B.C. announces tougher penalties for trucks that hit overpasses

The British Columbia government is stepping up penalties for truckers who crash into highway overpasses after a rash of such incidents in recent years.

Transportation Minister Rob Fleming says the province will implement escalating penalties for companies and drivers with repeat offences, adding longer suspensions and the possible loss of their operating certificate.

Fleming says the province has used unprecedented penalties with recent offenders, including suspending one company's entire fleet while investigators look into a crash involving one of its drivers.

At a press conference Thursday, Fleming said the changes are meant to address the "very few outliers" in an otherwise safe industry.

"There simply is no excuse for a truck to crash into a bridge or an overpass," he said.

The changes include the requirement for dump-style vehicles to have in-cab warning devices by next June, telling drivers their trailer hasn't been lowered, and over-height vehicle fines will increase to $575, up from $115.

B.C. Trucking Association president and CEO Dave Earle said in a statement that his organization supports the tougher penalties, as they "mark a pivotal step toward creating safer roadways."

Provincial statistics indicate as many as 30 bridge strikes have happened on British Columbia's highways since 2021, with 16 of them reported last year alone.

Earle told reporters at Thursday's press conference that those incidents have been the result of complacency, lack of education and a small number of unscrupulous trucking companies.