Arizona, Nebraska and Ontario expand truck inspections

Commercial vehicle enforcement agencies in the U.S. and Canada continued a push to remove unsafe trucks and unqualified drivers from the road, according to FreightWaves.

Recent inspection blitzes in Arizona, Nebraska and Ontario found hundreds of safety violations and put dozens of commercial vehicles and drivers out of service.

In Arizona, Highway Patrol troopers with the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit and the Arizona Department of Transportation Enforcement and Compliance Division ran a three-day operation July 15-17 along State Route 87 near Payson. Troopers completed 96 commercial vehicle inspections and identified 350 violations. The operation led to 13 vehicles and 23 drivers being placed out of service.

Authorities said the most common violations were drivers operating without a commercial driver’s license, missing or falsified logbooks, and vehicle equipment defects. One driver also was cited on drug-related charges.

In Nebraska, the State Patrol’s Carrier Enforcement Division conducted targeted inspections July 9 in Madison County aimed at commercial vehicles that typically bypass weigh stations. Troopers inspected 41 trucks and found 155 violations of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and state law. The result was 13 vehicles out of service, two drivers out of service, 22 citations and 27 Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance decals for trucks found free of immediate safety defects.

Ontario inspectors also reported enforcement results during a joint operation involving the Ontario Provincial Police and the Ministry of Transportation in Kirkfield. Inspectors checked 18 commercial motor vehicles and removed 10 trucks from service while issuing 10 provincial offense notices.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol also released data on the most common violations found during thousands of commercial vehicle inspections each year. Among the top violations in June were brake adjustment defects, missing required inspection documentation, registration violations, excess axle weight and underinflated or leaking tires.