A semi truck driver was arrested for DUI on Interstate 40 near Flagstaff, Arizona, on Thursday, November 5, after a member of the public who had called 911 pulled the driver out of the cab and took his keys, the Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) Highway Patrol said.
Source: CDLLife — AZDPS statement, Nov. 7, 2026
The incident began when AZDPS received a call about a semi truck that was unable to maintain its lane on I-40 near Flagstaff, AZDPS said. The highway is the main east-west freight corridor across northern Arizona.
Source: CDLLife — AZDPS statement, Nov. 7, 2026
"Shortly after, the same caller advised the semi-truck driver was blocking an off-ramp on I-40 and was highly intoxicated. The caller forcibly removed the intoxicated driver from the semi-truck and took the keys out of the vehicle," AZDPS said. No crash or injuries were reported in the incident.
Source: CDLLife — AZDPS statement, Nov. 7, 2026
When troopers arrived, they conducted sobriety tests and observed signs of impairment in the driver, AZDPS said. A preliminary breath test showed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.301. AZFamily (KPHO/KTVK) in Phoenix reported the same sequence: a caller reported a semi that could not stay in its lane near Flagstaff on Thursday, and the driver was arrested on the freeway with a can of Twisted Tea hard iced tea in the cab.
Source: AZFamily / KPHO — 911 caller helps stop drunk trucker on I-40, Nov. 7, 2026
What the numbers mean
AZDPS said 0.301 is "nearly 4 times the standard legal limit, and nearly 8 times the legal limit while operating a commercial vehicle." The standard limit for most drivers is 0.08; federal rules set the limit at 0.04 for drivers operating a commercial motor vehicle, and they also bar alcohol from being carried or used in the cab. Troopers said they located alcohol inside the cab of the truck, in violation of federal regulations.
The driver was arrested for DUI. Police towed the truck and trailer and placed them on a 20-day impound "due to the driver's level of intoxication," AZDPS said. The department did not release the driver's name in the reports reviewed.
Why this corridor matters to truckers
Interstate 40 carries a heavy share of the long-haul freight moving between California, Arizona, New Mexico and the central United States, and Flagstaff — at roughly 7,000 feet, with winter weather that can turn quickly — is one of its most demanding stretches. Punjabi truckers from California, Arizona and across the West are among the drivers who run this corridor every week, and an impaired semi blocking an off-ramp is exactly the kind of hazard that can turn fatal for the next vehicle coming down the ramp.
"Drinking and driving a regular passenger car is dangerous. Drinking and driving a commercial vehicle? Potentially deadly. If you see a vehicle driving dangerously, call 911 immediately so emergency services can respond appropriately. Truck safely and don't drink and drive." — Arizona Department of Public Safety
What happens next
The case now moves through the court process on the DUI arrest. For a commercial driver, a DUI case carries licence consequences on top of any criminal penalty, under both Arizona law and the federal rules that govern commercial driving — which is why troopers and safety groups treat an alcohol reading in a working semi as a career-ending event, not a traffic ticket. AZDPS used the arrest to ask all drivers to keep alcohol out of commercial vehicles entirely.