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BE PREPARED! NATIONWIDE ROADSIDE ENFORCEMENT BLITZ SET FOR JULY 15-21

Petroleum marketers who transport product in cargo tanks and transports should be prepared for a major enforcement blitz next week when a nationwide roadside commercial motor vehicle enforcement and inspection sweep is scheduled to take place. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), a group of federal, state and local transportation enforcement agencies is preparing to put 10,000 inspectors at 1,500 sites nationwide to conduct approximately 75,000 roadside inspections on July 15-21. 
 
The CVSA "Operation Safe Driver Week" enforcement sweep will focus mainly on driver behavior. However, those drivers and trucks stopped for driving violations may also be subject to a full roadside vehicle inspection. The program is designed to enhance safe operation of commercial motor vehicles by highlighting common violations of state and federal motor carrier and HAZMAT transportation regulations. The goal of the Operation Safe Driver Week is to take unsafe drivers and vehicles off the road, increase awareness of inspections and their function, educate drivers about vehicle maintenance and gather general motor carrier compliance data. Common violations could result in a vehicle and/or driver being taken out of service. According the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 3,852 people died in large truck crashes in 2015. Sixteen percent of those deaths were truck occupants while 69 percent were passenger car occupants. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) "Large Truck Crash Causation Study" cites driver behavior as the single most reason for more than 88 percent of large truck crashes.
 
During the weeklong blitz, enforcement officers will be focusing on traffic violations, seat belt enforcement, driver roadside inspections and driver regulatory compliance. CVSA says driver behavior is the cause of more than 88 percent of large truck crashes and 93 percent of passenger vehicle crashes. Driving behaviors that will be targeted during the week include speeding, distracted driving, texting, failure to use a seat belt, following too closely, improper lane change, failure to obey traffic control devices and more. According to the U.S. DOT, the average out of service order costs the operator $861 not including fines and penalties. 
 
 
Driver and Vehicle Inspection Standards
 
Drivers who are stopped during the Operation Safe Driver enforcement sweep should also be prepared to undergo any one of the following levels of inspection:
 
LEVEL I - Standard Inspection: An inspection that includes examination of driver's license, medical examiner's certificate and waiver, if applicable, alcohol and drugs, driver's record of duty status as required, hours of service, HAZZMAT registration, seat belt, vehicle inspection report, brake system, coupling devices, exhaust system, frame, fuel system, turn signals, brake lamps, tail lamps, head lamps, lamps on projecting loads, safe loading, steering mechanism, suspension, tires, van and open-top trailer bodies, wheels and rims, windshield wipers, emergency exits on buses and HM requirements, as applicable. 
 
LEVEL II – Walk Around Driver/Vehicle Inspection: An examination that includes each of the items specified under the North American Standard Inspection. As a minimum, Level II inspections must include examination of: driver's license, medical examiners certificate and waiver, if applicable, alcohol and drugs, driver's record of duty status as required, hours of service, seat belt, vehicle inspection report, brake system, coupling devices, exhaust system, frame, fuel system, turn signals, brake lamps, tail lamps, head lamps, lamps on projecting loads, safe loading, steering mechanism, suspension, tires, van and open-top trailer bodies, wheels and rims, windshield wipers, emergency exits on buses, and HM requirements, as applicable. It is contemplated that the walk-around driver/vehicle inspection will include only those items which can be inspected without physically getting under the vehicle. 
 
LEVEL III - Driver Only Inspection: A roadside examination of the driver's license, medical certification and waiver, if applicable, driver's record of duty status as required, hours of service, seat belt, vehicle inspection report, and HM requirements, as applicable. 
 
LEVEL IV – Special Inspections: Inspections under this heading typically include a one-time examination of a particular item. These examinations are normally made in support of a study or to verify or refute a suspected trend. 
 
LEVEL V - Vehicle only Inspection: An inspection that includes each of the vehicle inspection items specified under the North American Standard Inspection (Level I), without a driver present, conducted at any location. 
 
Operation Safe Driver Week inspection results are used to determine which transporters are targeted for a more comprehensive safety review under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA). Click here to learn more about CVSA inspection standards.
 
Results from 2017 Operation Safe Driver Operation Week
 
Enforcement data from the 2017 Operation Safe Driver Week lists the following top CDL driver five violations:
 

• State/Local Moving Violations - 84.2% (of warning and violations)
• Speeding - 7.4% ·
• Failure to Use Seat Belt -2.6% ·
• Failure to Obey Traffic Control Device -2.5% ·
• Using a Handheld Phone -0.8%

 
A total of 38,878 citations/warnings were issued to CMV drivers during the 2017 Operation Safe Driver Week. To see more comprehensive enforcement data from last year’s Operation Safe Driver Week click here.
 
 
Got Questions? Contact PMAA Regulatory Counsel Mark S. Morgan at [email protected]
 
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