New BC regulations require dump trucks to install warning devices

It was simply harder for dump trucks to hit overpasses – or at least provincial authorities hope so.

From Saturday, all tipper trucks over a certain size will have to be equipped with a warning device installed in the cab to warn the driver if the load bed is raised.

Drivers who do not have a warning device – visual or audible – could be fined $598.

These new regulations were introduced after overpass strikes became an ongoing problem throughout the Lower Mainland, with nearly three dozen such incidents reported in the past two years. In response to the issue, the British Columbia government proposed legislation in March that increases fines to $100,000 for all companies involved in such incidents, and a driver who is convicted could face up to 18 months in prison.

“Commercial vehicle infrastructure accidents cause damage, block the flow of people and goods, and pose a safety risk to all people on the road,” said British Columbia’s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.

“The vast majority of truck drivers are liable, but the trucking industry has called for more stringent action against the small number of irresponsible operators who caused these accidents.”

The new tipper regulations apply to all commercial vehicles with load beds over 4.15 meters high. They also apply to any out-of-province vehicles operating in British Columbia

With files from Sonia Aslam and Cole Schisler.