News release

BC Highway Patrol pulls dangerous auto transport truck off the road as part of broader safety effort near Kamloops

April 9, 2026 - Kamloops, British Columbia
From: BC Highway Patrol

Content

An enhanced enforcement push from BC Highway Patrol, including the removal of a dangerous auto transport truck, has led to more that 200 commercial vehicle charges in the Kamloops area.

On March 28, 2026, BC Highway Patrol stopped a commercial auto transport trailer on Highway #5 between Barriere and Clearwater, and found multiple defects including:

• None of the vehicles being transported on the trailer were properly secured, and three were not secured at all, 
• Ineffective, poorly maintained brakes on the tractor unit and trailer,
• Leaks in the air brake system and the exhaust.

The 53-year-old Abbotsford man operating the auto transport truck was issued fines totalling $1996 and the tractor unit he was driving was taken out of service and towed away.

“The Highway #5 corridor north of Kamloops has seen a decrease in fatal collisions in the last two years (2024 and 2025), but we will continue to work to make the area even safer,” says Corporal Michael McLaughlin with BC Highway Patrol. “Commercial trucks are much larger and heavier than other vehicles on the highway, so BC Highway Patrol is continuing to work with Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement (CVSE) to reinforce the expectation that commercial drivers maintain a higher safety standard.”

Between March 18 and 20, 2026, as part of a focussed effort to make commercial vehicles safer, BC Highway Patrol teamed up with Kamloops RCMP and CVSE officers at multiple checkstops near Kamloops. Some of the results include:

• 35 comprehensive vehicle inspections,
• 83 Notice and Orders to compel repairs for a wide variety of defects,
• 200 Motor Vehicle Act charges,
• 139 written warnings,
• 9 vehicles taken out of service.

“The majority of commercial drivers put in the time and expense to make sure their vehicles are safe and legal, while a minority of drivers are causing the most problems,” says Corporal McLaughlin. “BC Highway Patrol and CVSE are specifically looking for vehicles that are unsafe which helps explain the high percentage of defects found in vehicles we pull over. We want to make sure that only ethical, professional drivers are left operating on our highways.”

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