The Pennsylvania State Police placed 131 trucks out of service during a two-day enforcement effort focusing on commercial vehicles hauling waste water from Marcellus shale natural gas drilling operations in the state
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With the help of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 731 commercial trucks were inspected March 14-15 during 'Operation FracNET.'

Fourteen drivers were placed out of service and state troopers issued 421 traffic citations and 824 written warnings. In addition, DEP personnel issued 35 citations and 13 written warnings. The most common violations involved faulty brakes and insufficient exterior lighting.

"Extracting natural gas from Marcellus shale involves hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, which requires significant amounts of water to be delivered to the sites and later trucked away," said Commissioner Frank Noonan. "Our efforts focused on identifying vehicle safety deficiencies that could lead to crashes."

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