Commercial vehicle enforcement operations across the U.S. and Canada recently resulted in dozens of trucks and drivers being placed out of service, along with citations for violations ranging from unsafe brakes and false logs to impaired driving, speeding and unsecured cargo.
Recent enforcement actions in Arizona, New Mexico, Louisiana, Ontario and British Columbia highlight increased roadside scrutiny of commercial vehicles and drivers.
New Mexico operation puts 27 trucks, drivers out of service
New Mexico State Police recently conducted a commercial vehicle enforcement operation in the Taos area, where Strike Team officers and transportation inspectors performed saturation patrols and established a temporary inspection site along rural state roads.
Authorities conducted 153 commercial vehicle safety inspections, placing 20 vehicles and seven drivers out of service. Officers also issued 62 commercial motor vehicle citations, including 58 moving violations and four equipment citations.
Inspectors weighed 100 commercial vehicles and identified five overweight trucks during the operation.
Ontario blitz places 64% of inspected trucks out of service
In Lincoln, Ontario, near Niagara Falls, local officials partnered with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, Niagara Regional Police Service and Niagara Region for a commercial truck safety blitz.
Officials conducted 25 commercial vehicle inspections and placed 16 vehicles — 64% of those inspected — out of service. Authorities also issued 29 Provincial Offence Notices. Niagara Regional Police stopped another 14 trucks but did not conduct inspections after determining there were valid reasons for the vehicles to be in the area.
Inspectors found violations involving brake adjustments, load securement, a disconnected pushrod, a cracked trailer frame with loose tracking-component bolts, false logs and Commercial Vehicle Operator’s Registration and electronic logging device requirements.
Louisiana targets trucks violating Atchafalaya Basin Bridge lane restrictions
Louisiana State Police cited 26 commercial truck drivers during an enforcement operation targeting trucks traveling in the left lane of the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge in St. Martin and Iberville parishes.
Commercial vehicles are required to stay in the right lane while crossing the bridge. State Police launched the operation after receiving complaints about trucks using the left lane.
Commercial Vehicle Enforcement officers conducted 26 inspections and issued 26 citations for disregarding traffic control devices requiring trucks to remain in the right lane. Troopers also identified four additional safety violations and placed one commercial driver out of service.
Arizona troopers sideline truckers for unsafe load, DUI
Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers reported two recent commercial vehicle enforcement cases involving an improperly secured oversized load and an allegedly impaired truck driver.
On Aug. 7 in Tempe, a Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit trooper stopped a truck on Interstate 10 carrying a steel beam measuring more than 60 feet long.
Authorities said the load had only three securement straps, fewer than required, while the beam projected 11 feet beyond the rear of the vehicle and lacked two required flashing red lights while traveling before sunrise. The driver also was not wearing required corrective lenses.
The driver and vehicle were both placed out of service.
In a separate incident Aug. 13 near Flagstaff, troopers responded after an oversized commercial vehicle struck multiple traffic barricades along Interstate 40. Authorities said the driver showed signs of impairment and was arrested for DUI after providing a preliminary breath sample of 0.124. Open alcohol containers also were found in the cab.
Following a commercial vehicle inspection, the driver was placed out of service for 24 hours.
Auto hauler impounded after speeding through construction zone
British Columbia Highway Patrol said a fully loaded auto transport truck was clocked traveling about 68 mph — in a 37 mph construction zone near Merritt on July 31.
Police said the driver continued through the construction zone before stopping. Officers suspected a mechanical problem and conducted a Level I inspection, which both the tractor and trailer failed.
The 53-year-old driver from Calgary received citations for excessive speeding, improper brake performance involving three brakes, inadequate tires, inoperable marker lamps, failing to comply with trip-inspection requirements and failing to verify the accuracy of his record of duty status.
BC Highway Patrol said the driver faces more than $1,400 in fines. The tractor-trailer was impounded for seven days, and both the tractor and trailer were placed out of service for major safety violations.
“We are watching commercial trucks everywhere in BC, but residents in the Thompson Nicola Region have told us they want even more focus than usual,” Sgt. Michael McLaughlin of BC Highway Patrol said.
Commercial vehicle enforcement roundup
| State/region | Enforcement action | Inspections/stops | Vehicles OOS | Drivers OOS | Citations/violation | Key issues |
| Arizona — Tempe | Aug. 7 I-10 commercial vehicle stop | 1 truck stopped | 1 | 1 | Not specified | Improper load securement, lighting, tint, corrective-lens restriction |
| Arizona — Flagstaff | Aug. 13 I-40 oversized truck incident | 1 CMV inspection | Not specified | 1 for 24 hours | DUI arrest | 0.124 preliminary BAC, open containers, struck barricades |
| New Mexico — Taos area | Saturation patrol/temporary inspection site | 153 safety inspections; 100 trucks weighed | 20 | 7 | 62 CMV citations; 58 moving; 4 equipment | Safety, moving, equipment and overweight violations |
| Louisiana — Atchafalaya Basin Bridge | Left-lane enforcement in Iberville/St. Martin parishes | 26 inspections | Not specified | 1 | 26 lane citations; 4 additional safety violations | Trucks operating in prohibited left lane |
| Ontario — Lincoln/Niagara region | Multiagency truck safety blitz | 25 inspections; 14 additional trucks stopped | 16 | Not specified | 29 Provincial Offence Notices | Brakes, load securement, frame defects, false logs, CVOR/ELD |
| British Columbia — Merritt | Highway 5/97C Level I inspection | 1 tractor-trailer | Tractor and trailer | Not specified | More than $1,400 in fines |
Why it matters: High out-of-service rates in several recent operations underscore how roadside enforcement can immediately remove capacity and disrupt freight operations.
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