The Maine State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit (Troop K) participated in the national safety initiative called Operation Safe D.R.I.V.E. (Distracted Reckless Impaired Visibility Enforcement) hosted by the FMCSA this week. FMCSA stands for Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

This three-day enforcement action resulted in 390 trucks being inspected with 80 trucks being put out of service for imminent safety risks to the public. 

"During this event FMCSA personnel worked side by side with our Troop K members inspecting trucks and interacting with drivers to promote safe operations with commercial vehicles," said Maine Dept. of Public Safety, in a news release.

Throughout this event, smart roadside technologies were used to screen large volumes of trucks so that Troopers and Inspectors could focus on the vehicles with defects and violations. These technologies include tire anomaly sensors, thermal imaging for brakes and License Plate Readers for company credentials and safety scores. 

The most dangerous truck inspected this week was initially flagged by the tire anomaly sensors, according to MSP, in the news release. Troopers conducted an inspection on this particular truck and found 37 violation including bald tires and missing brakes. 

"This technology allows our limited staff to screen nearly 600,000 trucks every year helping to detect and inspect the unsafe operators and trucks on our Maine roads," said MSP. 

Operation Safe D.R.I.V.E. is a high-profile enforcement and education effort targeting unsafe driving behaviors that contribute to crashes involving large trucks and buses. FMCSA’s mission is to reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities involving large trucks and buses.