COOPERS ROCK, W.Va. — A commercial truck driver from Iowa was parked alongside Interstate 68 in Preston County Wednesday waiting on a ride after being stopped by inspectors with the state Public Service Commission.
The driver’s journey halted during the PSC’s annual 72-hour inspection blitz that continues through Thursday. PSC spokeswoman Susan Small said the Iowa trucker had an outstanding violation in which he had failed to pay the fine.
“He was sitting on the side of the road waiting for someone to come pick him up,” Small said.
Inspectors are focusing on three specific areas during the blitz including brakes, driver fatigue and hazardous materials. Workers with the PSC’s Transportation Enforcement Division are doing the checks across the state. They will be at the Bluestone Rest Area northbound on the West Virginia Turnpike Thursday.
Small said driver fatigue can be a big issue. She said commercial truck drivers have to abide by regulations on how long they can drive before taking an eight-hour break.
“Our inspectors actually get up and look at the driver logs to see when their last rest break was, when they took off from there and wherever they are getting inspected to make sure everything is on the up and up,” she said.
The enforcement crew found 112 unsafe commercial vehicles in last year’s blitz. Small said it’s important to keep focusing on safety for important reasons.
“I’ve got an 18-year-old driving around in a car and I want to know the semi next to her has taken every precaution to make sure his truck is as safe as possible,” Small said.