PHOENIX – To help freight move efficiently while ensuring that commercial vehicles can operate safely on state highways, the Arizona Department of Transportation has expanded its use of technology that screens moving trucks for weight and identifying information.

This system, used until now at select rest areas including McGuireville on Interstate 17, Sacaton on Interstate 10 and Canoa Ranch on Interstate 19, is now operating at ADOT’s commercial ports of entry along I-10, I-40 and State Route 95 in Parker.

“This truck screening system will allow our officers to focus on the commercial vehicles that need our officers’ attention,” said Jeff Stanhope, deputy director for ADOT’s Enforcement and Compliance Division. “It helps us make better use of our resources and efforts while allowing trucks in compliance to go on their way.”

The technology includes weigh-in-motion sensors, cameras that are designed to read USDOT  numbers and license plates, and message signs. An additional feature at the Ehrenberg and San Simon ports of entry on I-10 also identifies commercial vehicles with tires that could be damaged or in need of repair. The failure of a tire on a commercial vehicle can lead to catastrophic collisions and cause tire debris to be deposited on and along roadways.

As a commercial vehicle approaches the port of entry, highway signs direct the driver into the right lane. When the truck is a half mile from the port, the weigh-in-motion sensors and cameras capture the vehicle’s weight and identifying information and relay it to ADOT Enforcement and Compliance officers at the port.

The computer checks the truck’s credentials against national and state databases. If the truck is cleared and within weight limits, the message boards along the highway direct the driver to bypass the port and continue on. If there is an issue identified with the commercial vehicle, such as expired registration, federal out-of-service orders or required permits not on file, the signs direct the driver to pull into the port for further inspection.

In addition to saving ADOT officers and truck drivers time and resources, the system tracks and stores the size and weights of the commercial vehicles entering Arizona. This data will help ADOT’s Multimodal Planning Division make more informed decisions about the state’s highway system in the future.

PHOENIX – A group dedicated to law enforcement coordination between Arizona and Sonora has honored the director of the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Enforcement and Compliance Division for promoting international partnership and trade through initiatives such as first-of-its-kind safety training offered to truckers and companies in Mexico.

Policia Internacional Sonora-Arizona recently presented its Luis Noriega Award to ADOT’s Tim Lane. The award, the group’s highest honor, is named for a longtime board member and deputy U.S. marshal.

"I am proud to be a part of an organization that supports strong partnerships with both state and international partners,” Lane said.

Among other duties related to transportation, ADOT’s Enforcement and Compliance Division staffs commercial ports of entry where officers make sure trucks are safe and properly permitted to operate in Arizona. Two years ago, the division’s Border Liaison Unit launched an International Border Inspection Qualification that helps drivers and companies better understand the safety standards that ADOT officers enforce.

The training makes state highways safer while reducing wait times at commercial ports along the Arizona-Mexico border, in turn boosting Arizona’s economy by making those ports more appealing to truckers. As a result of the International Border Inspection Qualification, major safety violations among those certified through the program have dropped to almost zero.

Policia Internacional Sonora-Arizona also cited the Enforcement and Compliance Division’s role in a collaboration that helped Sonora launch its first safety corridor between Arizona and Puerto Peñasco. That collaboration, through which ADOT experts provided training in traffic incident management, stemmed from conversations that launched the International Border Inspection Qualification.

“ADOT’s border liaison program has been instrumental in the faster flow of commercial vehicles transporting goods between Arizona and Mexico,” said Siggy Casillas, chairman of Policia Internacional Sonora-Arizona. “Just by speaking to Mr. Lane, you feel the support he transmits when speaking about not only ADOT’s liaison program but other agencies’ liaison programs as well.”

PHOENIX – Two years after launching a first-of-its-kind truck safety training program for drivers and companies in Mexico, the Arizona Department of Transportation has added refresher instruction for those who have been through the program.

ADOT launched the International Border Inspection Qualification in 2017 by sending trained officers from commercial ports of entry into Mexico to provide instruction, in Spanish, on safety regulations. The goals: reducing violations that can lead to delays for truckers from Mexico and making state highways safer by allowing ADOT officers to focus on vehicles needing the most attention.

Since the program launched, the nearly 700 drivers with the qualification have crossed the border a combined 15,000 times with just 49 major safety violations. In addition to what they gain from the training, qualified drivers can communicate with officers before approaching the border using WhatsApp, a smartphone application, to learn whether a potential safety issue needs to be addressed before heading to a commercial port of entry at the Arizona-Mexico border.

