Nearly 90% of Trucks Pass CVSA Brake Inspections

The out-of-service rate for this year’s unannounced Brake Safety Day, conducted July 19 across North America, showed a nearly 4% improvement over 2019 (the last year there was a inspection blitz).

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance reports 1,273 trucks were sidelined because of brake-related critical vehicle inspection items this year compared to 1,667 trucks in 2019.

This year, CVSA conducted 10,091 inspections across Canada (946, 11.4% out-of-service), Mexico (487, 2.9% OOS) and the U.S (8,658, 13.3% OOS), resulting in a North American out-of-service rate of 12.6%. Last year’s overall OOS rate was 16.1%.

Fourteen vehicles were removed from roadways in Mexico for brake violations. In Canada, 108 vehicles were placed out-of-service for brake violations, and in the U.S., 1,151 vehicles were sidelined due to brake violations.

“Inspectors conducted their usual inspections and reported brake-related data to CVSA for Brake Safety Day,” said CVSA President and Delware State Police Sgt. John Samis in a press release. “We are sharing the results to call attention to the importance of commercial motor vehicle brake safety.”

CVSA places a high priority on brake system function and condition because they are critical to vehicle safety. Despite that focus, brake-related violations continue to dominate vehicle out-of-service conditions. Brake system violations was the top vehicle out-of-service category during last year’s three-day International Roadcheck commercial motor vehicle and driver inspection and enforcement safety initiative.

Brake system violations at Roadcheck 2020 were 3,163 vehicles out of 12,254 inspections, or 25.8%.

Inspectors Focus on Brake Hoses, Tubing
Inspectors compiled and reported data specifically on chaffed or damaged brake hoses and tubing this year. Broken out by country: Canada reported 251 chafing violations, Mexico reported 186 and the U.S. reported 1,288 — with is roughly proportionate to each jurisdiction’s overall number of inspections and overall vehicle populations.

    •  Inspection data revealed a total of 664 (38%) Category 1 violations, defined as brake hose/tubing wear that had extended into the outer protective material. This is not an out-of-service condition.
    • There were 509 (30%) Category 2 violations, meaning wear had extended through the brake hose/tubing outer protective material into the outer rubber cover. Category 2 violations are not out-of-service conditions.
    • Inspectors saw 275 (16%) Category 3 violations, where the wear makes the reinforcement ply visible, but the ply is still intact. This is not an out-of-service condition.
    • A category 4 violation is when the reinforcement ply is visible and the ply is completely frayed, severed, or cut through. Inspectors recorded 169 (10%) such violations. Vehicles with Category 4 chafed hose conditions were placed out of service.
    • Brake hose/tubing wear for Category 5 violations is when wear extends through the reinforcement ply to the inner rubber layer. Such violations accounted for 108 (6%) of the trucks inspected. A Category 5 violation is an out-of-service condition.

“Brake hoses and tubing are essential brake system components and must be properly attached, undamaged, without leaks and flexible,” Samis said. “We chose to focus on brake hoses/tubing this year in an effort to reduce deaths and injuries as a result of commercial motor vehicle brake-system failures from pressure or vacuum loss due to brake hose/tubing deficiencies.”

Performance-Based Brake Testers
Some jurisdictions in the U.S. use performance-based brake testers (PBBT) as part of their vehicle inspection process. A PBBT is a machine that assesses the braking performance of a vehicle. On Brake Safety Day, 68 PBBT tests were conducted. Four percent (about three vehicles) of PBBT-tested commercial motor vehicles were placed out of service for insufficient brake performance.

Brake Safety Day is the Alliance’s unannounced brake safety initiative; however, CVSA also holds Brake Safety Week each year and announces those dates publicly well in advance. This year’s Brake Safety Week is scheduled for Aug. 22-28.

