Governor Orders Law Enforcement Crackdown On Truckers

By Andrew Gorosko

Governor M. Jodi Rell this week told state police and the state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to launch an enforcement crackdown on unsafe truckers in the state, especially against truckers who follow other vehicles too closely, log too many hours on the road, make unsafe lane changes, and speed while driving.

Gov Rell issued that order on Monday, August 2, after a tractor-trailer truck rollover accident occurred on eastbound Interstate 84, near Exit 14 in Southbury. In that incident, the truck spilled a load of chocolate candy onto the highway, a problem that created lengthy traffic backups on I-84 and prevented the road from fully reopening for about nine hours. (See related story.)

Gov Rell pointed to a rash of trucking accidents that have occurred in the state since April, which closed highways and snarled traffic for hours. Those incidents included three major truck accidents in early July on Interstates 84 and 91.

 “This has been a summer of record heat and humidity — and record truck crashes,” Gov Rell said.

“It seems like tractor-trailer crashes are happening every week on our highways, inconveniencing our commuters and imperiling innocent drivers. Moreover, they are happening in clear, dry weather and in light or moderate traffic conditions — and that means one of the biggest contributing factors is high-risk behavior by truck drivers.”

“The crashes in July, like the one [on August 2 in Southbury] cause enormous traffic tie-ups for hours, creating problems for travelers and commuters,” the governor said. “They also threaten to injure other motorists. People in Connecticut are simply fed up with dangerous driving.

“The vast majority of truck drivers are safe and courteous professionals who take their job — and their responsibilities —very seriously,” she said. “Those who do not are going to be meeting officers from the State Police and the DMV’s truck enforcement unit under some very uncomfortable conditions.”

This will be a total enforcement effort by state police using all of 500 troopers assigned to the troops, as well as the 24 members of the traffic squad, and also the DMV truck squad, according to the governor.