To build on that momentum, ADOT recently launched a six-hour requalification class for those who have been through the program. Beyond an initial offering in Hermosillo, Sonora, ADOT will offer the requalification class this year in Douglas in Arizona and Ensenada, Puerto Penasco and San Luis in Mexico.

“These drivers and their companies opened the door for tremendous improvements in safety among hundreds of truckers who cross the border into Arizona every day,” said Mark Sanders, director of international programs for ADOT. “This follow-up instruction allows them to keep their knowledge up-to-date while the overall program continues fostering more efficient trade between Arizona and Mexico.”

The refresher course covers in brief the main points covered in the original qualification class. Topics include the proper working order of brakes, wheels, tires, suspension and electrical systems, as well as how to properly secure loads and other general information.

The refresher training also covers new federal or state regulations pertaining to commercial trucking.

Identifying and repairing safety violations before they result in delays at the border saves trucking companies time and money and encourages drivers to cross the border in Arizona, a boon for the state’s economy.

The program has seen considerable expansion in the past year. ADOT officers held the first International Border Inspection Qualification for the maquiladora industry and held their first training in Baja, California, and Hermosillo, Sonora.

PHOENIX – Arizona Department of Transportation officers aided by one of the agency’s K-9 units seized more than a half ton of marijuana Tuesday evening from a fake delivery van spotted on Interstate 15 in far northwestern Arizona.

While the van had authentic-looking markings of a commercial package-delivery service, an officer with ADOT’s Enforcement and Compliance Division noticed that the vehicle, traveling northbound toward the Virgin River Gorge, had an out-of-state license plate on the front. Local delivery vans for the company have Arizona plates and registration, but a check of records later showed the vehicle was registered to an individual in North Carolina.

The officer, who was traveling in the opposite direction when he spotted the vehicle, alerted other ADOT officers, one of whom caught up with the van and noted several traffic violations as it traveled I-15 through the Virgin River Gorge. Another ADOT officer then stopped the van and noted inconsistencies in the driver’s story as the two other ADOT officers arrived.

Called into action based on the suspicious circumstances, a drug-sniffing dog handled by one of the ADOT officers detected illegal substances. In searching the vehicle, the officers found large bags containing 1,113 pounds of marijuana, as well as 5 grams of a mushroom-based hallucinogenic, three vials of illegal steroids and $7,850.

The driver, a 48-year-old man, was booked into the Mesquite Detention Center in Nevada pending transfer to the Mohave County Jail in Kingman. The van was taken to ADOT’s commercial port of entry in St. George, Utah.

ADOT officers enforce laws involving commercial vehicle safety and permits, registration and driver license fraud, and unlicensed auto dealers, among other areas related to the agency’s transportation responsibilities. Last year, ADOT’s Enforcement and Compliance Division began using K-9 units based out of commercial ports of entry next to California, New Mexico and Utah to help reduce smuggling of drugs and people.

 

PHOENIX – Those visiting Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division offices on Friday, Jan. 11, will see employees wearing blue in recognition of National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. On vehicles driven by officers with ADOT’s Enforcement and Compliance Division, motorists will see bumper stickers pointing to help for human trafficking victims.

Whether it’s encouraging MVD’s 850 office employees to participate in #WearBlueDay or having K-9 units on the lookout for human trafficking victims at commercial ports of entry, ADOT works throughout the year to help combat this increasingly urgent problem.

At ports of entry next to California and New Mexico, ADOT’s Enforcement and Compliance division has K-9 units trained to identify not only evidence of illegal drugs but human cargo that can include victims of human trafficking. Lieutenants overseeing these ports are trained to identify warning signs of human trafficking, such as unusual tattoos, an unwillingness to speak and carrying large amounts of cash without explanation.

“ADOT is taking a comprehensive approach to help end this horrible practice in Arizona,” said ADOT Enforcement Services Bureau Chief Gary McCarthy, who chairs the Arizona Human Trafficking Council’s Outreach and Awareness Committee. “This is a real problem with real victims.”

Dozens of vehicles driven by Enforcement and Compliance Division officers have bumper stickers encouraging those who need help or who see signs of trouble to visit EndSexTrafficking.AZ.gov or call 888.373.7888, resources offered through the Governor’s Office of Youth, Faith and Family.

This year, more ADOT officers will receive training on human trafficking, including where the demand comes from and what cases look like. The Enforcement and Compliance Division is developing online training so ADOT employees who work along highways will be ready to spot the signs of human trafficking.

