The owner of the Calgary trucking company involved in the deadly collision with the Humboldt Broncos team bus in April has been charged.
After an investigation by Alberta Transportation, Sukhmander Singh, owner and director of Adesh Deol Trucking, was charged with: two counts of failing to require a daily log for each day, two counts of failing to keep more than one daily log in respect of any day, three counts of failing to monitor the compliance of a driver with the regulation and failing to have or follow a written safety program.
Singh will appear in court November 9.
“We also need to make sure that operators of trucking companies, big or small, have the knowledge to ensure that they they’re operating their company in a way that ensures the safety of their drivers and the travelling public,” Transportation Minister Brian Mason said.
The driver of the truck that killed 16 Humboldt Broncos members, 29-year-old Jaskirat Sidhu, was charged with 29 dangerous driving offences on July 6.
‘A real call to action’
On Wednesday, Mason also announced mandatory training for new commercial drivers.
Beginning on March 1, 2019, Albertans who seek a Class 1 or 2 licence, for truck and bus driving, respectively, will be mandated to complete entry-level training—which includes 125 driving hours.
Mason said Alberta was strengthening road safety when the Humboldt crash sped up the process.
“The tragic accident at Humboldt really brought into focus the importance to make sure people who operate large vehicles on our highways are fully trained and competent to do the job, and that the vehicles and the operations of the companies themselves is of the highest standard.”
Existing Class 1 and 2 drivers do not have to complete the training program, but drivers who obtain their licence between October 10 and March 1 will have to re-take the new knowledge and road test at the government’s expense in March.
Driving instructors will be re-trained to deliver and test the new curriculum.
