WILKES-BARRE – Another Trashnet enforcement operation recently found operational and safety violations on seven trucks during inspections on Interstate 84 westbound in Palmyra Township, Pike County, the Department of Environmental Protection said.
The inspections were conducted between 6:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Thursday, April 19.
“We have made these inspections a priority to help improve compliance with DEP’s environmental regulations and the commonwealth’s traffic safety laws,” DEP Northeast Regional Director Michael Bedrin said. “We have conducted, literally, thousands of trash-truck inspections over the past several years because we want to get unsafe trash trucks off the highways.”
DEP regional staff inspected 48 trash trucks and found seven trucks with a total of seven violations, including three involving the state’s Waste Transportation Safety Act, which authorizes trucks and trucking companies to haul trash in Pennsylvania. These violations included improper paperwork and the lack, or improper location, of authorization stickers on each truck.
DEP inspectors also found one leaking truck, two improper enclosures and one inadequate tarp. DEP inspectors issued one notice of violation and six summary citations.
In 2006, the Northeast Regional Office inspected 1,587 trash trucks, found 88 violations, and issued 61 notices of violations and 44 summary citations. Since June 2000, the regional office has inspected more than 5,000 trash trucks and found more than 1,100 violations. Many of these violations were heard before local magistrates.
The regional program is done as part of the statewide “Trashnet” program, which is done in conjunction with the Department of Transportation and Pennsylvania State Police.
For more information on the inspections, visit www.depweb.state.pa.us, DEP Keyword: “Trash Trucks.”