More than half of all commercial vehicles inspected in 2025 taken off the road

13 overpass strikes by trucks just one small piece of the puzzle

Every single month in 2025, there was at least one news report of a commercial truck driver striking an overpass in British Columbia.

Each time, the story had a distinctive ‘oh-not-again’ feel to it.

Overall there were 13 overpass strike across the province last year, most of them in the Lower Mainland, according to provincial statistics. That’s the bad news. The good news is that number is actually way down from 2024 when there were 29 strikes.

The president and CEO of the BC Trucking Association told 1130 NewsRadio in December he was happy the numbers were down, but said it’s still not good enough.

“There is simply no excuse to have it happen,” said Dave Earle.

He suggested the drop in numbers were due to a number of factors, but driver awareness is helping.

More violations issued than trucks inspected

Broader problems with commercial vehicles in the Lower Mainland in 2025 were evident in statistics from a blitz spearheaded by Burnaby RCMP Traffic Services, which joined forces with 12 partner agencies to conduct joint commercial vehicle enforcement. 

Of the 2,901 inspections carried out, more than 1,600 commercial vehicles (56 per cent) were placed out of service. 

“These numbers continue to be very concerning and represent a real risk for everyone on the roads,” said Const. Kevin Connolly, Burnaby RCMP’s Designated Commercial Vehicle Inspector. “While there are many commercial vehicle operators who are doing their due diligence and prioritizing safety, unfortunately we are still seeing those who are not properly maintaining their vehicles, including repeat offenders.” 

Seventy-four joint operations were held throughout the year, with 3,661 violation tickets issued. 

2025 Commercial Vehicle Enforcement by the Numbers:

Lower Mainland Joint Enforcement Operations (LMD CVE)

• Enforcement operations: 74
• Truck inspections: 2,901
• Trucks placed Out of Service: 1,610
• Violation tickets issued: 3,661

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Paul J. Henderson
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