Wyoming and federal law enforcement officials recently staged Operation Safe Haul, which was “aimed at removing unqualified, unsafe, and undocumented commercial drivers from Laramie County roadways.”
It took place Nov. 18-20 along Interstate 5, Interstate 80, US-85, and state highways and county roads in Cheyenne, Carpenter, Burns, Pine Bluffs, and Albin, Wyoming.
Participating agencies included the Wyoming Highway Patrol, the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“We targeted drivers who used county roads to avoid ports,” said Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak.
The operation resulted in:
- 195 traffic stops
- 49 citations issued
- 40 arrests for immigration violations
Those 40 individuals were handed over to ICE for processing and removal from the United States, according to a statement from Kozak's office.
In addition, there were:
- 133 commercial vehicle inspections
- 44 commercial vehicles placed out-of-service
- 45 out-of-service violations for inoperable brakes uncovered (more than than one out-of-service violation may be found on a single vehicle)
- 38 commercial vehicle drivers placed out-of-service
- 16 out-of-service orders for CDL/licensing issues
- 10 out-of-service orders for English Language Proficiency violaations
- 2 out-of-service orders for drug violations
“I am sorry to see these irresponsible and undocumented drivers tarnish the reputation of professional commercial carrier drivers who uphold safety regulations and keep America moving. We honor those drivers who do it the right way,” said Kozak.
