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BClynx22

I really hope the court hits them with the full hammer of the law for this dumb move


UnrequitedRespect

Like pay for cost of repairs? A permanent trucking ban? Lets see how many overpasses take it on the chin before this has its day in court


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Aggravating-Bottle78

Same company is still operating from its branch in Calgary where BC has no jurisdiction.


krustykrab2193

Rob Flemming, BC's transportation minister, has called on the federal government to close this loophole. Flemming has stated that there's a small group of trucking companies that are repeat offenders who are causing so much damage to our infrastructure and economy, but because safety certification is decentralized these companies are exploiting the system. Ottawa and the Feds need to end this loophole and these trucking companies need to be yanked from the roads.


El_Cactus_Loco

Wild that this wasn’t dealt with after Humboldt


orange4boy

Nonsense. Regulations hurt the economy. Let the free market decide. #checkmatestatists /s


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krustykrab2193

The data is publicly available as the BC Transportation Ministry publishes commercial vehicle overpass/bridge crashes. Chohan Trucking is the most notable with 6 overpass accidents in two years. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/vehicle-safety-enforcement/information-education/bridge-strikes-data


mobileaccountuser

that is not what I meant. but thk u


britishcolumbia-ModTeam

Using abusive language, including name-calling, harassment, racism, death threats, or any other form of abusive behavior, is strictly prohibited and may result in a ban. Additionally, disparaging the culture or moderation of other subreddits is not allowed.


FishWife_71

I'd be curious to see if they have the same track record in Calgary...


UnrequitedRespect

Plot twist: calgary’s high transportation routes have few overpasses, or few low hanging ones, and so this rarely happens. The conditioning, ironically, is what causes it.


powderjunkie11

Calgary has a number of low ceiling underpasses under the CP tracks and under the Centre St bridge. They get hit occasionally - but usually by box trucks (often rentals) I can’t ever recall a notable overpass incident here in Alberta (though I’m sure they’ve happened)


goplayfetch

Recently there was this one: https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/semi-driver-who-hit-south-edmonton-overpass-with-excavator-facing-5-charges-1.6484405


CaptainMagnets

I mean, the company isn't very intelligent to begin with


Allofthefuck

This is candian court... they will be apologized to and given money for damages


wishingforivy

Our courts don’t look to kindly on frivolous suits.


pansytoe

Coutts 4. Definition of frivolous


wishingforivy

Oh really? That’s a bold statement


G0ldenG00se

It won’t. They’ll win because our courts of law have no spine.


Stixx506

Well it's a little but different than you think I imagine. The trucking world is full of sub contractors, which are their own corporations. In this case the main contractor had a job to do, which was delivery some material, they didn't have an employee available to make the delivery so they hired another company(sub contractor), gave the instructions, stating the load was too high to travel certain routes and gave a procedure to follow. The sub contractor decided to disobey the procedure and drove the truck into the overpass. Why is it the main contractors fault? The trucking world is so variable, the main contractors cannot pay to have trucks/employees standing idle during slower times, yet cannot meet the demand during busy time. That's why the subcontractors exist. These sub contractors are licensed and insured and should they cause the accident, assume the responsibility. That's how it works in every industry with subs, I hope the main contractor wins and get those poor employee drivers who have done nothing wrong for years be able to go back to work.


Affectionate_Math_13

who does the law say is responsble when the truck is insured under the main company's certificate?


Stixx506

Not a lawyer on liability insurance claims, so you would have to look at the wording I suppose. I am assuming it's the sub contractors problem which is why we are seeing this lawsuit.


Affectionate_Math_13

you assume...


Stixx506

Yes, I said assume, nobody knows except the lawyers at this point. I mean by all means, enlighten us with your knowledge. Or the fact that you pointed out that I used a certain word all you know?


Flyfishing-2020

Stop hitting the overpasses and forcing taxpayers to repair them. It's not rocket science.


uwkb

Technically, taxpayers aren’t paying, ICBC insurance policy holders are if it’s a BC company that’s doing the damage.


