“The Highway Patrol is responding to the increase of big truck crashes on our highways,” said Fletcher Clay, commander of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. “We are going to make the highways as safe as possible.  I have instructed our Troopers to aggressively crackdown on commercial motor vehicle violations.”

Each year Troopers and police officers investigate more than 16,000 crashes involving motor carrier vehicles statewide.  Last year 151 people were killed and 5,845 injured in crashes involving motor carrier vehicles. 

Mecklenburg County is a major hub for trucking companies in the southeast and, as a result, has a high volume of commercial motor vehicle traffic.  Last year 11 motorists were killed in commercial vehicle involved collisions in Mecklenburg County.

Commercial motor vehicle crashes also contribute significantly to traffic congestion, an increasing problem in the greater Charlotte region. The magnitude of that problem is projected to double in the next 25 years.  The highway patrol's motor carrier enforcement section, along with its local partners, has an obligation to both improve commercial motor vehicle safety as well as the efficiency of commercial vehicle operations. Law enforcement officials believe their efforts will result in fewer serious collisions between motorists and commercial motor vehicles, as well as the significant congestion that such collisions can cause.

“The Highway Patrol is determined to reduce both fatal and non-fatal traffic collisions involving big trucks on North Carolina highways,” said Bryan Beatty, secretary of the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety.  “Trucks exceeding weight regulations or in violation of federal safety regulations compromise the safety of our highways.”

Road Watch is the first campaign to concentrate solely on commercial motor vehicle violations and will be conducted in other counties later this year. Troopers will be using helicopters and unmarked patrol vehicles during the operation.  Additionally, State Troopers will be cracking down on motorists driving aggressively around big trucks and ticketing speeders, tailgaters, and aggressive drivers.

Motorists may report dangerous driving to the Highway Patrol by dialing *HP on their cellular phones.

Listed below are the results from Operation Road Watch:

290 Commercial Motor Vehicles Inspected by Troopers
151 Driver violations (26 removed from service)
235 Truck violations (35 trucks removed from service)
$7,851 out of service fines

211 trucks weighed
139,950 over-weight pounds
$8,072.80 over-weight fines

Troopers issued 144 citations for various violations in addition to the data above.
Note: Out of service violations are serious and result in the driver or the vehicle being placed out of service. The truck or driver will not be allowed to operate on the highway until all safety violations are corrected and fines paid.