The Ontario Provincial Police and the Ministry of Transportation jointly laid about 700 charges against commercial drivers during the 24-hour truck safety blitz known as Operation Corridor, the large majority of which were for driver behaviour and error.
The Ontario Trucking Association says results highlight how most commercial driver violations are related to driver behaviour, which have a higher correlation to crash risk, rather than mechanical fitness, which is a factor is less than 2% of collisions involving trucks.
“Targeted enforcement on issues such as speeding, distracted driving, hours of service and other areas known to cause collisions is a positive use of limited police resources,” said Stephen Laskowski, president and CEO of the OTA. “The majority of truck drivers are professionals who follow the law every day. Initiatives like Operation Corridor help focus attention to the drivers who need it, while leaving law-abiding drivers to conduct their daily business.”
Charges laid during Operation Corridor include:
- Speeding: 226
- Equipment issues: 176
- Seatbelts: 107
- Speed limiters: 38
- Hours of Service: 31
- Distracted driving: 28
- Hazardous moving violations: 30
- Following too close: 18
OTA supports the mandatory use of speed limiters and electronic logging devices (ELDs) for tracking driver hours of service rules, which will alleviate the pitfalls of paper-based logbooks and level the competitive playing field.
Laskowski said speed limiter and hours of service enforcement violations uncovered during blitzes such as Operation Corridor should prompt continued focus on certain carriers through facility audits.