More than 40,000 trucks were inspected in Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) "Operation Clean Sweep," resulting in haulers being cited for 11,082 safety and environmental violations. Of this total, 12 trucking firms were cited for 2,073 of the violations or almost one-fifth of all the violations uncovered.

The crackdown was in association with the Pennsylvania State Police and the state's Department of Transportation. For nine days trash haulers were inspected at every landfill throughout the state. In a release, DEP secretary David Hess said this should be a wake-up call for these trucking companies. "These are some of the largest waste haulers that do business in Pennsylvania and they should be able to afford to maintain their trucks and keep them operating safely," he said.

DEP has collected more than $34,000 in penalties for violations during the blitz and more are expected as district justices hold hearings statewide, Hess noted. "In addition to citations, DEP is sending each of the hauling companies notices of violation that will result in additional penalties from these firms."

Clean Sweep inspectors checked trucks for hazmat violations, including leaking loads and improper tarps. State Police and PennDOT conducted safety inspections, looking for violations such as bad brakes and bald tires. All agencies checked for overweight trucks. In addition, PennDOT and the State Police made sure drivers were licensed and had the correct paperwork.