VICTORIA – A traffic stop in Nanaimo has shocked even some of the most seasoned RCMP officers in the region.
Nanaimo RCMP investigators say the driver of an 18-wheeled fuel truck was arrested for impaired driving after officers witnessed the huge vehicle driving erratically on the Island Highway.
On Oct. 25, police pulled over the large truck just south of the Fifth Street exit.
Mounties asked the driver to step down from the cab of the truck and say they immediately saw signs the man was drunk. Inside the cab, police say they found empty beer cans beside the driver.
“Very troubling and shocking, were just some of the comments made by the investigating officers,” said Nanaimo RCMP Const. Gary O’Brien on Thursday.
Police say the 46-year-old driver from northern Vancouver Island was taken into custody and the truck was impounded. At the Nanaimo RCMP detachment police say the trucker gave a breath sample that registered three times the legal limit for alcohol.
“Although the fuel tanks were later found to be empty, given the sheer size of the vehicle, and distance travelled in an impaired state, it was simply a miracle that a tragic accident had not occurred,” said O’Brien.
Police recommended charges of impaired driving and driving while over the legal limit. The man will appear in court on Dec.17.
