2,238 violations discovered during Arizona DPS CMV blitz ‘Operation Southern Shield’

The Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) released results from a weeklong enforcement effort targeting commercial vehicle drivers.

AZDPS conducted Operation Southern Shield 2023 from Monday, February 20, 2023, through Friday, February 24, 2023.

Officers concentrated on commercial vehicles traveling on I-10 from Phoenix to the New Mexico state line, and on I-19 from Tucson to the international border during the enforcement effort. Law enforcement placed special emphasis on reckless driving, failure to use a turn signal or improper signaling, failure to yield right of way, and improper lane changes. Seatbelt use and cellphone use were also areas of emphasis.

The AZDPS Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Task Force (CVETF) and partners completed 693 commercial vehicle inspections and recorded 2,238 driver-vehicle examination report violations during Operation Southern Shield.

Additionally, 106 vehicles and 135 drivers were placed out of service.

The purpose of Operation Southern Shield is to “target hazardous driving violations, conduct commercial motor vehicle (CMV) inspections, and educate drivers on safe and compliant operation in an effort to reduce crashes involving commercial motor vehicles.”

AZDPS partnered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, the Marana Police Department, the Oro Valley Police Department, and the Tucson Police Department during Operation Southern Shield.