BURNS LAKE, B.C. — Truckers hauling logs in the Burns Lake area were surprised when they started receiving tickets for overweight infractions dating back as far as Dec. 1.

The Insurance Corp. of B.C. (ICBC) issued the pre-written tickets based on load slips acquired from a local mill and ticketed truckers who were overweight by more than 3,500 kg. ICBC officials told the truckers who were ticketed the measures were taken to “encourage compliance,” but the Central Interior Loggers Association (CILA) is disappointed with the actions

“We think there are better ways to ensure future compliance than by issuing tickets for infractions in the past,” says a recent CILA press release. “If Burns Lake area ICBC staff the feel the number of overweight trucks is unacceptably high there compared with other areas, why couldn’t they arrange to meet with mill operators, contractors and truckers to alert them to the problem and seek a solution? The mechanism for such a meeting is already in place — a Highway Trucking Safety Committee composed of mill, contractor, trucker, ICBC, RCMP, WCB and Ministry of Forests representatives.”