KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — North Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers participated in a three-day national commercial vehicle inspection campaign, Roadcheck 2017, this week.
KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — North Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers participated in a three-day national commercial vehicle inspection campaign, Roadcheck 2017, this week.
The effort, according to DPS Staff Sergeant Kyle Bradford, was to ensure compliance with state and federal requirements, equipment violations, and correct inspections on commercial vehicles including 18-wheelers and buses, aimed at overall highway safety.
Kaufman County was one of the targeted high-volume traffic areas with increased enforcement efforts.
Bradford said troopers will continue to monitor an area through Thursday near mile marker 512 on Interstate 20 near the Kaufman-Van Zandt County line and utilized a nearby weigh station for inspections.
“During Roadcheck 2017, specially trained troopers and civilian personnel will inspect commercial vehicles for equipment violations involving brakes, tires, lights and loading standards,” according to a DPS statement. “Troopers will check driver licenses and log books, which document how long the driver has been on the road.”
Troopers also, in conjunction with the inspection efforts, watched for aggressive, distracted, fatigued, or impaired passenger vehicle drivers which are a leading cause in commercial vehicle crashes.
“The Roadcheck program is an integral enforcement effort designed to encourage commercial vehicle compliance and overall highway safety,” said DPS Director Steven McCraw. “By always practicing safe driving practices and proper vehicle maintenance, drivers of both commercial and passenger vehicles can do their part to help save lives and reduce crashes on our roadways.”
“In 2016, DPS and other Texas law enforcement agencies participating in Roadcheck inspected 7,795 commercial vehicles,” according to DPS. “The inspections found that approximately 22.5 percent of the vehicles had serious violations that required the truck or bus be placed out of service until repairs could be made.”
“Inspectors also placed 224 drivers out of service for various violations, including driving over the maximum number of hours and failing to have the proper type of driver license for the vehicle being driven,” according to DPS.
DPS also reminds motorists to move over or slow down for vehicles on the side of the road. State law requires drivers to move out of the lane closest to emergency vehicles, Texas Department of Transportation vehicles, and tow trucks which are parked on the side of the road with their emergency lights activated.
For more information on the Roadcheck program, please visit: http://cvsa.org/program/programs/international-roadcheck/, and click on 2017 International Roadcheck.
