Joint State Police, PUC Effort Takes 689 Trucks, 137 Drivers off the Road

Troopers, PUC Personnel Inspect More Than 3,500 Commercial Vehicles

HARRISBURG, Pa., June 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania State Police, working with personnel from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, last week placed 689 commercial vehicles and 137 drivers out of service during Operation Road Check 2010, a three-day enforcement effort, Commissioner Frank E. Pawlowski announced today.

Pawlowski said personnel inspected 3,502 commercial motor vehicles during the 72-hour, around-the-clock program conducted statewide June 8-10.

"Unsafe brakes and improperly secured loads were the most common safety violations identified during the inspections," Pawlowski said.

He said inspection teams also focused their attention on vehicle weights, tires, driver log books, commercial driver's licenses, and insurance forms.

"We are pleased with our longstanding relationship with the state police and appreciate the opportunity to work with them in this important initiative to safeguard the driving public," said PUC Commissioner Wayne E. Gardner. "The focus is always on the unsafe drivers. However, an overwhelming percentage of the vehicles stopped were in good working condition and safe to be on the highways. More importantly, better than 96 percent of the drivers were in compliance with their credentials and paperwork. The majority of trucks and drivers on the road are safe, and, through these efforts, we are finding and removing those who are not."

Pawlowski said officers throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico participated in the program, which was sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance. More information about CVSA is available at www.cvsa.org.

For more information, visit www.psp.state.pa.us or call 717-783-5556.

Media contacts:

Lt. Myra A. Taylor or Jack J. Lewis, PSP; 717-783-5556

Jennifer Kocher, PUC; 717-787-5722

Editor's Note: The following is a breakdown, by state police troop area, of the number of inspections conducted, number of vehicles placed out of service, and number of drivers placed out of service during the three-day program:

• Troop A (Cambria, Indiana, Somerset and Westmoreland counties), 155 inspections; 56 vehicles placed out of service; one drivers placed out of service;
• Troop B (Allegheny, Fayette, Greene and Washington counties), 164 inspections; 43 vehicles placed out of service; six driver placed out of service;
• Troop C (Clarion, Clearfield, Forest, Elk, Jefferson and McKean counties), 160 inspections; 42 vehicles placed out of service; seven drivers placed out of service;
• Troop D (Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Lawrence and Mercer counties), 156 inspections; 26 vehicles placed out of service; seven drivers placed out of service;
• Troop E (Crawford, Erie, Venango and Warren counties), 110 inspections; 43 vehicles placed out of service; nine drivers placed out of service;
• Troop F (Cameron, Clinton, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Potter, Snyder, Union and Tioga counties), 89 vehicles inspected; 30 vehicles placed out of service; four drivers placed out of service;
• Troop G (Bedford, Blair, Centre, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata and Mifflin counties), 142 inspections; 25 vehicles placed out of service; four drivers placed out of service;
• Troop H (Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Perry and York counties), 87 inspections; 29 vehicles placed out of service; 11 drivers placed out of service;
• Troop J (Chester and Lancaster counties), 80 inspections; 35 vehicles placed out of service; five drivers placed out of service;
• Troop K (Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties), 144 inspections; 34 vehicles placed out of service; four drivers placed out of service;
• Troop L (Berks, Lebanon and Schuylkill counties), 68 inspections; 17 vehicles placed out of service; one driver placed out of service;
• Troop M (Bucks, Lehigh and Northampton counties), 115 inspections; 44 vehicles placed out of service; 10 drivers placed out of service;
• Troop N (Carbon, Columbia, Monroe and part of Luzerne counties), 115 inspections; 14 vehicles placed out of service; seven drivers placed out of service;
• Troop P (Bradford, Sullivan, Wyoming and part of Luzerne counties), 86 inspections; 42 vehicles placed out of service; two drivers placed out of service;
• Troop R (Lackawanna, Pike, Susquehanna and Wayne counties), 98 inspections; 34 vehicles placed out of service; five drivers placed out of service;
• Troop T (Pennsylvania Turnpike), 173 inspections; 49 vehicles placed out of service; four drivers placed out of service.

SOURCE Pennsylvania State Police Department