CleanBC Heavy-duty Vehicle Efficiency Program Offers Incentives on Approved Fuel-Saving Devices

Langley, B.C.:  The BC Trucking Association (BCTA), in partnership with the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure proudly announces the third offering of the CleanBC Heavy-duty Vehicle Efficiency (HDVE) Program. The HDVE Program is a key component of the Province’s efforts to support its legislated targets for significantly reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over the next 30 years. By providing carriers with fuel management strategies and incentives of up to 50 percent for approved fuel-efficiency devices, participation in the program significantly reduces fuel consumption and associated GHG emissions by up to 35 percent.  Since the program launched in 2019, BCTA estimates the impact of the HDVE Program to have removed the equivalent of 8,808 passenger vehicles across North America.  The Province of British Columbia has committed $1.4 million to Year-three of the Program that will run from July 21, 2021, to March 31, 2022, or until the funds are fully allocated, whichever comes first.

“The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is pleased to partner with the BC Trucking Association to support the transition toward a cleaner, more sustainable trucking sector,” said Rob Fleming, Minister for Transportation and Infrastructure. “The CleanBC Heavy-duty Efficiency Program is helping to combat climate change and enabling B.C. carriers to save money by using less fuel. By joining forces, we’re leveraging BCTA’s expertise to administer the program and its many benefits to B.C.’s trucking industry.”

The interest the program has received over the past two years has grown exponentially and Dave Earle, BCTA President and CEO, expects that Year-three will continue to see the same trend.

“The trucking industry has risen to meet the challenge of mitigating the impact of greenhouse gas emissions, and we’ve only just begun,” said Earle.  “The CleanBC Heavy-duty Efficiency Program is so successful because it gives B.C. carriers an immediate and effective incentive to lessen their carbon footprint.  BCTA is privileged to align with the Province for the third year in a row to enable our industry to take an active role in reducing emissions.”

Key Features

The HDVE Program Guide offers detailed information about the incentive program.

Key features include:

  • A free, half-day CleanBC HDVE Program Course that teaches participants how to develop a Fuel Management Program for a fleet of any size.  Course registration opens July 21, 2021.
  • Incentive amounts of up to $15,000 per vehicle and up to $100,000 per fleet for purchase and installation of approved fuel-saving equipment and technology.  See the full list of approved equipment and fuel-efficient driver training here.
  • Funding allocated equitably among successful applicants by region, and carrier type and size.

Priority funding allocation for Year-three will be given to new applicants. Applications will be accepted from new applicants beginning August 9, 2021, and from all applicants beginning September 13, 2021.

BCTA is working in collaboration with Indigenous businesses and communities to encourage program participation.

Eligibility

To be eligible for program incentives, BCTA membership is not required.  Companies must meet the full eligibility criteria that are available in the HDVE Program Guide, including:

  • Must have one or more heavy-duty commercial vehicles in their fleet with a gross vehicle weight greater than 11,794 kilograms.
  • Vehicle must be licensed and insured to operate in B.C.
  • Must conduct business in the province with a terminal located in B.C.

Applicants must also successfully complete the free, pre-requisite CleanBC HDVE Program Course that describes the benefits of using different fuel-saving technologies and practices. This half-day course, which is offered by webinar and in-person, teaches participants how to develop a Fuel-Management Program for any size fleet, incorporating measures to improve fuel economy. The course also demonstrates how to develop a baseline of fuel consumption and track progress as part of the company’s program. Registration for the CleanBC HDVE Program Course opens July 21, 2021.

How to Apply

The application process for the HDVE Program is broken down into three stages:

  • Stage 1: July 21- Registration opens for the free, pre-requisite CleanBC HDVE Program Course
  • Stage 2: August 9- Applications open for new applicants
  • Stage 3: September 13- Applications open for all applicants

Program Course registration information and application details can be found on the BCTA website.

More information

For more information on CleanBC, please visit cleanbc.gov.bc.ca.

For more information on the CleanBC HDVE Program, please contact Cory Paterson, BCTA Vice President at 604-888-5319 or CoryP@BCTrucking.com.

Claim Suppression Study in B.C. Finds Under-claiming of Work Injury to be Common

Joint study by Institute for Work & Health and Prism Economics and Analysis also finds employer pressure, inducement not to claim seen in four to 13 per cent of work injuries

About half of British Columbia workers who have a work injury or illness that results in time away from work do not report the injury or illness to WorkSafeBC. The two most common reasons workers give are not knowing they are entitled to compensation or how to apply, and not thinking it’s worth their time to make a claim.

