Texas DPS inspecting commercial vehicles
Texas DPS will inspect trucks, buses and other commercial vehicles at weigh stations and on roadways over the next three days. Photo courtesy U.S. Army IMCOM at flickr.com/imcom.Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
By Laura Rice
The Texas Department of Public Safety will conduct a commercial vehicle inspection blitz this week as part of a crackdown effort spanning North America.
During last year’s inspection, DPS found more than a quarter of big rig trucks and other commercial vehicles in Texas had serious safety violations. That’s about 2,000 trucks and buses with major problems – like brake and tire issues – that caused them to be put out of service until repairs were made.
The inspection blitz will be carried out at locations across Texas, DPS Public Information Officer Tom Vinger said.
“So it’s a combination of efforts at the weigh station but also efforts out on the roadways to look for unsafe trucks,” Vinger said. “As a result, we’re able to inspect a large number of commercial vehicles – 8,000 commercial vehicles obviously is a large number.”
The most recent data shows more than 500 crashes in Travis County each year involve tractor trailers or buses. In 2010, five of those accidents were fatal. The three-day inspection blitz starts today and runs through Thursday.
Podcast: Download (1.4MB)
