After six overpass strikes, sixty-five truck fleet’s operating license is permanently cancelled
Canadian authorities announced Friday morning that a family-run trucking company’s operating license is permanently cancelled following six overpass strikes in two years.
On February 16, Canadian transportation officials said that the license for Chohan Freight Forwarders Ltd. has been cancelled, meaning that the 65 truck fleet is permanently barred from operating on B.C. roadways.
“On Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in the interest of safety, a formal cancellation notice was issued to Chohan Freight Forwarders Ltd. for its operations in B.C. This is the most severe action that can be taken against a company with multiple infractions – and it sends a clear message to operators that infrastructure crashes around our province need to stop. It has never been easier to follow a route to guide a load safely through our highway system and avoid the potential for impact with infrastructure,” said Rob Fleming, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.
“We know the vast majority of commercial drivers in B.C. operate safely and responsibly. This decision, issued by the independent director of the Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement branch, follows changes that allow for progressive enforcement of suspensions to better deal with those few companies and drivers who are not being safe and responsible,” Fleming said.
BC Ministry of Transportation acted swiftly in punishing the trucking company after its driver slammed into an overpass. Chohan Freight Forwarders Ltd's entire fleet of 65 commercial vehicles will be suspended starting tomorrow.
pic.twitter.com/gBeSz6pCzn— Sarbraj Singh Kahlon (@sarbrajskahlon) December 29, 2023
Chohan Freight Forwarders was suspended following a December 28, 2023, overpass strike that occurred in Delta, B.C. A truck operated by Chohan Freight Forwarders Ltd. was hauling an oversized load south on Highway 99 when the load struck the 112th Street overpass, leaving a girder wedged underneath and causing significant damage to the structure.
Chohan Freight Forwarders said that the overpass strike was the fault of an owner-operator, not a company driver, who “failed to wait to receive his permit and route directions for his oversized load.”
The B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said that the December 28 bridge strike was the company’s sixth infrastructure crash in two years.
Officials suspended the safety license for Chohan Freight Forwarders on December 29, leaving the company unable to operate on B.C. roadways for months.
Earlier this month, Chohan Freight Forwarders Ltd. sued B.C.’s Ministry of Transportation, claiming that the company is losing $1 million per week due to the company suspension. The lawsuit asked officials to either drop the suspension or officially cancel the company’s license. A license cancellation can be appealed, but a suspension cannot.