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More commercial trucks, fewer safety inspectors a dangerous mix: BCGEU


News provided by

B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union

May 14, 2012, 10:30 ET

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VANCOUVER, May 14, 2012 /CNW/ - A shortage of commercial vehicle inspectors and an almost 50 per cent increase in heavy truck traffic over the last decade has made B.C.'s public roads less safe, the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) claimed today.

The union released government data it says shows a steady decline in safety standards on B.C. roads since the Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement (CVSE) branch was brought back into government service from ICBC in 2003.

Since then, more than 1-in-4 commercial vehicle inspector jobs have gone unfilled and heavy commercial vehicle traffic has gone up by almost half, while weigh scales are closed and crashes continue to rise.

"B.C.'s commercial vehicle inspector corps is being stretched to the breaking point," says BCGEU president Darryl Walker. "They're being asked to deal with one and a half times the volume of truck traffic with only 3 quarters the number of inspectors as a decade ago."

The union also claims that the B.C. government fails to provide a complete picture of vehicle safety in the province - by only reporting the number of vehicles taken out-of-service (22.6 per cent) during the annual 72-hour June Road Check Inspection. If ticketed violations were included, the actual 'fail' rate would be much higher.

"Data gathered year-round by commercial vehicle inspectors show a combined out-of-service and violation fail rate of more than 70 per cent," says Byron Goerz, chair of the BCGEU component that represents CVSE inspectors. "We can and should do more to keep B.C. roads safe."

The BCGEU represents 187 CVSE Inspectors, working in portable units and at weigh scales. The inspectors are responsible for inspecting heavy commercial vehicles over 5,000 kg, and oversee private licensed inspection facilities across the province.

For more detailed information, please check the CVSE RoadSafe web site at: www.RoadSafeBC.ca.

Backgrounder - CVSE Campaign

B.C.'s roads have become less safe since 2003, when the Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement Branch (CVSE) was brought back into government service from ICBC.

B.C.'s commercial vehicle inspectors are continually being asked to do more with fewer resources. Dozens of vacant positions are unfilled. Weigh scales, where a lot of vehicle inspections normally take place, have closed or have had their hours of operation cut. At the same time, heavy vehicle traffic and crashes have increased since 2003.

SAFETY SNAPSHOT:1

  • Commercial vehicle Inspectors (2003 - 2011)................................................................................................................down 26.4%
  • Heavy commercial vehicle traffic - 5,000 kg+ (2003 - 2010) ...............................................................................................up 45.5%
  • Reported heavy commercial vehicle crashes (2003 - 2011) ...............................................................................................up 12.5%
  • Weigh Scales:
    • Closed:  ...............................................................................................................................................................................2
    • Severely reduced hours:  ....................................................................................................................................................3
    • Operating with reduced hours:  .........................................................................................................................................16
    • Operating as scheduled: .....................................................................................................................................................3

PASS/FAIL INSPECTION RATES:

From the annual 72 Hour June Road Check Inspection Blitz

  • 2011 commercial vehicle Out-Of-Service (OOS) rate ...............................................................................................................22.6%
    (OOS = vehicles declared unsafe during inspection and taken off road until repaired)
  • In 2011, B.C. had the 2nd highest vehicle and driver OOS rate in Canada.

Tickets noting safety violations were also issued. Trucks could stay on the road, but needed to make repairs by a specific deadline. The June road check is heavily advertised each year and provides a limited snapshot of commercial vehicle safety. Fly-by-night operators stay off the roads during the road check to avoid inspection.

Statistics gathered monthly by CVSE inspectors

2011 stats (Jan. - Oct.):2

  • Pass Rate ..............................................................................................................................................................................29.16%
  • Violations Present (VP) ..........................................................................................................................................................48.59%
  • Out-Of-Service (OOS) ..............................................................................................................................................................22.5%
  • COMBINED VP/OOS 'FAIL RATE': .........................................................................................................................................70.84%

1 Sources of statistics: ICBC data; B.C. gov't data; union member data
2 Source of statistics: Ministry of Transportation 2011 FIT stats report

Image with caption: "The BC Government and Service Employees' Union, which represents BC's commercial vehicle inspectors, is launching a campaign to raise public awareness about the unsafe conditions created by a shortage of vehicle safety inspectors across the province. The campaign uses billboards, radio and bus ads to point out that 1-in4 vehicle inspector positions remained vacant over the past decade, while heavy truck traffic increased almost 50 per cent in that time. (CNW Group/B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120514_C7024_PHOTO_EN_13609.jpg

Contact Chris Bradshaw at 604-291-9611 or 604-369-8411

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B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union

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