Enforcement blitzes are nothing new to truckers. Some of the largest highway enforcement initiatives even have truck driver and equipment safety checks as their core objective. This often makes sense as rules and regulations around large commercial trucks are stricter than those around other vehicles. But eyebrows are raised after an enforcement blitz this week that was focused on impaired driving – a subject which can be a problem for all drivers – targeted only the drivers of large commercial vehicles.
Around 50 law enforcement officers from all around Georgia gathered together at a checkpoint on I-95 to stop CMV drivers to check for any signs of impairment.
According to WTOC, all of the law enforcement officers were trained drug recognition experts.
Powell Harrelson, an official with the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety stated that the officers weren’t just on the lookout for people under the influence of alcohol.
“Anything, any drug that’s prescription that you’ve taken that you should not be behind the wheel. Of course marijuana, alcohol, we are looking for any drugs. Meth, any of that stuff we are looking for that,” said Powell.
This isn’t a new initiative in Georgia. According to Harrelson, this is something that was done on I-85 in Northern Georgia last year.
From when the officers set up the checkpoint on Wednesday night until 5:45am Thursday morning, three allegedly impaired drivers were arrested and 35 drivers were placed out of service for being over their allowable hours. Officers also issued citations for equipment violations.
When asked why they set up the checkpoint, Harrelson responded that it was all about safety.
“We want to save that life. We want to save 20 lives. But if we can save that one life, by getting that one impaired driver, truck driver off the road, then it’s worth it,” said Harrelson. “We hope that there are zero truck drivers that come through here tonight that we have to arrest. They need to move our goods and products on the roadways, we just want them to do that in a safe manner. So we hope we arrest zero.”
yea right safety…. I cry bs…. it’s about the money always has been. always will be
More Law and Order for ya….
Wonder why the highway patrol doesn’t set up dui check points in the rest areas to check on drivers of rv’s and four wheelers,especially since NASCAR has started back up?
I wish we would all get along for at least ONE day and just stop rolling! We’re the MOST needed, yet MOST disrespected and harassed professionals.
If they’re checking all drivers at a certain point that’s fine. But as they’re harassing truckers, drunks in 4 wheelers are waving as they pass.
You’re so right. Yet we can’t see past our differences long enough to do anything about it. The sad part is we have the ability to make the entire country listen to us, if we stood, (parked), as one.
I like that idea.
last I heard, about 4500.00 to 5000.00, depend on county. The people they should be checking are those that are running one tons with a gooseneck trailer, the register them less than the state requirement for reporting, load the heck out of them, then run non-stop knowing the states don’t require pickups in the scales, or check points.
All about safety. I feel safer, do you?
Yeah, and what about those innocent drivers who got to sit in the resulting truck queue for (likely) well over an hour?
Yeah, let’s enforce safety, but let’s inconvenience untold numbers of hardworking men and women to do it.
I am so glad I don’t go into bass-ackward states like Georgia anymore.
James, I have to agree with you, but this is no different than when a DOT officer pulls you over & decides he wants to perform a roadside inspection. Depending on the level of inspection, it could end up holding you on the shoulder for well over an hour. It’s not just GA that will do one either. Every state I’ve traveled I’ve been hit for a roadside.
I’d say that if you’ve been hit with a roadside inspection in every state you’ve traveled through; 1) you’re the UNluckiest man on the road 2) you’ve not traveled through many states, or 3) you have a sign hanging on your truck that reads ” PLEASE INSPECT MY TRUCK AND DRIVER STATUS”… Maybe all of the above.
One if the so called *trained* officers stopped me, informed me i looked to be on meth, and wanted to search my truck..i agreed, telling him it was a waste of time as i wasnt on, nor ever had been, on meth..an hour and a half later, after looking all through my truck, emptying my pockets, and telling him countless times id be happy to piss in a cup or give blood, he finally decided i didnt have meth..the only thing in my system was a recently drank starbucks cappachino…they would be better off looking for texters, in cars and trucks if wanting to make roads safer..
You drive a truck and can afford Starbucks coffee?
I really don’t mind sobriety checks, but like the last driver stated, they turned to inspections for revenue and that’s what it’s really about!!!!!!
