Montana Truck Inspectors to Get Guns

The Montana Department of Transportation has authorized issuing guns to some commercial vehicle inspectors, a decision that has drawn opposition from the state’s trucking industry.

MDOT completed a study earlier this year and recently notified the Motor Carriers of Montana about the change in policy for inspectors who conduct roadside weight and safety inspections.

“We don’t see the need for size and weight enforcement officers to be armed but, if the state feels the need for that, our only concern is that these officers be properly trained and supervised,” said Barry Stang, executive vice president of the Motor Carriers of Montana.

Stang said that in many states, truck inspectors who are armed are attached to a law enforcement agency such as a state police or highway patrol department. In Montana, however, truck inspectors work for the motor carrier division of the state DOT.

The state expects to have the inspectors trained and armed by January, said Duane Williams, the motor carrier division administrator. The primary reason for arming them, he said, is “both for public safety and officer safety.”

Williams said the inspectors will be trained in firearms use at the same police academy and in the same courses as Montana State Highway officers.