This is according to a recent study on claim suppression commissioned by WorkSafeBC and conducted by the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) and Prism Economics and Analysis. The study found an estimated four to 13 per cent of people with work-related injuries in British Columbia experience claim suppression—i.e. pressure or inducement from an employer not to make a claim.

The study was conducted using four data sources. They included:

1) a survey conducted in 2019-2020 of 699 B.C. workers who had experienced a self-reported, work-related injury or illness within three years before the survey;

2) a survey of 150 employers across the province, with those in the construction and transportation/warehousing sectors disproportionately over-represented;

3) a document review of 1,043 randomly selected no-lost-time claims filed between 2016 and 2019, conducted by WorkSafeBC staff who provided anonymized results to the research team for analysis; and

4) a document review of 601 claims that were rejected, suspended or abandoned, again done by WorkSafeBC and analyzed by the research team using anonymized results.

Findings from the study are now available in a policy briefing and a report.

In their report, the research team noted important differences between under-claiming, misrepresented claims and claim suppression. Under-claiming occurs when workers who appear to be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits choose not to submit or proceed with a claim. Misrepresented claims are claims that are submitted and classified as no-lost-time claims even though the injuries or diseases do involve lost working time. Claim suppression refers to any overt or subtle act by an employer to discourage a worker from reporting an injury or disease or from making a claim.

Workers’ reasons for not reporting

Among the 699 workers surveyed, almost six in 10 (58 per cent) had lost two or more days of working time due to a work-related injury. Among these, just over half (54 per cent) did not submit a claim to WorkSafeBC. Findings showed that under-claiming was more common among workers who were immigrants, had lower educational attainment, were not union members, were employed by small employers and worked on a temporary basis (directly or through temp agencies).

The main reasons given for not claiming were unrelated to claim suppression (see sidebar). The most common reasons included not knowing they were entitled to compensation or not knowing how to apply for WorkSafeBC wage loss benefits (40 per cent), and thinking it wasn’t worth the time to make a claim (36 per cent).

As for reasons indicative of claims suppression among those who were off work for two or more days but did not submit a claim, the top two were believing they would “get into trouble” (7.8 per cent) and their employer pressuring them not to apply for WorkSafe benefits (4.1 per cent). The survey also found 13 per cent of those off work for two or more days, whether they filed a claim or not, said their employer asked them not to report time loss and/or threatened them with repercussions if they did so.

In some cases, the claim suppression behaviour may have involved front-line supervisors who were acting contrary to the employer’s policy, says Dr. Ron Saunders, an IWH adjunct scientist and principal investigator of the study. About a third of the respondents who reported claim suppression behaviour also said that their employer assisted them in filing the report to WorkSafeBC.

Claim suppression appears to be higher in workplaces that offer rewards to employees if the workplace is injury-free, the survey results suggest. Among workers who indicated their employer engaged in claim suppression behaviour, about 41 per cent reported their employer operated an incentive scheme. In comparison, among survey respondents who did not indicate their employer engaged in claim suppression, 6.4 per cent said their employer operated an incentive scheme.

Employer perceptions

In the survey of 150 employers, the team found 6.0 per cent said they believed that, in their industry, lost-time injuries were “rarely or never” reported to WorkSafeBC. However, about 27 per cent of employers reported their belief that, in their industry, lost-time injuries were reported to WorkSafeBC as no-lost-time injuries “all the time or almost all the time,” and 25 per cent expressed their belief that no-lost-time injuries were “rarely or never” reported to WorkSafeBC.

The employer survey also showed that 72 per cent of employers provided a sick leave/disability plan, medical benefits plan or both. Roughly a fifth of these employers (21 per cent, representing 15 per cent of the total sample) allowed their employees to access benefits through one of these plans instead of claiming WorkSafeBC benefits. As well, 11 per cent reported that they provided a bonus or incentive to their employees to maintain an injury-free workplace.

