Roles and Responsibilties

The Department of Public Safety is the State Lead Agency for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP). Under this program, DPS/MCCD conducts safety inspections of commercial motor vehicles (primarily trucks and buses), inspects highway shipments of hazardous materials, and performs compliance reviews (safety performance audits) on motor carriers. The Department adopts and enforces driver and vehicle safety regulations and hazardous materials regulations as part of this program.

DPS/MCCD also enforces laws and regulations that govern vehicle size (height, width, and length) and vehicle weight. The Department operates 19 permanent weight and inspection stations throughout the State, primarily on Interstate highways. The stations are equipped with "weigh in motion" systems to screen vehicles. Selected vehicles are then weighed and measured to determine compliance. On bypass and side roads, MCCD Officers use portable scales to weigh selected vehicles.

Another role for the Motor Carrier Compliance Division is the enforcement of High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes in the metropolitan Atlanta area. MCCD Officers patrol the highways, identifying and apprehending those who use the HOV lanes improperly.

The Motor Carrier Compliance Division also performs a number of other tasks, including inspecting diesel powered over-the-road vehicles for dyed fuel (indicating the use of "off-road" diesel), rendering assistance at accident scenes, providing aid in disasters, and an aggressive public outreach program.

MCCD Officers are trained and certified in accordance with standards of the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Council, and have full arrest powers in the performance of their duties. In addition, because of the detailed regulations governing commercial vehicle and driver safety, size, weight, and hazardous materials, MCCD Officers spend many hours each year in training in these specialized topics.