Press Release

State Enforcement Effort Takes 100 Haz-Mat Trucks Out of Service

Published on 10/15/2009

Filed under: Transportation and Safety

Harrisburg - Pennsylvania State Police and enforcement officers from the Public Utility Commission placed 100 trucks out of service and issued 451 traffic citations during an Oct. 7 enforcement effort focusing on commercial vehicles that transport hazardous materials, State Police Commissioner Frank E. Pawlowski reported today.

“About 200 trucks transporting hazardous materials are involved in fatal crashes and 5,000 others are involved in non-fatal crashes each year on our nation’s highways,” Pawlowski said. “The goal of the detail was to minimize the potential for human injury and property damage that may result from hazardous material transport crashes.”

The Commercial Motor Vehicle Safe Transportation of Placarded Substances detail, or S.T.O.P.S., inspected 1,252 placarded commercial vehicles during the one-day enforcement effort.  In addition to placing vehicles out of service and issuing traffic citations, officers issued 1,059 written warnings for vehicle and driver violations and placed 30 drivers out of service.

“Enforcement activities such as this are an important part of making our highways safer for all travelers,” said PUC Chairman James H. Cawley. “As shown by the number of vehicles placed out of service and the citations issued, the ongoing monitoring of those transporting hazardous materials is a key component of Pennsylvania’s highway safety efforts.”

For more information, visit www.psp.state.pa.us or call 717-346-7347.

Media contacts:

Lt. Myra A. Taylor or Jack J. Lewis, PSP, 717-783-5556

Jennifer Kocher, PUC, 717-787-5722

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

Troop A (Cambria, Indiana, Somerset and Westmoreland counties), 64 vehicles inspected; eight vehicles place out of service; 16 citations issued;

Troop B (Allegheny, Fayette, Greene and Washington counties), 104 vehicles inspected; seven vehicles place out of service; 15 citations issued;

Troop C (Clarion, Clearfield, Forest, Elk, Jefferson and McKean counties), 123 vehicles inspected; five vehicles place out of service; 41 citations issued;

Troop D (Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Lawrence and Mercer counties), 111 vehicles inspected; three vehicles placed out of service; 26 citations issued;

Troop E (Crawford, Erie, Venango and Warren counties), 36 vehicles inspected; eight vehicles placed out of service; 20 citations issued;

Troop F (Cameron, Clinton, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Potter, Snyder, Union and Tioga counties), 105 vehicles inspected; five vehicles placed out of service; 38 citations issued;

Troop G (Bedford, Blair, Centre, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata and Mifflin counties), 86 vehicles inspected; eight vehicles placed out of service; 34 citations issued;

Troop H (Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Perry and York counties), 46 vehicles inspected; two vehicles placed out of service; 10 citations issued;

Troop J (Chester and Lancaster counties), 33 vehicles inspected; five vehicles placed out of service; six citations issued;

Troop K (Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties), 77 vehicles inspected; one vehicle placed out of service; 10 citations issued;

Troop L (Berks, Lebanon and Schuylkill counties), 66 vehicles inspected; 10 vehicles placed out of service; 30 citations issued;

Troop M (Bucks, Lehigh and Northampton counties), 35 vehicles inspected; four vehicles placed out of service; nine citations issued;

Troop N (Carbon, Columbia, Monroe and part of Luzerne counties), 39 vehicles inspected; two vehicles placed out of service; 13 citations issued;

Troop P (Bradford, Sullivan, Wyoming and part of Luzerne counties), 37 inspections; one vehicle placed out of service; 10 citations issued;

Troop R (Lackawanna, Pike, Susquehanna and Wayne counties), 76 vehicles inspected; 11 vehicles placed out of service; 49 citations issued;

Troop T (Pennsylvania Turnpike), 138 vehicles inspected; 16 vehicles placed out of service; 90 citations issued.

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PSP66

Contact:

• Press Secretary
  717-787-5722