About 10,000 federal, state, provincial and local truck and bus inspectors are fanning out across thousands of locations in North America today through Thursday for the annual “Roadcheck” inspections on commercial vehicles.
Examiners will perform many Level 1 inspections, which call for thorough checks of the vehicle, the driver and his or her records.
This year’s focus will be on hazardous material and dangerous goods regulatory compliance, said the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, which represents law enforcement personnel who conduct truck safety inspections in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
During the three-day stretch in 2013, inspectors examined more than 73,000 trucks and buses. They placed 4.2% of drivers out of service, down from 4.6% in 2012.
Maryland State Police will host the Roadcheck kickoff event to underscore the importance of comprehensive driver and vehicle safety inspections of trucks and buses and on enforcing safety belt use.
The event began at FedEx Field in Landover.