Trucker crackdown checks 120 vehicles

As usual, officers who worked the three-day ROADCHECK 2009 last week found plenty of safety violations involving big rigs and their drivers.

In Clark County, 10 commercial vehicle enforcement officers with the Washington State Patrol and two specially trained deputies with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office worked the 72-hour emphasis at the WSP scalehouse on Interstate 5 northbound in Ridgefield.

Working around the clock in shifts June 2-4, they inspected 120 commercial vehicles.

Of those, 41 trucks were ordered out of service, required to stay at the scalehouse until one or more mechanical problems were fixed.

Most of the problems involved brakes or unsafely attached loads, said WSP Officer Corey Turner.

Five truckers were placed out of service for logbook violations. Those often involve driving too many hours without sleep to safely operate a truck. Drivers can be ordered to rest from 10 to 34 hours.

The grand total of mechanical and driver violations was 384, including some trucks with several violations.

This year the crackdown didn’t net any alcohol or drug violations, Turner said.

The annual early June ROADCHECK crackdown is sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance. Officers from Canada, the U.S. and Mexico participate.