Alarming Safety Failures: Only 6% of B.C. Commercial Trucks Pass Roadside Inspections
British Columbia is facing a severe commercial vehicle safety crisis, as recent data reveals a staggering failure rate in roadside inspections. In 2025, law enforcement conducted inspections on 29,500 commercial vehicles across the province, but only 1,800 passed—a mere six percent. This alarming statistic underscores widespread non-compliance with safety standards, posing significant risks to public safety on B.C. roads.
A Case Study in Negligence
On January 13, 2025, a dump truck crashed into a lamp post and telephone pole on Boundary Road near Myrtle Street in Burnaby, just after passing under Highway 1. The incident occurred on a cool, cloudy afternoon around 1 p.m., with no rain to blame. The steel lamp post was bent at a 90-degree angle, and the wooden telephone pole leaned into the hood and cab of the truck, which was hauling an additional dump box on a trailer.
RCMP reported that it was extremely lucky no one was injured, as the truck was traveling downhill with ineffective brakes. The driver received ten motor vehicle violation tickets, and the dump truck and trailer were ordered off the road until repairs brought them up to Motor Vehicle Act standards. Violations included failing to ensure safe operating condition, non-compliance with trip inspection requirements, and exceeding axle weight limits for both the truck and trailer.
Systemic Violations Across the Province
This case typifies the issues found by RCMP, municipal police, and commercial vehicle safety enforcement officers during roadside inspections. Over the past several years, these operations have resulted in more than half of inspected trucks being ordered off the road due to significant safety and mechanical violations. For example, in the Lower Mainland in 2025, Burnaby RCMP inspected 2,901 trucks, ordering 1,610 off the road and documenting 3,661 violations.
Normally, drivers and companies face fines that can run into thousands of dollars. However, truckers who adhere to the rules argue that B.C. needs to implement stricter measures, such as revoking licenses and seizing vehicles from repeat offenders, to effectively curb this dangerous trend.
Calls for Stronger Enforcement and Accountability
Dave Earle, president and CEO of the B.C. Trucking Association, points out that B.C. has some of the most stringent heavy commercial vehicle regulations in Canada, requiring inspections every six months at approved facilities for vehicles like dump trucks and large rigs. "How is it possible that a dump truck shows up at a spot inspection and it’s rusted through? That didn’t happen three weeks before. How do you have a truck that shows up on bald tires? How does it happen? I can tell you how it happens. They’re not being inspected," Earle asserted.
He criticized the inconsistency in enforcement, noting that while inspectors can be strict on minor issues like tire width, they often fail to target bad operators who engage in practices such as folding companies and restarting under new names, exploiting temporary foreign workers, or using multiple electronic logging devices to falsify working hours. This highlights a need for more comprehensive oversight and penalties to ensure compliance and protect road users.
