Police who intercepted a car transporter on the A9 discovered the driver was almost five times over the alcohol limit.
Officers also found a pack of lager in Dean Lightfoot’s cab with three cans missing when they stopped him on the A9 just outside Inverness.
Lightfoot, 50, from Alders Edge, Carlisle, had driven north from his base with a load of luxury cars which he dropped off at the Mercedes Benz garage in Inverness on February 24.
But staff there smelt alcohol from his breath, reported Lightfoot to police and his transporter was stopped near Bogbain Farm.
He appeared from custody the following day and admitted driving with 107mcgs of alcohol in his breath on February 24. The limit is 22mcgs.
Sentence was deferred for a background report until yesterday.
Sheriff Sara Matheson ordered him to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work and banned him from driving for 14 months.
Transporter driver found five times over the alcohol limit on major Highland road