Alberta Sheriff Highway Patrol wrap up 3-day campaign focused on commercial vehicle safety

The Alberta Sheriff Highway Patrol, along with some law enforcement partners, wrapped up a three-day commercial vehicle safety campaign on Thursday that involved hundreds of additional inspections.

The campaign was conducted as part of Roadcheck 2021, a North America-wide safety program. In Alberta, officials said the campaign is intended to ensure commercial vehicles and their drivers operate safely on the roads.

"There's a large chunk of the trucks that travel on Alberta highways, are very safe trucks and we've got good carriers in Alberta, but obviously there are trucks that do need our attention at times and these inspections tend to pick those trucks out," said Sheriff Shawn Lester. 

On Thursday, trucks moved slowly throw a commercial vehicle weigh scale near Balzac, and some were randomly picked and directed to a large lot.

According to Lester, that's where officers examine driver documents, check hours of service and conduct a 37-step vehicle safety inspection.

That inspection includes a look at brakes, steering, tires, lights, suspension, the fuel system and how cargo is secured.

Most drivers pass inspections, but those that don't can face orders to fix problems and can also be taken off the road.

Veteran driver Leon van den Hadelkamp said he supports these types of programs.

"Needless to say, every vehicle on the road needs to be safe," he said.

Sheriffs said they also share information with drivers and gather safety statistics. They performed 727 inspections during Roadcheck last year.