An Ottawa Police traffic officer stopped a commercial vehicle hauling a trailer missing 10 of its 12 wheels, describing the combination as an extreme safety risk that could have resulted in serious injury or death.
The stop occurred shortly after 6 a.m. on May 28, when an officer with the Ottawa Police Service Road Safety Unit noticed the truck and trailer combination travelling on Lester Rd.
Police said the trailer should have had 12 wheels but was operating with only two remaining.
The investigation found the driver was hauling the trailer from Embrun to a scrap yard. Police said the trailer had no operational brakes, and wheel fasteners on one of the remaining wheels were loose, with one already sheared off while the vehicle was in motion.
An Ontario Ministry of Transportation enforcement officer conducted a roadside inspection and determined a wheel separation was highly likely had the vehicle continued operating.
“It was determined that a wheel separation was a high probability of occurring had this vehicle continued its journey, which could have resulted in injury or death to other road users,” police said on social media.
The trailer was later removed from the scene on a flatbed trailer at the company’s expense.
Police said both the company and the driver were charged and will appear in court at a later date.
Charges included:
- Operate an unsafe commercial motor vehicle
- No name on the commercial motor vehicle
- Drive after 16 hours elapsed in work shift
Ottawa Police reminded commercial vehicle operators that pre-trip inspections and defect reporting are mandatory safety requirements.
“In the case of this truck/trailer, it should not have been on the road at all,” police said.
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