The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure dropped a bombshell Friday morning, announcing a company with a long rap sheet for colliding with bridges and overpasses is no longer allowed to operate in B.C.
The government says it has cancelled Chohan Freight Forwarders’ licence in the interest of safety.
“This is the most severe action that can be taken against a company with multiple infractions — and it sends a clear message to operators that infrastructure crashes around our province need to stop. It has never been easier to follow a route to guide a load safely through our highway system and avoid the potential for impact with infrastructure,” said Transportation Minister Rob Fleming in a statement.
He believes most truck operators in the province can do their jobs without striking infrastructure.
“This decision, issued by the independent director of the Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement branch, follows changes that allow for progressive enforcement of suspensions to better deal with those few companies and drivers who are not being safe and responsible.”
According to Ministry of Transportation data, Chohan Freight Forwarders drivers have been involved in six incidents since 2021 where a bridge or overpass was struck. Four of those incidents occurred in 2022 alone.
The most recent one took place around Christmas in December 2023, when one of its trucks hit an overpass on Highway 99. The B.C. government did an assessment and said the repairs would cost more than $2 million.
●Chohan vows to challenge licence cancellation
In a partial statement released mid-morning, Chohan’s director of safety and compliance says the company “fundamentally disagrees” with the action taken by the ministry.
“We will continue to take steps to challenge this action on behalf of our drivers and their families,” Nitasha Chohan wrote.
Earlier this month, Chohan Freight Forwarders filed paperwork to take the B.C. government to court. It filed a lawsuit in the BC Supreme Court asking the ministry responsible to overturn the suspension of its safety certificate, which brought its entire fleet to a halt. It said it suffered financial losses, as a result.
At the time, Premier David Eby responded by saying, “My only hope is that on the way to court, they don’t run into a bridge. I encourage them to take the bus or some other form of public transit on the way to the courthouse.”
Eby added, “The astonishing part is that the company thinks that they should still be able to operate and they’re going to court to challenge our prohibition on their operating until they figure out how high bridges are and how high their trucks are.”
The company stated Friday it was “reluctant” to take legal action against the ministry, but was left with “no other option” due to procedural delays.
“To date we have cooperated fully with the Ministry of Transportation and Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement as a part of their investigation and will continue to take steps to ensure that our internal safety protocols are as robust as possible,” Nitasha Chohan wrote.
“At no point has the Government suggested those protocols were inadequate or that they led to the incident on December 28th, or explained what they say Chohan Freight Forwarders ought to have done differently that day.
“The incident was the result of a terrible decision by one independent owner-operator who has taken full responsibility, not a failing by the Company, and the Company’s customers and drivers should not bear the consequences as a result.”
source & photo : CityNews
