Trucking company asked to be taken off list due to “continuous harassment” of its drivers for number of bridge strikes 

A trucking company now suspended for a large number of bridge strikes requested to be taken off of the public list to avoid their drivers being harassed. 

Chohan Freight Forwarders Ltd. was suspended in December 2023 after striking the 112th Street overpass and causing significant damage, marking the company’s sixth bridge strike in two years.

Months before that accident and subsequent suspension, the company asked the government to remove its name from the list detailing its bridge strikes because their employees has been subjected to “continuous harassment” because of it. 

“Our drivers have been the subject of harassment on the roads, including one incident where an individual poured coffee on our company equipment,” said the letter to B.C. Transportation Minister Rob Fleming, reported Vancouver Sun. “We have had members of the public attend our head office and verbally abuse our employees.”

The company blamed that two overpass strikes it was publicly blamed for were inaccurate, and said it had done work to improve its safety protocol. Fleming refused to remove the information, but did suggest that the company report any incidents of harassment to the police. 

“In addition to documenting bridge strikes, the data on the website shows when a company was last involved in an incident and if corrective action was taken.”

“This is the most severe action that can be taken against a company with several infractions — and it sends a clear message to operators that infrastructure crashes around our province need to stop,” Fleming said of the company’s suspension and the notice of the permanent removal of their operating license. 

The company has since appealed the removal of their operating license, and the notice is still under review. The company has also filed a lawsuit against transportation officials in hopes that they will be permitted to resume operations and recoup lost profits.