Commercial vehicle inspections begin on Transmountain Road

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) – Wednesday, the Sheriff's Department began commercial vehicle inspections along Transmountain Road as part of an initiative to reduce crashes in the area.

El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson announced the initiative Tuesday after a deadly eight-vehicle crash at Loop 375 and North Desert Boulevard. Police said a semi's brakes failed before it charged down the road, causing seven other vehicles to crash.

"Effective immediately, the El Paso Police Department's commercial vehicle inspection inspectors going to start inspecting vehicles, commercial vehicles that are going up on Transmountain Road," Mayor Johnson said at the news conference.

El Paso Police Chief Peter Pacillas said police have worked with the state in the past by putting up signage, directing semis to runaway ramps. Despite those initiatives, he said there are still people getting killed.

"So we're stepping up the enforcement to make sure that these vehicles are safe on there," Chief Pacillas said.

Pacillas said police will be looking for commercial vehicles that certified inspectors can pull over.

In response to questions about why semis aren't diverted from using transmountain all together, spokesperson Lauren Macias-Cervantes said "the department generally does not have the authority to prohibit the use of a state highway by a class of vehicles that are operating within applicable legal size and weight limits."

She went on to say local governments may request traffic restrictions, but it will require review and approval through the appropriate transportation authorities.

ABC-7 has reached out to the El Paso Sheriff's Department, El Paso Police Department, Department of Public Safety, and the Texas Department of Transportation to learn the protocol for stopping tractor-trailers and semis, what is being checked, and which citations drivers are at risk of receiving.

Tuesday, Pacillas urged drivers to give inspection crews the space they need and to expect possible congestion in the area.