From the analysis of no-lost-time claims, the team estimated between 4.1 and 12 per cent of these types of claims were misclassified—i.e. they may have indeed resulted in more than two days off work. From the analysis of claims that were rejected, withdrawn or abandoned, the team estimated between 12 and 19 per cent were “problematic” because documentary evidence in the claim file suggested a compensable, work-related injury or disease.

The fact that a file was problematic does not necessarily imply that the worker’s decision not to proceed with the claim was the result of undue pressure from the employer, says Saunders. However, some of the claim files did suggest the potential for employer pressure. For example, in 8.3 per cent of the files, the worker form (Form 6) indicated that the worker missed more than one day of work and sought medical attention, but no employer form was filed for the incident.

The findings of this study are in line with those of others looking at claim suppression or under-claiming in Canadian jurisdictions, says Saunders. Its findings were similar with respect to the approximate magnitude of under-claiming, of lost working-time incidents being misrepresented as involving no lost working time, and of claim suppression on the part of employers.

Read reasons for not reporting an injury and more stats here.

Operation Safe Driver Week Set for July 11-17 With Focus on Speeding

This year’s Operation Safe Driver Week will take place July 11-17 with an emphasis on speeding.

During Operation Safe Driver Week, law enforcement personnel will be on the lookout for commercial motor vehicle drivers and passenger vehicle drivers engaging in risky driving behaviors in or around a commercial motor vehicle. Identified unsafe drivers will be pulled over and issued a citation or warning.

“Data shows that traffic stops and interactions with law enforcement help reduce problematic driving behaviors,” said Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) President Sgt. John Samis with the Delaware State Police. “By making contact with drivers during Operation Safe Driver Week, law enforcement personnel aim to make our roadways safer by targeting high-risk driving behaviors.”

CVSA selected speeding as its focus this year because despite a drop in roadway travel last year due to the pandemic, nationally, traffic fatalities increased. According to the National Safety Council’s (NSC) preliminary estimates, the estimated rate of death on roads last year increased 24% over the previous 12-month period, despite miles driven dropping 13%. The increase in the rate of death is the highest estimated year-over-year jump NSC has calculated in 96 years.

In addition to speeding, law enforcement personnel will be tracking other dangerous driver behaviors throughout Operation Safe Driver Week, such as reckless or aggressive driving, distracted driving, following too closely, improper lane change, failure to obey traffic control devices, failure to use a seat belt, evidence of drunk or drugged driving, etc.

CVSA’s Operation Safe Driver Program was created to help to reduce the number of crashes involving commercial motor vehicles and passenger vehicles due to unsafe driving behaviors. Operation Safe Driver Week is sponsored by CVSA, in partnership with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and with support from the motor carrier industry and transportation safety organizations. This initiative aims to improve the behavior of all drivers operating in an unsafe manner – either in or around commercial motor vehicles – through educational and traffic enforcement strategies.

To find out about Operation Safe Driver Week enforcement events in your area, contact the agency or department responsible for overseeing commercial motor vehicle safety in your area.

COVID-19 Sick Leave

COVID-19 Sick Leave Reimbursement Application: Action Requested

In the early months of the pandemic, it was discovered that COVID-19 outbreaks in workplaces were largely due to workers facing pressure to come in sick because they would not be paid to stay home.
To reduce the transmission of COVID-19, new legislation was recently introduced that allows BC workers to take up to three days of paid sick time for reasons related to COVID-19.

These reasons include:
• Being diagnosed with the illness
• Waiting for test results
• Self-isolating
• And following a public health order

As of May 20, 2021, employers are required to pay workers their full wages if a COVID-19 sick day is needed. If an employer does not currently have a paid sick-leave program in place, they will be reimbursed by the Province up to $200 per day for each worker.
The reimbursement program is available for sick leave taken from May 20, 2021, until the program ends on December 31, 2021. If you are an employer, you may be eligible to benefit from this program.
Get your application started today by following the simple instructions below.

