CHARLOTTETOWN — P.E.I. Transportation and Public Works recently increased truckers’ inspection checklist from seven items to 24, and will make fines for non-compliance much higher.

Fines for violations will quadruple, going from $50 to $200. Transportation Minister Ron MacKinley told local media the new rules bring P.E.I. in line with other provinces, and it’s all about safety.

"You’ve got to remember, P.E.I., we go to one-point-some million tourists in the summer here. That’s a lot of extra traffic we have on the highways," said MacKinley. "Also, if they go into other provinces such as Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, or Ontario, they might as well catch it before they leave P.E.I. than catch it away."

The Department of Transportation noted that no one was fined under this section of the law last year.

— with files from CBC