A check is fine, but when it turns into an hour or more for no reason, it becomes harassment. They know all they have to do is say they ‘suspected’ impairment.
Georgia is well known for going after Truckers only and so that’s why I don’t buy anything when I go through there. I stack up on food and anything else before I go through that racist/classist money grubbing state.
Food fuel anything I just don’t buy and try not to stop or stay for any length of time it’s just not worth it.
As long as you allow them to treat you like a third class citizen they will continue to play the cloke and dagger game all the time…. till you cut off their money that it!
I mean that is…. Typo! 🙁
You got it driver. I myself have been truck driving for over 38 plus years and it really sucks how they are trying to give us all the SH?? they can not clean up for them self. I just got of a run in a 10 mile of freeway I counted 42 cars that the drivers were on the cell or txing or what ever. Saw another four trying to read a book and or a news paper and another seven drinking and out the window when done. What a shame. One driver to another All we can do is try to be safe and truck safe. Good luck… SAM from OREGON
38 years? That’s a long time too have been in a truck…and still use the term “driver” lol
And you counted ALL those people and what they were doing?
Hell…I’d recommend watching the road DRIVER.
David McKinley from Birmingham…
P.S. All this junk you folks post on here…and the folks reading it take it for the truth.
TruckersReport should keep an eye on what is said on here…if THEY wanna help with safety.
I wonder, what would happen if all the trucks stop going to GA?
The government should not be able to set up roadblocks to see if you’re impaired. It’s supposed to be understood that we the people are innocent and the government has to show proof people committed a crime. If they want to find impaired drivers wouldn’t it be better to set up outside a bar?
There was a Miami Beach PD officer doing that, he was sitting outside clubs and Miami Beach PD told him never to do that again that he was affecting business in the area.
Its been ruled entrapment by most states. (The courts have said it would be irresponsible to allow a person leaving an establishment known to serve alcoholic beverages, and take constructive possession of a vehicle. They should stop said person prior to entering the vehicle and endangering others.)
That’s just so ya know…
Who checks the cops for impairment? We had one in my home town that hit and killed a 19 y/o girl a few years ago. Doing an estimated 90, in a 45, I believe, and off duty. Another, quite a few years back, killed a man when the cop was going down a one way, THE WRONG WAY. I believe the safety is for civilians.
A check is fine, but when it turns into an hour or more for no reason, it becomes harassment. They know all they have to do is say they ‘suspected’ impairment.
A local TV station was doing an investigative report on cops driving dangerously. They had a radar gun and clocked a lady cop doing, I think it was 83 MPH (in a 55). They couldn’t follow her, obviously, but they had their helicopter in the air. She went to Victoria’s Secret. When a girl needs a thong, a girl NEEDS a thong!!
They can call it whatever they want. When it comes down to it it’s still all about revenue. If they were just checking for impaired drivers then why the inspections? Liars and thieves. That’s all they are. I applaud them for checking for impaired drivers but when you start checking for other violations then once again it comes down to revenue generating so call it what it is.
And how many impaired CAR DRIVERS got overlooked and drug transporters got by…
So why were non commercial drivers not being tested and their vehicles inspected. This is a flat out scam to get the state money. I ask once again why non commercial vehicles and driver not subject to the same laws we are.
I don’t know about the revenue angle. They found 3 impaired drivers and
35 out of hours in one evening. I think they should have more of them if
this is the kind of crap that is going on behind the wheel. We are professional
drivers and should act like it.
I know right. In all those comments, absolutely no one pointed to the fact that 38 people in one single NIGHT got put OOS for violations. That’s a metric ton of people for one single nightly checkpoint.
It could have been for meaningless BS
Or it could have been for something significant. Get over yourselves, and obey the laws, of the land. If everyone did, there would be nothing to complain about.
Idiots. Stop rolling because they are getting unsafe drivers off the road? You need to wake up. I was hit in a parking spot by a female truck driver who was driving down the road drinking a 12 pack. Get ready for more roadside drug and alcohol tests. If you don’t like it, go find another job. I applaud these actions.
Exactly right. If there were 10 checkpoints, and 380 drivers were found impaired or in violation in one night? That’s a lot, and I guarantee there are a lot more than 380 drivers driving illegally.
