Okotoks Municipal Enforcement officers will offer to help bring commercial vehicles in town into compliance with the rules of the road at a special event next week.
The department will host a commercial vehicle compliance assistance event on Oct. 30 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Don Seaman Way, where owners and operators can bring their vehicles to ask specific questions about registration and legislation, and ensure they’re documented at the right weights and dimensions.
Kelly Stienwand, municipal enforcement manager, said it’s important to make business owners aware of the regulations that are out there.
“The risk is essentially theirs, so we want to make sure we’re providing the resources for them to come and bring their equipment through and ensure they’re compliant and that they’re up-to-date on their expectations,” said Stienwand.
The program is being implemented by municipal enforcement officer Sam Burnett, who completed commercial vehicle safety training in March. Since then, he said he’s noticed a lot of vehicles around town that aren’t up to spec.
“There are a lot of issues with weights and dimensions, how people are registered, things like cargo securement, and just mechanical status of their commercial vehicles,” said Burnett.
He said legislation around commercial vehicles is complex and a lot of people may not realize they even need to register their vehicles a certain way as a business.
Small businesses such as plumbers, electricians, roofers and landscapers may be running a truck and trailer as part of the operation, but haven’t registered it as a commercial vehicle, he said.
“I don’t think it’s a lack of will,” said Burnett. “It’s a lack of knowledge.”
Burnett also created an informational brochure about commercial vehicle regulations, which he hopes to see stocked at Ardiel Agencies, local insurance companies and other businesses around town. It will provide a quick reference guide for those getting their vehicles set up, he said.
The compliance assistance event is aimed at giving owners and operators to opportunity to ask questions of municipal enforcement, sheriffs and RCMP without fear of enforcement for non-compliance, he said. It’s a way to get issues fixed and make the roads safer, he said.
One of the officers participating in the event has inspector-level commercial vehicle training and will bring a keen eye to the vehicles coming through, he said.
Besides securing cargo properly and hauling the right weight, he said the two biggest issues are not registering or insuring commercial vehicles properly. It’s a huge risk for business owners to take in the event of an accident, he said.
“If one of those two things are missing and then an accident occurs, their liability might not be covered,” said Burnett. “It puts other people at risk and it puts themselves at risk.”
He said the fines for non-compliance of commercial vehicles are hefty, so owners and operators should take care to ensure everything is up to code.
Anyone with questions about commercial vehicle compliance can call Okotoks or MD of Foothills municipal enforcement any time, he said. There are also provincial peace officers at the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement office who specialize in the regulations, he said.
For more information about commercial vehicle regulations, contact local authorities:
Okotoks municipal enforcement – 403-995-6302
MD of Foothills municipal enforcement – 403-603-6300
Commercial Vehicle Enforcement – 403-340-5225
