Delaware – In response to safety and citizen concerns, The Delaware State Police Commercial Motor Vehicle Enforcement Unit joined forces with the Maryland State Police Commercial Motor Vehicle Unit and conducted a joint operation to target commercial vehicles that were bypassing the new U.S. Route 301 toll road, according to Director of Public Information Sergeant Richard D. Bratz .
The two-day operation was conducted on Thursday, February 28th and Friday, March 1st. The units staggered their hours so that enforcement was done from 5:00 a.m. through midnight. During the two day operation, 85 commercial motor vehicles were stopped and found to be bypassing the tolls. As a result, 85 commercial motor vehicle inspections were conducted. 77 traffic citations and 50 written warnings were issued for various offenses. Two unsafe trucks were put out of service and one driver was placed out of service. Additional operations will be conducted in the near future.
“The mission of the Commercial Motor Vehicle Enforcement Unit (CMVEU) is to enhance highway safety by preventing commercial motor vehicle-related crashes and ensuring the safe, secure transportation of persons and property by commercial motor vehicles. We achieve this mission by conducting commercial motor vehicle Inspections, conducting traffic enforcement, completing motor carrier investigations and safety audits, and by outreach and education. During this operation, the primary goal was to keep commercial vehicles from traveling on roadways that are prohibited for their use. We have worked with DELDOT officials to ensure that there is proper signage to alert the truck drivers. We also keep an open dialogue with the drivers themselves to explain the issues caused by them using the wrong roadways. Through enforcement and education, we hope to greatly lower the number of violators which will in turn make our roadways safer,” said Sergeant John Samis, Supervisor of the Commercial Vehicle Motor Vehicle Enforcement Unit Delaware State Police
“We are grateful to both the Delaware State Police and Maryland State Police for their ongoing efforts to address commercial trucks who are attempting to avoid toll collection. Local roads are not intended for use by commercial traffic which negatively impacts the local communities and road conditions,” said Secretary of Transportation Jennifer Cohan.