Between Sept. 5th and 6th, 104 commercial vehicles travelling through Red Deer underwent safety inspections that resulted in 20% of them being taken out of service.

The safety checks were conducted by multiple partnering agencies in the area as part of a provincial traffic focus on commercial vehicle safety.

The vehicle safety checks took place at two locations over the two-day period: Hwy. 11A and the intersection of 19th St. and 40th Ave. in Red Deer. The joint operation included peace officers from the City of Red Deer Protective Services, Alberta Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Branch, Lacombe County and Red Deer County.

Vehicles were checked to ensure they had the proper documentation and registration, that dangerous goods were properly secured and marked and that those transporting animals were following health regulations.

The compliance checks resulted in 20% of vehicles being taken out of service.

These vehicles are required to be fixed immediately and are not allowed on the road until violations have been corrected. Thirty-four per cent were identified as requiring attention, and 46% passed inspection.

Ultimately, 110 violations and 80 regulatory issues were identified in total.

Of these violations, nine vehicles were found to be overloaded and two were in violation of dangerous goods transportation regulations.

Inspectors issued a total of 18 violation tickets to commercial vehicles.

Commercial vehicles are required to meet specific safety standards according to federal and provincial legislation, and the inspection criteria applied to each vehicle is set out by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.

-Weber