We want to call for shut downs and driver strikes because they are getting unsafe drivers off the road. We need to take personal responsibility for our actions. But all truck drivers do is complain about rules and regulations. Take pride in your job, your appearance, and in your self, and maybe people will respect us more.
Very well said.
I agree with you entirely. But I think you missed a small point. Most people aren’t upset that the commercial truck driver is being checked. They are upset that everyone wasn’t getting checked. The Highway Patrol is tasked with enforcing the laws for everyone on a highway. They should not target specific groups. They should target everyone violating the law equally. And while it is indeed sad that they caught so many commercial drivers impaired, it is equally sad that a most likely higher number of other impaired drivers got a pass simply because they were driving a different type of vehicle.
I agree 100%
We have the right to complain about some of these regulations and nonsenses that are working to get good drivers off the road.
Such as
Tolls being raised in all most states ever year but they still have many pieces of you know what type of roads. The truckers are paying for that and nothing good is being done with the money.
Trying to over regulated the trucking industry and get good drivers off the road for no good reason at all and be quiet and do along with this nonsense. Bull crap and I am tired of listening to folks like you.
They are trying to recover revenue from our professional and you come on here talk about that is good. Communists like many of you all on the right should be quiet cause this isn’t set up to make up the Democracy this country once was but be control by the government and taken advantage of and people like you will go along with everything the government is doing no matter what.
I wonder how many of them trucks out of hours ran out of hours waiting in line for a hour to be inspected.
I had a Billy Bob big rigger come over into my lane on a 4 lane road last night. What was the matter with th the 2 lanes to his left?
It’s called putting 4 wheelers in big trucks they still think it’s like driving a car.
3 *suspected* impaired drivers. They probably wrote citations, knowing that these drivers would have to hire an attorney to fight the tickets, and that the attorneys would (as they invariably do) negotiate to pay the fine, but keep the driving record clear, with a plea to something like ‘failure to obey a traffic device”. The cops will call that a win, and use it to justify the next inspection stop, knowing full well that the driver’s only took the plea because they had neither time nor money to fight a protracted court battle over it.
I AGREE MR. YOWLER 360%
Where is the data that support those number? Did anybody see the police report on those three impaired drivers and the 35 out of service. It has been proven in the past that they put numbers out there that are not true.
I’ve had two accidents with very, very drunk drivers. The last one totaled both vehicles. I insisted on a drug and alcohol screen for myself, as well as the other driver. I was driving a tractor trailer in both accidents. Both of the other drivers were driving cars. Get ALL the trucks off the road for one solid week, then when they think we’re going back to work, stay home for another week. That should get the point across. Enough of this harassment.
Drug test are always required when a CMV is involved in a serious accident
It won’t happen. They’ll send fresh new students out, if all the experienced drivers stay home, and even the experienced drivers can’t generally afford to take the time off. The cops will use the accidents which result from all the inexperienced drivers, to claim that bad driving by truck drivers is the problem, and they will come down on us even harder. Even if we all just quit, they would ship drivers and truck in from Mexico, or Africa, or India, or whatever. Failing that, you’d start seeing drone trucks, being driven remotely by guys wearing virtual reality headsets in Pakistan or Brazil, supplementing the self-driving trucks that they would rush to approve early. Any resulting accidents would be blamed on us, for walking out, and we would *still* be the bad guys.
You can’t win at the casino. You ate playing the odds at a place that weights them against you, and you are playing by their rules. This is a game that you can’t win. All you can do, is stop being the sucker at the table.
I like that idea, lets all do it, lets see them begging for us to come back.
I agree with most of the above drivers . It all about the money by they bring in and know trucks don’t take it to court. Just pay up and leave. While u drive down the the Georgia roads looking out for impaired car drivers busy texting as I drive all the lanes. Curing us off at end of ramps.
As an old time highway cowboy, I have no problem with the new CV inspections. In my day, we were almost forced to gulp down those little pink caffeine pills just to keep the wheels turning. Sixty to seventy percent of single drivers during the fifties, sixties & seventies commonly pulled 30 to 40 hours on the hwy. without a break. I’ll also guess that at least 50% of the 18 wheelers were pulling 30 ton + loads that had braking power equivalent to Volkswagen. I quit three outfits because of driver abuse and very dangerous equipment.
This old cowboy has no problem with 95% of the new CDL rules.
More harassment maybe they should focus on the 4 wheelers that continue to cut right in front of a truck as they dart through traffic I’m all for shutting every single truck in America for a few days. Can you imagine the total impact of not one delivery just everybody pull your truck on the shoulder everywhere in the cuntry
I’m seeing a lot more slob Billy Bob big riggers sloppy driving. They’ll put anyone with a CDL behind the wheel. It’s gotten worse.
They don’t need us. We’re just cheaper than the alternatives. If we all quit driving, they’ll just replace us with students, drones, and self-driving trucks. People will get hurt, and there will be lawsuits, but they’ll just adjust their insurance and freight rates, and keep on truckin’ without us.
We’re not that essential.
http://www.livetrucking.com/truck-carrying-ammunition-catches-fire-on-interstate-40/
Let’s just go after the Truck Drivers, drug use is way down in industry and by only going after Truck Drivers is crap! Look for the person in car that is cutting off the truck and causing the accident as they keep on driving down the road! They did this Idaho and it was found to be illegal to put up a road block on an interstate highway. This to should be illegal to just go after truckers, they should have looked at every driver!
Waaa Waaaa!!!.. If ya don’t like us here in Georgia, stay in New Jersey where y’all belong!
Yes, the long waits suck, but we dont need “high” commercial drivers ANYWHERE in this or any other state. You should thank the officers for pulling those 30+ drivers off the road.
I’m a driver, 35 years otr, and will never cry and whine about what they do! Wake up you eLog steering wheel holders.
The Grim Reaper said it
We don’t need “high” anybody, but truck drivers are the least of your worries. Piss-test your state senate. They do a lot more damage than your truck drivers do, and a lot more of then are “high”.
Maybe piss-test your cops, your DoT officers, and your medical personnel while you’re at it. None of them should be doing their jobs on prescriptions or illegal drugs, either, but you can bet that the problem is more pronounced, there, than in a profession where you aren’t even allowed to develop high blood pressure…!
I have been driving goin on 25 years, MrYowler. I have High Blood Pressure, and Diabetic, and I still have a valid CDL. I have to take medication, and my physical is good for just 1 year. I have been this way for the last 8 years. D.O.T., and Medical Personnel are Drug Tested.
If you see a sign saying stop ahead for checkpoint ignore it unless its a weigh station its unlawful, also for a sign to be enforceable it has to be black and white, these checkpoint signs are orange and black usually, so keep on truckin.
Maybe in your home state budy try that in Tx and you won’t be trucking far ?
Yep, I was gonna tell Mike to try that in just about ANY state then get back with us & let us know how that worked out for him
Some of you complaining but that’s my area and I’m glad they are taking saftey precautions.. So far 35 place out of service of hours of service violations and 3 arrested for being drunk.. Go job officers
How in the world are you training someone on impaired driving when 90-95% of CDL holders are impaired.
Just another example of waisted tax dollars
I ment 90-95% are NOT impaired.
Georgia Sucks and we all know it , they scale mt trucks and abuse their power all the time . It’s all about money and the liberals in charge of that state . Don’t believe me just go down town Atlanta ( Only if you have a delivery there , because big trucks are not allowed through that town) SUCKS!!!!!
Yeah i got caught going thru there once, cost me 734.00
I wonder how many ran out of hours waiting for the cops to test them?
Does anyone else see right thru the BS? safety blitz? what about the rest of the year? I see more marquee signs stating the number of road fatalities, than I see cops patrolling in Georgia. If I do see cops in GA they’re the cocaine cowboys sitting in the median. Or the county mounties sitting on overpasses and off-on ramps.If you’ve ever ran I75 or I95 in Georgia you can predict exactly where they’ll be sitting and waiting. If it’s about “SAFETY” how about enforce ALL laws on the books for ALL vehicles 24/7 365! Just by their actions and statements says to me the rest of the year they’re goofing off. Safety my foot, this is nothing more than “Policing For Profit”
How about that much more likely impaired 4 wheeler, who’s going to swerve on front of a big truck and cause “HIS/HER” life to be forfeited? Why don’t they focus on saving “THAT” life??
They need to check the legislature for alcohol and drug use and abuse and law enforcement personal. Amerikkka is becoming more and more a fascist country with citizenship who’ve been given the illusion of inclusion only to wake up and realize they are caught up in the matrix. Welcome to the proverbial hamster wheel !!!
Got to agree with most of you. The reason they set it up is that GA is ramping up their efforts to fund law enforcement with big truck dollars in the face of shrinking federal dollars, and a governor who never met a billionaire he didn’t want to save a buck. Get used to the fishing boys and girls, this is one hole that never runs dry.
35 trucks were driving without hours??? Seriously? Who are these guys? OO’s? My company watches my hours like a hawk, as I’m sure most companies do to company drivers. I’d say 11 hrs a day to drive is fair. Why are people going out of hours, though? I don’t get it.
What about those that have allergies. Allergy symptoms do look like drug and alcohol influence symptoms. Many people who have cdl’s don’t report having allergies during d.o.t. exams. Good reason. No allergy medication works for allergies. not For me anyways! I have to take over the counter Tylenol cold and flu medication for my allergies. Only thing that works.
Yes i feel there should be more check points. And more officers on the highways checking everyone for drinking and driving and check more on drugs users too
I see more cell phone users texting and looking at there cell phone alot.
Yep! Lived in Texas for years, don’t go blowing past their check points for sure. All y’all complaining about legislators, vote them out. And don’t tell me the vote doesn’t count either… look at Uncle Trump!!
Anyway, back to this discussion, 4-wheelers are worse but not held to the same PROFESSIONAL standards. Many states are slowly waking up to the distracted driving of auto drivers as well, we as the professional driver ( theres that word again) can help police this crap. Use your hands free ( you ARE ON hands free.. right?) and call in! Even if you just get a tag # from the car, many jusisdictions will follow up
I got caught going thru atlanta once, cost me 734.00
Isn’t this a violation of the 4th Amendment? If they have probable cause that’s fine, but just stopping people at random without cause, and treating everybody as though they are guilty until proven innocent, is not.
Probably not unconstitutional. The Supreme Court upheld checkpoints years ago. Singling out truckers probably would make no difference legally.
Paul Taylor
Attorney
Truckers Justice Center
(From an attorney)
Distracted driving has now surpassed impaired driving as the number one cause of driving related crashes and deaths. I’d bet that a much higher percentage of 4-wheelers engage in texting/cell phone use than do professional drivers.
THESE are the people law enforcement should be targeting. The local police have even taken to riding city buses to ‘observe’ 4-wheelers using their phones in traffic.
The most common form of ‘impairment’ that most commercial drivers would be guilty of is excessive fatigue. Even adhering to legal hours of service is no gaurantee of being well-rested.
Unfortunately, there still seems to be a public perception of the drunken truck driver flying down the road set up to kill the first innocent car he meets. Well, I’ve seen a HELL of a lot more 4-wheelers driving erratically, dangerously, and carelessly than I have trucks.
The low hanging fruit will always be the easiest to pick. Sure that will never change.
Idiots. Stop rolling because they are getting unsafe drivers off the road? You need to wake up. I was hit in a parking spot by a female truck driver who was driving down the road drinking a 12 pack. Get ready for more roadside drug and alcohol tests. If you don’t like it, go find another job. I applaud these actions.
They need to crack down on the intermodal carriers!
Ok so y’all drivers keep saying there are stupid truck drivers everywhere but y’all get mad when cops trying to weed out the bad ones? i don’t get it…someone enlighten me please
They need to make these things illegal behind the wheel:
-vaping
-live broadcasting.
“Hands free is not minds free”
Apparently the C in CDL stands for criminal not commercial…
Hypocrites sounds about right for Georgia. I noticed how they didn’t say how many were put outta se rtf vice or arrested for impaired driving. I guess is a big day zero. Truckers dont drugs! So the governor wasted a couple hundred thousand dollars on a blitz. And probably didn’t make the money in fines to cover the cost of the blitz.
Many citizens vote for this, now there is a problem. Stop whining and instead of listening to lying politicals and taking theirs words on how they will make your lives better. Do a little research.
Thanks.
In a state that had over 1500 highway fatalities and their answer is to check for impaired cmv drivers,. Question how many of the 1500 fatalities were the cause of impaired cmv operators, or is it more like people drive like there is no law.