State police agencies in New York, Nevada and Arizona have stepped up commercial vehicle enforcement in recent weeks, issuing hundreds of violations and placing scores of trucks and drivers out of service.
The actions ranged from a bridge-strike prevention campaign along the New York State Thruway to increased roadside inspections in Nevada following a rise in commercial vehicle crashes and targeted enforcement against truckers in Arizona.
New York inspection campaign finds nearly 1,000 violations
New York State Police said Tuesday that its Troop T Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit conducted 348 commercial vehicle inspections during the state’s “Check Your Height, Know It’s Right” campaign at the end of July.
The initiative was aimed at reducing bridge and overpass strikes involving commercial vehicles through enforcement and driver education. Of the 348 vehicles inspected, 126 were immediately placed out of service for safety-related violations.
Troopers issued 966 violations, including five involving over-height vehicles. The enforcement effort also resulted in 189 uniform traffic tickets for offenses including speeding, seat belt and restraint violations, cellphone use and registration and license issues.
State police said more than 375 bridge strikes have occurred on the system during the past five years. The agency said recent incidents involving over-height commercial vehicles in downstate New York and Western New York highlight the importance of drivers knowing their equipment’s height and planning routes around low-clearance structures.
Nevada puts 45 drivers, 33 trucks out of service
Nevada State Police Highway Patrol has also intensified commercial vehicle inspections following what the agency described as a recent increase in crashes involving CMVs around U.S. 50 and U.S. 395.
The Highway Patrol’s Commercial Enforcement Section increased inspections and enforcement in the affected area, according to Carson Now.
During a two-week enforcement period, inspectors:
- Conducted 102 roadside inspections;
- Documented 286 violations;
- Placed 45 drivers out of service; and
- Placed 33 commercial vehicles out of service.
Violations involved driver documentation, equipment and mechanical condition, motor carrier operating authority and drivers’ daily logbooks.
Recent commercial truck enforcement actions in New York, Nevada and Arizona
| State | Roadside/CMV inspections | Documented violations | Vehicles out of service | Drivers out of service |
| New York | 348 | 966 | 126 | Not reported |
| Nevada | 102 | 286 | 33 | 45 |
| Arizona | Not reported | Not reported* | Not reported | 3 |
| Total reported | 450 | 1,252 | 159 | 48 |
Arizona troopers target false logbooks, left-lane violations
Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers recently conducted two smaller targeted enforcement actions involving commercial drivers.
On July 31, troopers found three commercial drivers parked near Arizona State Route 202 and Elliot Road despite more than six posted “No Parking” signs.
Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit troopers contacted the drivers and discovered that all three had false logbooks, according to Arizona DPS. The drivers were cited and placed out of service.
Five days later, Arizona Highway Patrol troopers conducted a targeted traffic enforcement detail along Interstate 10 in an active construction zone between Phoenix and Tucson.
Troopers took enforcement action against five commercial vehicles for violating a posted requirement that commercial trucks remain in the right lane.
Each of the trucks was observed traveling in the left lane for distances ranging from 1.5 miles to more than 4 miles, according to DPS.
DPS said the violations caused traffic to slow and bunch behind the trucks, followed by unsafe accelerations after the CMVs returned to the right lane. The agency said commercial vehicles must remain in the right lane in construction zones when signs requiring them to do so are posted.
Why it matters: The latest actions show commercial truck enforcement broadening beyond traditional roadside inspections, with states increasingly using targeted operations to address specific risks including bridge strikes, crash-prone corridors, falsified logbooks and unsafe driving in construction zones.
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