New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
The Massachusetts State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Section (MSP CVES) and the Massachusetts Environmental Police (EPOs) on Feb. 18 undertook a joint inspection operation for trucks hauling seafood from the port of New Bedford.
MSP CVES Troopers and EPOs set up operation on Interstate 195 eastbound in Seekonk. Troopers conducted inspection of the vehicles to ensure compliance with state laws and federal motor carrier safety regulations, while EPOs inspected the loads in accordance with federal and state fishery regulations. The goal of the operation from the MSP’s perspective was to enhance highway safety by identifying any commercial vehicles with potentially dangerous violations, to take enforcement action when necessary, and to educate drivers of the relevant regulations and the documents they are required to carry for inspection purposes.
Troopers and Officers inspected eight trucks and found 34 violations of various types. Three trucks were placed out-of-service for safety violations, and one driver was placed out-of-service for not having a commercial driving license. Two trucks were found to be over the legal weight and their drivers were fined. One of the trucks was so overweight it was listing to the left and had to be offloaded.
The location was chosen solely because of the extremely high volume of commercially-shipped seafood that departs the New Bedford port every day.
MSP CVES works daily to establish professional rapport with commercial drivers from all industries, the vast majority of whom routinely follow all laws, regulations, and safety requirements. For those drivers who do not abide, penalties such as fines or out-of-service notices are issued to protect the safety of the motoring public, including those drivers themselves and all other drivers with whom they share the road. The unit has been recognized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration numerous times in recent years for its role in helping Massachusetts achieve commercial vehicle crash fatality rates that are among the lowest in the country.