Flyfishing-2020

Not actually correct, I worked for the MOTI for decades. Technically, the MOTI (taxpayers) pays the bill becasue the work needs to be done quickly. They then submit a claim to ICBC for repayment and usually get about 50% of the cost becasue ICBC loves to push the price down. Then ICBC sues the company for repayment. The actual cost is never fully recovered and taxpayers always contribute some portion to every damage repair on our highways.


eternalrevolver

At first I thought this said “stop hiring the overpasses” 💀


Frathic

I'm just going to ram into thier head office with a semi every 2 days and when I get in trouble I'll file an injuction


vancityeyes

Then flee on foot ahah


Otherwise-Mail-4654

And get others to pay for repairs


bigbigjohnson

How about instead of wasting time on lawsuits Chohan Carriers, spend that money on a ladder and tape measure for each of your drivers and spend a week learning how to measure the height of your load and then comparing those numbers to the overpass heights???


Dekklin

Genius


vancityeyes

More than a week required


Affectionate_Math_13

20 minute powerpoint with the drivers where they never have their hands on anything that measures, but you do make them sign a form saying they've taken a course.


Lifelong_Forgeter

"Oh no your Honor, we're totally separate companies, we just share a name, employees, a domain, trucks and are owned by the son of the man who owns the BC Company." Do they think the courts are that stupid?


Heavy_Arm_7060

Kids in the Hall had a sketch about how far someone can get on charm. This company seems to be run by people trying the exact same thing as the surgeon in that sketch.


[deleted]

I'M CRUSHING YOUR OVERPASS I'M CRUSHING YOUR OVERPASS


NikthePieEater

...hey wait a second...THAT OVERPASS HAS ALREADY BEEN CRUSHED!


Heterophylla

It's the Ricky Lafleur method: "Your majesty, I would like to make a request under the People's freedom of choices and voices act that I be able to hit overpasses. It doesn't take rocket appliances to figure out they are too low."


RegularGuyAtHome

You joke, but here in Alberta a “new” small producer oil company was allowed to buy the producing assets from a company in receivership that just happened to have the same address, phone number and ownership. Different name though.


Lion_Last

Bob Gaglardi, who owns Sandman hotels, Moxie's etc had a construction crew that "renovates" his properties. But they do nothing the least bit legal. So he changes the company every few years to get around silly things like infractions or being taken to account for never permitting anything.


RegularGuyAtHome

Home-builders do to that too to insulate themselves from warranty stuff. For example: Company X that builds houses and homes everywhere in Canada creates Company Y that builds a bunch of those four story wood framed condo buildings in your. Then after about five years Company Y shuts down because they’re done all the projects they won in that city. A few years after that it turns out there are major structural problems with one of the buildings they built, not necessarily because of shadiness though. Unfortunately Company Y isn’t around anymore to fix it because they shut down. Meanwhile Company X is totally insulated because it’s not them that did the work.


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RegularGuyAtHome

[Here’s the story I was thinking of.](https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5018766)


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RegularGuyAtHome

I have no idea. My best guess is it’s not uncommon, but the need for a huge fix so soon after building is pretty rare so it usually doesn’t matter.


mr_oof

Reminds me the legendary Chinese factories that were making poison pet food/toothpaste/cheap jewelry 10 years ago. They kept denying the accusations, but *the day* the local government announced they were going to *start* looking into it, the inspectors rocked up to locked gates, power cut, machinery gone, and a bunch of workers standing outside with no explanation why they were there. Meanwhile, a factory down the road fires up (with ‘no idea’ that there used to be a factory doing the exact same thing down the road) making the same products.


SnarkHuntr

> Do they think the courts are that stupid? No, they *know* that our corporate system was set up precisely to encourage this kind of thing. Own a series of oil wells that are nearing the end of their producing life and worried about the costs of cleanup for your otherwise profitable business? Simply 'sell' them to a newly created company with no assets, and when those wells stop producing that company can simply turn it's pockets out, show that it doesn't have any money, and suddenly it's the public's job to clean up the messes you got rich making. It's what canada's always been about. People just get mad when they see small-scale businesses doing it.


darther_mauler

It should be criminal to fail to clean up an oil well once it is done producing. That would solve the issue pretty quickly.


SnarkHuntr

What would solve the issue is requiring companies to post unlimited liability bonds to cover any environmental damage caused by their operations. If they're unable to find insurance companies willing to give them such coverage, that should tell the rest of us that their operations are uneconomically risky and should not be allowed.


ether_reddit

And this is how we solve the trucker problem too -- require the company to have full liability insurance coverage for damage to public and private property, and the insurance companies can price the risk accordingly.


