Casino trucks face more frequent inspections

Thursday, June 9, 2005 | 9:15 a.m.

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. -- A statewide crackdown on unsafe trucks has begun.

State motor vehicles officials on Tuesday announced increased hours at all three weigh stations in Connecticut, more enforcement teams on the roads and more frequent inspections of commercial vehicles at Connecticut's two casinos.

"This has been an important project for us for a number of years," Ralph Carpenter, commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles, said at a news conference at an Interstate 91 weigh station in Middletown on Tuesday. "Our goal is simple: to save lives."

Inspectors are looking for overweight vehicles, faulty brakes, headlights and tires, fatigued drivers and other violations. Truckers in violation will be temporarily placed out of service.

State police and DMV inspectors will have a checklist of nearly 200 items to review for each vehicle. An inspection takes about an hour, police said.

The increased enforcement, which began Tuesday, will extend until Friday.

The enforcement efforts, known as Roadcheck 2005, coincide with a national campaign sponsored by the Motor Carrier Safety Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation.