The California Highway Patrol announced it is launching an aggressive, summer-long, statewide enforcement effort targeting commercial trucks.

The enforcement, beginning at 6 a.m. Thursday, June 14, includes all eight CHP divisions and puts every available officer on the road and in the air. Fixed-wing aircraft will coordinate with ground patrol units to target top collision factors, including speeding, unsafe lane changes and turns, following too closely, stop sign and signal violations, DUI, and fatigue.
Officers will also be on the lookout for auto drivers who maneuver unsafely around trucks.
"We're not just hammering on truckers," CHP spokeswoman Nanci Kramer told the San Francisco Chronicle. "We're looking for motorists who are cutting trucks off, tailgating trucks and swerving in and out of traffic around trucks. People forget that it takes a whole lot longer to stop 80,000 pounds than it does 5,000 pounds."
The California Trucking Association expressed support for the effort. "We want to be sure that those trucks and those companies who are exhibiting unsafe behavior get immediate attention, because they are the ones who are endangering other people," spokesman Warren Hoemann told the paper.
The operation, dubbed "Road Share 2001," will stretch at least through the summer, after which authorities will gauge its impact on accidents, according to the Chronicle.
The enforcement effort was triggered by an increase in truck-at-fault collisions in the state. According to the CHP, they are up 4% statewide, from 10,918 in 1999 to 11,443 in 2000. Truck-at-fault fatal collisions are up 8.2% statewide, says the agency, from 80 to 97.
"A record number of commercial trucks are traveling on our roads and highways," said CHP Commissioner Spike Helmick in announcing the crackdown. "The shortage of professional drivers has also led to a larger number of inexperienced drivers. We are very concerned about these factors and will do everything necessary to ensure the safety of the motoring public."