A Fruitvale, B.C., tractor-trailer driver lost the use of his truck and driver’s license after failing a Mandatory Alcohol Screening (MAS) test last week.BC Highway Patrol said the 52-year-old Abbotsford man was stopped Dec. 4 at 9 a.m. on Hwy. 3B after radar recorded his orange Peterbilt with two loaded flat-deck trailers traveling 75 km/h in a 60 km/h zone. Officers noticed a lit candle inside the cab.“It’s possible that the driver is very fond of Christmas candles. It’s also possible that he was trying to mask the odour of liquor,” said Cpl. Michael McLaughlin of BC Highway Patrol. “In this case, the officer gave the driver a Mandatory Alcohol Screening breath demand, so there was no need to form suspicion that the driver had been drinking.”The driver blew a “Warn,” indicating he was above the legal limit. He received a 3-day Immediate Roadside Prohibition for his driver’s licence, a 3-day impound for the truck owned by a company in Agassiz, and tickets for speeding ($138) and having open liquor in a vehicle ($230).MAS, passed federally in 2018, allows officers to screen any driver for alcohol without suspicion and is a key tool during the annual Winter Impaired Driving Campaign, which runs through December.
