BC Highway Patrol gives a failing grade to a tractor-trailer with bad brakes, bald tires, and an unrestrained toddler

October 14, 2026 - Malakwa, British Columbia
From: BC Highway Patrol

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Your truck should not look like this.

Highway #1 through the Thompson Nicola Region is a little safer now that a 46-year-old Calgary man has had his tractor-trailer removed from the road for a long list of safety concerns.

On September 26, 2026, at 7:45 a.m., in heavy rain and darkness near Malakwa, a BC Highway Patrol officer stopped a tractor-trailer unit that had no functioning taillights.

“Motorists are acutely aware of the risks of unsafe big rigs, and BC Highway Patrol is always on the lookout and will take immediate action whenever we can,” says Sergeant Michael McLaughlin with BC Highway Patrol. “We’re also going to support and encourage safe professional drivers by leveling the playing field and removing people who are cutting corners.”

The driver presented a valid Class 1 (heavy truck/air brake) Alberta licence and insurance, but could not produce an Electronic Driver Log or sufficiently explain a long list of safety infractions such as:

• Defective lights and brakes,
• No windshield wipers,
• A cracked windshield,
• No front grill over the radiator,
• A driver’s cab held together with ratchet straps,
• Missing and defective seat belts,
• Bald and defective tires,
• Detached hydraulic and air lines,
• A diesel leak,
• A load of steel bars held down by gravity (insecure load).

The driver also had a one-year-old child who was only being restrained by the arms of his mother (who had no seat belt).

The driver was issued $1,674 in violation tickets, and the truck and trailer were immediately removed from the road and cannot be re-licenced until all defects are repaired at the owner’s expense.

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