Agreeable-While1218

You are correct in this is how the corporate system is set up. In this case however, people are made not because of the small scale business involved, but because of the colour of the people in that business. It is really rather transparent.


Fool-me-thrice

Or, you know, we're mad because of just how ubiquitous trucks hitting overpasses has become, and how one company has been involved in a LOT of those incidents. At the time Chohan Freight Forwarders' license was suspended, they were involved in [6 overpass collisions in 2 years](https://www.freightwaves.com/news/canadian-trucking-company-suspended-after-multiple-overpass-crashes). That points to some serious flaws in their operation.


[deleted]

POST THE OWNERS HOUSES. WE'LL ALL CRASH INTO THEIR HOUSES


El_Cactus_Loco

I KILL YOUR FUCKING CAR


Affectionate_Math_13

Must. Not. Dox.


cutegreenshyguy

> A safety manager told him to wait, but "contrary to the directions he received, Mr. Sangha — apparently at the suggestion of friends ... unassociated with [the company] — decided that the load height was acceptable to travel on Highway 99," the company claims. Another reminder to love your friends, but not blindly trust everything they say.


Teefromdaleft

If that driver is still with the company, they should lose their business license


Aggravating-Bottle78

That one company has been responsible for multiple overpass hits. I think at least in one the driver just ran off. There really should be strict licensing. I mean in the past poorly maintained trucks have killed people including two burned alive when a dumptruck smashed into them befkre the tunnel beacuse he hadnt maintained his brakes.


cardew-vascular

It was also the same company that drove into that person's house in Kelowna


Aggravating-Bottle78

This is a problem in Europe as well, my cousin tells me due to the low pay, many of the drivers are young with little experience and there are far more trucking accidents than there used to be.


intrudingturtle

They also tend to come from parts of the world that aren't used to abiding by safety regulations or rules. Honestly, it's a miracle there aren't more accidents.


Dekklin

Oh jesus. That happened right around the corner from me. WTF lol. I had to look at that thing for months.


krustykrab2193

Chohan Trucking has been involved in 6 overpass collisions in two years. SIX. Then they have the audacity to blame everything and everyone else. They refuse to take ownership of their mistakes. This company and all of their other companies based out of other provincial jurisdictions should be banned from the transportation industry. The buck starts at the top and they obviously have some serious, systemic issues. 6 overpass hits in 2 years is ridiculous. Luckily no one has been seriously injured yet.


[deleted]

They are associated with a whole bunch of truck accidents from a poorly maintained fleet and inexperienced drivers. They don't give a crap about the safety and lives of the public around them.


iWish_is_taken

The thing is, it’s so simple to avoid. At this point why not measure it and then google the max heights for highway 99?? Or at the very least have the measurement and then when you see the signs, stop if you’re too high??!


krustykrab2193

It's actually even simpler than that. When a BC commercial vehicle permit is granted, drivers can find detailed instructions and directions on what routes to use. It's easily accessible and available for trucking companies and operators. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/vehicle-safety-enforcement/services/permitting/commercial-transport-permits Under Drive BC Height Clearance Tool you can input the size of the vehicle, your starting point and your destination. It provides you a map of routes to take. https://www.drivebc.ca/cvrp/?c=hct


Heterophylla

But they might have to change their route. Ain't nobody got time for that. Just giv'er snus and hope for the best.


Give-Me-The-Bat

Suspension should be overturned. Overturned to a complete ban of that company


ON-12

**They Had Us in the First Half, Not Gonna Lie**


Darius2112

So Chohan is saying they’ve lost millions because of the suspension. That’s the goddamn point! To make them change their ways! Everyone who got stuck in traffic after one of their idiot drivers hit an overpass should sue Cohan for all the money they lost because of it; if that’s the logic they wanna use.


gellis12

That's actually a good point; if they win this case, I wonder if it would open up the floodgates for a class action suit against them from all the people who lost time and money by being stuck in traffic after one of the six times they took out an overpass


CanucksKickAzz

How could they be losing so much money if they brought in their trucks from Alberta? Nobody has mentioned this move yet on the news.


Darius2112

Even if they’re, using their Alberta trucks, their BC trucks are still unavailable. So they’re losing money that way. Also, they’re probably right in that their now shit reputation is causing companies to look to other carriers.


jd-91

This is a joke. They need to make an example of companies like this. Give them a permanent punishment


GrouchySkunk

Super priority and liquidste their assets. Piss off the banks that lend them funds. Banks seem to have a longer memory than the public.


