Imagine 282 Semi Trucks parked end to end — that ribbon of big rigs would stretch a long, long, LONG way down the side of any road. If each truck averages 75 feet in length, then that’s FOUR MILES of trucks we’re talking about here.
Four Miles of Truck Stopped in Pennsylvania This Week
This week, that’s exactly the number of big rigs that Pennsylvania law enforcement authorities took off the roads when they decided to check air brakes of commercial trucks as they were moving down the Pennsylvania roadways. There were 282 trucks driving along with bad brakes.
Imagine how dangerous this is – those heavy vehicles with faulty brakes moving a high speeds. And, it’s a common problem: pro truck drivers know that brakes out of adjustment are the most common reason that big rig drivers get cited.
Operation Air Brake
Operation Air Brake is the brainchild of CVSA (Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance), and different states are participating by doing state-wide air brake checks at different times. Pennsylvania did its part. Wisconsin, for example, will be inspecting semi trucks on its roads during the week of May 5th.
It would be nice to assume that Pennsylvania is an anomaly, but the reality is that most big trucks haul loads across several state lines. Which means that there are a lot of trucks on the Indiana and Illinois roads right now that are dangerous because of bad brakes.
282 trucks probably isn’t a fluke — it’s probably a pretty good clue to the reality of the roads in America today.
