Once again it’s time for Operation Safe Driver, the CVSA sponsored safety blitz. The weeklong program this year will run from October 18th through October 24th.
Though it is not the only nation-wide safety blitz, Operation Safe Driver is unusual in the fact that education is a hugely important part of the program – and not just for truckers. The program aims to educate the non-commercial vehicle drivers who share the road with truckers. Last year’s program included outreach events at high schools, state fairs, sporting events and more.
Two main focuses this year are the Teens and Trucks program which has the goal of educating young drivers how to be safe around large commercial vehicles, and Defeating Distracted Driving which, as the name implies, cracks down on distracted driving – particularly texting while driving.
Though it is run as a collaboration between the CVSA, the FMCSA, and state and local law enforcement, Operation Safe driver isn’t only conducted in the United States – both Canada and Mexico participate in the event as well.
Last year’s safe driver week saw 4,337 law enforcement officials pulling over 59,080 drivers, both commercial and non-commercial. Unsurprisingly, the non-commercial drivers were issued speeding citations 52.3% of the time while commercial drivers got speeding tickets 5.8% of the time.
Stop using the word “education”. This isn’t a series of federally funded defensive driving courses, it’s a series of lucrative fines.
It’s all about revenue .
Funny how there seems to be a new ‘safety’ blitz every other day. Why can’t people drive like they’re supposed to? Are we as a society really that stupid? Don’t bother, I already know the answer to that one….
Agreed!!
None of these monthly Blitzes are anything other than Revenue Blitzes !!
The FMCSA is a FRAUD and sees trucking as an easy industry to FLEECE for income!!
It should be called a revenue blitz.
I’m glad that they also target the 4-wheelers. If law enforcement had ride-alongs with truckers, they’d understand how much crap we put up with from the motoring public.
And other truckers, especially in speed zones where truck speed differs from the car speed (I-40 in Tennessee near the cities)
Wow! Let me get this straight. So, for one week and one week only, traffic cops are actually going to do their job? And pretend they’re not just looking at trucks?
Not a surprise there weren’t many speeding tickets, almost all trucks are governed these days.
You could drive off a cliff and the truck would stop falling at 62mph.
They do love to do these Blitzes in the name of safety, but as a few have commented, I do think revenue is on thier minds. During a blitz last year, they fined one of our drivers for filling out a false pretrip for not noting a worn wire.
Of course this particular worn wire was in the middle of a bundle that the CVSE inspector cut apart to inspect. A proceedure that is not part of any pretrip inspection that I have ever heard of… but then again, rules do change from time to time and I miss the memos.
I’m lucky, the company I work for has a very strict policy about reporting any and all defects with the equipment and does repair the equipment in a very speedy manner. Most often a mobile mechanic is called and repairs done asap… even if it is just an adjustment of the automatic slack adjusters. I know, many veteran drivers are laughing about the slack adjusters right now, but that policy was instituted after a driver broke all 4 on a tandem trailer then drove it… burning off the pads and destroying the drums. Company figures it’s cheeper to pay for the adjustment than risk that again.
Here’s hoping everyone makes it through unhassled… hoping.