A Vancouver Island driver hauling a newly built “tiny house” on a custom-built trailer to the Yukon was delayed near 100 Mile House Friday.
100 Mile RCMP St.-Sgt. Svend Nielsen said an officer with the Cariboo Regional Traffic Services, working out of 100 Mile House, was on patrol when they noticed the trailer heading northbound along Highway 97. The officer pulled over the driver after noticing several defects in the welds of the trailer, which also had four axles, which is illegal in B.C. The trailer was seen to be buckling under the weight of the tiny home, according to Nielsen.
A Commercial Vehicle Inspector was called to inspect the trailer, which was experiencing severe buckling from the weight of the house and did not have properly attached safety chains in the event of a hitch issue. The entire set up was also over legal height allowances for normal highway operation, amongst other concerns, Nielsen said.
The trailer was impounded by and numerous violations were served against the driver, who did not have a heavy endorsement on his licence.
“This situation was extremely dangerous to the public,” Nielsen said in a news release. “In this case, the trailer was being hauled to the Yukon and given the state of the trailer, there is no way it would have made that distance, and would have likely caused a severe traffic incident at some point along its route.”
The CRTS and 100 Mile House RCMP remind the public that if they see or suspect a dangerous overload being towed in our area, to contact RCMP immediately. Anyone looking to report a similar issue can contact 100 Mile House RCMP at 250-395-2456 or phone 911 if deemed necessary by the caller.
This investigation is ongoing.