More than 100 truckers who illegally bypassed weigh stations in Oregon were put out of service in a special enforcement effort.
The Oregon Department of Transportation Commerce and Compliance Division, with support from Oregon State Police, conducted two special safety and enforcement events in late April and early May.
These took place along I-84 at Cascade Locks, Umatilla, and Farewell Bend Ports of Entry and La Grande and Emigrant Hill Weigh Stations.
More than 490 commercial truck drivers who bypassed an open weigh station were stopped and escorted back by Oregon State Police. They were then inspected for compliance with licensing and hours-of-service regulations.
Of those drivers stopped, 122, or 25%, were placed out-of-service, meaning they were temporarily prohibited from driving a commercial vehicle due to a violation of safety or regulatory rules.
Oregon CMV Inspectors Discover More Violations
Their vehicles were also inspected for violations of state and federal regulations, and the drivers were required to correct any violations before proceeding.
Inspectors discovered false logs and multiple electronic logging devices that had been tampered with and were producing fictional hours of service records.
“We take weigh station bypass very seriously and are taking enforcement action against it,” said ODOT Commerce and Compliance Interim Division Administrator Carla Phelps in a news release.
“The goal of this operation was to remove fatigued and unqualified drivers from Oregon roads to prevent fatal commercial truck collisions with the traveling public.”
Oregon has a program that allows motor carriers to be pre-cleared to legally bypass the scales, the Oregon Green Light program. According to the program’s website, it is interoperable with other preclearance programs in the country.
