The Illinois State Police announced this afternoon that they’ll be conducting their yearly 24 hour commercial vehicle enforcement blitz starting at midnight tonight.
The statewide commercial vehicle enforcement effort is called “Operation Sauter 2018” and it is held in honor of the death of Trooper James Sauter, who died on March 28, 2013 when his cruiser was hit by a semi truck on I-294 near Chicago after the driver allegedly fell asleep.
From ISP’s announcement about this year’s campaign: “ISP Troopers will ensure CMV drivers are properly licensed; their equipment is safe; and their logbooks are completed. CMV long-haul drivers are restricted to 70 hours of driving per week and are required by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to maintain a logbook documenting the number of hours they have driven each day.”
ISP Director Leo P. Schmitz said of “Operation Sauter 2018”, “With each motor carrier inspection completed, we are not only identifying safety violations and removing unsafe equipment and drivers from the roadways; we are making ourselves visible, which ultimately changes unsafe driving behaviors.”
This marks the fifth year that the Illinois State Police has honored the memory of Trooper Sauter with a commercial vehicle enforcement campaign. During last year’s Operation Sauter campaign, troopers inspected 1,437 trucks and placed 138 out of service.