How to apply

The BC Government’s COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave Reimbursement Program is being administered through WorkSafeBC, and the application is now available on their online-services portal. In order to apply for the reimbursement, employers must:
• Be registered for WorkSafeBC insurance coverage
• Have signed up for WorkSafeBC’s online services
• Not have an existing paid sick-leave program

Watch this short video for instructions on how to sign up for WorkSafeBC’s online services, or visit their website.

For more information about the program, visit the BC Government’s COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave Reimbursement Program web page.

Brake Safety Week to Focus on Brake Hoses in August

Between Aug. 22 and Aug. 28, commercial motor vehicle inspectors will emphasize the importance of brake systems by conducting inspections and removing commercial motor vehicles found to have brake-related out-of-service violations from the roadways.

Throughout Brake Safety Week, inspectors will conduct North American Standard Inspections of commercial motor vehicles, focusing on the vehicle’s brake systems and components. In addition, inspectors will compile data on brake hoses/tubing, the focus area for this year’s Brake Safety Week, to submit to the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.

Many motor carriers work to educate their drivers and maintenance service providers on the importance of brake system safety ahead of the enforcement campaign.

Jurisdictions devote a week to conducting commercial motor vehicle inspections, identifying brake violations and removing vehicles with out-of-service brake violations because:

– Brake system and brake adjustment violations accounted for more vehicle violations than any other vehicle violation category, accounting for 38.6% of all vehicle out-of-service conditions, during last year’s three-day International Roadcheck inspection and enforcement initiative.
– “Brake system” was the third most cited vehicle-related factor in fatal commercial motor vehicle and passenger vehicle crashes, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s latest “Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts” report.
– Brake-related violations accounted for eight out of the top 20 vehicle violations in 2020, according to FMCSA’s Motor Carrier Management Information System.
– During last year’s Brake Safety Week, 12% of the 43,565 commercial motor vehicles inspected were placed out of service for brake-related violations.

The dates for Brake Safety Week are shared in advance to remind motor carriers, drivers and commercial motor vehicle mechanics/technicians to proactively check and service their vehicles to ensure every commercial motor vehicle traveling on our roadways is safe, mechanically fit and compliant. Recent research has shown that announcing enforcement campaigns ahead of time improves overall compliance better than surprise enforcement campaigns and for longer periods after the event, CVSA officials said in a press release.

August, the month of CVSA’s Brake Safety Week, is also Brake Safety Awareness Month. Law enforcement agencies will work to educate commercial motor vehicle drivers, motor carriers, technicians, owner-operators and others on the importance of proper brake maintenance, operation and performance through outreach, education and awareness campaigns.

Message to Drivers: Slow Down and Pay Attention in Cone Zones

Cone Zone

Over the last 10 years, 12 roadside workers died and 207 were injured

The BC Cone Zone campaign, now in its 11th year, sets out to remind drivers, employers, and workers to do their part to prevent injuries and deaths of roadside workers.

Roadside work is a dangerous job. Between 2011 and 2020, 12 roadside workers were killed and 207 were injured in B.C. Last year, 23 workers were injured because of being hit by a motor vehicle.

The risks to roadside workers are more prevalent in the summer months as roadside work increases at this time of year and traffic levels typically rise.

The campaign reminds drivers to slow down when approaching a Cone Zone and to pay attention to instructions from traffic control persons, temporary road signs, and traffic control devices.

In addition, under the “Slow Down, Move Over” law, drivers should be prepared to reduce speed and if safe to do so, move over to an open lane when approaching a vehicle with flashing amber, red, or blue lights (tow, fire, police, ambulance).

As part of the campaign, a traffic enforcement blitz will occur at roadside work zones where police will be ticketing drivers for unsafe behaviours. Tickets will be issued for violations, such as speeding, disobeying a flag person, or using an electronic device while driving.

Cone Zones are work areas set up by roadside workers to protect themselves and the driving public. Road-maintenance crews, tow truck operators, first responders, municipal workers, traffic control persons, construction crews, and other roadside workers all depend on drivers to respect the Cone Zone to keep their workplaces safe.

Employers have a legal responsibility to ensure the health and safety of their workers and contractors along BC’s roads and highways, including:

• Ensuring their workers understand the hazards related to working at the roadside.
• Providing their workers with training, equipment, supervision and resources to help keep them safe.

