The Maryland State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division (CVED) celebrates a fifty year anniversary of providing safety and service to citizens throughout Maryland, while being recognized as number one in the nation for having the most commercial vehicle safety inspections per lane mile for the fourth consecutive year.
Due to the dedication and commitment of approximately 130 members of the specialized unit, Maryland has maintained it’s number one ranking for total inspections per mile, according to research conducted by the American Transportation Research Institute. To date, CVED has conducted 59,526 inspections on commercial vehicles. They have placed 11,040 commercial vehicles out of service and 4,610 commercial vehicle drivers out of service.
Major Bill Dofflemyer, the longest serving Commander of CVED, lead the unit for thirteen consecutive years before being promoted to Commander of the Special Operations Command of the Maryland State Police. Under his direction, Maryland became one of the first states to implement Drivewyze, technology used as a weigh station bypass service, making it more efficient for trucking companies with established safety practices to continue on their trip thus saving time and other expenses.
The men and women of the Maryland State Police have become more engaged with the trucking industry over the last decade, striving for the same goal of ensuring the safe transport of cargo”, said Major Bill Dofflemyer, “This is a relationship the Maryland State Police has cultivated over the years between Maryland Motor Truck, the Bus Association, legislators and the citizens of Maryland.”
CVED sworn and civilian personnel are tasked daily with enforcing a wide range of state and federal regulations related to commercial vehicle safety and transportation. This includes weighing and conducting safety inspections of commercial vehicles at 12 fixed locations with an additional 13 roving crews throughout Maryland. CVED personnel conduct multiple targeted initiatives throughout the year that focus on specific areas of concern including out-of-state trash haulers, commercial bus safety, overweight vehicles operating on restricted roads/bridges, and hazardous materials haulers.
Twice a year, personnel from CVED conduct a combined law enforcement commercial vehicle enforcement and inspection initiative at FedEx Field, as part of the North American Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) annual International Road Check. During the 72-hour CVSA initiative, law enforcement agencies from Canada, Mexico and the US inspect commercial motor vehicles with an emphasis on cargo securement. During the CVED operation, commercial vehicles are directed from the Capital Beltway into the FedEx inspection for the all-day operation.
The CVED Capital Beltway initiative is one of the largest one-day inspection operations in North America. Last year at the CVED Road Check at FedEx Field, more than 400 vehicles were inspected. Twenty-five percent of the vehicles inspected were put out of service due to a variety of vehicle and driver safety violations.
Earlier this year, in June, during the Fed Ex initiative, over 500 vehicles were inspected. Twenty-six percent of the vehicles inspected were put out of service due to a variety of vehicle and driver safety violations.
The Maryland State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division is an important part of public safety efforts across the state. CVED oversees the commercial operations of 23 law enforcement agencies in Maryland, providing training, assessments, and logistical support for inspectors.