PHOENIX – At Arizona Department of Transportation commercial ports of entry near California and New Mexico,  K-9 units are trained to identify not only evidence of illegal drugs but human cargo that can include victims of human trafficking. Lieutenants overseeing these ports have training on identifying warning signs of human trafficking, such as unusual tattoos, an unwillingness to speak up and carrying large amounts of cash without explanation.

Meanwhile, dozens of vehicles driven by officers with ADOT’s Enforcement and Compliance Division have bumper stickers aimed at directing those who need help or who see signs of trouble to EndSexTrafficking.AZ.gov or 888.373.7888, resources offered through the Governor’s Office of Youth, Faith and Family.

With human trafficking an increasingly urgent issue, ADOT officers enforcing commercial vehicle laws have joined other law enforcement agencies and the Arizona Human Trafficking Council created by Governor Doug Ducey to help make Arizona a leader in combating this crime.

“Human trafficking is not just something you hear about on TV or read on the Internet; it’s happening right here in our state,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “That’s why it’s critical for ADOT to be part of this comprehensive effort to combat it.”

As a member of the Arizona Human Trafficking Council, Chief Gary McCarthy with ADOT’s Office of Inspector General, part of the Enforcement and Compliance Division, chairs the outreach and awareness committee that not only raises public awareness but trains people on how to spot human trafficking and what to do about it.

In addition to the training provided to lieutenants overseeing commercial ports of entry, starting in 2019 advanced training for ADOT officers will include a human-trafficking component, including where the demand comes from and what cases look like. And the Enforcement and Compliance Division plans to develop online training so other ADOT employees who work along highways will learn how to spot the signs of human trafficking.

Since December, ADOT has had its first two K-9 units trained to detect human smuggling in addition to illegal drugs. The K-9s are used at the ports of entry along the eastern and western sides of Arizona to check any commercial vehicles that raise suspicions.

“We’re taking a few approaches to do our part to end this heinous practice here in Arizona,” McCarthy said. “From training more officers to use of our K-9 units to raising awareness through bumper stickers on our vehicles, ADOT is serious about stopping human trafficking and saving lives.”

If you would like to learn more about how to help stop human trafficking, please visit EndSexTrafficking.az.gov. To report anything suspicious, please call 888.373.7888.

NOGALES – The Arizona Department of Transportation’s first-of-its-kind international truck safety training program is adding another innovation to its resume: focusing instruction on commercial truckers from the maquiladora industry.

At the request of operators of border-area plants in Mexico making goods for export, ADOT’s Border Liaison Unit recently offered its first International Border Inspection Qualification training session for the maquiladora industry in Hermosillo, capital of the Mexican state of Sonora.

“Expanding to maquiladoras demonstrates that our partners in Mexico see as much value in this safety training as we do,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “Interest from the maquiladora industry also means the safety and economic benefits we have seen in this program’s first year will multiply.”

Maquiladora factories import certain material and equipment without duties or tariffs. Goods are assembled, processed or manufactured using that material and then returned to the U.S. The industry employs about 34,000 people in Sonora near the Arizona border.

ADOT’s Border Liaison Unit developed the International Border Inspection Qualification program to help make Arizona roads safer and to support international trade by training Mexican truck drivers and mechanics – in Mexico – about the safety regulations they must follow to drive on U.S. roads.

The 469 drivers who have completed the training since it began a little more than a year ago have crossed the border nearly 5,500 times but have had only 12 significant safety violations that required trucks to be stopped for repairs.

“Arizona is leading the nation in developing innovative ways to make our ports of entry safer and more efficient - it's been a priority for Governor Ducey since day one,” said Juan Ciscomani, Senior Advisor for Regional and International Affairs to Governor Doug Ducey. “This kind of proactive approach implemented by ADOT and supported by the Arizona-Mexico Commission, under Governor Ducey's leadership, drives Arizona's border to move at the speed of business and supports international commerce in the state."

Following Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance guidelines, which are the standard across the U.S., this training stems from ADOT’s use of the Arizona Management System championed by Governor Ducey to have all employees continuously improve state agencies’ value to their customers.

The Hermosillo session was the 18th held in Mexico since International Border Inspection Qualification training began in summer 2017.

The program also has expanded beyond locations near the Arizona border and Hermosillo, with training offered in Mexicali and Ensenada in Baja California and in Caborca, Sonora, at the request of trucking companies in those areas.

To learn more about ADOT’s Border Liaison Unit and International Border Inspection Qualification training, visit azdot.gov/BLU.