Ontario Provincial Police have charged a truck driver after intercepting a commercial vehicle on Highway 17 that was traveling without a full set of rear axle tires on its trailer.

Responding to a traffic complaint on Feb. 10, officers pulled over the tractor-trailer just before 11 p.m. in MacNicol Township, outside Kenora, Ont., while it was heading westbound.

Police charged the 28-year-old driver from Winnipeg with failing to ensure a daily inspection report was accurately completed, driving a commercial motor vehicle with a major defect in it or in a drawn vehicle, and wheel separation — commercial motor vehicle.

The Winnipeg-based trucking company was also charged with wheel separation — commercial motor vehicle.

Erin McCrea, OPP regional media and communications advisor, told trucknews.com it is important for commercial drivers to complete thorough pre-trip and en route inspections. She also reminded motorists to report anything that doesn’t look right, noting that calling it in could prevent a serious collision or save a life.

In a social media post, the OPP said: “While it may sound surprising, this is not something you want to discover while driving behind it at highway speed. Each of these tire assemblies can weigh more than 1,000 pounds. When they come off a commercial vehicle, they become an extremely serious hazard and can cause significant damage to property, vehicles, or result in serious injury or loss of life.”