The Georgia Department of Public Safety participated recently in Roadcheck 2010, an annual safety and inspection program aimed at commercial motor vehicles that operates throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The Department's Motor Carrier Compliance Division ("MCCD") supervised the effort, which took place for a 72-hour-period from June 8 - June 10. The MCCD is responsible for conducting safety inspections of commercial vehicles - especially trucks and buses - and conducting compliance reviews on motor carriers.
Mark McLeod, MCCD director, cited the program's primary goal "to emphasize both safety and security," noting the duty of MCCD officers to issue out-of-service orders to vehicles deemed safety hazards.
That compliance function gets the attention of motor carriers and commercial drivers, and certainly has teeth. During Roadcheck 2009, nearly 73,000 safety inspections were performed, with 19.6 percent of the inspected vehicles being placed out of service for mechanical problems. That figure translates to more than 14,000 vehicles taken off the road for required maintenance.
This year's Roadcheck had as an additional aim the promotion of seat belt use. McLeod cited a recent survey indicating that 26 percent of commercial drivers in the United States do not comply with the federal law mandating belt use.
Each annual Roadcheck merely highlights the work that inspectors routinely do throughout the year to promote roadway safety. McLeod states that MCCD inspections throughout Georgia increase annually, given the increased volume of commercial traffic.
Related Resource: theweekly.com "Georgia Motor Carrier Officers to join International enforcement effort" June 4, 2010
