Federal and state trucking inspectors have expanded Operation Highway Shield into Maryland and Washington, D.C., conducting more than 1,000 commercial vehicle inspections and identifying hundreds of safety violations.
The operations in Maryland and Washington, D.C., join recent enforcement agencies across the United States and Canada stepping up roadside crackdowns.
In Maryland, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration partnered with state law enforcement agencies to conduct 941 commercial motor vehicle inspections, resulting in 191 vehicles and 92 drivers being placed out of service.
In Washington, D.C., FMCSA and the Metropolitan Police Department conducted another 125 inspections of large trucks and buses, identifying 193 violations, including 50 out-of-service violations.
The latest operations follow similar enforcement efforts in Arkansas and Virginia as federal regulators continue targeting unsafe trucks, unqualified drivers and motor carrier compliance violations.
Separate commercial vehicle enforcement campaigns in Oregon, Virginia, New York, Arizona and British Columbia have also uncovered hundreds of safety violations, including defective braking systems, licensing deficiencies and impaired driving.
Maryland, DC inspectors identify hundreds of violations
FMCSA said its Maryland Operation Highway Shield campaign involved the Maryland State Police, Maryland Transportation Authority Police, Maryland Department of the Environment and Comptroller of Maryland.
The coordinated roadside inspections focused on identifying safety and regulatory violations involving commercial trucks and their drivers.
Of the 941 commercial vehicles inspected, authorities placed 191 vehicles and 92 drivers out of service for violations of federal or state safety requirements.
The agency did not provide a breakdown of the violations or specify how many drivers were disqualified for English-language proficiency deficiencies.
In Washington, D.C., FMCSA inspectors joined Metropolitan Police Department officers to inspect commercial trucks and buses.
The Nov. 6 enforcement update reported 125 inspections, 193 violations and 50 out-of-service violations.
The agency did not disclose how many individual drivers or vehicles were placed out of service in the District.
The latest operations build on an expanding federal enforcement campaign that has included major roadside inspection blitzes in Florida, the Midwest, Arkansas and Virginia.
As FreightWaves previously reported, an Oct. 27-29 operation in Arkansas resulted in 393 drivers and commercial vehicles being placed out of service, 183 English-language proficiency violations and 44 criminal arrests.
A separate enforcement operation in Stephens City, Virginia, identified 100 violations during 86 inspections, with 11 vehicles and two drivers placed out of service.
Virginia, Oregon and New York report additional truck violations
Separate local and regional enforcement operations also resulted in numerous out-of-service orders during the past week.
In Culpeper County, Virginia, the sheriff’s office partnered with seven regional law enforcement and public safety agencies to conduct a commercial vehicle safety inspection campaign.
The operation involved 22 commercial vehicle inspections and resulted in 148 documented violations, including 34 out-of-service violations.
Authorities placed 14 vehicles out of service, issued four traffic summonses and 144 safety warnings, and cited two drivers for operating without valid commercial driver’s licenses.
Four unsafe vehicles were towed from the roadway.
In Salem, Oregon, police traffic officers conducted commercial vehicle safety inspections along Mission Street SE on Nov. 5.
Officers inspected 12 trucks and identified 48 equipment violations, nine driver violations and 24 out-of-service violations.
Nine vehicles and five drivers were placed out of service.
In New York, the Town of Wallkill Police Department conducted a commercial vehicle enforcement campaign with the New York State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit, New York State Department of Transportation and Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
The operation focused on the State Route 302 and State Route 17M corridors.
Inspectors identified 248 violations, placing 19 trucks, six trailers and six drivers out of service.
Arizona troopers arrest truck driver with reported 0.301 blood alcohol level
In Arizona, state troopers reported two separate commercial vehicle enforcement incidents involving impaired driving and defective equipment.
On Nov. 5, Arizona Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol troopers responded to reports of a semi-truck failing to maintain its lane along Interstate 40 near Flagstaff.
According to AZDPS, a caller reported that the truck had blocked an interstate off-ramp and that its driver appeared highly intoxicated.
The caller removed the driver from the truck and took the vehicle’s keys before troopers arrived.
Officers conducted field sobriety tests and obtained a preliminary breath sample indicating a blood alcohol concentration of 0.301, nearly eight times the 0.04 federal threshold applicable to commercial vehicle drivers.
Troopers also reported finding alcohol inside the truck’s cab.
The driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, while the truck and trailer were towed and placed on a 20-day impound.
In a separate Nov. 2 incident in Mesa, Arizona, commercial vehicle enforcement troopers stopped a truck hauling an approximately 25,000-pound mobile office on State Route 202.
Inspectors discovered the trailer had no functioning brakes and an inoperative emergency breakaway device.
The truck and trailer were placed out of service pending repairs.
Canadian inspectors uncover potentially catastrophic brake failure
Commercial vehicle enforcement officials in British Columbia also reported a serious safety incident involving an overweight truck with defective brakes and unsecured cargo.
According to a Nov. 9 announcement from the Burnaby Royal Canadian Mounted Police, officers stopped a commercial vehicle in early October traveling north on Royal Oak Avenue, a road not designated for truck traffic.
During the inspection, officers discovered a significant air leak, low air pressure and partially engaged spring brakes.
All six brakes were overheating, producing a burning smell.
The truck’s primary air line subsequently ruptured during the inspection, causing the air brake system to fail.
Police said the failure could have resulted in a catastrophic collision if it had occurred while the truck was descending a nearby hill toward a busy intersection.
Inspectors also identified an overweight front axle, unsecured cargo and a seat belt violation.
Authorities issued seven tickets totaling $1,095.60 and placed the vehicle out of service.
Enforcement pressure continues across freight corridors
The latest roadside operations come as federal regulators increase scrutiny of commercial driver qualifications, equipment maintenance and licensing compliance.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Nov. 4 enforcement update, federal authorities have placed 33,000 commercial drivers out of service nationwide for failing English-language proficiency requirements since President Donald Trump’s April 2025 executive order.
DOT also reported revoking 31,000 improperly issued commercial driver’s licenses and closing nearly 10,000 commercial driving schools it characterized as operating improperly.
While the Maryland and Washington inspections were conducted under Operation Highway Shield, the other enforcement actions were separate state, local and Canadian initiatives.
Enforcement results at a glance
| Jurisdiction | Inspections | Key findings |
| Maryland | 941 | 191 vehicles, 92 drivers OOS |
| Washington, D.C. | 125 | 193 violations, 50 OOS violations |
| Culpeper County, VA | 22 | 148 violations, 14 vehicles OOS |
| Salem, OR | 12 | 9 vehicles, 5 drivers OOS |
| Wallkill, NY | Not reported | 248 violations, 31 driver/vehicle/trailer OOS actions |
| Mesa, AZ | 1 reported stop | Trailer brake failures |
| Flagstaff, AZ | 1 reported incident | DUI arrest, reported 0.301 BAC |
| Burnaby, BC | 1 reported stop | Brake failure, overweight axle, insecure cargo |
Why it matters: The expanding commercial vehicle inspections underscore mounting compliance pressure on motor carriers as regulators target unsafe equipment, unqualified drivers and licensing violations.
