If you were a trucker travelling through the Royal City on Tuesday and Wednesday, there's a good chance you were stopped for a vehicle inspection.

"We were checking for maintenance logs properly filled out, cargo being secured properly, and if hazardous materials were being transported, whether they were safely secured," said New Westminster Police Sgt. Diana McDaniel.

McDaniel said 466 vehicles were inspected, and while many of those vehicles had

minor defects and were allowed to proceed for repairs, 48 had to be towed for immediate repairs.

"There were a total of 114 violation and municipal tickets issued over the two days, totalling $43,169," said McDaniel. "The main charges were for defective vehicles, insecure loads, speeding and overweight vehicles."

Members of the New Westminster Police Department's traffic section, along with representatives from Surrey, Delta, Port Moody, Coquitlam, the Fraser Valley, CN and CP police, the provincial Ministry of Transportation, WorkSafe B.C. and Transport Canada, were stopping commercial and passenger vehicles on Front Street during the daylight hours.

McDaniel also noted that anybody operating a personal or commercial vehicle is responsible for the vehicle's maintenance and insurance.

"Even though this initiative resulted in a large number of violation tickets," said McDaniel, "it is important to remember the overwhelming majority of vehicles are being operated in a professional manner."

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