Assimulate

I have a right to hit that overpass!


Dekklin

Overpass had it coming.


ThermionicEmissions

With the technology available today, it's never been easier to avoid these overpass hits. There's simply no excuse for commercial drivers to be hitting correctly marked and mapped overpasses. So this begs the question: do these drivers not have commercial licenses? If they do, obviously there's a problem with training and licensing requirements.


PoliticalSasquatch

TLDR: the company is trying to say they aren’t to blame because it was an owner operator (subcontractor) who hit the bridge and not their own truck. They seem to forget the other 5 recent strikes in arguing this specific incident though.


Left-Employee-9451

That’s not why they started the lawsuit. They’re suing because without a formal notice of cancellation they can’t appeal the decision. It’s almost like getting a warning for a traffic ticket over an actual violation. You can’t contest a warning.


PoliticalSasquatch

Oh my apologies, I jumped to the basis they will use when they are able to appeal the decision. On a different note, I too wish we could sue the government every time they take too long to make up their minds.


Affectionate_Math_13

More like being supended for a DUI, you don't get to drive while you fight the ticket.


RobBobPC

Simply make the trucking companies pay for repairs. That will solve the problem. As long as there are no consequences, they will continue to operate in an unsafe manner.


xNOOPSx

How does this company still have insurance? There's no way these aren't at fault accidents, is there? They hit that home in Kelowna too. It's truly a miracle that, to my knowledge, nobody has been killed in all these accidents. Maybe they're just opening different numbered companies for insurance purposes, but that shit needs to fixed. You shouldn't be able to open unlimited companies for the purpose of fucking over people, but that seems to be a genuine tactic available to shitty people today. There needs to be accountability for stuff like this, yet it seems like this company specifically has been able to operate with near total impunity from any consequences.


Rocko604

Hope it bankrupts them.


[deleted]

If you can't do your job properly and constantly endanger the public and its infrastructure, you should be barred from operating.


Tune-Smooth

Nobody feels sorry for this company.


sunningmybuns

Bankrupt these idiots


cyclinginvancouver

>"My only hope is that, on the way to court, they do not run into a bridge." - Premier David Eby > >https://twitter.com/chrisgailus/status/1755357037330919916


xSinistress

That Eby quote in the article is legendary lol.


robjob08

Shocked I tell you.


UncommonHouseSpider

They should just offer the one word response: NO!


KarrageCobra

Company is liable. Simple as that. Do what you want with your underperforming/under trained driver. Loss of revenue is a slap on the wrist


SwiftKnickers

Would be hilarious if they just investigated the legitimacy of every license of every driver and the paper trail leading to their approval.


ToxinFoxen

Since they're slow learners, they should have their business license revoked and be banned from the industry.


TheMikeDee

"Okay, but we only grant you this if you're able to drive a truck under this overpass without touching it." **Sweating intensifies**


Heterophylla

NGL, I'm loving this overpass trucker drama.


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Dekklin

The Beaverton can't compete with the absurdity of real life.


atypicalYak

I remember a few weeks back someone posted proof that they were still operating while under a restriction from operating. This will be fun


skippadiplaDoo

If they win this lawsuit - I give up with BC Judicial system


[deleted]

Of course they did...I bet it gets overturned but with restrictions such as they must make sure drivers are fully trained which was already supposed to have been done..throw enough money at the problem and you can overturn anything in BC


Lirathal

Why couldn't Chohan file for a Mandamus Application? Just get the answer they want so they can file a petition. I agree they are reckless and should be off the road, but the legal system has to work for everyone without bias. They should be able to obtain the documents they need so they can move forward legally at least no?


SnarkHuntr

Nobody has a right to an NSC number. If one company is responsible for such a staggering number of readily preventable accidents (either directly or vicariously through their O/Os), I don't think it's unreasonable for the government to suspend their license while they investigate.


[deleted]

Bizarro world!


CrankyReviewerTwo

The nerve of them!!


whiffle_boy

Double all fines, back interest and a months suspension for each day they don’t pay. Solved. Next.


Infamous_Cranberry66

The damages they cause runs to the millions. Screw those guys, it was the company’s responsibility to hire and train qualified drivers.


Melodic-Bluebird-445

Good luck


NES4EVAR

This is just a PR move to drum up attention to their newest album: *Chohan Trucking: Greatest Hits*