Calgary

Owner of Calgary trucking company involved in Humboldt crash still seeking lawyer

Sukhmander Singh, owner of Adesh Deol Trucking Ltd., faces eight counts of failing to comply with safety and log-keeping regulations.

Sukhmander Singh faces 8 counts of failing to comply with various safety, log-keeping regulations

Sukhmander Singh, owner of the trucking company involved in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, arrives at court Friday to face non-compliance charges under federal and provincial safety regulations in Calgary. (Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)

The owner of the Calgary-based trucking company involved in the fatal Humboldt Broncos bus crash still doesn't have a lawyer so his court case has been put over for three weeks. 

Sukhmander Singh, owner of Adesh Deol Trucking Ltd., faces eight counts of failing to comply with safety and log-keeping regulations. 

Singh appeared in a Calgary courtroom with a friend Friday morning. Duty counsel lawyer Stephen Jenuth asked Judge Anne Brown for the adjournment so Singh can take the next steps with a defence lawyer. 

Singh's charges include seven federal charges: two counts of failing to maintain logs for drivers' hours of service, three counts of failing to monitor the compliance of a driver under safety regulations, and two counts of having more than one daily log for any day.

The wreckage of a fatal crash outside of Tisdale, Sask., is seen in April. Sixteen people were killed and 13 were injured April 6 when a semi-trailer and the Broncos hockey bus collided in Saskatchewan. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press)

Notably the offence dates range from Jan. 22, 2018, to March 31, 2018, which is before the fatal crash.

The maximum penalty for a federal hours of service failing is $5,000 per offence, while the provincial charge carries a $310 penalty. A court can, however, use discretion to impose a penalty up to $2,000.

Singh was charged last month, six months after the fatal crash. He will be back in a Calgary courtroom on Nov. 30.

Sixteen people were killed and 13 were injured when an Adesh-owned semi-trailer and the Broncos hockey bus collided in Saskatchewan last April.

Jaskirat Singh Sidhu is alleged to be the driver of the semi and faces numerous criminal charges including dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death and dangerous operation of motor vehicle causing injury.