THUNDER BAY, Ont. — If you’re hauling in northwestern Ontario these days you may have noticed an increased number of Boys ‘n Blue perched to the side of the road.

It’s all part of an effort by Ontario Provincial Police in Thunder Bay and Kenora, to step up speed limit enforcement and follow-too-close incidents, TodaysTrucking.com has learned.

In a letter to the trucking industry, OPP Sgt. Rod Brown, a truck specialist with the OPP in Thunder Bay, says that a rash of commercial vehicle collisions involving speeding and driving too fast for conditions, have prompted OPP officers to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to speed enforcement on Ontario’s northern highways.

Cops out in full force after a series of
accidents in northwest Ont. this past spring.

Last month, the OPP added 12 officers to the Thunder Bay and Kenora detachments to deal with traffic issues — specifically speeding and tailgating offences involving trucks.

“These deaths and injuries are preventable,” Sgt. Brown says in an April letter addressed to ‘the Transport Industry.’ “Therefore the detachment commanders at all locations in the northwestern region have agreed to make speed enforcement of commercial vehicles a priority.”

Brown also noted that officers in the new task force have had commercial vehicle awareness training so that they may also take enforcement action on HOS, cargo securement, mechanical fitness items, etc.

In the letter, OPP Sgt. Brown urged carrier to pass the warning along to drivers, lest they become recipients of enforcement action by his officers.

“At present, you may have your vehicles governed or have a tracking system in place. If so, excellent,” he writes. “That said, it is still possible for your drivers to exceed the speed limit in 80 km/h zone, or by letting the trucks run on large hills. For that reason, please warn your drivers of our zero-tolerance policy, and continue to monitor speeds on all roadways, including forest access roads.”