One vehicle had two unsafe tires, one of which "could have exploded," a brake problem and an illegal load

A recent safety check of commercial trucks in Calgary found 21 out of 26 vehicles inspected harboured critical or major defects, police say. Liquid Level Inspection Machine

The inspection on Stoney Trail at Crowchild Trail conducted by police and Sheriff Highway Patrol last Thursday found a typical range of defects and a familiar ratio of offending trucks, said Sgt. Colin Foster of the Calgary Police Service’s traffic section.

Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Calgary Herald, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.

A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.

The next issue of Calgary Herald Headline News will soon be in your inbox.

We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again

“Some of the stuff we did find was pretty horrendous,” said Foster. “One dump truck had to be hauled away, there were so many bad defects.”

That one vehicle had two unsafe tires, one of which “could have exploded,” a brake problem and an illegal load, he said.

The truck’s driver, he said, also told police he’d conducted a safety inspection prior to starting his day, which earned him a separate fine, said Foster.

“He walked away with a lot of tickets.”

But many of the vehicles, as is common, are ready to return to the road once their problems are addressed on-site, said Foster.

Even so, some of the violations constitute a definite danger on the road, with Calgary having double the percentage of vehicles taken out of service — 75 to 80 per cent of those inspected — compared to a provincial average of 35 to 40 per cent, he said.

But Foster said that’s largely due to the practice in Calgary of only flagging down trucks showing visible violations.

“We’re specifically looking for those kinds of vehicles … I don’t want to waste the time of a driver who’s going to pass inspection and waste our own time,” he said, adding inspections can often last more than an hour.

“I’m not going to pull over every vehicle — we want to get the rubbish off the road, it’s as simple as that.”

The most common problems involve brakes, unsecured cargo loads and tires, many of which he chalks up to laziness and now with the cold weather, a reluctance to spend the time doing safety checks outdoors.

Fines handed out range from $243 to $324 but can be $810 for unsecured loads in safety checks that are usually held in Calgary once a week.

Environment Canada has issued a cold warning for the Calgary area as wind chill values of -40 are expected to continue throughout the week

Police say three of the five people killed were members of the condo board, though authorities are not yet able to release the identities of the victims

The RCMP said until the roads are cleared and/or until the temperature rises, it's likely poor driving conditions along Highway 2 north of Calgary will persist

The airline has plans for daily flights to Calgary and Edmonton from Toronto as of mid-February for $262

Rakka's appeal lists several grounds, including that the trial judge erred by interfering with cross-examination of a key Crown witness and made unreasonable findings

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.

365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4

© 2022 Calgary Herald, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited.

Packaging Inspection-Food&Beverage This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.