Summertime means more driving for a lot of people, and if you’re out on Connecticut’s highways you might be noticing silver SUV’s with red and blue flashers on, and a truck pulled over. And it might not be what you think.
More than likely it’s one of 60 inspectors from the Department of Motor Vehicles, randomly checking trucks during the weekdays.
“Their job is to just pull these trucks over for whether there’s any safety violations," said Bill Seymour, DMV spokesperson, "and keep drivers and companies on their toes — that an inspection could happen at any time, any place, and therefore, you better keep that truck in good condition.”
Trucks carry the great majority of goods traveling through and around Connecticut. They carry hundreds of thousands of tons every day — that’s according to the Motor Transport Association of Connecticut, which represents the trucking industry.
Seymour said it only takes one truck with an overlooked or ignored safety problem to result in tragedy. And some of those problems are the most hazardous.
“You’re looking for cracked frames," Seymour said. "You’re looking for brakes that don’t work, you’re looking for headlights that are out, you’re looking for driver logs to ensure that they’ve gotten the required amount of rest time.”
Last year, the DMV did more than 19,000 truck inspections.
DMV also inspects buses at the state's two casinos on the weekend — those buses have been under close scrutiny. In 2011, a bus returning from Mohegan Sun crashed in the Bronx killing 15 people.