In the COVID-19 pandemic year of 2020, there were but two states in the entire nation where truck inspections numbers in the aggregate rose from 2019 levels. Every other state saw fall-offs ranging from just a few percentage points to more than a third in some places. Alabama's mostly mobile enforcement crew posted higher number, in part a result the state's investment in an expansion of the department. In this episode of Overdrive Radio, Captain Brent McElvaine of Alabama explains further reasons -- a continued emphasis on inspection screening via "virtual weigh stations" with weigh-in-motion or other technologies to better prioritize inspections of trucks and carriers troopers believe probably need it, for instance.

There's more where that came from, however, in this episode, including a bevy of tips for owner-ops looking ahead to the May 4-6 Roadcheck event -- in one of Roadcheck's prinicipal areas of emphasis this year, lighting equipment, Alabama ranks very high. Nearly 1 in 4 of its violations written in recent years has been for a light out or other related infraction.

Mentioned in the episode, Overdrive Radio's prior podcast with Minnesota State Patrol Captain Jon Olsen about the DataQs process: https://www.overdriveonline.com/overdrive-radio/podcast/15063931/dataqs-crash-and-violation-appeals-process-in-minnesota

The live webcast of a panel discussion with CVSA and Payne Trucking about DataQs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHRlGZp-VFk

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