Starting Tuesday, June 7,\u00a0 and for the next 72-hours, commercial vehicle enforcement officers and troopers from the Washington State Patrol\u2019s Commercial Vehicle Division (CVD) will be out day-and-night inspecting commercial vehicles for safety violations and driver fitness as part of Roadcheck 2011.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The state patrol\u2019s involvement in Roadcheck 2011 is to promote both safety and security on Washington\u2019s highways through inspection and enforcement on commercial vehicles and the drivers.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cAs our state\u2019s economy recovers, we are seeing more commercial vehicles engaged in valuable commerce,\u201d said\u00a0 Chief John R. Batiste. \u201cOur participation in Roadcheck 2011 is intended to make certain that this very welcome rebound happens safely.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Officers from CVD will not only be inspecting the vehicle\u2019s critical safety systems, officers will also emphasize enforcement of commercial vehicle driver hours of service by checking driver logbooks. \u00a0Although actual percentage estimates vary, it is widely acknowledged that driver fatigue is a factor in many commercial truck and bus crashes.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cOur CVD troopers and commercial vehicle enforcement officers are going to be on the job day and night during this 72-hour period, not only inspecting commercial vehicles and driver logbooks at our weigh stations, but we will also have roving patrols inspecting vehicles and drivers traveling on other highways,\u201d said Captain Darrin T. Grondel, Commercial Vehicle Division Commander.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Roadcheck 2011 is a safety emphasis sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), North America\u2019s leading commercial vehicle safety enforcement organization. \u00a0This emphasis is an international effort that runs from June 7 to 9 and is held throughout United States, Canada and Mexico.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
WSP\u2019s focus on truck safety has been recognized recently by CVSA that reports Washington State is one of the top three states in the U.S. to have the best record for commercial motor vehicle safety.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
CVSA based its ranking on a study by the American Trucking Research Institute (ATRI) and praised the State Patrol on its strong enforcement of commercial vehicle laws.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n