The Illinois State Patrol conducted a truck-only inspection blitz this week in honor of a ISP trooper who was killed four years ago by a commercial truck driver who fell asleep at the wheel.
“Operation Sauter” is named for ISP Trooper James Sauter who was killed on March 28th, 2013. Sauter’s police vehicle was rear-ended on I-294 South and the trucker who hit him was convicted of falsifying his log book and driving while fatigued.
As a result, every year on March 28th-29th the ISP conducts a 24-hour enforcement blitz centered around checking trucker’s logbooks. They also check for what they call the “Fatal Four” violations; speeding, not wearing a seatbelt, distracted driving, and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Last year alone, troopers conducted 1,657 CMV inspections during the blitz. They placed 114 vehicles out of service, gave out 1,037 written warnings, and issued 190 citations.
“The ISP wants to remind the motoring public and commercial motor vehicle operators that safe driving saves lives,” said ISP Director Leo Schmitz according to WAND. “It has been four years since the tragic loss of Trooper James Sauter, but we will continue to honor his legacy by enforcing road safety laws and keeping the highways of this state safe for all who travel on them.”
Source: wgel, wandtv, illinoishomepage, wqad, fox2now
And they are increasing the safety by pulling hundreds of trucks over on the side of I-294?
Meanwhile, I got passed by cars that were doing well over the 55 mph limit. In two cases, more than double the limit without the cop who watched them go by so much as batting an eye.
I am grieved for the Trooper Sauters family and their loss, and upset that any driver and/or their employer would justify making an illegal and life-jeopardizing decision for only one reason: money. I am also disturbed to read what appears to be an annual “payback” by a professional police organization. The numbers would seem to support my observation: out of 1657 inspections, 75-80% earned a warning, citation, or shutdown?! Wow, either Illinois has some really terrible trucks and drivers or the authorities whipped themselves up into a frenzy to find something for which to cite each and every driver, all under the guise of memorializing their fallen brother.
If it was payback, there would’ve been a lot more citations. But since you failed to notice, over a thousand (77.3% to be exact) were written WARNINGS. The state does not get a penny for a warning. There is no monetary penalty. If it truly was payback, they would be issuing actual citations, and probably also donating all money made from the citations to a memorial fund for the surviving family.
warnings are not a fine but I do believe they go against our CSA scores.
You know, I saw a sign the other day, one of those DOT dot-matrix signs, that said 170-odd people had been killed in traffic-related crashes. Would anyone like to hazard a guess at how many of those deaths were caused by trucks?
My guess would be a very low percentage, probably even close to zero.
Yet, do we ever hear about enforcement blitzes on cars?
Yep, I can kind of understand shooting for more safety after the loss of the officer, but many more of the accidents are caused by the (4) wheelers. If you’re gonna do it, do it right.
The reason you don’t hear about passenger vehicle blitz inspections is because the general motoring public would immediately balk & protest to their local elected officials. We all know how folks ALREADY in office want to REMAIN in office. We are under Federal guidelines, so THAT is how it’s justified when we’re pulled over for ANY thing at ANY time. I don’t agree with being put on the shoulder of a busy highway shoulder with cars & trucks zippin by, well over the speed limit, just so an officer can “meet” his inspection quota. But truckers can’t agree on the price of a free cup of coffee, so we will NEVER band together to really fight & protest things like we did in the late 70’s & 80’s. You can call up the mega carriers & the ATA & thank them for converting the mind of the many “sheeple” truck drivers for adopting the attitude of, “oh well, what can I do? My company says this is BEST for me, so it MUST be, cause my company would NEVER steer me wrong. I’ll blindly follow with glee” That’s why we’re where we are today ladies & gentleman.
It’s tragic and sad that this man lost his life because of the negliegence of a truck driver. But the truth of the matter is , the way 4 wheelers drive up in Chicago is insane. And all this focus on trucks is hypocritical an pointless if equal effort is not put towards the real menace up there.
I stay in compliance with all dot laws and HOS requirements and have little to no trouble in road checks. I agree that everyone including cars should be checked
for maintenance and licensing though. Almost every car pulled over in “cops” claims they don’t have a drivers license or it’s suspended. If your going to enforce laws you should target everyone equally. That being said if you are a professional driver being placed out of service is your fault….period. You can only drive your truck, not everyone else’s so stop worrying about everyone else and worry about getting your own ducks in a row.
A state trooper pulling anybody over ( car or truck) on I-294 to do an inspection is sheer madness. Ya call that safe? Do it on a ramp or oasis. To many people not focused. Drift out of the outside lane you are in because you are texting & you have the recipe for the next DOA Illinois State Trooper. von.
They seem to have a vendetta against CMV’s. Maybe they should do the same to those in 4 wheelers. I no longer drive CMV’s but however when I get in to my car I do a quikie pre trip. Although my car has a display panel that will alert me if any of my lights are out or my oil is low as well as my tires. I still do a walk around. I park in front of my living room window and can see all the lights in front and turn around so I can see the tail lights.
I see people in 4 wheelers with no brake lights, tail or headlights. I live in a county in NC where there is no emissions inspection required only a brief 5 minute look at the lights tires and horn all for $14. I had seen a 4X4 pickup with over sized tires pass an inspection with all 4 tires as bald as a bowling ball.
We all know there are cars out there that have no business legally being out on the road. I have seen this in almost every state I have driven in. This includes all the 48 continental US states.
They need a big crack down on cars
I don’t think it’s about the trucks it is about the money they get from the citations they give out and most driver pulled over are from out of state and not local just look at how much they raise taxes in Chicago in the past four years they just can’t get any more money out of the local so why not go after the trucks going through the state
If it’s about the money, why was it that they issued a mere warning in 77.3% of the inspections during which a violation was found? Call me crazy, but if they were after money I would think they would be issuing more CITATIONS instead of just WARNINGS…….