State police agencies in New York, Nevada, and Arizona have intensified commercial vehicle enforcement operations in recent weeks, resulting in hundreds of citations and dozens of trucks and drivers being placed out of service. Out-of-service orders require that the identified violations be corrected before the driver or vehicle can legally resume operation.

The operations spanned a bridge-strike prevention initiative along the New York State Thruway, heightened roadside inspections in Nevada after a rise in commercial vehicle crashes, and targeted enforcement actions against truckers in Arizona. The actions underscore the role state agencies play in enforcing federal motor carrier safety regulations on the ground.

New York Campaign Identifies Nearly 1,000 Violations

New York State Police announced Tuesday that its Troop T Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit completed 348 commercial vehicle inspections during the state's "Check Your Height, Know It's Right" campaign, conducted at the end of July.

The campaign focused on reducing bridge and overpass strikes involving commercial vehicles through a combination of enforcement and driver education. Of the 348 vehicles inspected, 126 were placed out of service immediately for safety-related violations.

Troopers issued a total of 966 violations, five of which involved over-height vehicles. The operation also yielded 189 uniform traffic tickets covering offenses such as speeding, seat belt and restraint violations, cellphone use, and registration and license issues.

According to state police, more than 375 bridge strikes have been recorded on the system over the past five years. Bridge strikes involving commercial vehicles are a recurring infrastructure and safety concern nationwide, often resulting in roadway closures, costly structural damage, and disruptions to freight movement. The agency noted that recent over-height vehicle incidents in downstate New York and Western New York underscore the need for drivers to be aware of their equipment's height and plan routes that avoid low-clearance structures.

Nevada Inspections Place 45 Drivers and 33 Trucks Out of Service

Nevada State Police Highway Patrol has also ramped up commercial vehicle inspections in response to what the agency described as a recent increase in crashes involving commercial motor vehicles near U.S. 50 and U.S. 395.

The Highway Patrol's Commercial Enforcement Section increased inspections and enforcement in the affected area, according to Carson Now.

During a two-week enforcement period, inspectors conducted 102 roadside inspections, documented 286 violations, placed 45 drivers out of service, and placed 33 commercial vehicles out of service. Violations covered driver documentation, equipment and mechanical condition, motor carrier operating authority, and drivers' daily logbooks. Federal Hours of Service regulations administered by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration require commercial drivers to maintain accurate records of their driving hours, designed to prevent fatigue-related crashes.

Arizona Troopers Target Falsified Logbooks and Left-Lane Violations

Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers carried out two separate targeted enforcement actions involving commercial drivers.

On July 31, troopers discovered three commercial drivers parked near Arizona State Route 202 and Elliot Road despite more than six posted "No Parking" signs. When Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit troopers made contact with the drivers, they determined that all three had falsified their logbooks. The drivers were cited and placed out of service.

Five days later, Arizona Highway Patrol troopers conducted a targeted traffic enforcement operation along Interstate 10 in an active construction zone between Phoenix and Tucson. Troopers took enforcement action against five commercial vehicles for violating a posted requirement that commercial trucks remain in the right lane. Each truck was observed traveling in the left lane for distances ranging from 1.5 miles to more than 4 miles, according to DPS.

DPS reported that the violations caused traffic to slow and bunch behind the trucks, followed by unsafe accelerations once the vehicles returned to the right lane. The agency reiterated that commercial vehicles must remain in the right lane in construction zones when signs requiring them to do so are posted.

The recent enforcement actions across the three states reflect a broader shift in commercial truck enforcement, with authorities increasingly deploying targeted operations to address specific risks such as bridge strikes, crash-prone corridors, falsified logbooks, and unsafe driving in construction zones.