Big rigs checked for safety on West Virginia interstates

Hurricane, W.Va. – Weigh stations across the nation are extra busy. We’re in the middle of the annual 72-Hour Road Check. It’s a nationwide program where commercial vehicles are inspected while they’re transporting their loads.

The state Public Service Commission Transportation Enforcement Division is conducting the inspections here in West Virginia. Enforcement Officer Matthew Epling said all big rigs must exit the interstate at specified weigh stations.

“It’s a random inspection. When there’s an open lane, an officer will flag [the truck] in and do a complete Level I inspection which is all driver credentials, a walk around of the vehicle,” explained Epling. “Then you go underneath the vehicle to do the actual brake measurements and brake component inspection.”

All total, it can take about 20-minutes to a half hour to do the inspection. But if the officer finds problems with the rig, the driver’s wait will be a lot longer.

During the 2012 72-Hour Road Check, West Virginia enforcement officers inspected 903 commercial vehicles. Of those, 163 were found to have violations.

Epling said the vehicles and the drivers must be in compliance. The officer will check the truck’s log to see how long the driver has been behind the wheel and if that person has had the required amount of down time.

As for the drivers who get pulled over rather than flagged on through the check station, Epling said most of them are just as concerned about the safety of the rig.

Several weigh stations around the state are being used as check points. The program got underway at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday and runs through 11:59 p.m. on Thursday.