A Winnipeg-based trucking company and its driver face charges after a commercial vehicle was found operating with a missing wheel on a northern Ontario highway over the weekend. Ontario Provincial Police said that officers responded to a report of a commercial motor vehicle with a smoking tire on Highway 11 in the Town of Hearst at about 11:15 a.m. on Feb. 21. “Officers located the vehicle and observed the trailer’s front passenger-side wheel had completely separated from the hub,” police said in a release Wednesday. Further investigation revealed nuts missing from the assembly and the remaining components showed signs of neglect. “Several lug nuts were missing and the remaining components showed significant wear, consistent with a major wheel separation defect,” OPP said. The company has been charged with operating a commercial motor vehicle with a wheel separation. Additionally, the 28-year-old driver, also from Winnipeg, faces charges of operating an unsafe vehicle and driving a commercial motor vehicle with a major defect in it or in drawn vehicle. Both the accused person and company are scheduled to appear in provincial offences court on June 16 in Hearst. Absolute liability under Ontario law Under Ontario’s commercial vehicle safety requirements, wheel separations are treated with exceptional seriousness. The province has established an absolute liability law for such incidents, meaning operators and drivers can face penalties regardless of the cause. Fines for operating a vehicle with a wheel separation range from $2,000 to $50,000. RELATED STORIES:
