Commercial vehicle inspections in eastern Ontario lead to numerous tickets

OPP inspect a commercial vehicle in this undated image. (OPP/handout)

Ontario Provincial Police say a commercial vehicle safety blitz on Highway 401 in eastern Ontario this week led to several tickets being issued to drivers and companies.

The OPP and the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) conducted joint inspections Monday through Thursday on 596 different vehicles, looking for mechanical defects, improper paperwork, impaired drivers and anything else which could potentially impact safety.

Following the blitz, police said nine tickets were issued for offences such as lack of pre-trip inspections, improper or no insurance, and major defects. Four vehicles were taken out of service.

Police also conducted 69 mandatory alcohol screening tests on random drivers but found no violations.

Nine drivers were charged with using a secondary road to bypass the MTO inspection facility on Highway 401, police said. In one case, nine charges were laid against a company and the driver, and the vehicle was taken out of service.

“This was tremendous work by officers from both the OPP and MTO. We all share a responsibility when it comes to highway safety, but commercial drivers carry an even greater burden-given that the vehicles they operate can weigh over 40,000 kilograms, or 40 tons,” said OPP East Region HQ Acting Superintendent Stephan Neufeld in a news release.

• Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App