Auto transport truck gets impounded for excessive speeding and major safety violations in the Thompson-Nicola Region

August 17, 2026 - Merritt, British Columbia
From: BC Highway Patrol

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Any time you appear to be speeding in a construction zone you will attract the attention of police. That is doubly true when you are driving a fully loaded auto transport truck.

A Calgary, Alberta, man has lost the use of his company’s tractor-trailer and faces over $1,400 in fines after an incident near Merritt.

On July 31, 2026, at 9:40 a.m., on Highway #5 at Highway #97C, a BC Highway Patrol officer clocked a fully loaded auto transport truck going 109 km/h in a 60 km/h construction zone. The police officer activated his lights and sirens, but the truck went through the entire construction zone before stopping. Suspecting that a mechanical issue was a factor, BC Highway Patrol began a level 1 inspection of the tractor-trailer.

The tractor and the trailer both failed safety inspections. The 53-year-old Calgary man who was driving the truck was issued the following:

• A ticket for excessive speed (between 41 and 60 km/h over the limit), section 148(1) of the BC Motor Vehicle Act, with a fine of $368,
• The cost of a seven-day impound (with premium costs for a heavy-duty hauler),
• Improper brake performance (three brakes), section 6.02(2)(b) of the BC Motor Vehicle Act Regulations (MVAR) with a fine of $414,
• Fail to have pneumatic/adequate tires in good condition, section 7.161(1) of the MVAR, $109,
• Numerous yellow marker lamps inoperable, section 4.04(2) of the MVAR, $109,
• Fail to comply with trip inspection requirements, section 37.60(1) of the MVAR, $138,
• Fail to verify accuracy of certified record of duty status, section 37.52 of the MVAR, $311.

The vehicles being towed on the auto trailer were unloaded at scene and both the tractor unit and the trailer were taken out of service for major safety violations. 

The Registered Owner of the tractor-trailer, a company out of Surrey, is responsible for paying the costs of the tow and the seven day impound. 

“We are watching commercial trucks everywhere in BC, but residents in the Thompson Nicola Region have told us they want even more focus than usual,” says Sergeant Michael McLaughlin with BC Highway Patrol. “There’s an expectation that commercial truck drivers will be as committed to road safety as anyone else, and police are committed to upholding that standard.”

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