A large contingent of law enforcement personnel and other highway safety professionals will be out in force in Southern Arizona enforcing state and federal laws concerning commercial vehicles from February 24-26.
The goal of the multi-agency operation, which will focus on Interstate 10 from Tucson to New Mexico and Interstate 19 from Tucson to the Mexican border, will be to reduce commercial vehicle collisions in the region.
Throughout the operation, which has been dubbed “Southern Shield 2015”, officers will be carefully examining the log books of commercial vehicle drivers for hours of service violations which could lead to fatigued drivers. Officers will also be conducting “walk around” inspections of commercial vehicles to ensure compliance with federal regulations, along with checking for safety restraint usage among commercial vehicle drivers and passengers.
As part of the operation, DPS will be presenting a driver awareness regulation training program (DART). This program is intended to provide commercial vehicle drivers with the most up-to-date information regarding critical rules and regulations pertaining to their profession with an emphasis on highway safety.
DART will be presented at the TTT Truck stop (Interstate 10 and Craycroft) on Tuesday, February 24 and at the Love’s Truck stop (exit 302) in Benson on Wednesday, February 25.
Agencies participating in the operation will include the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the New Mexico State Police, the Pima County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Tucson, Marana and Oro Valley police departments. Also participating will be the Motor Vehicle Enforcement Compliance Division of the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT).