CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
A truck pulled in to be weighed again at the Sand Island station yesterday after registering as nearly overweight on a roadway sensor. Motor carrier safety officer Robert Hinochi checked out the truck driver's papers.
790 citations issued
to commercial vehiclesPolice are helping state inspectors
ticket vehicles for violations
Honolulu police cited 790 large commercial vehicles for violations of state regulations through the first 11 months of last year.
Police last year began assisting the state Department of Transportation, which has 29 Oahu commercial vehicle inspectors, to cite violators, said Maj. Bryan Wauke.
Several solo motorcycle officers have been certified by the state to do so, and three officers focus their efforts on large commercial vehicles, such as tractor-trailer trucks and buses.
A commercial dump truck with an expired safety inspection sticker careened across Pali Highway on Dec. 23, colliding head-on with a minivan, killing a 54-year-old Palama woman and injuring her husband, 52.
The truck's safety inspection sticker had expired in June.
The 32-year-old truck driver, Edmond Schuman, was not licensed to drive a commercial vehicle and was arrested for negligent homicide.
Sgt. Alan Vegas said police are conferring with prosecutors on possible criminal charges against Schuman.
Vegas said the state Motor Vehicle Safety Office conducted a mechanical inspection of the truck Dec. 30, but police have not yet concluded the report.
The truck's braking and transmission systems were removed and the remnants of the truck sit in an empty lot off Sand Island Access Road.
Vegas had said the truck's brakes may have failed in the accident.
Police are continuing to investigate and have not yet interviewed the 52-year-old driver of the minivan, who remains hospitalized.
In addition to weigh stations on Sand Island Access Road and at Campbell Industrial Park, state motor carrier safety officers and police officers also make random checks at truck stops and tourist spots, according to state transportation spokesman Scott Ishikawa.
The check, among other things, includes brakes.
"I think nearly all the commercial vehicle companies comply and make sure their drivers and vehicles are certified," Ishikawa said.
"But a few renegade truck companies are out there," he said. "Basically, they're cutting corners. In the long run, that could hurt a lot of folks."
