One-Day Enforcement Effort Aimed at Making Pennsylvania Highways Safer

HARRISBURG, Pa., April 6, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania State Police inspected nearly 1,600 commercial vehicles transporting hazardous materials and issued 790 citations during a one-day enforcement effort last week, acting Commissioner Frank Noonan announced today.

Noonan said the initiative, known as the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safe Transportation of Placarded Substances detail, or S.T.O.P.S., was aimed at ensuring that trucks carrying hazardous materials are safe and do not present a danger to other motorists on Pennsylvania highways.

Noonan said state police motor carrier enforcement teams inspected 1,599 trucks on March 29.

"In addition to issuing citations, the teams placed 174 trucks and 43 drivers out of service and handed out 1,286 written warnings for vehicle and driver violations," Noonan said. "Unsafe brakes and record of duty infractions were the most common violations found during the detail."

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

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

Editor's Note: Following is a breakdown, by state police troop area, of the number of vehicles inspected; number of vehicles and drivers placed out of service; and number of citations and written warnings issued by state police during the one-day program:

• Troop A (Cambria, Indiana, Somerset and Westmoreland counties), 136 inspections; 29 vehicles placed out of service; no drivers placed out of service; 35 citations; 193 written warnings.
• Troop B (Allegheny, Fayette, Greene and Washington counties), 115 inspections; 18 vehicles placed out of service; no drivers placed out of service; 51 citations; 104 written warnings.
• Troop C (Clarion, Clearfield, Forest, Elk, Jefferson and McKean counties), 158 inspections; 11 vehicles placed out of service; four drivers placed out of service; 42 citations; 140 written warnings.
• Troop D (Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Lawrence and Mercer counties), 116 inspections; nine vehicles placed out of service; five drivers placed out of service; 81 citations; 53 written warnings.
• Troop E (Crawford, Erie, Venango and Warren counties), 93 inspections; eight vehicles placed out of service; three drivers placed out of service; 60 citations; 66 written warnings.
• Troop F (Cameron, Clinton, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Potter, Snyder, Union and Tioga counties), 109 inspections; 10 vehicles placed out of service; no drivers placed out of service; 49 citations; 54 written warnings.
• Troop G (Bedford, Blair, Centre, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata and Mifflin counties), 119 inspections; seven vehicles placed out of service; three drivers placed out of service; 26 citations; 57 written warnings.
• Troop H (Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Perry and York counties), 94 inspections; nine vehicles placed out of service; four drivers placed out of service; 29 citations; 70 written warnings.
• Troop J (Chester and Lancaster counties), 74 inspections; 10 vehicles placed out of service; one driver placed out of service; 43 citations; 89 written warnings.
• Troop K (Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties), 74 inspections; two vehicles placed out of service; two drivers placed out of service; 51 citations; 61 written warnings.
• Troop L (Berks, Lebanon and Schuylkill counties), 86 inspections; five vehicles placed out of service; four drivers placed out of service; 36 citations; 71 written warnings.
• Troop M (Bucks, Lehigh and Northampton counties), 89 inspections; 12 vehicles placed out of service; three drivers placed out of service; 43 citations; 72 written warnings;
• Troop N (Carbon, Columbia, Monroe and part of Luzerne counties), 53 inspections; six vehicles placed out of service; four drivers placed out of service, 81 citations; 40 written warnings.
• Troop P (Bradford, Sullivan, Wyoming and part of Luzerne counties), 55 inspections; 16 vehicles placed out of service; one driver placed out of service; 48 citations; 38 written warnings.
• Troop R (Lackawanna, Pike, Susquehanna and Wayne counties), 107 inspections; 13 vehicles placed out of service; five drivers placed out of service; 44 citations; 95 written warnings.
• Troop T (Pennsylvania Turnpike), 121 inspections; nine vehicles placed out of service; four drivers placed out of service; 61 citations; 83 written warnings.

SOURCE Pennsylvania State Police Department