While U.S. figures revealed that thousands of Canadian trucking firms have violated regulations south of the border, Alberta officials say the industry's safety record is good
Edmonton,ALB,CAN -CBC News -Feb 23, 2011: -- A CBC News investigation has revealed that thousands of Canadian trucking companies have been violating U.S. road safety rules by not keeping proper records and driving longer than is allowed... Data from the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration showed that thousands of Canadian carriers violated key parts of the hours of service and logbook rules in 2009 and 2010. Alberta-based companies accounted for 78 of those violations... Those numbers are evidence of a systemic problem within the Canadian trucking industry, said Winnipeg-based trucker Michael Arpin. Drivers are often pressured to be on the road for 26 hours straight — leaving them fatigued and accident prone, he said... But according to Alberta officials, the vast majority of trucking companies operating in this province have good safety records, and collisions involving a tractor-trailer unit are relatively rare... Of the more than 24,000 trucking companies registered in Alberta, 142 had unsatisfactory provincial safety ratings last year, based on such things as mechanical inspections and proper log book entries, Trent Bancarz, a spokesman for Alberta Transportation, said. Ninety of those firms resolved the problems to the province's satisfaction. But 52 companies had their safety fitness certificates revoked, meaning they could no longer operate in Alberta... (Photo from farm3.static.flickr: Coutts, Alberta, Canada, border with USA)
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