Manitoba shuts down trucking firm linked to fatal crash

A Winnipeg-based trucking company has been shut down by the provincial government after investigators concluded it was connected to a firm that was banned and later linked to a fatal crash in Brandon.

Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure found credible evidence to support a tip, which it received from another province, that a company was affiliated with Conquer Transport, a provincial spokesperson said Thursday.

The department confirmed 7Star Ltd.’s safety fitness certificate was recently revoked, meaning it is no longer allowed to operate regulated vehicles in Manitoba.

The carrier’s plates were cancelled in Manitoba, while its safety fitness rating was downgraded to unsatisfactory, the spokesperson said. The company has the right to appeal the decision.

The connection between the companies was first reported by the Globe and Mail.

No one answered when the Free Press called phone numbers that were listed for Conquer Transport and 7Star. Messages were not returned.

Conquer Transport was shut down by the province in 2021 for safety violations. The company’s operators then registered a business under a similar name, Conquer Transportation, in Alberta.

Xiaoyun Zhang, 49, was killed in May when a Conquer Transportation semi-truck driver crashed into her SUV at Highway 110 at Richmond Avenue East in Brandon.

Police said the truck driver failed to stop at a stop sign. Brijpal Panwar, who was 35 at the time, is charged with dangerous driving causing death.

After launching an investigation, Alberta announced in August it had revoked Conquer Transportation’s safety fitness certificate in that province for multiple violations.

Non-compliance included “insufficient” vehicle maintenance and inspections, and the improper recording of drivers’ hours of service, Alberta Transport Minister Devin Dreeshen said at the time.

The fatal crash amplified calls for the federal government to set up a national safety database where provincial or territorial regulators, including the Manitoba government, could share information about commercial trucking companies and operators to root out carriers that relocate and rename to get around suspensions or shutdowns.

The Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, comprised of provincial, territorial and federal governments, was already working on a new data exchange system using jurisdictions’ existing databases.

“I think it’s a step in a good direction, but my personal opinion is what we need to see is something that is more robust than that,” Manitoba Trucking Association executive director Aaron Dolyniuk said. “My understanding is some jurisdictions’ databases are very primitive and others are more sophisticated.

“If they’re not all talking the same language and they’re not all up to date or not all managing how trucking companies come in and out of databases in the same way, I really question what we’re going to accomplish.”

Dolyniuk said the public should be concerned.

“If you or I break the law, there are consequences. We can’t run away from those consequences,” he said. “In this situation, you have an entity that reinvents itself as a new entity and continues on doing business just like they were previously, with no regard for human life and public safety.”

Barry Prentice, a professor of supply chain management at the University of Manitoba’s Asper School of Business, said a national database would require political will and intergovernmental agreements.

“We don’t want to paint the whole industry as being in any way reckless or outside the law. Most of the carriers are very cognizant of the rules and follow them strictly,” he said. “Like anything, you only need a few bad actors to paint a black mark on the whole industry.”

Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor said in August she had lobbied Ottawa for a public registry that would list details about trucking companies, including possible breaches of safety fitness standards.

Progressive Conservative MLA Josh Guenter said the former Tory government was on a path to developing interprovincial data-sharing and a unified safety database to stop so-called chameleon carriers before they start.

“These unscrupulous individuals are putting Manitobans at risk as they exploit loopholes that exist among differing provinces,” he said in a statement. “The solutions are ready for implementation, we just need a willing government.”

Safety fitness certificates that were issued or revoked by the Manitoba government are listed on a searchable database on the province’s carrier snapshot (C-SNAP) website.

The provincial spokesperson said Canadian jurisdictions regularly share information about a carrier’s safety record in response to an inquiry, investigation or regulatory action against the carrier.

The information that is shared depends on the circumstances, the spokesperson said, noting it is common to share ownership and asset information, the full carrier profile report, safety fitness certificate applications, inspection reports and audit information.

They said the notification automatically includes company ownership and asset information, such as plates and vehicle identification numbers, if Manitoba revokes or suspends a carrier.

chris.kitching@winnipegfreepress.com