When a Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) violates traffic laws, a law enforcement officer responds but always takes care to exercise proper officer safety procedures. The following guidelines, from a structured course of training (Techniques for Safe Commercial Vehicle Stops and Approaches*), are designed to reduce the roadside danger to officers and CMV operators.

CMV Characteristics
The size of the vehicle affects the distance from which your lights will be seen. Be aware of these blind spots for your safety and the safety of other vehicles. The configuration of a CMV (doubles, triples, cargo tanks) and the security of the load will affect the maneuverability of the CMV.

Officer Safety Concerns: Do not pull beside the violator’s vehicle, and do not use your vehicle as a “rolling road block.” A typical CMV weighs between 10,000 and 80,000 pounds. That is 5 to 20 times more than a patrol vehicle. Do not attempt to stop a CMV from the front, and do not expect the same stop response time from a CMV as from a passenger vehicle.

Site Selection for the Pull-Over
Know the patrol area. Be familiar with shoulders, ramps, and other areas for a safe vehicle stop.

Avoid:

• Soft shoulders
• Overpasses
• Narrow shoulders
• Steep Grades
• Curves
• Hills
• Bridges

Officer Safety Concerns: An officer should control the stop location. Determine if the traffic stop in a particular location causes more of a hazard than the actual violation.

Procedures
Exercise extreme caution. Employ all safety techniques available to you. Monitor traffic during the stop. Check your blind spots and rearview mirror before exiting your vehicle. Instruct the driver to stay in the vehicle; drivers become your responsibility when they exit the cab. As with all traffic stops, evaluate the driver’s condition during the interview. Look for signs of fatigue, contraband, alcohol/drug use, etc. Expedite the transaction in order to minimize the hazards for both yourself and the driver. Be brief, but be courteous and professional.

Officer Safety Concerns: Keep your hands free as much as possible. Control the flow of paper work from the driver. Collect the driver’s Commercial Drivers License and registration only. Avoid climbing on the truck or tractor cab. Follow department policy for issuing citations. Never search a CMV alone. Always call for back-up before initiating criminal investigations.

Return to Traffic
Advise the driver how you will assist as the vehicle re-enters the traffic flow. Bear in mind, the larger the vehicle, the more time and distance that is required to re-enter traffic safely. At night, turn off your vehicle’s front strobes and emergency lights, leaving the rear lights on to alert traffic. If possible, advise the driver to use the shoulder as an acceleration lane before entering the flow of traffic. Enter traffic to provide a clear lane for the CMV driver whenever possible. Remain behind the CMV until it has adjusted to highway speeds.