Roadside workers can work safely by:

• Knowing how to identify hazards and assess risks.
• Following safe work procedures, including work zone set-up and take-down.
• Wearing appropriate high-visibility clothing and other PPE.
• Reporting unsafe work conditions to their supervisor.

Major provincial projects scheduled and underway during the 2021 summer include:
Highway 1 Lower Lynn Improvements
Highway 91/17 Upgrade Project

Quotes:

Harry Bains, Minister of Labour:
“It’s important that workers are safe on the job, and in fact it’s their lawful right. In addition to the hazards of roadwork, flaggers and other people who work in Cone Zones face additional risks from passing vehicles. I ask all drivers to do their part and slow down so these workers remain safe and return home healthy at the end of their shifts.”

Rob Fleming, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure:
“It’s a busy time for road maintenance and we’re reminding drivers to slow down and drive with care. Using caution while passing through a job site will help keep our traffic controllers and construction workers safe while they do their job. Campaigns like this are great reminders to respect the Cone Zone, for everyone’s safety.”

Louise Yako, Program Director Road Safety At Work:
“One of the greatest risks to a roadside worker is a motor vehicle being driven through their workplace. Dangerous driving behaviour like speeding and distracted driving puts these workers at risk of injury and death.”

“The Cone Zone campaign is a joint provincial initiative supported by the Work Zone Safety Alliance of organizations committed to improving the safety of roadside workers. Until the number of fatalities and injuries is zero, we will continue to take action to protect roadside workers. We ask all drivers, and roadside employers and workers to do the same.”

Al Johnson, Head of Prevention Services at WorkSafeBC:
“Roadside work is a dangerous job—and spring and summer are the busiest times of the year for these workers. Drivers must remember to reduce their speed, pay attention, and be respectful of the roadside workers and their workplace, so these women and men can go home safely to their families at the end of the day.”


Resources and Statistics:
Employers and workers can also access online tools, campaign resources, and materials at www.ConeZoneBC.com and www.worksafebc.com/conezone.
For additional statistics, access this infographic on Tableau.

About the Cone Zone Campaign
The Cone Zone campaign, supported by the Work Zone Safety Alliance, aims to reduce the number of deaths and injuries to roadside workers by increasing awareness of the vulnerability of these workers and encouraging drivers to practise safe driving behaviour in the Cone Zone.

About the Work Zone Safety Alliance
The Cone Zone campaign is a joint provincial initiative supported by organizations committed to improving the safety of roadside workers. They are Ambulance Paramedics of B.C., Automotive Retailers Association, BCAA, BC Construction Safety Alliance, BC Flagging Association, BC Landscape and Nursery Association, BC Municipal Safety Association, BC Road Builders and Heavy Construction Association, BC Road Safe, CoreCode Safety and Compliance, Government of BC, IBEW Local 258, Insurance Corporation of BC, K&K Consulting, Justice Institute of British Columbia, LiUNA Local 1611, Mainroad Group, RCMP, Road Safety at Work, SafetyDriven, Telus, The Universal Group, and WorkSafeBC.

About Road Safety At Work
Road Safety At Work is a WorkSafeBC-funded initiative managed by the Justice Institute of BC aimed at eliminating work-related motor vehicle crashes, deaths, and injuries in British Columbia. Road Safety At Work offers free online resources and courses — as well as workshops, webinars, and consulting services — to help organizations plan, implement and monitor effective road safety programs.

Media contact:
Anita Deiter, Cone Zone Campaign Manager
Tel: 604-786-9566
anita.deiter@roadsafetyatwork.ca

Join the SafetyDriven Board of Directors- apply today!

2021 SafetyDriven Board Vacancy Notice

SafetyDriven – Trucking Safety Council of BC is currently accepting applications to serve on the Board of Directors.

We are a not-for-profit organization that focuses on promoting occupational health and safety in trucking and related industries (transportation, supply chain logistics and waste management) by providing programs and services that can lead to a reduction in injury and fatality rates. For more information about SafetyDriven, including our annual reports, strategic plans and governance materials, please visit our website.

