TRUCKING: Staying Under the Radar
Avoid These Popular Attention-Getters
Not every violation mentioned results in a citation, but any are sure to attract the unwanted attention of a law enforcement officer.
Following too Closely
Perception and reaction time is less than 2 seconds for a driver to see, acknowledge and act by steering or braking to avoid a crash. If a truck is following less than one truck length behind another, it’s much too close for a 2-second correction — and an easy call for law enforcement.
Much more distance is needed to address perception and reaction time and to accommodate safe following distance laws for most states.
Speeding
Most commercial motor vehicle (CMV) officers prefer to have a reason other than a random inspection to make a traffic stop. Excessive speed is fairly easy to spot and is typically coupled with following too closely. Many stops may result in only a warning, but attracting the attention of an officer presents an opportunity for an unscheduled review of both the driver’s credentials and the vehicle’s equipment.
Lane Deviations
Not all lane deviations are unsafe or prohibited by state traffic laws, but those that are provide an easy stop for law enforcement. Deviations that are atypical for roadway conditions can indicate the driver’s possible illness, fatigue or impairment; once an officer is convinced a lane deviation was not the result of a simple gust of wind, he will initiate a traffic stop that often confirms driver distraction with on board electronics or highlights record-of-duty status concerns.
Inattentiveness
Most officers have observed a truck approaching a lane closure or traffic stop at an unsafe speed. Often the driver waits until the last moment to take aggressive crash avoidance measures. Even with lights activated and siren blaring, some officers have had to pull out of the way to prevent a collision!
Drivers like this are likely to be stopped and checked for illness or fatigue; this type of behavior demonstrates a threat to themselves and others.
Improper Load Securement
When equipment is loaded in plain view on a flatbed where securement methods, number of devices, general condition or questionable cargo can be readily observed, any deficiency or suspicion will result in a traffic stop.
Though enclosed trailer loads are not visible during transport, they will be checked during an inspection. It’s not uncommon to find heavy items or containment systems lined down the center of the trailer with no side-to-side securement; plenty of rollovers have resulted when cargo that seemed ‘too heavy to move’ suddenly shifted.
Use of Handheld Phone
Use of a handheld phone can distract a driver into any of the other dangerous situations: inattentiveness, lane deviation, speeding or following too closely — all of which affect a driver’s ability to respond quickly in an emergency. Also, if the mirrors are properly adjusted, this is an easy law enforcement catch — especially from an unmarked cruiser or a patrol vehicle.
Lighting Violations
Many lighting violations could easily be avoided with proper pre- and post-trip inspections. Filaments in standard bulbs can separate with vibration; sometimes a slight tap can re-connect an inoperative headlamp — this a temporary fix, not a proper repair.
Frequent checks of required lighting devices and replacement lenses and bulbs kept on board will reduce on-the-road failures; since LED lamps have no filaments they, too, hold promise for reducing lighting violations.
Improper Registration or Credential Display
While this is not a safety violation, it is enough reason to initiate a traffic stop — another unwanted opportunity for a CMV officer to closely inspect the rig, its equipment and the driver’s credentials.
Overweight
Advanced high-speed weigh-in-motion systems are capable of efficiently screening a large number of commercial vehicles for overweight violators while minimizing the delays for those proactively compliant. But if you are among the unlucky non-compliant, the chances are very high an inspection will follow this type of traffic stop.
Failure to Obey Official Traffic Signs or Signals
An obvious and easily preventable violation is failing to observe posted ‘trucks use right lane’ signs.
Fines where overweight violations result from ignoring or overlooking posted signs can be staggering — particularly if special weight postings are disregarded.
Not surprisingly, misreading or misjudging a bridge height sign that results in a bridge strike is guaranteed to attract unwanted attention and a thorough post-crash inspection.
Double check your rig and your route before a trip. Drive smart. Drive safe. Don’t make it easy for law enforcement to notice you on the road.
Alkane thanks Mark Abrahamson, a 27-year veteran of the Wisconsin State Patrol, writing for HNI and re-published in Truckinginfo.com, for the content of this article and for his service.
Alkane Truck Company is currently raising capital on the crowdfunding platform StartEngine. Find out more here: https://www.startengine.com/startup/alkane
