On Feb. 3, 2026, the North Bay detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police stopped a commercial tractor‑trailer for speeding on Highway 17 east of Mattawa. During the stop, an officer found major vehicle defects that posed an immediate safety risk.
The truck was observed travelling 113 km/h when it was pulled over at about 3:45 p.m. A subsequent inspection found loose and missing wheel fasteners on the vehicle’s fourth axle — seven of the ten fasteners were missing and the remaining three were loose — creating an imminent risk of wheel separation. Police said several other mechanical and safety concerns were also identified.
As a result, the vehicle was placed out of service and its licence plates were removed. A 55‑year‑old driver from Sudbury and the Earlton‑based carrier have both been charged by the OPP. Driver charges include speeding (23 km/h over the limit), operating a CMV without a working speed‑limiting system, failing to accurately complete a daily inspection, and operating a commercial motor vehicle with a major defect. The carrier faces related corporate charges, including permitting operation of a CMV with a major defect.
The enforcement action comes amid heightened attention to safety on Northern Ontario’s Highway 11/17 corridor. In 2025, MPPs introduced Bill 49, the Northern Highway 11 and 17 Safety Act, which proposed measures — including ensuring scales and inspection sites along parts of Highway 11 and Highway 17 are staffed a minimum number of hours daily — to strengthen inspections and enforcement. (As of Feb. 8, 2026, that measure exists as pending legislation, not as an enacted law.)
Under Ontario Regulation 199/07, commercial motor vehicles are subject to prescribed inspection standards and out‑of‑service criteria intended to prevent dangerous failures such as wheel separations. The OPP said officers, in partnership with the Ministry of Transportation enforcement staff, continue to remove unsafe commercial vehicles from Ontario highways.
