Joint Forces Commercial Vehicle Initiative in Sharbot Lake

Jul 19, 2023

On Tuesday July 11, 2023, members of Frontenac Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) along with members of the OPP's Highway Safety Division, Kingston Police's Traffic Unit and Commercial Vehicle Inspectors with the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) conducted a joint forces blitz targeting commercial motor vehicles (CMV's) on the roadways in and around the Village of Sharbot Lake.

During the one-day blitz - the third such blitz in the region in recent months - which saw officers escorting CMV's into a specified location where both the drivers paperwork as well as the mechanical fitness of the vehicles were inspected. In total, 17 inspections were completed with a whopping 10 of those CMV's being placed out of service. This equals a nearly 59% "out of service rate" for the vehicles checked. Along with the inspections, 15 charges were laid for various offenses including improper work hours, load security, paperwork violations and equipment violations. In addition to these, three CMV's had their license plates removed including a "cube" type truck that was transporting livestock (four calves and three chickens).

After being charged and having the license plates seized, the driver of the cube truck abandoned the truck and the animals. Officers at the scene contacted Animal Welfare Services to assist. The animals were transported to a foster farm in the Greater Napanee Area and Animal Welfare Services is conducting their own investigation with regards to this.

In 2022, the OPP responded to 9,110 collisions that involved a transport truck, marking the highest number of transport truck-related crashes on OPP-patrolled roads in more than 10 years. The incidents, which accounted for 12 per cent of overall collisions last year, resulted in 71 fatalities, the majority of which were preventable.  

The OPP and its policing partners are currently participating in Operation Safe Driver which runs from July 9 to 15, 2023.   Commercial drivers are reminded that 24/7 compliance with commercial vehicle safety requirements such as inspections, hours of service, secured cargo and the movement of dangerous goods is critical to keeping our roads safe.  

The OPP encourages anyone to call 911, or the non-emergency number 1-888-310-1122 or *677 on your cell phone if you encounter a dangerous driver or observe an unsafe vehicle.