PARK CITY, Utah — During a law enforcement inspection operation targeting commercial vehicles in Summit County, the Park City Police Department and Utah Highway Patrol troopers stopped 18 vehicles, resulting in more than 100 violations.
When the operation ended, 11 vehicles and four drivers were placed “out of service.” For the trucks, that means inspections found vehicles with brake or load securement issues, or bald tires.
Drivers placed out of service did not have a commercial driver's license, or it was invalid.
The inspections give Park City resident Sherry Weaver a new sense of security during her daily commute through Parley’s Canyon to her work in Draper.
“You don’t always know who’s out there and whether they’re qualified, whether their vehicles are safe to drive," said Weaver.
Weaver was pleasantly surprised to hear about Wednesday’s operation.
“It’s nice to know that they’re stepping up and making sure that not only are we safe, everybody on the road is safe and that the drivers are safe as well," she said.
UHP shared how its overall goal is to keep everyone safe on the highway.
"These inspections keep all of our citizens safe," said Trooper Devin Reid.
While Reid did not take part in this week's inspections, he knows what troopers and police look for.
“One of the biggest things is making sure the load is secure," he explained. "As you all know in Utah, we have lots of debris in the road, so we want to make sure everything is secure.”
If and when a vehicle is stopped, Reid said the other critical component is checking the driver and their travel log.
“...we’re checking those logs, we’re checking that everything coming in and coming out is what it should be,” Reid added.
Weaver believes that while law enforcement is doing its part, motorists also need to be vigilant.
“You make assumptions, and you hope that people are keeping us safe," she said, "but you also have to, I personally, drive a little bit defensively.”