State Police: 162 Trucks Placed Out of Service During Operation SAFE

Motor Carrier Enforcement Teams Conduct Safety Inspections

Harrisburg – Pennsylvania State Police placed 162 trucks and 103 drivers out of service during a March 22 statewide enforcement effort that focused on seat belt use and proper driver and vehicle documentation, acting Commissioner Frank Noonan said today.

Noonan said Operation SAFE, which stands for Seat Belt and Fatigue Enforcement, was conducted by members of state police motor carrier enforcement teams.

“Our teams checked for seat belt use by truckers and examined commercial driver’s licenses, hours of service logs, vehicle inspection reports, and other required documentation,” Noonan said. “Our efforts are aimed at increasing safety for truckers and others on the roads by ensuring that commercial vehicle drivers are properly belted and are not exceeding federal limits on hours of operation.”

Noonan said 2,209 commercial vehicles were inspected, resulting in 1,034 traffic citations and 1,598 written warnings being issued.

The most common violations involved failure to properly complete required logbook entries, he said, while noting that 64 citations were issued for commercial drivers not wearing seat belts.

For more information, visit www.psp.state.pa.us or call 717-783-5556.

Editor’s Note: Following is a breakdown, by state police troop area, of the number of inspections conducted, vehicles and drivers placed out of service, and citations and warnings issued by state police during the one-day program:

• Troop A (Cambria, Indiana, Somerset and Westmoreland counties), 225 inspections; 16 vehicles placed out of service; five drivers placed out of service; 45 citations; 101 warnings.
• Troop B (Allegheny, Fayette, Greene and Washington counties), 221 inspections; 12 vehicles placed out of service; three drivers placed out of service; 77 citations; 108 warnings.
• Troop C (Clarion, Clearfield, Forest, Elk, Jefferson and McKean counties), 157 inspections; 13 vehicles placed out of service; five drivers placed out of service; 61 citations; 199 warnings.
• Troop D (Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Lawrence and Mercer counties), 174 inspections; six vehicles placed out of service; 10 drivers placed out of service; 62 citations; 66 warnings.
• Troop E (Crawford, Erie, Venango and Warren counties), 124 inspections; 17 vehicles placed out of service; five drivers placed out of service; 73 citations; 125 warnings.
• Troop F (Cameron, Clinton, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Potter, Snyder, Union and Tioga counties), 178 vehicles inspected; 11 vehicles placed out of service; nine drivers placed out of service; 107 citations; 104 warnings.
• Troop G (Bedford, Blair, Centre, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata and Mifflin counties), 164 inspections; 10 vehicles placed out of service; seven drivers placed out of service; 45 citations; 123 warnings.
• Troop H (Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Perry and York counties), 99 inspections; seven vehicles placed out of service; three drivers placed out of service; 34 citations; 88 warnings.
• Troop J (Chester and Lancaster counties), 98 inspections; 10 vehicles placed out of service; six drivers placed out of service; 57 citations; 80 warnings.
• Troop K (Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties), 144 inspections; five vehicles placed out of service; three drivers placed out of service; 97 citations; 91 warnings.
• Troop L (Berks, Lebanon and Schuylkill counties), 112 inspections; five vehicles placed out of service; two drivers placed out of service; 26 citations; 48 warnings.
• Troop M (Bucks, Lehigh and Northampton counties), 126 inspections; seven vehicles placed out of service; 11 drivers placed out of service; 77 citations; 97 warnings.
• Troop N (Carbon, Columbia, Monroe and part of Luzerne counties), 56 inspections; six vehicles placed out of service; seven drivers placed out of service; 26 citations; 41 warnings.
• Troop P (Bradford, Sullivan, Wyoming and part of Luzerne counties), 55 inspections; nine vehicles placed out of service; three drivers placed out of service; 63 citations; 42 warnings.
• Troop R (Lackawanna, Pike, Susquehanna and Wayne counties), 108 inspections; 13 vehicles placed out of service; 11 drivers placed out of service; 54 citations; 115 warnings.
• Troop T (Pennsylvania Turnpike), 168 inspections; 15 vehicles placed out of service; 13 drivers placed out of service; 130 citations; 170 warnings.