Police Found A Semitruck Held Together With Ratchet Straps—And A Toddler Without A Seat Belt

Ratchet straps are handy things to have around a truck — except when they're being used to hold the cab together. Likewise, racing slicks are helpful on the track, but bald tires are super dangerous on road-going semitrucks. Finally, it's great when truck drivers want to bring their families to work, although an improperly restrained infant is not the way to do so. According to the BC Highway Patrol, an officer stopped a tractor-trailer with all of the above violations. And then some.

The truck in question was pulled over near Malakwa on Highway 1 at 7:45 a.m. on September 26. It was dark, raining heavily, and the rig had no functioning taillights. Already, this sounds severely unsafe, but things only got worse during the inspection that followed. Police say the truck had defective brakes and lights, bald tires, a cracked windshield, and at least one missing windshield wiper. Diesel was leaking and there were hydraulic and air lines were detached, but perhaps the biggest danger to the public was the fact that the truck just so happened to be carrying unsecured steel bars. While it's understandable that not many owner-operators can afford a fancy new Tesla Semi, a certain level of upkeep is required to maintain safety on the road.

Keeping in mind all of the absurdly unsafe elements of this massive, heavy, unwieldy truck, you'll be pained to know that a 1-year-old child and its mother were seated unrestrained in the passenger seat. The driver, a 46-year-old Calgary man, did produce a valid Alberta Class 1 license and proof of insurance. Police said he couldn't produce an electronic driver log. Having the right license is great but it does little good for everyone inside and around the vehicle when it's in as bad of shape as this one was. Thankfully, it's officially off of the road until the owner mends every last bit of the issues that surfaced during the stop.

Officers issued the driver CA$1,674 (about $1,200 USD) worth of tickets but didn't itemize them in its report. The truck and trailer are both off the road and can't be relicensed until they're fixed. The repair requirement is ultimately the most noteworthy consequence. Sure, the tickets are pricey, but frankly, it's a bit surprising the police didn't announce more serious charges given the danger posed to multiple parties here. To that end, getting the rig back in service is going to cost a great deal more than the tickets will. Ensuring it's safe before it covers another mile is a win for everyone.