In early February, Alberta Sheriffs, along with the Calgary Police Service and provincial authorities, conducted intensive inspections of commercial vehicles at the Airdrie vehicle inspection station north of Calgary.
High Failure Rate in Recent Checks
Insp. BJ Bjornson of Alberta Sheriffs reported that 20 out of 23 vehicles failed to meet inspection standards. “Five of which were able to be fixed locally on site, whereas the other 15 weren’t able to be fixed locally and had to remain on site, and placed permanently out of service until that could be removed in a safer manner,” Bjornson explained.
Province-Wide Inspection Efforts
Alberta Sheriffs manage over 40 vehicle inspection stations and mobile units across the province. Officers conduct more than 40 commercial vehicle checks daily, totaling over 15,000 inspections in 2025 and resulting in more than 4,000 vehicles removed from roadways.
Two-Tier Inspection System
“We actually have two levels of inspections,” Bjornson noted. “Our level two inspection would qualify as similar to what a driver would do for their inspection. On that specific day we conducted a level one inspection where we do that preliminary inspection on the outside of the vehicle, but then we get underneath the vehicle and we start looking at the components.”
Education First, Enforcement When Needed
Officers prioritize education when defects are identified, escalating to fines or vehicle seizures as required. “Depending on what the infraction is, or the deviation or defect that we find, it could be anything from a fine that is nominal in nature, or it could be anything up to a long duration to have that vehicle seized,” Bjornson stated. “That impacts the drivers, that impacts the carriers, which is why we focus more on the collaborative approach with our industry partners.”
Industry Insights on Maintenance
Joseph Saoud, co-owner of Heavy Wrenching Diesel, emphasized the financial risks of poor maintenance. “When the truck is not operating, they’re losing money. The guys who are set up for success are doing preventative maintenance rather than waiting for it to blow,” Saoud said. “These are killing machines if they’re not being paid attention to.”
Shops also face penalties for approving unsafe vehicles. “If there’s any proof that a shop has recently looked at it, and allowed it to leave, or worse yet passed the safety inspection with that damage? They will come here and fine us, remove licensing,” Saoud added. “So there are consequences to bending the rules.”
Saoud acknowledged occasional bad actors in the industry but praised provincial efforts. “I don’t know how they get away with it, but they do. But they don’t last long, it’s just dangerous while they’re in operation, and DOT does a pretty good job of finding them and catching them.”
