CORMAN PARK, SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA — The semi-truck driver stopped in early February on Highway 11 in the Rural Municipality of Corman Park is no longer employed, after police took the badly damaged commercial vehicle out of service over major safety concerns. The stop followed a report from an off-duty RCMP officer, who alerted Corman Park Police to the truck’s condition.

Police said the unit was unsafe to operate, with both cab windows smashed and covered in duct tape, a severely damaged windshield that limited visibility, and an exterior mirror shattered and taped in place. Corman Park Police Chief Robert Duttchen said the visibility issues alone made the truck a danger on the road.

“When your line of sight is obstructed by duct tape and your mirrors are covered, there is no way you can safely operate that vehicle,” Duttchen said.

Duttchen added the truck had reportedly been on the road for at least six hours before officers located it and conducted the stop.

“How a professional driver could get behind the wheel of that vehicle, deem it safe after a pre-trip inspection, and take it on the road is beyond comprehension,” he said.

The Calgary-based carrier, South West Bulk Express, said the damage happened when another vehicle backed into the truck while it was parked at a customer’s site. The company said a tow truck had been dispatched, but the driver chose to move the vehicle to meet the tow service.

Police said the truck was immediately towed and the driver was ticketed under the Traffic Safety Act. The semi had already been ordered out of service pending a Periodic Motor Vehicle Inspection (PMVI), consistent with the original report that described the rig as unfit for travel.

The Saskatchewan Trucking Association also weighed in, noting commercial drivers are required to complete a pre-trip inspection before every trip, and a vehicle in that condition should not be on the road.

“It wouldn’t have passed a pre-trip inspection by any means,” said Thomas Archer, a safety specialist with the association. “It should never have been on the road.”

South West Bulk Express confirmed the driver is no longer employed with the company.

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