Minnesota State Patrol Keeps Minnesota Roads Safe with Random Commercial Vehicle Inspections

The economies of Cook and Lake Coun­ties depend heavily on commercial vehicles to transport everything from fresh-cut logs to fresh-caught fish and everything in between. Minnesota Highway 61, which connects the border with Canada to Duluth and markets beyond, is the south­ern boundary of both counties.

From time to time, you may notice a sig­nificant increase in State Patrol vehicles along Highway 61, with officers inspect­ing commercial trucks and trailers. Known as saturation events, sev­eral officers and com­mercial vehicle inspec­tors will be in the area at one time, sometimes over two or three days. These dedicated law enforcement officers and inspectors per­form random vehicle inspections, focusing on driver licensing and compliance, load se­curement, and the state of the equipment.

Lieutenant Dana Mi­letich oversees Com­mercial Vehicle Station 4750, which includes Cook and Lake coun­ties along with Carl­ton, St. Louis, Pine, Itasca, and Koochich­ing counties. It is one of seven Commercial Vehicle Stations in the state.

“Our focus is primar­ily on education,” Lt. Miletich said.

Properly maintaining commercial vehicles is essential for the safety of the traveling public. Comprehensive feder­al and state regulations govern everything from licensing driv­ers to seat belt usage, lighting, and brakes.

Lt. Miletich said that there are three levels of roadside inspections they might perform af­ter safely removing a vehicle from the road.

Level 3 is a driv­er-only inspection, which ensures that the driver is licensed to drive the vehicle they’re driving and that their paperwork is accurate. On the day of this interview, Lt Miletich said that he inspected a driver with a Class D driver’s license–appropriate for the pickup truck he was driving, but when combined with the trailer he was pull­ing, the gross weight required a Class A li­cense.

Level 2 combines the driver inspection with a walkaround in­spection to visually appraise tires, check running lights, brake lights, and turn signals, and inspect trailer air lines and electric con­nections.

Level 1 inspections include the driver por­tion, the walkaround, and getting underneath the vehicle to inspect brakes, axles, and frames. Officers and inspectors have porta­ble scales to ensure the vehicle’s weight does not exceed legal lim­its and is appropriately distributed in/on the vehicle.

“In my personal ex­perience,” Lt Miletich said, “the three most common violations I find are bad brakes, worn tires, and hours of service (HOS) vio­lations.”

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Admin­istration (FMCSA) has strict regulations gov­erning how long truck drivers can operate a commercial vehicle. The fundamental rules are: Drivers cannot drive for more than 11 hours after starting their workday. A driver can be on duty (mov­ing or not) for 14 hours after starting their workday. Drivers must take a 30-minute break after driving for eight hours. Drivers must have ten consecutive hours off duty between workdays. Drivers cannot drive more than 60 hours in 7 consecu­tive days or 70 hours in 8 consecutive days.

The potential dan­ger of poorly main­tained vehicles on our highways is expo­nentially higher with commercial trucks than your average se­dan. The approximate stopping distance for a well-maintained 80,000-pound truck and semi-trailer in­creases by almost 200 feet when traveling at 65 miles per hour ver­sus 55 miles per hour. Studies show that the distance increases to approximately 525 feet when reactionary times are included.

Lt. Miletich said, “I urge people to show extra care when driv­ing near commercial vehicles.”

In addition to ran­dom inspections on the road, the state’s Mandatory Inspec­tion Program (MIP) requires that com­mercial vehicles be inspected annually by a certified inspec­tor, and an annual in­spection decal is dis­played. For purposes of the yearly inspec­tion, a commercial motor vehicle is a ve­hicle or combination of vehicles having a gross vehicle weight greater than 26,000 pounds; a bus; or a vehicle, regardless of size, that transports a quantity of hazard­ous materials requir­ing the vehicle to display placards; ora self-propelled special mobile equipment mounted on a com­mercial motor vehicle chassis with a gross vehicle weight more than 26,000 pounds.

Random inspec­tions help identify and address safety issues that might be missed during annual checks or that have occurred after the MIP. They also build awareness among professional drivers, deter unsafe driving practices, and promote overall road safety.

Slow down when you see the Highway Patrol officers and ve­hicle inspectors along our roadways, give them a wide berth, and thank them if you get a chance.

They are saving lives.