With the CSA’s Data Trail update in the June issue of Overdrive, which charted 2014’s overall decline in inspection and violation numbers nationwide, Illinois stood as a marked counterpoint to that trend.
Putting that statewide force into motion in truck enforcement didn’t present much difficulty, Armstrong says, given “all of our troopers come out of the academy Level 3-certified.” While full truck-and-driver Level 1 inspections remained steady over the same time period compared to 2012 (before Illinois’ inspection and violation numbers started to rise significantly), 2014’s Level 3 (driver only) inspection totals tripled. Based on 2014 data, Illinois made its debut in Overdrive’s top 10 most intense states for inspections this year at No. 7, shooting a dramatic 15 places up in the rankings.
Such driver-credentials inspections typically come at roadside rather than a fixed facility. They usually involve a traffic stop with an observed violation, often speeding or another on-highway infraction.
“We’re a state that can stop a driver for just compliance with the regulations,” Armstrong says. Illinois troopers don’t need “probable cause,” contrary to what many drivers seem to believe. The same is true about neighboring Indiana, which leads the nation in overall focus on the moving violation as a share of its total issued violations.
