Police stop semi trailer headed to scrap yard for missing 10 wheels
Ontario police charged a trucking company and driver for hauling a trailer to a scrap yard in an unsafe manner.
Around 6 a.m. on May 28, 2026, police in Ottawa, Ontario, initiated a traffic stop on a truck and trailer combination traveling on Lester Road “after noticing the trailer was missing a number of wheels.”
“The trailer should have had 12 wheels, but only had 2,” the Ottawa Police Department said.
The truck driver told police that the trailer was being hauled off to a scrap yard in Embrun.
Police said that a closer look at the trailer revealed that “The trailer had no operational brakes. All wheel fasteners on one wheel were loose, with one having been sheared off while driving.”
Ottawa Police brought in a Ministry of Transportation (MTO) Enforcement Officer to perform a commercial vehicle inspection.
The officer 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.”
The trailer was towed from the scene on a flat deck trailer at the trucking company’s expense, police said.
The truck driver and company were charged and ordered to appear in court at a later date.
Charges include:
- Operate Unsafe Commercial Motor Vehicle
- No Name on Commercial Motor Vehicle
- Drive After 16 Hours Elapsed In Work Shift
“All commercial vehicle drivers and operators must ensure that their vehicles and trailers are safe to be on the road. This includes ensuring that pre-trip inspections are properly conducted and that any defects are properly noted. In the case of this truck/trailer, it should not have been on the road at all,” Ottawa Police said.
On Thursday, May 28th, shortly after 6 a.m., an Ottawa Police #RoadSafetyUnit officer stopped an unsafe truck/trailer combination on Lester Rd after noticing the trailer was missing a number of wheels.
The trailer should have had 12 wheels, but only had 2. Once safely directed… pic.twitter.com/oCpS5UGn1Q— Ottawa Police (@OttawaPolice) May 29, 2026