WINNIPEG -- Manitoba’s Auditor General says the province’s safety oversight of the commercial trucking industry is “inadequate.”
In a 70 plus page report, AG Norm Ricard flagged issues around inspections and safety programs.
Ricard says staffing hours at weigh stations don’t always reflect peak times trucks are on the road.
It says for three major weigh stations, Headingley, West Hawk and Emerson, the audit discovered almost half of all commercial truck traffic occurred when the facilities were closed. Ricard also said both weigh station hours and mobile patrols were “predictable.”
“…too little coverage and too much predictability will allow unscrupulous operators to work around the department’s staffing patterns.” Said Ricard
The auditor says the department’s safety programs need to be more rigorous. He says when a safety fitness certificate is issued to an operator, the department does not check the operator’s safety knowledge or safety practices. Ricard also says a operator’s safety grade is not impacted by a failed inspection.
The report makes 17 recommendations.
It also found heavy commercial vehicles make up ten per cent of licensed vehicles in Manitoba but between 2014-2018, were involved in 16 per cent to 27 per cent of fatal collisions