Current Vacancy
The SafetyDriven Board of Directors is comprised of leaders who represent all aspects of both the trucking and moving and storage industries. Our board members champion safety operations improvement and have a strong commitment to SafetyDriven’s mission and vision.
We are seeking new members with a variety of skill sets, including individuals who are passionate about workplace and vehicle safety and have governance or management experience to complement the existing expertise of the board. Applications from candidates that are currently employed by a company within WorkSafeBC Classification Units of General Trucking (CU 732019) or Moving & Storage (CU 732030), or in other related industries are welcome.

Successful candidates will serve on the board for a two-year term commencing on June 24, 2021 SafetyDriven’s Annual General Meeting. Attendance is required at regularly scheduled board meetings. A minimum of four meetings are scheduled every year and are held on-site in the Fraser Valley or virtually when required. For more information on becoming a board member, please read our Governance and Terms of Reference.

How to Apply
If you would like to join us in our vision to eliminate workplace injuries and fatalities in BC’s trucking, transportation and related industries, please apply online.

Submission deadline is May 28, 2021.

ICBC and Police Launch Campaign Aimed at the Leading Cause of Fatalities​​

​Every year, 81 people are killed in speed-related crashes, making speed the number one cause of car crash fatalities in B.C.*

That’s why ICBC and police are launching a month-long campaign focusing on speed and urging drivers to slow down.

While British Columbians are asked not to travel outside their health authority in order to help slow the spread of COVID-19, drivers still need to be mindful of their speed.

Small changes in speed can have a significant impact: an increase of just one km/h in average speed results in an increase of three per cent of crashes resulting in injury and four to five per cent increase for fatal crashes.**

Police will be targeting speeding and other high-risk driving behaviours during May. Speed Watch volunteers will also be set up in B.C. communities to remind drivers of the speed they’re travelling.

The campaign includes new education digital advertising and social media, as well as enforcement radio ads.

For tips and other facts, visit icbc.com.

Quotes:
Chief Constable Neil Dubord, Chair of the B.C. Association of Chiefs of Police Traffic Safety Committee
“Those who chose to speed excessively, change lanes aggressively, tailgate, disobey traffic lights and signs are willingly putting themselves and the public at risk for serious injury or death. In May, police agencies and road safety partners across B.C. are using all available resources, including Intersection Safety Cameras and targeted approaches, to prevent deadly driving behaviours and remove high-risk drivers from our roads.”​

Lindsay Matthews, ICBC’s Vice-President Public Affairs and Driver Licensing
“Speeding really doesn’t get you there any faster but increases your chances of crashing. When you slow down, you see more of the road and have more time to react to the unexpected. We can all do our part by slowing down to make our roads safer and save lives.”

Regional statistics*:
On average, 27 people are killed every year in the Lower Mainland from speed-related crashes.

On average, 13 people are killed every year on Vancouver Island from speed-related crashes.

On average, 27 people are killed every year in the Southern Interior from speed-related crashes.

On average, 15 people are killed every year in North Central B.C. from speed-related crashes.

*Police-reported data, five-year average from 2015 to 2019. Speed includes unsafe speed, exceeding speed limit, excessive speed over 40km/h, and driving too fast for conditions.

**Save Lives – A Road Safety Technical Package, World Health Organization (2017), p. 15

Proper Pre-trip Key to Passing Roadcheck Inspection

The annual Roadcheck inspection will be held May 4-6 and commercial vehicle inspectors will be focusing on lighting issues and hours-of-service violations.

According to the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), one-fifth of the more than 50,000 commercial vehicle inspections conducted during the 2020 International Roadcheck event resulted in a vehicle being taken out of service because of safety violations.

An instructor explains the details of a pre-trip inspection to students at Trukademy, a truck driving school in Mississauga, Ont. (Photo: Leo Barros)

And of all violations found during the inspection event, close to 40% were tied to the vehicle’s brake system and/or brake adjustment. Other top violation categories included issues related to tires, lights, and cargo securement.

