State Checks Toxic Waste Haulers

Trucker Jeff Rodriguez was not bothered about being delayed an hour at the Castaic weigh station as authorities checked to see that his transport papers were in order and that his truck was equipped to haul the load of hazardous waste it was carrying.

“You can’t get upset,” Rodriguez said as state Department of Health Services officials pored over his transport documents and inspected his truck at the weigh station on the Golden State Freeway in Castaic. “It’s part of the job. You get used to it.”

Rodriguez was one of more than 50 truckers hauling hazardous waste materials who were pulled over Wednesday and Thursday at the weigh station just north of Magic Mountain Parkway and checked to see if they were improperly transporting hazardous waste, said Richard Varenchik, a Department of Health Services spokesman.

Some of the inspectors donned protective gear before crawling under or on top of the big rigs to check for leaks and to take samples of the cargo that would later be tested to determine if there was any mixing of chemicals.

During the two days of inspections, 12 citations were issued, mostly for expired hauling permits, Varenchik said.

But Paul M. Baranich, a hazardous waste specialist who participated in the inspections, said the presence of the inspectors was more important than the number of citations issued.

“The more we’re out there, the more visible we are, the more people get the idea that we are taking enforcement against people who violate” transportation laws, Baranich said.

Baranich said his agency conducts about six to seven operations a year in Los Angeles County. He said the California Highway Patrol had recommended the Castaic weigh station for an inspection stop because it is one of the busiest in the state, handling more than 7,000 trucks a day.

Like Rodriguez, most of the truckers stopped didn’t seem to mind the inconvenience, even if citations were issued.

“I figure they got a job to do just like I do,” said Jim Wellcome, whose company, Pacific Environmental Management Corp., was issued a $200 fine for an expired hauling permit.