Detour : 105 Big-Rig Truckers Cited in CHP Crackdown

More than 100 big-rig operators on the Antelope Valley Freeway were ticketed Tuesday on the first day of a 2-day crackdown by the California Highway Patrol on trucks violating weight, mechanical and equipment regulations.

The tickets were issued as six CHP officers and six mechanics operated two inspection stations near Placerita Canyon Road in the Newhall area between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m., CHP Officer Dave Martuscello said. Officers were to return to the checkpoint today, he said.

Authorities said they randomly select areas for big-rig inspections to give them a better chance of catching drivers whose vehicles violate state regulations.

Most of the tickets issued Tuesday cited drivers for faulty brakes or excessively heavy loads, CHP Officer Mike Brey said. About 60 of the 105 trucks pulled over were ordered to readjust their weights or their brakes before getting back on the highway, Brey said.

Mario Giron, a driver for Fernando’s Produce of El Monte, said he was ticketed and detained for more than an hour because his load of 21,600 pounds of banana squash was 1,600 pounds over the legal limit. Before he was allowed back on the road, Giron had to move many of the crates from the back of the truck to the front.

The truck owners, not necessarily the drivers, will be responsible for paying the fines, Martuscello said.

Authorities were unable to estimate the amount of fines levied.

There were no incidents, Martuscello said. “Most truckers are receptive to this type of inspection because they realize it saves their own skin,” he said.