Bridge strikes, English tests, and all things commercial trucking

The public has a lot of questions about the safety of big rigs and their drivers after three over-height trucks have hit and damaged Washington bridges in the last two months.

I sat down with Washington State Patrol (WSP) Sergeant Rocky Oliphant at the I-5 weigh station in south Everett to talk about commercial trucking. He is in the commercial vehicle division at WSP, and his job is to pull over big rigs every day, ensuring drivers are qualified, their paperwork is in order, and their trucks are safe.

Oliphant can pull over any truck he wants at any time. He doesn’t need to see a violation, like speeding or a flat tire, to pull a truck over.

“There’s just a lot of regulations that they have to abide by,” Oliphant said. “There are a lot of restrictions on what they can do. They’re just subjected to a lot more regulation because of the fact that they’re operating a rig that’s excessive weight compared to a normal passenger car, that if something does go wrong, it’s going to be much more catastrophic.”

Three types of WSP inspections

There are three levels of inspection. Level 3 is a paperwork and license check. Level 2 is an inspection of the rig’s exterior. Level 1 puts Oliphant under the truck and trailer for a full inspection.

There has been a lot of scrutiny lately over commercial drivers’ licensing mills where unqualified drivers are getting licenses. One in Washington is alleged to have given a license to the driver accused of killing three people in Florida after making an illegal U-turn earlier this year. That driver couldn’t speak English and reportedly failed the CDL exam 10 times, but was issued a license anyway.

WSP does not perform immigration status checks during inspections.

“There’s a lot of federal regulations associated with just the safety equipment violations, commercial driver’s license status,” Oliphant said. “That’s where our lane is when it comes to immigration. That’s not something that we’re enforcing.”

But WSP does perform English proficiency checks with drivers. It always has. It has always been a federal requirement for big rig drivers to have a basic understanding of English and of the signs and warnings on the road. You don’t need to be fluent, just proficient.

The rules were relaxed in 2016 so that if a driver failed the English test, they would only get a violation. They wouldn’t be put “out of service,” which means no more driving.

In June, the Trump Administration reinstated the rule that if you fail the test, you are immediately put “out of service.”

For Oliphant and WSP, it’s a judgment call. He will recognize quickly if a driver needs to be tested, and if they are having difficulty understanding. While he doesn’t consider it a test, he will go over words and phrases with the driver.

“Things that we’ll read together and will go over together, and if they’re able to understand and or communicate, they’re free to go down the road,” he said. “If they can’t get past that point with what I go over with them, then they’re out of service until they can pass that.”

That doesn’t appear to have been an issue with the drivers in our recent bridge strikes.

In Cle Elum, where the over-height truck destroyed the Bullfrog overpass, the driver simply didn’t follow his trip permit or follow the directions of his pilot car.

Every driver with an over-height truck must get a permit for their journey. These permits are pages long and include every bridge, overpass, and construction zone along the way. They are very specific. It is clearly spelled out that over-height trucks must exit westbound I-90 at milepost 80.

The maximum height for any vehicle in Washington is 14′. If you’re taller than that, you need a permit. If you’re over 14’6″, you need a pilot car.

Chris Sullivan is a traffic reporter for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here. Follow KIRO Newsradio traffic on X.

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