Driver for out-of service trucking company cited after losing trailer and causing fire on I-40, Arizona DPS says

The Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) Highway Patrol says that a truck driver and a trucking company face “numerous citations” after a trailer came loose and then caught fire along a busy interstate in the Winslow area.

On June 23, 2026, AZDPS responded to I-40 for a reported single-vehicle incident involving a semi truck hauling a load of orange juice.

Officials said that “the locking jaws were not engaged on the fifth wheel, and the trailer came loose while driving down the road due to the handle clearly not engaged on the left side of the fifth wheel plate.”

The trailer came to a stop in the emergency lane and caught fire.

No injuries were reported.

When troopers inspected the vehicle, they discovered “several brakes [were] intentionally made inoperable by caging as they were protruding from the brake chambers.”

AZDPS said that the trucking company was found to be operating despite a federal out-of-service order.

The truck driver was issued “numerous citations,” and officials said that the trucking company “can expect the same.”

“Pre-check inspections and not operating on an out-of-service order could have prevented this. Maintain your vehicle and keep trucking safely!” said AZDPS.