An enhanced enforcement push by B.C. Highway Patrol in the Kamloops area has resulted in more than 200 commercial vehicle charges and the removal of an unsafe auto transport truck from the road.

On March 28, officers stopped a commercial auto transport trailer on Highway 5 between Barriere and Clearwater and found multiple defects.

Police said none of the vehicles being transported were properly secured, and three were not secured at all.

Officers also found ineffective, poorly maintained brakes on both the tractor and trailer, along with leaks in the air brake system and the exhaust.

The 53-year-old driver from Abbotsford was issued $1,996 in fines. Police also took the tractor unit out of service and had it towed away.

“The Highway 5 corridor north of Kamloops has seen a decrease in fatal collisions in the last two years (2024 and 2025), but we will continue to work to make the area even safer,” said Michael McLaughlin, a corporal with B.C. Highway Patrol.

Between March 18 and 20, B.C. Highway Patrol worked with Kamloops RCMP and Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement officers at multiple check stops near Kamloops.

The enforcement effort resulted in 35 comprehensive vehicle inspections, 83 notice-and-order repair notices, more than 200 Motor Vehicle Act charges, 139 written warnings and nine vehicles being placed out of service.

“The majority of commercial drivers put in the time and expense to make sure their vehicles are safe and legal, while a minority of drivers are causing the most problems,” McLaughlin said.

“B.C. Highway Patrol and CVSE are specifically looking for vehicles that are unsafe, which helps explain the high percentage of defects found in vehicles we pull over. We want to make sure that only ethical, professional drivers are left operating on our highways.”