Illinois State Police conducted a staggering number of truck inspections in a 24 hour period to honor a trooper who was killed by a driver who had fallen asleep at the wheel after falsifying his logbook.
Enforcement Blitz Placed 114 Trucks Out Of Service
The enforcement blitz took place from March 28-29. Illinois State Troopers conducted 1,657 commercial vehicle inspections and placed 114 trucks out of service. They also issued 190 citations and 1,037 written warnings.
Operation Sauter Intended To Honor Trooper Killed By Truck
The enforcement blitz was dubbed “Operation Sauter” in honor of James Sauter, an Illinois State Trooper who died in 2013 at the age of 28 after his cruiser was hit by a truck. The truck driver admitted that he fell asleep at the wheel, had worked more than 14 hours in one day, and had attempted to falsify his logbook to hide the violation.
Troopers said that checking logbooks was their major focus during the enforcement campaign.