Officer conducting a school bus inspection.
Officer conducting review of driver’s paperwork during a truck inspection.
Officer conducting a truck inspection.
Overview
The Motor Carrier Safety Division (MCSD) promotes the safe operation of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) through education, partnerships and enforcement. The MCSD provides oversight to the following programs:
PORTS OF ENTRY (POEs)
The MCSD is responsible for five POEs strategically located across the state; in Ridgefield, Bow Hill, Cle Elum, Plymouth and Spokane. The POEs weigh approximately two million trucks annually. In 2019, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officers (CVEOs) assigned to the POEs conducted 34,800 commercial vehicle safety inspections resulting in 4,971 vehicles and 2,026 drivers being taken out of service for safety reasons.
COMPLIANCE REVIEW
A Compliance Review (CR) is an examination of motor carrier operations, including drivers’ hours of service, vehicle maintenance and inspection documentation, driver qualifications, financial responsibility, collision reporting, hazardous materials tracking and safety and transportation records. This program promotes the importance of safety with trucking companies operating commercial vehicles on Washington roadways.
NEW ENTRANT SAFETY AUDITS
New Entrant Safety Audits examine a motor carrier’s operations, providing educational and technical assistance on safety and operational requirements of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and applicable Hazardous Material Regulations. This program assists new trucking companies in operating commercial vehicles safely in Washington.
SCHOOL BUS INSPECTIONS
The School Bus Inspection Program is a partnership between MCSD and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). The WSP annually inspects all school buses operating in the state during the summer months. Additionally, the WSP conducts inspections on 25 percent of school buses during the winter months, ensuring the safety of children being transported to and from school.
In 2019, the School Bus Inspection Program was responsible for the inspection of over 10,000 school buses assigned to 295 school districts and nine educational service districts. The 18 inspectors assigned to the program completed more than 14,000 inspections for the year.
COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLE (CMV) TRAINING
The Training Program is responsible for all aspects of CMV training including 13 weeks of CVEO Basic, annual in-service training and quarterly training for Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) certified officers.
Key Measurements and Statistics
- With over 10,000 School Buses operating in the State of Washington, Washington State Patrol Officers conducted 14,075 school bus inspections in 2019.
- Motor Carrier Officers conducted 41,194 inspections in 2019, primarily at the five Port of Entry locations.
Successes of 2019
Ridgefield Port of Entry
- A brand new Port of Entry was built in Ridgefield to replace the outdated facility. This is the second busiest scale in the state with more than 120,000 truck crossings per month. This scale has the newest technology which allows for the screening of all passing commercial motor vehicles. This state of the art facility promotes public safety through focused truck enforcement.
- The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance North American Inspectors Championship (NAIC) is the only event that tests, recognizes and awards commercial motor vehicle inspector excellence on a national level. Each jurisdiction is invited to send their best inspector to compete against other top inspectors from jurisdictions all across North America. The Washington representative is selected from a competitive group who participate in the Washington State Inspectors Challenge; an event that has grown exponentially in recent years. In 2019, Washington sent CVEO1 Amanda Collins to compete.
Additional Information and Resources
Commercial Motor Vehicle being x-rayed at the Ridgefield Port of Entry for suspicion of hidden compartments and other suspicious behavior. This was done in partnership with Customs agents.
CVEO1 Mireya Antunez partners with Trooper Daniel Mosqueda for the community outreach El Protector Program. The program focuses on providing driver safety education to the Hispanic population.