A joint enforcement push along the Wyoming-Colorado border earlier this week resulted in multiple arrests and dozens of commercial vehicles being taken off the road. The effort focused on carriers and drivers who were not meeting federal and state safety standards, something that directly affects working truckers who follow the rules.
According to the Wyoming Highway Patrol WHP, the operation was carried out with the Colorado State Patrol as part of what they call a Mobile Enforcement and Education Team MEET Detail. The teams set up inspection checkpoints on US 287 south of Laramie, putting up signs requiring commercial trucks to pull in.
Any driver who kept rolling past the inspection zone was stopped and directed back for review by troopers and mobile inspectors.
One of those stops involved a white box truck, which rolled through the southbound inspection area without stopping. A trooper pulled the vehicle over and returned it to the checkpoint.
During that inspection, officers found the same driver had previously been cited in Colorado.
“While being inspected, troopers discovered the driver had been in violation of the English Language Proficiency ELP requirements on September 13 in Colorado and was put Out of Service,” the release stated. “The driver was arrested on repeat violations for violating Federal Motor Carrier Safety regulations, English Language Proficiency, and the box truck was towed.”
Across the day, 82 commercial trucks were inspected. By the time the teams wrapped up, enforcement numbers showed how seriously the agencies were taking repeat violations and unsafe vehicles
- 24 trucks were put out of service
- 16 drivers were sidelined
- 4 arrests were made
- 1 marijuana citation was issued
Three of the arrests involved commercial drivers with repeat offenses. Two were tied to operating without a CDL, and the other was the ELP repeat offender. Colorado State Patrol also made an arrest connected to an outstanding statewide warrant.
The WHP spelled out why these checks are not just routine boxes to tick; they are aimed at the safety of professional drivers and the public.
“The Wyoming Highway Patrol takes commercial vehicle safety very seriously,” the release stated. “Various driver violations, including ELP and driving without a CDL license, and vehicle violations, brakes, overweight, etc., can lead to a driver or a vehicle being put Out of Service, meaning the driver can no longer operate the vehicle.”
They added that putting a driver or truck OOS is about preventing dangerous incidents.
“Being put Out of Service is done to ensure the safety of everyone using our roadways, regular and commercial drivers alike. When a driver is found to be operating while not complying with critical FMCSA regulations, along with repeat violations like ELP, the driver may be arrested.”
For truckers who run legally and keep their equipment compliant, operations like this can help weed out the drivers and carriers who cut corners, the same ones that give the rest of the industry a bad name. But it is also a reminder that troopers are watching closely along the Wyoming-Colorado corridor, and repeat offenses are no longer getting a slap on the wrist.
Image Source: WHC
Source: The Trucker
