Iowa State Patrol Commercial Motor Vehicle Unit

The Iowa State Fair is right around the corner! We will be around every day in the Hall of Law and the Varied Industries Building to answer all your questions!

Who’s got FAIR FEVER for the Iowa State Fair? WE DO!

Calling all farming community friends! Join us bright and early from 9-10 a.m. any day, for our coffee chat sessions with an Iowa State Patrol Commercial Motor Vehicle Unit trooper!

Bring your coffee to our booth, #762-764 in the Varied Industries Building, and let's talk
✔️licensing
✔️vehicle regulations
✔️and get your newly published ag guide!

Swing by the Iowa DOT booth and let's make your fair experience extra educational and fun!

No credit is given for almost securing cargo. Take a few extra minutes to chain or strap down what you're hauling to ensure it makes it to your destination!

When you pull onto the scale platform like this, you are bound to get instant attention. This piece of wood wouldn't have lasted much longer before it fell into the roadway and became a hazard to other vehicles and motorcycles.

Another great year at the 2024 Walcott Truckers Jamboree! We enjoy going out to this event every year to support the contestants, see some awesome trucks, and have some laughs with the attendees. See you all next year!

CMVU Trooper Russell, along with the Iowa State Patrol, have been heavily invested in Special Olympics Iowa for quite some time. We cherish these opportunities to build a stronger and more connected community!

Trooper Melanie Russell and Special Olympic athlete Andrew collected donations at Culvers last night for Special Olympics as part of their "ButterBurgers and Badges" event!

It’s not every day you stop a truck dragging it’s tie rod down the road. This truck was initially stopped due to sparks coming out from underneath the vehicle. It didn’t take long to locate the issue…

The things you can find if you just take a minute to look over your equipment. The fact that this issue didn't get repaired immediately upon happening was quite shocking to our Trooper during his inspection yesterday.

Due to some last minute cancellations, two seats have opened for our Des Moines Industry Course July 15th-19th!

Our Commercial Motor Vehicle Unit is again holding a FREE 40-hour industry course. This course is designed to bring industry partners together and give them an in-depth look at what our Troopers are looking at during roadside inspections. Topics will include company credentials, licensing, logbooks, equipment, and much more.

This course will be held in Des Moines from July 15-19 at the Iowa Department of Public Safety Headquarters. Attendees will be limited to 40 seats. Anyone is eligible to attend, however, the course is recommended for drivers, safety managers, owners, and anyone who deals with the trucking industry and records keeping.

Follow the link to claim your seat! https://sugeni.us/V3kA

Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s Operation Safe Driver Week starts today. As you should any other time of the year, be respectful of other motorists and drive safe!

Operation Safe Driver Week starts this Sunday, July 7, through July 13. Passenger vehicle drivers and CMV drivers engaging in unsafe driving behaviors will be pulled over by law enforcement and may be issued a warning or citation.
https://www.cvsa.org/news/2024-osd-week/

We aren’t quite sure what this zip tie is accomplishing on this brake that was found yesterday. What we can say for sure though is the brake is definitely not operational!

A couple violations that were discovered recently during CMV inspections around the state. Neither of these issues get to this condition suddenly. Take care of your equipment and it will take care of you!

A great way to start off the week would be to take a good look at your brakes! If it has been awhile, you may be surprised at what you find...

This, unfortunately, is the result of exceeding tire weight ratings by 4,000lbs. Being of legal weight is not only important in preserving the roadway, but also in preserving your equipment. On a hot day like today, don't forget that blowouts also tend to increase as temperatures increase!

On this Father's Day, we extend our heartfelt appreciation to all fathers! A special thank you to our Troopers who are dads! They not only prioritize their families and children, but also demonstrate unwavering dedication to ensuring the safety of everyone in Iowa. Thank you for all your hard work!

LT Kinney, Sgt Griggs, and Investigator Kuecker made a trip out to Altoona today to support XPO and their truck driving championship they are holding. We were happy to be invited out to show our support! Good luck drivers! 🛻 🥇

*** UPDATE *** The Amber Alert for Ophelia Anne Barton has been cancelled as she has been found safe. Thank you for your help in locating her.

