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Sam Penrod ReportingLaw enforcement is cracking down today on unsafe trucks traveling the roads. The focus is on commercial trucks that are not up to safety standards.
Nine of the ten commercial trucks stopped today were found to have violations. And in those ten trucks, there were a total of 58 safety violations, which showed up in today's random inspections.
Heavy trucks are not only on the freeways, but on city streets, and in some cases make deliveries to residential areas. Semi-trucks that travel in and out of state are required to pass through ports of entry, where they are frequently inspected. But trucks that travel locally do not have such regular inspections and authorities say are not always up to the same standards.
Of particular concern is for the truck's tires and also the brakes. So South Jordan City and the Highway Patrol commercial vehicle division went out in force today to make sure trucks are safe.
Officer Samuel Winkler, South Jordan Police Dept: "People see a commercial vehicle and hear a loud engine they assume it is going fast. They are really are not going that fast, but people perceive it is. The problem is that it is a heavy vehicle and it takes a long time to stop. If their brakes aren't working or tires aren't up to shape, it might cause a problem down the road."
There have been several high profile incidents lately involving commercial trucks. Particularly, that explosion on Highway 6 back in August, when an explosives truck was going too fast and crashed. Prosecutors are still investigating to see if charges will be filed.
Overall, law enforcement says most trucks are safe, but there are enough out there that are not and those are the ones they want to get off of the road.
