Arkansas Operation Highway Shield pulls 393 drivers and trucks out of service in 48 hours

Arkansas Highway Police (AHP) and federal partners put 393 drivers and commercial vehicles out of service during a 48-hour enforcement operation that ended Oct. 29. The U.S. Department of Transportation published its own release on the results on Nov. 4.

Operation Highway Shield ran from 6 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, to 6 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 29. AHP worked with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Officers held enhanced operations at designated weigh stations along approved interstate and highway corridors.

The numbers

These are the figures in the Arkansas Department of Transportation release:

• 1,724 FMCSA inspections
• 393 drivers and commercial motor vehicles placed out of service
• More than 330 unqualified or unauthorized drivers identified
• 183 English language proficiency disqualifications
• 74 immigration violations that led to federal immigration enforcement
• More than 1,000 motor carrier safety violations
• 369 traffic citations and/or warnings
• 44 criminal arrests
• 1 stolen trailer recovered

AHP also said officers identified and investigated suspected drug trafficking, human trafficking and smuggling, cargo theft, and stolen vehicles and trailers they came across during lawful enforcement.

What officials said

FMCSA Administrator Derek D. Barrs said: "Operation Highway Shield sends a clear message: If you put safety at risk, we will hold you accountable."

AHP Chief Jeff Holmes said that "every unsafe truck or driver taken out of service represents a potential collision prevented and lives saved."

What it means for carriers

The counts show what officers checked beyond vehicle condition: driver qualification, English proficiency and immigration status. Carriers that run Arkansas corridors should make sure every driver's license, medical card and qualification file is current, and that each driver can meet the English proficiency requirement at a roadside inspection.