'Operating standards' crack down on I-65 in Indiana

Semi trucks found operating below standards

Published : Monday, 29 Jul 2013, 8:13 PM EDT
TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) - Truck after truck was pulled off of Interstate 65 on Monday, not for speeding, but for something else.

"What we're doing today is we're using a piece of equipment that we have through the Indiana State Police to enforce commercial motor vehicle laws through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations," said Indiana Police Sergeant Rich Kelly.

Kelly said it's all in an effort to keep drivers safe. He said they check the trucks for things such as bad brakes, poor overall maintenance, and weight limit. On Monday, those checks paid off.

"We found several today that had several violations, not so much in the moving end of it, but over weight and also the lack of maintenance," said Kelly.

Kelly said they pulled about 10 semis off of I-65 on Monday. Three of those semis were found to be not up to standards. In fact, one was found to be thousands of pounds over its weight limit.

"We had several vehicles that were in excess of 7,000 pounds today over their registered weight," said Kelly. "When you add the weight to it, it does create a huge problem for these trucks to try and stop."

That's something Kelly said drivers can expected to be sighted for. In fact, some tickets can cost drivers as much as $4,000. Kelly said any truck found to be over its weight limit is also towed, and not allowed back on the road. Kelly said it's all in an effort to make Hoosier highways a bit safer.

"It's a precious commodity," said Kelly. "You have life on your vehicle, and you're responsible for it." Kelly said they do these patrols every year. In fact, he said they'll be out on I-65 again Tuesday, looking for trucks operating below standards.