Pennsylvania State Police: 139 Trucks Placed Out of Service through Enforcement Effort

S.T.O.P.S. Detail Focuses on Vehicles Transporting Hazardous Materials

HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania State Police placed 139 trucks out of service and issued 572 traffic citations during a one-day statewide enforcement effort focusing on commercial vehicles that transport hazardous materials, Commissioner Frank E. Pawlowski announced today.

The Commercial Motor Vehicle Safe Transportation of Placarded Substances detail, or S.T.O.P.S, was conducted Sept. 22 by state police motor carrier enforcement team members.

"Each year, about 200 trucks transporting hazardous materials on our nation's highways are involved in fatal crashes and 5,000 others are involved in non-fatal crashes," Pawlowski said. "These enforcement details help to keep Pennsylvania's highways as safe as possible for all motorists."

Pawlowski noted that 1,131 commercial vehicles were inspected. In addition to placing vehicles out of service and issuing traffic citations, officers handed out 1,034 written warnings for vehicle and driver violations and placed 32 drivers out of service. The most common problems involved bad brakes and record of duty status violations.

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

Media contact: Lt. Myra A. Taylor or Jack J. Lewis, 717-783-5556

Editor's Note: The following is a breakdown, by state police troop area, of the number of inspections conducted; number of vehicles placed out of service; and citations issued by state police during the one-day program:

• Troop A (Cambria, Indiana, Somerset and Westmoreland counties), 91 inspections; 22 vehicles placed out of service; 35 citations;
• Troop B (Allegheny, Fayette, Greene and Washington counties), 78 inspections; 14 vehicles placed out of service; 51 citations;
• Troop C (Clarion, Clearfield, Forest, Elk, Jefferson and McKean counties), 88 inspections; six vehicles placed out of service; 37 citations;
• Troop D (Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Lawrence and Mercer counties), 140 inspections; 12 vehicles placed out of service; 63 citations;
• Troop E (Crawford, Erie, Venango and Warren counties), 38 inspections; four vehicles placed out of service; 14 citations;
• Troop F (Cameron, Clinton, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Potter, Snyder, Union and Tioga counties), 102 vehicles inspected; 11 vehicles placed out of service; 49 citations;
• Troop G (Bedford, Blair, Centre, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata and Mifflin counties), 66 inspections; two vehicles placed out of service; 11 citations;
• Troop H (Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Perry and York counties), 42 inspections; four vehicles placed out of service; 21 citations;
• Troop J (Chester and Lancaster counties), 67 inspections; 15 vehicles placed out of service; 34 citations;
• Troop K (Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties), 77 inspections; four  vehicles placed out of service; 34 citations;
• Troop L (Berks, Lebanon and Schuylkill counties), 57 inspections; four vehicles placed out of service; 35 citations;
• Troop M (Bucks, Lehigh and Northampton counties), 37 inspections; seven vehicles placed out of service; 21 citations;
• Troop N (Carbon, Columbia, Monroe and part of Luzerne counties), 31 inspections; seven vehicles placed out of service; 31 citations;
• Troop P (Bradford, Sullivan, Wyoming and part of Luzerne counties), 41 inspections; five vehicles placed out of service; 28 citations;
• Troop R (Lackawanna, Pike, Susquehanna and Wayne counties), 75  inspections; nine vehicles placed out of service; 43 citations;
• Troop T (Pennsylvania Turnpike), 101 inspections; 13 vehicles placed out of service; 65 citations.

SOURCE Pennsylvania State Police Department