Officers with the Mississippi Department of Transportation offered a behind-the-scenes look Thursday at what they do on a daily basis.

    MDOT officers were on site at the Kewanee Weigh Station, where they showcased a scale house, infrared van, platform and portable scale, and truck and bus inspection demonstrations.

    Inside the facility is equipment used to make sure that the nearly 5,000 vehicles that pass through daily are following the rules.

    “Along with the technical aspects of the job, and the material we have to do that with, our main material is our personnel,” said Chief Willie Huff, MDOT’s Director of Enforcement. “They step up the bar to be able to operate the equipment that enables safety checks, weigh checks, and fuel tax checks in an efficient manner that does not become a time limiting factor for the trucking industry.”

    “Time is money for those people, they want to get the merchandise to where it goes, and get back on the road as fast as they can.”

    Huff said the MDOT Enforcement Division also plays an integral part in national security by doing safety inspections that check for contraband.

    Central District Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall said the technology at the Meridian facility is top–notch.

    “Every time I come to this facility, it is so amazing to me how technical it is,” he said. “It is so important that the truckers are traveling with the right credentials, weight, and safety precautions and they have the technology to do that at this facility.”

    “It is also important to our highways and bridges to make sure they are not overweight, and also important that these vehicles are safe, the vehicles themselves.”

    Last year more than 9,000 vehicles were found to not be safe, and had to be set aside until they were fixed, he said.

     “I know that is saving money, and saved lives.”

    The MDOT Law Enforcement Department employs approximately 190 sworn officers and 35 civilian employees.

The following statistics include statewide MDOT Enforcement data collected during FY 2015:

    • 2 pounds of drugs found

    • 26 arrests made

    • 6.8 million tractor-trailers weighed

    • $2.4 million collected in overweight penalty fees at weigh stations

    • 173,958 oversized/overweight load permits issued

    • $13.5 million collected in permit fees

    • 9,400 vehicles put out of service due to safety violations