSA and the CCMTA in the coming weeks.