Trooper keeps commercial vehicles rolling legally

By Curtis Wildfong The Argus-Press (Owosso) CORUNNA, Mich. (AP) -- Trooper Jim Griffiths with the Michigan State Police isn't your typical road patrol officer: He's patrolling the county's roads and highways with a special focus on commercial vehicles. Because not only do commercial vehicles -- semi-trucks, trailers and farm equipment -- have to abide by all the same rules of the road an average person does, they have additional restrictions. Commercial vehicles have to abide by weight, length, lane change and other special rules. It's Griffiths' job to enforce those laws for commercial vehicles that travel through Shiawassee County. "My primary job is to protect and serve the people of the state of Michigan," he said. "Second is to protect the infrastructure, make sure the roads and bridges aren't damaged by oversized trucks or oversized loads. "I patrol all of the roads and our interstates," he said. "I-69 is what I patrol the most." He's often out looking for oversized trucks or commercial vehicles carrying too heavy a load for the number of axles on the vehicle. How can he tell? Well, Griffiths knows the lengths, widths and other specs like the back of his hand. The maximum length of a commercial vehicle is 40 feet, a truck with a trailer cannot be longer than 65 feet and a trailer cannot exceed 53 feet in length, he notes. "I'm pretty good at looking at trailers," Griffiths said. And don't think he doesn't have a keen eye for trucks carrying a little too much weight. "I'm looking at the tires," he said. "(On) a truck that is overweight, the tires will bulge." And there are a few different ways to notice such violations, Griffiths said. First, if the truck has two wheels side by side and they are touching, it is likely to be overweight. Also, if the tire appears to lay flat on the road from the side profile, that's a red flag, he said. But why is it so important to enforce those laws? For Griffiths, it's because it is vital to Michigan's roads and bridges. "The trucks that are overweight are what does the damage to our roads," he said. "That's one of the things that creates the potholes and creates having to resurface the roads." And it's important not only for the roads, but for the safety of those driving on them. "It's important that we not only protect our infrastructure, but make sure the vehicle is designed to carry a certain weight and can stop in a certain amount of time," he said. Griffiths has been at his job a long time. He came out of the Michigan State Police academy in 1986 specialized in commercial vehicle enforcement, starting at the Erie MSP post. "It's something I always thought would be an interesting career," he said. After more than 12 years there, Griffiths, a 1975 Owosso High School graduate, transferred to his home county in 2000. He's been here ever since. He and his wife of 35 years, Carol, have two adult sons. In his free time, Griffiths competes in law enforcement pistol shooting contests on the State Police pistol team. He's competed at national events and even served as the team's captain for two years. The competition pits the state's top shooters against each other with conventional .22- and .45-caliber pistols firing at targets up to 50 yards away. Published: Mon, Dec 24, 2012