Company had six previous overpass strikes
After numerous infractions, Chohan Freight Forwarders, a company with operations in both British Columbia and Alberta, recently had its license to operate in B.C. cancelled.
The independent director of the Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement branch of the B.C.’s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure issued the cancellation after Chohan had six overpass strikes.
“This is the most severe action that can be taken against a company with multiple infractions – and it sends a clear message to operators that infrastructure crashes around our province need to stop,” said Rob Fleming, minister of transportation and infrastructure.
“It has never been easier to follow a route to guide a load safely through our highway system and avoid the potential for impact with infrastructure.”
Chohan’s violations account for nearly one in five of the province's 31 overpass crashes recorded since December 2021, Fleming previously said.
“We know the vast majority of commercial drivers in B.C. operate safely and responsibly,” said Fleming. “This decision, issued by the independent director of the Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement branch, follows changes that allow for progressive enforcement of suspensions to better deal with those few companies and drivers who are not being safe and responsible.”
Chohan’s suspension, civil suit
B.C. had previously suspended the company for its violations, following a Dec. 28 crash into the 112th Street overpass on Highway 99 in Delta, noted CBC.
Fleming previously promised to levy "the toughest fines in the country" on the company following that incident, according to a separate CBC story.
The crashes are "a supreme source of frustration," Fleming previously said.
Earlier this month, Chohan brought a civil suit against the province in a bid to overturn the suspension.
"As a result of the suspension, the petitioner’s 63 drivers and affiliated owner-operators, many of whom are the sole income for their families, became unable to work and suffered (and continue to suffer) corresponding economic hardship," the court filing read, according to a previous COS report.
Unified truck safety system
In January, Fleming, in a letter to federal transport minister Pablo Rodriguez, called for a unified truck safety system that would hold trucking companies accountable for their violations across provinces.
“If the company is headquartered in another province and they haven't committed those kinds of offences in that particular province, [other provinces] can take note of it, but we can't co-ordinate with other provinces and we wish to do that," Fleming said.
