Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/757641
December 2016 | Overdrive | 41 "We're not stopping and wasting drivers' time," Lorenzen believes, as officers are better able to identify drivers for an inspection based on advance information. The use of 360 SmartView also could underpin another area where Iowa bucked the trend in the last year. Its violations-per-inspection ratio rose to 2.2 violations, while the national average stayed flat. Officers on the road have laptops equipped with screening software that allows near-real-time visibility into a carrier's safety measurement profile with the simple entry of a DOT number. "It's been a reliable piece for us," says Loren- zen. All Iowa officers also are equipped for mobile weight enforcement with portable scale units in their Chevy Tahoe police vehicles. "Our full-time employees aren't increasing" as a state budgetary priority, Lorenzen says. With technology, Iowa can do more in the way of inspections with what they have. Lorenzen says truck and driver safety has improved during his near-40-year career in the state's truck enforcement division. "Equipment has gotten much, much better," he says. "When I first start- ed, it was nothing for 50 percent of trucks inspected to be placed out of service." As for the drivers, most today are professional in their interactions, but Lorenzen understands the "frustration factor" that comes with being inspected. "Be knowledgeable of what's required of you," he says. "Do your due diligence" during pretrips, and "if you note equip- ment issues, make sure you take care of them." Iowa's inspection program isn't going anywhere anytime soon, Lorenzen says. "We're always going to be out there," he says. "We train our officers to expedite the process. We want to get you there safely, but also efficiently and conveniently. We don't want to hinder anything." Violations per inspection 2.1 2012 2013 2014 2015 Iowa National average 2.1 2.1 2.2 1.8 1.7 1.7 1.7 Category Maintenance Lights Brakes Tires Moving violations Hours of service Percentage of all violations 58.8% 15.9% 11% 2.7% 7.9% 17.8% National rank of percentage 39 25 35 46 19 8 INSPECTIONS PER LANE-MILE: 5 NATIONAL RANK: 13TH FOR INSPECTION INTENSITY NATIONWIDE VIOLATION PROFILE 22.7%: SHARE OF IOWA'S INSPECTIONS IN 2015 THAT WAS VIOLATION-FREE. THIS LOW PERCENTAGE, EIGHTH AMONG STATES PERFORMING FEW CLEAN INSPECTIONS, INDICATES A TOUGH STANCE TOWARD DRIVERS. Source: Unless otherwise noted, all numbers based on 2015 federal data analyzed by Overdrive and RigDig Business Intelligence (rigdig.com/bi) Iowa's Department of Transportation shows clear emphasis on inspecting the trucks and drivers that need it. The state stands out in rankings for the fewest clean inspections and an above-average violations-per-inspection rating. Add to that a top-15 ranking among states in inspection intensity, and it's clear the sworn officers that make up much of the DOT's program are among the nation's most active in selection and inspection. 1. Connecticut – 3 2. Wisconsin – 3 3. Texas – 2.8 4. Arizona – 2.6 5. Massachusetts – 2.5 6. Rhode Island – 2.5 7. Idaho – 2.3 8. Virginia – 2.3 9. Iowa – 2.2 10. Minnesota – 2.1 11. South Carolina – 2.1 12. Louisiana – 2 13. Missouri – 1.9 14. Arkansas – 1.8 15. Indiana – 1.8 16. Michigan – 1.8 17. New York – 1.8 18. Vermont – 1.8 STATES ABOVE AVERAGE IN VIOLATIONS FREQUENCY In violations per inspection rankings, these 18 states fall above the national average of 1.7. In states including Iowa, inspection selection trends show success moving toward a greater focus on the use of visual cues and carrier profile data to target trucks and drivers that officers believe need the inspection. Technology has helped in that effort. Iowa officials are moving toward a "virtual weigh station" that combines weigh- in-motion equipment on the interstate with nearby roadside officers monitoring passing trucks' carrier data to further bol- ster the state's targeting efforts without delaying nontargeted truckers. "We're working to finalize a virtual concept on one area on I-35," says Iowa enforcement Chief David Lorenzen. "We're hoping to get that deployed in the next eight to 10 months." In addition to Iowa, seven of these vio- lation-intense states have been profiled in the CSA's Data Trail series since 2014. Find links to profiles of Connecticut, Wisconsin, Texas, Arizona, Virginia, Arkansas and Indiana at the bottom of the online version of this Iowa profile by searching the title at OverdriveOnline.com.