Washington State Patrol (WSP) District 8 Commercial Vehicle Division (CVD) Troopers and Commercial Vehicle Enforcement (CVE) Officers participated in a 72-hour long national emphasis focused on commercial vehicle safety and security, inspecting more than 111 vehicles in Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Kitsap and Mason counties.

The June 5-7 emphasis was part of the 31st annual International Roadcheck, an emphasis involving law enforcement personnel across Canada, Mexico and the United States. The International Roadcheck is sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, Transport Canada and the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation.

Each year, the emphasis focuses on a specific category of violations. This year’s focused on hours of service, working in conjunction with enforcement of the December 17, 2017 federal mandate for electronic logging devices required by commercial vehicle drivers operating vehicles within the United States.

The 2017 mandate started the phase out of traditional paper log books used to track commercial motor vehicle driver’s hours of service, including drive time and rest periods. According to the FMCSA, electronic logging devices allow easier tracking, managing and sharing of such data. The electronic logging device is linked to directly to the commercial motor vehicle’s engine, automatically logging drive time. Enforcement of the new mandate began April 1.

District 8 CVD Troopers and CVE Officers inspected 111 commercial vehicles over the 72-hour period. Only two of those vehicles had logbook violations.

Of the 111 vehicles inspected, 99 underwent Level 1 Inspections; a thorough, 37-step process that includes examining the driver’s operating requirements and vehicle’s mechanics such as checking brake systems, cargo securement and lighting devices.

Drivers operating vehicles which passed the Level 1 inspections were provided a CVSA decal, a visual indicator that the vehicle passed the inspection. Those that failed the inspection were placed out of service, meaning the driver could not operate the vehicle until the mechanical defect or driver qualifications were corrected.

District 8 CVD Troopers and CVE Officers put 15 commercial vehicles out of service, 13 for defective equipment and two for suspended Commercial Vehicle Driver’s Licenses.

Additionally, 12 Level 2 and Level 3 inspections were conducted. Level 2 inspections include both driver and vehicle mechanics, but not to the same depth as a Level 1 inspection. Level 3 inspections focus on driver information.

District 8 serves Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Kitsap, Mason, Pacific and Wahkiakum counties.