Semi driver fired after police stop damaged truck on Sask. highway

Corman Park police impounded a semi on Highway 11 after it was seen with duct tape over broken windows. Laura Woodward reports.

A semi-truck driver is no longer employed after police stopped a damaged commercial vehicle on a Saskatchewan highway due to safety concerns.

Corman Park police pulled the semi over on Highway 11 on Sunday after an off-duty RCMP officer reported the truck.

Police said both cab windows were smashed and covered with duct tape, the windshield was severely damaged, and an exterior mirror was shattered and taped in place.

“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,” Corman Park Police Chief Robert Duttchen said.

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The Calgary-based trucking company, South West Bulk Express, said the damage was caused when another vehicle backed into the truck while it was parked at a customer’s site.

In an email to CTV News, the company said a tow truck had been dispatched, but the driver chose to move the vehicle to meet the tow service.

Duttchen said the truck had been on the road for at least six hours before it was stopped.

“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.

Commercial drivers are required to meet strict safety standards, including completing a pre-trip inspection before every journey, according to the Saskatchewan Trucking Association.

“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.”

Police said the truck was immediately towed and the driver was ticketed under the Traffic Safety Act.

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