Police have identified a 48-year-old man as the tractor-trailer driver killed in Monday's crash on Highway 400.

David Virgoe, of Stroud, Ont., was killed at the scene when his Red International Harvester truck swerved to avoid other vehicles and then overturned in a ditch.

He leaves behind his wife, three children and five grandchildren.

Debby Virgoe, the victim's wife told CTV News her husband drove the same stretch of highway five days a week and often complained about dangerous drivers.

"I'm really angry right now because part of me says these kids are going to get off with this and I don't want to see that, it needs to stop," Virgoe said.

Virgoe was a veteran behind the wheel of his tractor-trailer. He had a perfect safety record after 26 years of driving and won numerous awards for his safety awareness.

Three men face 11 charges relating to the crash that shut down the major north-south highway for more than 12 hours on Monday.

Prabhjit Multani, 20, and Nauman Nusrat, 19, appeared in a Barrie courthouse Tuesday to face charges including dangerous driving causing death and dangerous driving while racing.

They were remanded in custody pending a bail hearing set for Friday.

The third suspect was released under the condition he returns to court at a later date.

Provincial police Const. Dave Woodford said if convicted, the men could face up to 14 years in prison.

High speeds a factor in crash

Police are now confirming high speeds were a major factor in the crash that killed Virgoe.

"This is happening every day on our highways and I hope our justice system pulls through and sends a message out,'' Woodford told the Canadian Press.

Witnesses said two or three cars were speeding and weaving in an out of traffic when one allegedly cut off the tractor-trailer.

Virgoe lost control of the truck and managed to swerve out of the way of a packed minivan before ripping out a guardrail and turning over into the ditch.

Drivers on Highway 400 and investigators said the big-rig driver was a hero for managing to avoid other vehicles on the road.

"It would have made David happy to know that people thought of him that way," Virgoe's wife said.

Premier Dalton McGuinty compared a speeding vehicle to a "loaded gun" on Tuesday and reiterated calls from authorities for motorists to slow down.

"There is no excuse for this kind of tragedy to unfold on Ontario highways,'' he said.

"We'll continue to talk to our police and ask them what it is more that we might do to make our highways safer, but at the end of the day there's one individual who sits behind the wheel in a car. It's like a loaded gun,'' McGuinty said at an auto industry funding announcement.

The premier said he has no plans of revisiting the idea of photo radar.

The crash, which happened at around 11:30 a.m., shut down the highway between 88 and 89 and clogged parallel roads for most of the day.

Police say motorists need to learn from such deadly accidents and slow down when travelling on the province's highways.

This is the third major crash to happen on Highway 400 in less than a week.

With a report from CTV's John Musselman, Galit Solomon and files from the Canadian Press