Police blitz pulls 158 trucks off the road

Police in Delta, B.C., targeted more than 350 trucks in a commercial vehicle blitz last month, issuing tens of thousands of dollars in fines and pulling nearly half the vehicles off the road for safety concerns.

More than 80 officers pulled the trucks over at six spots in Delta between Sept. 25 and Sept. 27.

Of the 357 vehicles pulled over for an inspection, only 39 passed without issue.

Another 152 needed minor repairs that could be done later, and 158 a little more than 44 per cent were in such bad shape, they needed immediate repair before they were allowed to proceed.

Issues ranged from a missing gas cap to steering problems.

The steering axle on one tractor-trailer was loose, which police said could have caused a "catastrophic" loss of steering.

Officers issued around $37,000 in tickets and fines over the three days.

Delta police run a commerical truck blitz every year because the city sees some of the highest number of commercial vehicles on its roads.

A statement from the department said this year's crackdown was one of B.C.'s largest.

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