By CJ Vetter
KYLE - The Kyle Police Department has recently launched a new commercial vehicle enforcement unit with the goal of protecting drivers from unsafe commercial vehicles. This is in part a response to the growing number of commercial trucks being used in and around Kyle due to the growth of the city.
If not properly maintained, a car can be a hazard to the driver, their passengers and their fellow travelers on the road. But the same also applies to the numerous commercial vehicles in use all around us, ranging from work vans to the massive 18-wheeler trucks that drive down I-35 every day. When commercial vehicles’ lack of maintenance catches up to them, the results can be even more dangerous. This is where the CVE steps in.
"Commercial vehicles are vital to the growth of our community, but often commercial vehicle drivers violate operational and equipment laws creating a risk to other motorists on the road as well as damaging the roadways,” said Tracy Vrana, Traffic Enforcement Division supervisor sergeant. “We hope this unit will deter and prevent unsafe commercial vehicle practices and ultimately the accidents that result from them.”
Officer Matt Clark, a member of the unit, was one of the first officers to be selected to join the unit. His training began in Austin, and took four weeks to accomplish, followed by a series of monitored inspections where he was observed by an already-certified individual, before finally being able to inspect vehicles on his own.
“It really all started around March of 2020, and there was a lot of paperwork with DPS and TxDOT, and then in March of 2021, we were ready to go, so we could attend training at the DPS in Austin,” Clark said. "It was four weeks of training I went through, then three different parts, and then the weight training. It’s been about a year and a half since the first class, and I was able to do some inspections, but I had to work with the troopers. Once you are training certified, you have to do 64 inspections, and you have to do them with somebody already fully certified."
Vehicles pulled over by the new unit will be inspected for a variety of certifications, such as tire condition, light functionality, brake line leaks, cargo weight and more. New equipment such as portable scales that can be transported via patrol vehicle help officers of the unit find violations anywhere, anytime. When violations are found, the penalty can range anywhere from $200, all the way up to the thousands of dollars.
"I can't speak for all the drivers, and we've come across vehicles in great shape, but there are those who cut corners,” Clark said. "There are definitely some companies that understand that, and they say they won't hire these drivers, but they'll hire [drivers] regardless."
Violations can range from minor infractions, such as loose lugnuts around bolts or a lack of fire extinguishers on board the vehicle, but others can reach extreme levels, such as having leaking brake lines, broken lights, or even missing tires. Even weight violations can be dangerous, as overweight trucks can damage roads.
"Sometimes you'll kick tires, and they'll look sturdy, but they'll jiggle like Jell-O,” Clark said. "We've found some that we've stopped that have had the axles slanted, where the trucks look like it’s going sideways down the road."
Other things CVE unit officers will also be looking for will be certified truck drivers licenses, out-of-operation hours working, and improper transportation of hazardous materials. While CVE officers are allowed to issue citations for violations, their focus will be more the proper maintenance and operation of vehicles.
"We’re not stopping people to harass them, though they feel like you might. We take our time and talk to them and explain why we’re doing this,” Clark said. “We are doing this for the safety of the public.”
