THP Conducts Roadside Inspection in Haywood County

Nashville, Tennessee — The Tennessee Highway Patrol placed 14 commercial vehicles out-of-service Wednesday, April 23, 2008, during a Roadside Inspection Event in Haywood County. The joint Roadside Inspection effort, in conjunction with the Tennessee Trucking Association, is designed to educate the industry on commercial vehicle safety and compliance with motor carrier laws.  More than 65 industry and government representatives participated in Wednesday’s industry event, including Jon Dierberger, Division Administrator for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

During the Roadside Inspection at the Haywood County Scale complex in Brownsville, Tennessee, half of the 28 commercial vehicles inspected were placed out-of-service, which equates to the 20 percent national out-of-service rate.

“This was the second roadside inspection industry event in Tennessee this year, and it won’t be the last,” said Department of Safety Commissioner Dave Mitchell.  “The Tennessee Highway Patrol conducts regular commercial vehicle inspections to give the industry a better understanding of THP enforcement of federal and state regulations regarding commercial vehicles and drivers.”

Four drivers were placed out-of-service, and one was cited for possession of alcohol.  The 14 percent out-of-service driver rate is twice the seven percent national out-of-service rate.  During the inspection period, the Level 1 and Level 2 inspections found 25 out-of-service defects and 75 safety defects.

THP Colonel Mike Walker stated, “Roadside inspection events like these stress the importance of safety.  THP wants to ensure that trucks traveling through our state are operating in compliance with state and federal laws, which makes the roads safer for everyone.”

Statistics from the Haywood County Roadside Inspection event are included below.

ROADSIDE INSPECTION FACT SHEET

• The Tennessee Highway Patrol conducted 28 Level 1 & 2 inspections.
• Out-of-Service Vehicles—14 (50%)  twice the national average
• The Tennessee Highway Patrol conducted 28 Level 1 & 2 inspections.
• Out-of-Service Drivers—4 (14%)
• Total Out-of-Service Safety Defects-25
• Total Safety Defects—75
• Total Citations—5
• One Driver placed Out-of-service for 24 hours for possession of alcohol