Commercial Vehicle Safety Enforcement is investigating a possible mechanical failure after a lumber transport truck lost its trailer on Monday morning on Highway 5A.

The accident shortly after 10 a.m. caused the trailer to leave the highway a short distance south of Quilchena General Store, but the truck’s load remained intact.

The flatdeck trailer partially blocked the highway and the road was closed for only a few minutes, said Const. Dave Fahlman of RCMP traffic services.

Commercial vehicle inspectors will examine the trailer hitch at a designated inspection facility, Fahlman said.

The accident was another indication of the need for a ban of heavy-truck traffic on the highway, said Bob Swart, who is petitioning fellow residents with that objective.

Swart happened to be driving past shortly after the accident occurred and spoke with a tow truck driver. The tow truck driver related that the flatdeck trailer had disengaged and was travelling alongside the rig before it left the highway.

“It’s another example of something that could have been a lot more serious,” Swart said.

He estimated that he has 350 to 400 names gathered in a petition drive calling for a truck ban. MLA Kevin Krueger plans to table the petition in the legislature later this month, although Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Mary Polak has indicated she is not in favour of a ban.

“Our understanding is, what the government will listen to more (than petition numbers) is the stories from people who write into their MLA,” Swart said.

In his canvassing effort, he encountered a resident who has had three trucks in her front yard over the past six years.