Prince Edward Island is serious about making highways safer.
Prince Edward Island's Commercial Vehicle Officers have recently completed training and certification for the North American Standard Inspection Program to conduct commercial vehicle roadside inspections according to the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (C.V.S.A) standard.
"This program is designed to improve commercial motor vehicle safety and promote uniformity in compliance and enforcement, while minimizing duplication of inspections and unnecessary operating delays for the motor carrier industry," said Transportation and Public Works Minister Don MacKinnon in announcing the measure.
Since implementing the new program, the Department's Highway Safety Operations have seen an increase in the number of roadside inspections conducted and, correspondingly, a slow but steady decrease in the number of commercial vehicles placed "out-of-service" for critical component violations.
"Good carriers are very supportive and recognize the benefits of this program, which include fewer delays through improved records management and increased efficiency and productivity for the carriers and the Province," stated MacKinnon.
Data from C.V.S.A. inspection reports done at roadside are entered on a Record Management System which assigns National Safety Code (N.S.C.) points to the driver and carrier profile. These profiles are used to generate a carrier's safety rating and compliance review.
"The province is confident our newly trained staff will exceed 1,000 inspections conducted this year," noted MacKinnon. "It is the department's focus to improve equipment and carrier compliance, which is an important aspect of meeting National Safety Code commitments which were discussed at the recent Transportation Association of Canada conference in Halifax."