The Mayor of El Paso, Texas has implemented a new CMV inspection and enforcement initiative after a semi truck lost its brakes and caused an eight vehicle pile up.
The “Enough is Enough” initiative was announced on October 20th, effective immediately, following the Monday, October 19th crash in El Paso, Texas near Transmountain. The enforcement will target commercial vehicles traveling through Transmountain specifically.
According to KFox14, a semi truck experienced a brake failure on the steep grade near Transmountain at Loop 375 and North Desert, causing it to plow through an intersection. The semi truck sideswiped a crossover SUV, pushing it into a pickup truck, and then struck a second pickup. The motorist in the second pickup died at the scene.
The semi truck then continued south, colliding with a third pickup and pushing it into another SUV. Debris from that crash collided with yet another vehicle. The driver of the third pickup sustained serious injuries. The crash is still under investigation.
The Mayor of El Paso, Renard Johnson and El Paso Police Chief Peter Pacillas, announced brake failure as the cause of the crash at a press conference held on Tuesday. In that press conference, Johnson also announced the new CMV enforcement initiative, and called for the limiting of truck traffic along Transmountain road. A runaway truck ramp recently opened in the area, but crashes involving semi truck brake failure have continued. TxDOT says that the ramp has been opened since July, but has not yet been used.
“I will work with Chief Pacillas, the City Council, our city manager, our city attorney, and TxDOT to find ways to limit heavy truck traffic on Transmountain. I know trucks are important to our economy. They move our goods, and they support local businesses. Truck drivers also deserve safe roads, but moving goods can never be more important than protecting lives. We will look for safer routes, review state and federal rules, and identify what we can legally do to protect people. We will move quickly,” Johnson said.
“We, the mayor, the city council, and the police department have committed to the “Enough is Enough” initiative to stop fatalities on the roadway. Effective immediately, the El Paso Police Department’s commercial vehicle inspection. Inspectors are going to start inspecting vehicles, commercial-sized vehicles that are going up on Transmountain Road,” Pacillas said.
“What I’m asking the public to do is obey the law. And we’re going to keep this going until we can get a solution to the problem of heavy vehicles coming off of Transmountain. I’m asking for the public’s patience because there could be congestion when these officers are out there inspecting these large vehicles.”