When one Ministry is responsible for enforcement, people know what is happening over time and around the province. If a trucking company has a history of violations, the enforcers know it and ride herd on that company s trucks. If there is a spate of problems in one part of the province, the whole ministry is aware of it and looks for similar instances. If the same people aren t doing the work over a long period of time, you lose that. The same concerns raised around drivers licences apply here.
Public servants work in the public interest.
If we detain them over a serious infraction, their livelihood is at stake. We all know what higher gas prices have done to profit margins in the trucking industry already. We ve already had inspectors assaulted for detaining truckers, to the point we have had special training in defusing tense confrontations. This work is wide open to potential bribery and threats. The environment of public service is an important safeguard for citizens.