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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Admin. & Wyoming Highway Patrol June 25, 2009
09-50
Grand Teton National Park, in partnership with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Wyoming Highway Patrol, conducted two days of full-level commercial vehicle safety inspections on June 23 and 24. A complete inspection evaluates both the driver and the commercial vehicle to ensure compliance with federal regulations that govern these vehicles. The inspections were unannounced and focused on commercial buses and trucks.
A safety inspection station was assembled in Colter Bay Village, and every commercial vehicle traveling on Highway 89/287 through the park was diverted through the inspection station by Grand Teton National Park rangers. Vehicles inspected included passenger vans operated by local hotels for touring guests, commercial passenger buses, delivery vehicles, construction vehicles, and commercial vehicles carrying hazardous materials (a propane truck and a double trailer hauling gasoline). A total of 45 commercial vehicles and drivers were checked. Inspections focused on safety issues that could lead to motor vehicle accidents, injuries to passengers and others, and/or resource damage to the park.
The inspections resulted in nine “out-of-service” violations, requiring the vehicles to be parked until identified safety issues were resolved. Three construction side-loading dump trucks were parked for mechanical failures, two vehicles (a beverage delivery truck and a 40-passenger bus) were parked for brake failure, one propane truck was parked due to an unsecured load, and a delivery truck with an underage driver was suspended from service until the driver could be replaced. Additionally, nine operators received citations for equipment or driver violations.
This is the second year in a row that Grand Teton has hosted a commercial vehicle safety inspection operation. A similar operation may be scheduled for later in the summer. Superintendent Mary Gibson Scott said, “We are committed to ensuring the safety of all who travel park roads and these coordinated unannounced inspection stations are instrumental in identifying and addressing safety violations that pose a serious threat to the safety of park visitors and local residents.”