Trucker Holly Faso, who works in the Greater Toronto Area, has not heard about the safety blitz. When asked whether she would prepare differently for it, she replied, “It does not change anything for me, I do thorough pre-trip inspections every day.”

Roadcheck does not worry Daryn Rabb, health and safety manager, Musket Transport. “We inform our drivers about the blitz but not for extra preparation. Officials are inspecting for the standard things that you have to check as part of your circle check or hours-of-service on a regular basis anyways,” he says.

“We tell our drivers to be patient and plan the time an inspection could take into your trip, because you could be delayed,” Rabb adds.

Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems wants to make it easier for fleets and owner-operators to prepare for inspections and to accomplish basic maintenance tasks by providing proactive advice on brake systems and wheels in time for this year’s event.

“A review of the findings from the 2020 International Roadcheck event shows that more than 7,200 vehicles and 2,300 drivers were removed from roadways due to a critical finding either related to the safety of the vehicle or of the driver,” said Fred Andersky, Bendix director – demos, sales and service training.

“And of these infractions, problems related to the brake system or to brake adjustment topped the list of violations considered critical enough to put a vehicle out of service. Those violations accounted for 38% of all out-of-service violations found. All told, CVSA’s data shows about 21% of the vehicles inspected were put out of service, and the brakes or brake adjustment were a common reason why.”

Andersky says, “Keep in mind that brakes are one of the foundations for driver safety and for optimal operation of vehicle on-board technologies. That’s why keeping vehicle brakes in good shape is critical in helping to maintain overall safety on the road, and why CVSA’s Roadcheck – along with a regular schedule of preventive maintenance – is so important.”

The Bendix official says, “However, many of the critical issues flagged during these inspections are maintenance-related, and many are issues that could have easily been prevented with regular, thorough maintenance procedures. Inspections may find that brakes need to be adjusted or that tires are improperly inflated, for example. Or they may highlight a driver or technical issue that could have been prevented through training.”

When asked how student drivers are trained for inspections, Jacques Naltais, lead instructor at Trukademy says they are schooled in pre-trip inspections from bumper to bumper. “Attention is paid to the brake test, using the mark and measure method and checking of headlights and marker lights is part of the daily inspection,” he adds.

Students at the truck driving school are also taught how to perform a post-trip inspection. They are trained to do on-trip inspections, getting down from the passenger side and doing a circle check. So, a complete light and tire inspection is performed each time they exit the vehicle.

“We make sure our students know the difference between minor and major defects. For example, if you have a flat tire it’s a major defect, if you have a slow leak it’s a minor one,” Naltais says.

Lights are part of a driver’s regular checks, Musket Transport’s Rabb says. They are tricky because bulbs do burn out. “We have no real concerns regarding the hours-of-service because all of our drivers are on ELDs,” he adds.

Rabb says officers are human and they pull over trucks that they feel might have a problem. What is reported in the news is this many trucks were inspected and this number of defects were found, he says. “What the public perceives is that this many trucks on the road have a problem. The real statistic is of all the trucks the inspectors thought might have a problem, only this many did.” Rabb says.

Driver Faso says the safety blitz is helpful, particularly regarding the hours of service. “Having a tired driver out on the road is very dangerous. You could kill innocent people,” she says.

“Having a tired driver out on the road is very dangerous.”Holly Faso, truck driver

Faso says lighting is important at night, people need to see the truck and the driver needs lights to drive, but it takes a back seat to the hours of service.

International Roadcheck, which was created in 1988, is the largest targeted commercial motor vehicle program in the world, with more than 1.4 million roadside inspections conducted over the history of the event. On average, nearly 15 trucks or buses are inspected every minute of the 72-hour period.

Inspectors in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. examine a wide range of vehicle- and driver-related processes and equipment, such as brake systems, steering mechanisms, tires, cargo securement, suspensions, and more to make sure they are compliant with regulations.

Inspectors are on the lookout for critical vehicle inspection item violations, as outlined in the North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria. If these violations are found, then the vehicle will be put out of service and cannot be operated until the conditions are corrected.


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