Burnaby RCMP stops truck with failed brakes on Royal Oak Avenue steep hill

A commercial truck drove onto Royal Oak Avenue in Burnaby on October 8, 2026, heading toward one of the steepest residential hills in the city. It was on a road where heavy vehicles are not permitted. A Burnaby RCMP officer stopped it before it reached the hill. By the time the inspection was done, the truck's entire air brake system had failed.

Three outlets reported the story this week: Cornelia Naylor for Freshet News on November 10, Luca N. Avila Slobodianik for Global News on November 10, and Truck News on November 9.

What the inspection found

Const. Kevin Connolly, a designated commercial vehicle inspector with Burnaby RCMP, stopped the truck on Royal Oak Avenue. He heard an audible air leak and found that the truck was struggling to hold normal air pressure. The spring brake, which acts as the parking and emergency brake, was partially engaged. All six brakes were running hot and giving off a strong burning smell.

During the inspection, the primary air line responsible for the leak ruptured. The air brake system failed completely.

Burnaby RCMP told all three outlets that if that failure had occurred while the truck was descending Oakmount Crescent, the driver would probably have lost all braking ability and caused a catastrophic collision at or near the busy intersection of Royal Oak Avenue and Deer Lake Parkway.

What else was wrong with the truck

Const. Connolly found four more violations after the brake failure. The front axle was over its rated weight. The cargo, a Bobcat skid-steer loader, was not properly secured. The driver, described by Freshet News as a 41-year-old from Surrey, was not wearing a seatbelt. And the truck was on Royal Oak Avenue, which is not a designated truck route in Burnaby.

Seven tickets totalling $1,547 were issued. The truck was placed out of service and ordered to an inspection facility before it could continue.

Why truck routes matter on Burnaby's hills

Royal Oak Avenue and Oakmount Crescent sit at the edge of a steep grade that drops toward Deer Lake Parkway. The intersection at the bottom is busy. A commercial truck with a fully loaded axle and working brakes still needs care on that descent. A truck with six overheated brakes and a rupturing air line had no business on that road.

Burnaby designates specific routes for heavy commercial vehicles, keeping them off residential and steep streets where the risk of a brake failure or rollover is higher. A truck on a non-designated road is already in violation before an inspector checks a single brake. Drivers who use non-designated streets often do so to cut time off a route or to reach a jobsite directly. The Royal Oak Avenue truck was hauling a Bobcat skid-steer loader, a piece of construction equipment, suggesting it was headed to a worksite somewhere in the area.

What designated commercial vehicle inspectors do

Officers with the designated commercial vehicle inspector certification are trained to conduct full roadside mechanical inspections alongside their regular police duties. They check brake systems, axle weights, cargo securement, driver licences and logbooks, and vehicle identification documents.

Air brakes are one of the most critical systems on a heavy truck. They work by holding compressed air in the lines. When the driver presses the brake pedal, air pressure is released to engage the brakes at each wheel. If the pressure drops, the spring brakes, which are the parking and emergency brakes, automatically lock the wheels. In the Royal Oak Avenue case, the spring brake was already partially engaged before Const. Connolly's inspection began, which told him the system was losing pressure. When the primary air line ruptured during the check, the full system failed.

When a vehicle fails inspection, the officer issues a ticket for each violation found. A truck placed out of service cannot move under its own power until it passes a full inspection at a certified facility. The purpose is to stop a dangerous vehicle before it continues on public roads. In this case, the truck was stopped on a residential street before it reached the hill. Had the brake failure happened on the downhill, the first warning the driver would have had was the moment the truck stopped slowing down.

What residents can do

Burnaby residents who see a commercial truck on a residential street or a road where heavy vehicles are not allowed can call Burnaby RCMP's non-emergency line at 604-646-9999. The line runs seven days a week from 8 am to 8 pm. For incidents that do not need an immediate police response, the online reporting tool at report.rcmp.ca/burnaby is also available.

The Burnaby RCMP detachment is at 6355 Deer Lake Avenue. The promise tracker at the bottom of this page shows what Mayor Mike Hurley and the eight City councillors committed to on transportation and road safety, and records how they vote as Council meets.