The Tennessee Highway Patrol and other agencies examined more than 1,500 trucks May 3, resulting in 62 drivers and 66 trucks being placed out of service. Eight simultaneous 24-hour hazmat checkpoints were part of Operation United Strategic Transportation Observation and Prevention.
“The goal of Operation United STOP is to be proactive in deterring large truck violations and terrorist activity by conducting random truck inspections across the state,” said patrol Col. Mike Walker. Radiation detectors used at several checkpoints turned up three radioactive shipments, all legal.
Officers checked 395 hazmat trucks, 466 moveable containers and 218 rental vehicles. In all, 596 safety defects were found, 329 trucks were checked by bomb or drug dogs, and 760 trucks were checked for radiological contaminants. The stops also resulted in three alcohol violations, one drug arrest, one arrest for no driver’s license and one arrest for a fraudulent use of identification.
In October, a similar eight-hour operation at 17 sites earned Tennessee national recognition from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