The Iowa City Police Department needs your help to find an endangered child.

Ophelia Anne Barton is 15-year-old. She is 5 feet tall and weighs around 80 pounds. She has brown hair that reaches her shoulders and hazel eyes. When last seen, she was wearing a Disney short-sleeve shirt and red shorts.

Ophelia was taken by 42-year-old Lindsey Anne White. White is 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs approximately 138 pounds. She has long auburn hair and green eyes.

They may be traveling together in a Blue 2014 Jeep Compass Sport with Iowa license plate LIU 044.

If you have any information, please contact the Iowa City Police Department at (319) 356-5276. For media inquiries, call (319) 206-5043.

A few photos of what our Troopers have discovered the last few days. Each of these should be apparent and could easily be caught on a pre-trip or while going down the road. Highway safety should be a priority for us all!

This past week our troopers assisted Black Hawk County with a CMV crash during a dust storm. There is a valuable lesson and reminder here - when visibility drops (regardless of the cause), do not stop in the travelled portion of the roadway. By the time other motorist see you stopped, it is often too late to avoid a crash.

Some photos were taken from the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office.

Trooper Reisner stopped this Class "A" CDL combination yesterday around 11:00am in northeast Iowa. The driver was found to be consuming hard liquor and had a blood alcohol content almost FIVE TIMES the legal limit for a CDL required vehicle. Once at the jail, the driver tested even higher. We are all thankful this driver was removed from the road and jailed before a serious crash occurred!

*ONLY 7 SEATS REMAINING*

Our Commercial Motor Vehicle Unit is again holding a FREE 40-hour industry course. This course is designed to bring industry partners together and give them an in-depth look at what our Troopers are looking at during roadside inspections. Topics will include company credentials, licensing, logbooks, equipment, and much more.

This course will be held in Des Moines from July 15-19 at the Iowa Department of Public Safety Headquarters. Attendees will be limited to 40 seats. Anyone is eligible to attend, however, the course is recommended for drivers, safety managers, owners, and anyone who deals with the trucking industry and records keeping.

Please follow this link to sign up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4CACAE23A5FDCF8-49396269-desmoines

Here we have another house move gone wrong. This one, as seen in the photos, was attempted to be moved with a tractor. The moral of the story here is to ensure you have proper, and well maintained, equipment for the task at hand…especially when moving an entire house. Unfortunately, this rural road remains blocked until the house can be safely removed.

Adhering to weight laws as well as proper maintenance being done on equipment is an effective way to prevent issues such as these. Thankfully the wheel did not strike another vehicle when it broke free.

Troopers are out working hard each day to remove unsafe vehicles and drivers from the road. Here is another example of some brake issues found during a recent inspection. All of these are easy to catch during a walkaround!

An easy item for drivers to check visually during a pre-trip is this adjustment nut. When the 5th wheel is locked, it should be flush with the front of the 5th wheel plate. This photo is what the nut looked like while in the locked position. This upper and lower 5th wheel portions had enough excessive movement that led the combination to being placed out of service.

Out of those recognized for their promotions today, Sergeant Scott and Major Reid are members of the Commercial Motor Vehicle Unit. A special shout out and recognition to Major Reid, who will now be the new leader of CMVU! Congratulations gentlemen!

A few days ago we had a Trooper attend an event at Martin-Brower where drivers were competing in their annual rodeo. They had a written test, pre-trip inspection with staged violations, and a driving course. Pictured are all the contestants and the winner.

The company also held a family day event. Can you spot who got the best face painting design in history from their kid? :)

Stay Alert to the Weather!

Expect strong winds, hail, and possible tornadoes with these storms! Make sure you know where to find safe shelter if needed.

Our State Troopers will be monitoring the storms and sharing information with the National Weather Service. Remember to .

We have partnered with Special Olympics Iowa for many years. A special shoutout to CMVU’s Trooper Russell for her hard work and dedication to this partnership. We wish the best to all the athletes competing in the summer games!!