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B.C. truck drivers to face higher fines for not using winter tire chains

As of Oct. 1, not using chains on the highway when required could net you a $598 ticket
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(Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure)

Commercial truck drivers will face steeper fines for not properly using tire chains on B.C. highways.

The province increased the fine to $598 for not using chains and $196 for not carrying chains when they are required. The amounts are both up from $121.

The fines will go into effect on Oct. 1 when winter tire and chain-up regulations begin on most highways, as part of rules brought in last November to improve winter highway safety.

READ MORE: Semi truck driver fined for close call caught on dash cam

Previous regulations only required vehicles weighing more than 27,000 kilograms to carry and use traction devices, with only one wheel requiring chains during winter conditions and mandatory chain-ups.

Under the new rules, commercial vehicles weighing more than 5,000 kg – including buses and five-ton trucks – must use chains on at least two tires and can use steel chains, cable chains, automatic chains, socks or wheel sanders if not equipped with winter tires.

Vehicles weighing more than 11,794 kg must use steel chains, and the number of tires requiring them ranges from at least two for vehicles without a trailer, to six on larger vehicles.


Paul Clarke
Assistant bureau chief, B.C. Interior South Division
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