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PHOTOS: Truck inspectors at Woodburn base hunt for bad brakes, loose loads that can be trouble on Oregon highways

Tom Avila of the Oregon Motor Carrier Transportation Division inspects a tire shown by the tire anomaly detection system to have a problem. The pilot program implemented at the Woodburn port of entry prevents accidents by notifying drivers when there’s an issue with a tire or axle, something that’s not always obvious when they’re out on the road. (Sam Stites/Pamplin Media)

ODOT Motor Carrier Compliance Specialist Don McCloskey (left) and Central Safety Unit Manager Jess Brown discuss an issue with a driver’s registration during a routine inspection at the Woodburn port of entry. (Sam Stites/Pamplin Media)

Tom Avila of the Oregon Motor Carrier Transportation Division has become adept at reading dozens of data points on several trucks at once as they approach the scales and pop up on his dual screens inside the weigh station at the Woodburn port of entry. (Sam Stites/Pamplin Media)

Technology is critical to weighmasters and inspectors to catch those trucks with high driver and truck out-of-service numbers, meaning they’ve seen problems at a higher rate than other trucks. Motor Carrier targets these trucks to improve safety and prevent accidents on Oregon’s roads. (Sam Stites/Pamplin Media)

Tom Avila has become adept at reading dozens of data points on several trucks at once as they approach the scales and pop up on his dual screens inside the weigh station at the Woodburn port of entry. (Sam Stites/Pamplin Media)

A tractor trailer approaches the scales at the Woodburn port of entry. (Sam Stites/Pamplin Media)

Brakes and lighting are the two most common issues found in routine inspections completed by ODOT compliance specialists. (Sam Stites/Pamplin Media)

Compliance specialists often use an algorithm to pull trucks with high out-of-service numbers off the road for inspection, but sometimes they focus on other factors. Don McCloskey of the Oregon Motor Carrier Transportation Division spent a recent day focusing on haulers of hazardous materials. (Sam Stites/Pamplin Media)

Compliance specialists are expected to complete an average of 516 close inspections each year, which include a 360-degree sweep of each truck to check for issues and ensuring both the driver and truck’s documentation is complete. (Sam Stites/Pamlin Media)

Don McCloskey inspects the valves on a truck hauling hazardous materials to make sure they’re properly maintained during a check at the Woodburn truck scales on Interstate 5. (Sam Stites/Pamplin Media)

Don McCloskey inspects the brake systems from underneath a trailer hauling fuel from during a routine inspection at the Woodburn port of entry. (Sam Stites/Pamplin Media)

RELATED COVERAGE:

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Oregon inspectors home in on unsafe trucks, drivers to reduce highway deaths

Contact reporter Sam Stites: [email protected] or 971-255-3480.