This week, the Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP) will be conducting a special “trooper in a truck” enforcement detail.
The enforcement effort is called “Badge on Board” and is taking place July 13 — 15 with the goal of cutting down on the number of commercial vehicle and passenger vehicle moving violations, crashes, and fatalities.
The Badge on Board operation is taking place through a partnership with Penske.
During the three day effort, a trooper will ride along in a truck looking for dangerous driving near semi trucks, including:
• Unsafe lane changes
• Failure to signal lane changes
• Failure to yield the right of way
• Following too closely
• Speeding
• Failure to use due care
• Aggressive driving (a combination of two or more behaviors)
Troopers who spot a violation can then contact other troopers in marked patrol cars to perform a traffic stop.
As part of the campaign, NHP is also offering tips to passenger vehicle drivers on how to share the road safely with trucks. These tips include:
- When passing a truck, make sure you can fully see both trucks headlights in your mirror before changing lanes and maintain your speed.
- A truck simply does not drive like a car. It can take over 500 ft. for a fully loaded truck going 65 mph to come to a complete stop.
- The truck driver has blind spots–or areas he can’t see–in front of the cab, on both sides of the rig and the rear of the trailer.
- If you find yourself driving behind a truck and can see the truck’s side mirrors on both sides, you are at a safe distance behind it. If you can’t see the mirrors, then you are too close.
The Indiana State Police are conducting a similar “Trooper in a Truck” operation on July 14.