Nevada’s Smithen Wins Inspectors Title by Besting 49 Others at CVSA Contest
This story appears in the Aug. 20 print edition of Transport Topics.
MINNEAPOLIS — Nevada Highway Patrol trooper Christopher Smithen admits he’s been feeling a little uncomfortable with the flood of compliments he’s received since being named the top commercial enforcement inspector in North America earlier this month.
“For me, it still seems unbelievable,” Smithen said. “I don’t go around looking for personal accolades for myself.
“I want the highways to be safe, so winning is an indication that I’m helping make the highways safer. I really didn’t care whether I won or not,” he said.
Smithen received the Jimmy K. Ammons Grand Champion Award for his combined performances in six competition areas at the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s North American Inspectors Championship.
The event was held here Aug. 6-9, in conjunction with American Trucking Associations’ National Truck Driving Championships (see story, p. 1).
Smithen scored highest among the 50 inspectors in the competition, which included North American Standard Level I Inspections, hazardous materials inspections and the out-of-service criteria exam.
Smithen also won the CVSA’s John Youngblood Award of Excellence for exemplifying high standards and unwavering dedication to the profession.
“We are proud to recognize and reward each of our 50 roadside inspectors from across North America who not only demonstrate their professional excellence and dedication to highway safety but inspire others to do the same,” said Stephen Keppler, CVSA’s executive director.
“Their enthusiasm and passion goes a long way in advancing commercial vehicle safety and saving lives due to the information, techniques and experiences they will share with others in furtherance of improving uniformity in the enforcement of highway safety standards across the continent.”
Anne Ferro, administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, said in a statement that the inspectors’ competition is a “great opportunity for the FMCSA to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of top safety inspectors from across the country.”
Smithen, 39, has been to the national competition once before. He placed 9th in 2010 in Columbus, Ohio.
He has been a Nevada Highway Patrol commercial vehicle inspector for the past eight years. Prior to that, Smithen was a traffic enforcement trooper.
He works out of the NHP Carson City office and resides in Gardnerville, a small town 50 miles south of Reno, with his wife of nearly 21 years and their six children.
Smithen said he prefers working commercial enforcement because truck drivers have a different mentality than other motorists.
“When you do traffic enforcement, there’s a great unknown when you stop a car,” Smithen said. “You never know if a motorist is going to be upset or angry over being stopped. But truck drivers know it’s a part of the job so they’re very professional.”
Smithen said his job is very mentally challenging.
“There are so many exceptions to the rules when you’re looking at the regulations,” he said. “You may think something is a violation, but if you dig into it — especially with hazmat — sometimes it’s easier to find out why a company can do what they’re doing rather than what they can’t.”
