Texas DPS Operation Roadcheck 2011 starts today

[two_bit_score]

Anyone else seen anything on this:


Troopers will seek unsafe drivers and vehicles during
72-hour commercial vehicle event
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During the 72-hour Roadcheck 2011 program this week, DPS troopers will be looking for 18-wheeler drivers who have been driving too long, or are otherwise operating unsafe commercial vehicles. They値l also be looking at passenger buses to make sure that theyæ±*e operating safely.
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Although DPS enforces commercial vehicle laws every day of the year, troopers will join with law enforcement officers in the U.S., Mexico and Canada from June 7 to 9 in emphasizing driving safety.
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Commercial Vehicle Enforcement troopers, noncommissioned inspectors and specially trained Highway Patrol troopers will stop thousands of commercial vehicles to inspect safety equipment and check driver log books, driver licenses and endorsements. Inspectors will also look for possible drug or alcohol use.
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I see a lot of commercial vehicles on the road that should be checked out. Good on them!

 

[Bird]

They did the same thing last year and took 1,738 vehicles (25% of those checked) off the road. You can go to Google.com or Bing.com and enter "Texas DPS Operation Roadcheck 2010" or 2011 to read about them.

 

[Duffster]

Doesn't stuff like this only prove that they are not really doing their job the rest of the time?

 

[Bird]

Doesn't stuff like this only prove that they are not really doing their job the rest of the time?

Not really. Only specially trained officers are allowed to pull commercial vehicles off the road for inspection. I don't know whether all the DPS troopers are trained for that or not, but I doubt it. I know most cities only have a very small percentage of their officers trained for that job. I don't know what the staffing levels are in the Texas DPS, but I know when I started in law enforcement in 1964, the city of Dallas, which had about a third as many officers as they now have, even then had about twice as many as the state had for the whole state. So they're spread pretty thin. I imagine when they have these periodic things, they bring in the off duty officers and probably spend quite a bit on overtime. DISCLAIMER: That's what I think they do; no personal knowledge.

 

[jinman]

Doesn't stuff like this only prove that they are not really doing their job the rest of the time?

I think what it proves is that some people will try to get by with unsafe vehicles even when it is advertised that increased enforcement will be happening. I'm shocked that the dates are published. What would the numbers be if this were done unannounced? I'm especially happy that they are also checking private charter busses. I think they are saving lives.:thumbsup:

 

[PoorMansCat]

where I work, we just had a big "safety and DOT compliance" meeting... It was about this exact subject. TxDOT is stepping up inspection/enforcement of all DOT vehicles. Including F550 service trucks... basically ANYTHING 10,001 and up total CGVWR.. Follong the letter of the law to the nnnth degree, you would be completely surprised on how few vehicles would really pass a thorough road side inspection!.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Follong the letter of the law to the nnnth degree, you would be completely surprised on how few vehicles would really pass a thorough road side inspection!.

I agree. Any inspector can find something wrong. Even with a brand new truck and trailer with zero miles.

I am a pilot and we go though inspections on our airplanes. Its all up to the inspector and what he thinks is acceptable. Same holds true for us. If we followed every letter of the law to the nnnth degree, you would never get off the ground. It comes down to what is the risk? Eliminate as much as you can wither its driving a Honda Civic or a 747.

Chris

 

[kwswan]

This is not just a txdot thing,this is nationwide.It has been going on for several years now,although the times i have been on the road while it was happening i never saw anything out of the ordinary.
Some states just work harder than others.

 

[chopped]

Doesn't stuff like this only prove that they are not really doing their job the rest of the time?

Yes that was my first thought also...:laughing:

 

[TroyR57]

It helps drivers, that have companys that make them drive un safe trucks, and want let them shut them down... I know, if you sign the pre-trip, it should be OK, but some times the companys just say, work today, and shut it down after you take care of this or that. etc. I just shut my truck down last friday, I had the odometer quit, but crawling under neath to see if a cable came undone, I found smal exahust leaks from between, clamps. the other is a electric, and part ordered, so I worked today, with truck, using a tom tom for speed info, but the exahust leaks were fixed!!! Part was ordered for the other and is now in, the truck is at shop and we should be ready to go tomorrow morning.

 

[wsp617]

It's not just TX. The same thing going on in WI. It's a nat'l thing.

 

[Duffster]

I think what it proves is that some people will try to get by with unsafe vehicles even when it is advertised that increased enforcement will be happening. I'm shocked that the dates are published. What would the numbers be if this were done unannounced? I'm especially happy that they are also checking private charter busses. I think they are saving lives.:thumbsup:

I wouldn't immediately jump to the conclusion that the vehicles that are red tagged are necessarily "dangerous". Our wonderful state troopers are known to red flag a CMV for some pretty trivial things like not having any windshield wiper fluid.

 

[wsp617]

I wouldn't immediately jump to the conclusion that the vehicles that are red tagged are necessarily "dangerous". Our wonderful state troopers are known to red flag a CMV for some pretty trivial things like not having any windshield wiper fluid.

