B.C. Transportation Minister Infrastructure Rob Fleming views flooding and mudslide repair and clean up progress on the Coquihalla Highway northeast of Hope, B.C., Friday, Dec. 10, 2021. British Columbia's provincial government has cancelled the operation licence of the trucking company involved in multiple highway overpass strikes since 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
VICTORIA – The British Columbia government has cancelled the operation licence of the trucking company involved in multiple highway overpass strikes since 2021.
Transportation Minister Rob Fleming says in a statement that the province has sent a formal cancellation notice to Chohan Freight Forwarders Ltd. for the company’s operations in B.C.
The province says Chohan trucks have been involved in six overpass or bridge strikes on B.C. highways since 2021, the latest happening last December when a load of construction girders smashed into an overpass in Delta.
That crash resulted in Chohan’s fleet of trucks being suspended from operating in B.C., and the company has challenged the provincial suspension in court, calling the move unreasonable given that the independent contractor involved was fired.
Fleming says the cancellation of Chohan’s licence is the most severe action that can be taken against a trucking company, and he hopes it sends a clear message to operators that such crashes must stop.
The province says there have been 34 overpass or bridge strikes on major B.C. roads involving commercial vehicles since 2021.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 16, 2024.
