The New Westminster Police Department has a new tool in the fight against unsafe commercial vehicles – its very own commercial vehicle enforcement unit.
The unit is the first of its kind for the department, which in the past has relied on its own police officers and members of the province’s Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement (CVSE) program.
The two-person peace officer unit hit the roads a couple of months ago. Both hires, Randy Fullerton and Ryan Curtis, have nearly three years experience working as commercial vehicle inspectors with the CVSE, which was one of the reasons they were hired, according to Staff Sgt. Trevor Dudar, who helped facilitate their hiring.
“We were ideally seeking trained candidates so that they could be deployed quickly,” Dudar said. “We don’t have the in-house skill set to train them, so that’s why we were seeking their skill set and discipline.”
The new special constables were trained in the procedures of the New Westminster Police Department and had to learn the department’s mandate for the unit, something the department created once the unit was approved by city hall.
“They had some exposure to how we did business,” Dudar said, speaking to Fullerton and Curtis’ experience conducting inspections in New West while they were with the CVSE.
“It was a great opportunity for them to have an understanding about the type of work we do, the quality of work we want to do, the message we want to send and an understanding of what we’re mandated to do,” he added.
While Dudar can’t predict what effect the new unit will have on commercial vehicle traffic in the city, he does believe it will help make the roads safer.
“The whole idea is that whatever traffic comes through New West we just want it to be safe,” he said. “There’s many different areas that we have to cover and there’s also an education component.”
The Record caught up with Fullerton and Curtis to hear what they thought of being the city’s first-ever commercial vehicle inspectors.
Cayley Dobie:What motivated you to become a commercial vehicle inspector?
Randy Fullerton:I worked in B.C. Corrections for about 12 years prior to (joining the Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement). The opportunity to be out on the road, doing something more productive in a way and giving back to the community in a way and really seeing the results. Being out on the road and making the road safer, you actually see the results of your work.
Ryan Curtis: The reason I actually got into CVSE is, I did a practicum. We had to do a 200-hour unpaid practicum for my degree. We had to do two of them and I did my second one – my last one – with the CVSE and I just saw everything and I really liked it. I was really fortunate because I asked them if they were hiring and I got hired about three or four months later. ... It feels great when you pull an unsafe driver off the road. It feels like you actually made a difference.
CD:What's it like being out on the road with the big rigs?
RF:For me, it's been very natural and comfortable. They're professional drivers, they're companies and that's part of the business too. I came from an environment where I worked at a static station where they have to report to you or we'd pull them over roadside.
RC:It's exciting. It's so much different from where we come from. The excitement and energy and support that we've already received, and seen, is incredible.
CD:Truck traffic is a big issue in New Westminster, are you feeling any pressure to succeed?
RF:All eyes are on us, so it's pretty nerve-wracking.
RC:We're going to try and do our best and do what we've been doing and hopefully get some results.
RF: The industry is always going to be out there – trucks, traffic – it's always going to be out there. We can't change the city, the geography or anything. It's like the centre of the Lower Mainland, and it seems like everyone comes here at one point in the day, and just to make a difference to know that when you're travelling through New West you better be safe, you better be abiding by the rules of the road.
CD:Do you have any strategies in mind on how to enforce local bylaws?
RF:One of the key things is being proactive and identifying the issues, the key areas and always having a presence there, and eventually all commercial traffic will know who we are. ... We kind of already have an idea of what are some hot spots and just have a presence there all the time, or as much as we can. ... And part of that is to work with the companies, work with industry, and some of it is education but it's got to have education through, unfortunately, enforcement. Some people need to learn.
CD:What are some of the most common offences?
RF:I think part of the problem here in New West is the weekend warrior types – not the big companies. Everyone sees the big rigs and they think that's the problem, but is that really the problem, or is that just a nuisance? Really, the unsafe vehicles will be the shady operations, the scrap haulers, the junk haulers that are going over to the other scrap yards or waste depot. They're the ones that will actually cause more problems or issues or collisions or are unsafe because their guys are just trying to scrounge up a buck.
CD:Are you guys excited?
RC:I'm very, very excited. I can't wait to get in the truck and get going.
RF:You get hit with a lot of information right away and it's a little bit overwhelming at times but you take it all in. ... We're in a police environment, so it's a lot different. On the road we'll be essentially doing the same job as before but in a police world there's different systems to learn, different policy and procedures to learn. Plus we have to learn all the bylaws for the city as well, so we'll be enforcing those as well.
RC:Once we get out there working I think it's going to piece together and become second nature.
RF:Once we're out in the truck, we'll just be doing our thing again.
