Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Troopers, inspectors and investigators will step up commercial vehicle inspections as part of this year’s International Roadcheck, a 72-hour enforcement effort designed to ensure commercial motor vehicles and drivers are in compliance with federal regulations and increase safety on roadways. This year’s Roadcheck runs today through Friday, Sept. 11.
“Enforcement initiatives like Roadcheck are an essential way to ensure our highways are safe for all travelers,” said DPS Director Steven McCraw. “Ensuring commercial motor vehicles are in compliance with safety regulations is a key component in keeping Texas roadways safe. Together, drivers of both commercial and passenger vehicles can do their part to drive safely and help reduce crashes on the roads.”
During International Roadcheck, officials will inspect commercial motor vehicles to identify critical inspection violations, along with violations to federal regulations. Roadcheck is sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), and every year, CVSA selects a specific category to focus inspection efforts on. This year, the emphasis will be on driver requirements.
According to data from the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), 3.36 million inspections were conducted in the U.S., Canada and Mexico in 2019. Of those inspections, nearly 1 million driver violations were discovered with 199,722 of those driver violations resulting in out-of-service conditions.
As part of the driver portion of the inspection, inspectors will check and verify a driver’s documents, including their credentials and inspection reports, as well as check for seat belt usage, fatigue and more. In addition, on the vehicle portion, inspectors will check brakes, cargo, exhaust systems, steering, suspension, cargo and other essential parts of the commercial motor vehicle.