A dump truck driver unable to stop his loaded vehicle as it exited the British Properties is facing some significant fines after a close call on Tuesday.
The driver of the dump truck – a 1996 Kenworth truck that was also pulling a trailer loaded with rock – was forced to pull onto a grass median just above Highway 1 after reportedly having trouble with the truck’s brakes as he came down the hill from a building site.
“It appeared there was some difficulty properly stopping,” said Const. Jeff Palmer, spokesman for the West Vancouver Police Department. Palmer said the 43-year-old Vancouver driver has been issued four violation tickets, including one for exceeding his gross vehicle weight under the commercial vehicle act, another for failure to maintain daily logs, one for having a defective vehicle and another for improper brake performance. Together the fines add up to almost $1,500.
A dump truck represents “literally tonnes and tonnes of metal and load coming down the road,” said Palmer. “If any part of that vehicle isn’t fully maintained, your risk of property damage and worse” is significant, he said.
It’s the second time that a dump truck with brake trouble has resulted in a close call on West Vancouver hills.
On June 9, another loaded dump truck barrelled down 21st Street, after the driver lost his brakes, eventually crashing into trees at the bottom of the hill near Bellevue Avenue.
Under West Vancouver bylaws, it is illegal for dump trucks with a gross vehicle weight above 10,000 kilograms to drive down the steep hills below the highway, and has been for the past 20 years. The bylaw was put in place following a fatal accident.
Palmer said following an investigation, the 26-year-old Surrey driver of that truck was handed multiple tickets for improper brake performance, a separate ticket issued if more than 50 per cent of brakes are ineffective, a ticket for omitting a log entry book and for driving without proper care and attention.
Those tickets total over $2100. The driver was also fined $500 for violating West Vancouver bylaws.
Palmer said the truck, owned by Tripple B Trucking Ltd. of Surrey, was also ordered out of service until numerous mechanical defects are repaired.