I read it on the internet and heard it on the CB......so it has to be true.

 

[Duffster]

I read it on the internet and heard it on the CB......so it has to be true.

Nope Jack... I read it in the courthouse news. Or is that wrong as well.


This coming from the guy that says you can't haul scrap from the farm under a farm exemption.

 

[wsp617]

Nope Jack... I read it in the courthouse news. Or is that wrong as well.


This coming from the guy that says you can't haul scrap from the farm under a farm exemption.

When you say "Red Flagged", do you mean Out of Service"? You make it sound like a truck driver was put OOS because his windshield washer wasn't full.....DOUBT IT!

What you read in the courthouse news doesn't mean that's what they were cited for. It's very common for the DA's office to amend a citation to a lesser charge. We get people charged with Operating While Suspended and have the citation amended to Failure to Carry Driver's Licence. So when it gets printed in the court report people like Duffster thinks the cop wrote a ticket to a guy because he didn't carry his DL.

I didn't say you can't haul scrap from your farm under a farm exemption. What I said was IF you are operating a CMV and are required to have a CDL (while hauling scrap), there is no farm exemption for the CDL requirement as you are not hauling "agricultural products, farm machinery or farm supplies". You can read it yourself under ss 343.055(1)(c).

 

[jinman]

I wouldn't immediately jump to the conclusion that the vehicles that are red tagged are necessarily "dangerous". Our wonderful state troopers are known to red flag a CMV for some pretty trivial things like not having any windshield wiper fluid.

Okay, you send your children/grandchildren on a bus with no windshield washer fluid and I'll pick the bus that has plenty for my kids/grandkids. Only one stipulation, your bus has to always stay in front of the one my relatives are on.

This road check is clearly NOT in Wisconsin. What do you know for sure, besides speculation, that the TXDOT guys have done to CMVs? What Bird reported was that 25% were flagged; not 50%, 75%, or 95% as some would have you believe. Bird clearly reported that 75% of the vehicles inspected were allowed to continue. How that gets translated to the levels stated by some posters is beyond me.

Diamondpilot, I am very familiar with the Minimum Equipment List (MEL) for each airplane and the restrictions of whether an airplane can go with less than 100%. I think you would agree that any pilot who would violate the MEL is just asking for trouble. Also, the MEL varies for when an airplane is being ferried to a location or carrying full cargo/PAX. Any pilot who purposely flies an unsafe airplane is not someone I want to fly with, ever.

 

[Duffster]

I didn't say you can't haul scrap from your farm under a farm exemption. What I said was IF you are operating a CMV and are required to have a CDL (while hauling scrap), there is no farm exemption for the CDL requirement as you are not hauling "agricultural products, farm machinery or farm supplies". You can read it yourself under ss 343.055(1)(c).

What do you think that farm supplies and machinery trun into when used up?

 

[Duffster]

This road check is clearly NOT in Wisconsin.

Did you read super troopers post?

 

[Diamondpilot]

Diamondpilot, I am very familiar with the Minimum Equipment List (MEL) for each airplane and the restrictions of whether an airplane can go with less than 100%. I think you would agree that any pilot who would violate the MEL is just asking for trouble. Also, the MEL varies for when an airplane is being ferried to a location or carrying full cargo/PAX. Any pilot who purposely flies an unsafe airplane is not someone I want to fly with, ever.

I am not talking about the MEL. I am talking about the eyes of the beholder. I have been ramped checked and called out on things that I was not concerned about, my company mechanic was not concerned about, our POI was not concerned about, ect. If they want to find something they will. Does not matter if its your personal vehicle, a 18 wheeler, or a airplane. The attitude of the operator has a lot to do with how hard the inspector looks. I guarantee you a operator who acts nice and civil will get some lee way while the arrogant SOB will get slapped with a ticket. Thats what I was trying to point out.

I would never operate a airplane or any piece of machinery that I did not feel was safe. When I flew for Fed-Ex I had a airplane grounded because of the paint job. It was a 1997 airplane and this was in 1999, so 2 years old. The paint was starting to peel around the inspections panels as they do after flying for 4000 hours at 525mph in rain, snow, ice pellets, ect. The ramp inspector claimed it was a issue because it was a cause of corrosion. The airplanes were touched up monthly at the inspection intervals but that was not good enough for him. Cause of corrosion is not a grounding matter. Corrosion is and I agreed with him that if left unattended to it would cause corrosion but what was I supposed to do, touch it up after every flight?



Chris

 

[jinman]

Did you read super troopers post?

Duffster, you need to clean your hot button. It's sticking down for no obvious reason.

The title of this thread is "Texas DPS Operation Roadcheck 2011 starts today." Last year's check here found over 1000 brake and brake system violations and several tire/wheel violations. They also found people driving too long and some using drugs. The minor violations were seat belt violations and those were just ticketed, not taken out of service. There was no mention of any "windshield washer fluid" violations nor even cracked or faulty windshields. In a state that has seen several tour bus crashes due to faulty equipment and unqualified drivers, it's not only the truckers, but busses that need stepped-up enforcement.