Unsafe Commercial Drivers And Trucks Focus Of Operation Trucker

ipgb.state.or.us, Apr 16, 2007

Impaired truck drivers, unsafe commercial vehicles, and an opportunity to determine the extent to which commercial drivers may be operating while impaired by drugs, the twelfth Operation Trucker Check is being conducted April 10th through 12th at the Interstate 5 southbound Woodburn Port of Entry. Working in conjunction with truck safety inspectors will be law enforcement personnel trained as Drug Recognition Evaluators (DRE) and narcotics detection canines.

The interagency enforcement and inspection emphasis began 12:01 a.m., Tuesday, April 10th, and concludes April 12th at 11:59 p.m. Involving a team of law enforcement officers and ODOT commercial vehicle inspectors, Operation Trucker Check targets driver impairment related to alcohol, drugs, or fatigue, and vehicle equipment safety. The first operation was held in 1998 at the Ashland Port of Entry and has been held at other locations including Ontario, Cascade Locks, and Klamath Falls. This is the second time the operation has been held at the Woodburn Port of Entry.

"Since the program's beginning, these around-the-clock unannounced safety inspections have helped remove several impaired drivers and unsafe vehicles from our highways," said Sergeant Alan Hageman of the Oregon State Police (OSP) Patrol Services Division. "This will be an opportunity through voluntary driver participation to evaluate the use of illicit, prescription, and/or over-the-counter drugs by commercial drivers." Read more at ipgb.state.or.us.