The Washington State Patrol’s Commercial Vehicle Division announced it will utilize a new computer program to help detect truck drivers who are violating hours-of-service regulations.
Commercial vehicles passing WSP’s weigh stations will be electronically screened for their weight, size, registration and safety record. The system also allows officers to check to see how long the trucks have been on the road that day.
The Washington State Dept. of Transportation (WSDOT), working with WSP, has installed 12 Automated License Plate Readers (APLR) at key weigh stations and ports of entry throughout the state. The readers capture the truck’s license plate as well as a picture of the truck and in conjunction with a new computer program allow WSP officers to check the time the truck crossed any of those 12 locations and then compare it to the truck driver’s logbook.
“The vast majority of the truck drivers on our roads are safe drivers and follow the rules,” said WSP Captain Darren Grondel, Commercial Vehicle Division Commander, “But there are a few drivers out there who are irresponsible and this new computer program will help us get these drivers off the road by verifying logbook entries.”
In August 2011, Commercial Vehicle Officers at the Nisqually Truck Scale on Interstate 5 cited 98 drivers for serious logbook violations over a 96-hour period using this new program, according to the WSP.
