Arkansas Code of 1987 (2023) › Title 23 - PUBLIC UTILITIES AND REGULATED INDUSTRIES (§§ 23-1-101 — 23-119-105) › Subtitle 1 - PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS (§§ 23-1-101 — 23-19-210) › Chapter 13 - MOTOR CARRIERS (§§ 23-13-101 — 23-13-802) › Subchapter 2 - MOTOR CARRIER ACT (§§ 23-13-201 — 23-13-265) › Section 23-13-217 - Enforcement officers

(a)
The State Highway Commission shall name and designate enforcement officers charged with the duty of policing and enforcing the provisions of this subchapter.
(b)
The enforcement officers shall have authority to enforce §
27-50-308
and the Omnibus DWI or BWI Act, §
5-65-101
et seq., and shall have authority to make arrests for violation of any of the provisions of this subchapter, orders, rules, and regulations of the commission and to serve any notice, order, or subpoena issued by any court, the commission, its secretary, or any employee authorized to issue same, and to this end shall have full authority with jurisdiction within the entire State of Arkansas.
(c)
(1)
For the purpose of determining whether any motor vehicle or the operator of that vehicle is in compliance with the rules and regulations of the commission with respect to safety of operations and equipment or any other provision of this chapter, provided the operator is engaged in intrastate or interstate movements on the highways, roads, and streets of this state and the operator or vehicle is subject to the rules and regulations, the enforcement officers shall be authorized to:
(A)
Require the operator of the vehicle to stop, exhibit, and submit for inspection all documents required to be carried in that vehicle or by that operator pursuant to the regulations regarding the operator or operators of that vehicle, including, but not limited to, the operator or driver's duty status or hours-of-service records, bills of lading, waybills, invoices, or other evidences of the character of the lading being transported in the vehicle, as well as all records required to be carried by the regulations concerning that vehicle;
(B)
Inspect the contents of the vehicle for the purpose of comparing the contents with bills of lading, waybills, invoices, or other evidence of ownership or of transportation for compensation; and
(C)
Require the operator to submit the vehicle for a safety inspection pursuant to the rules and regulations, if deemed necessary by the officers.
(2)
If the operator does not produce sufficient or adequate documents regarding his or her operation of the vehicle in conformance with the rules and regulations or is determined by the officers to be out of compliance with the rules and regulations, in addition to any other action that may be taken by the officers pursuant to the provisions of this subchapter, the officers shall be authorized to immediately place that operator out of service in accordance with the rules and regulations.
(3)
(A)
If the operator does not produce sufficient or adequate documents regarding the vehicle in conformance with the rules and regulations, the vehicle is determined by the officers to be out of compliance with the rules and regulations.
(B)
If the operator refuses to submit the vehicle to a safety inspection in conformance with the rules and regulations or if the officer or officers determine the vehicle is unsafe for further operation following a safety inspection in accordance with the rules and regulations, in addition to any other action that may be taken by the officers pursuant to this subchapter, the officers shall be authorized to immediately place that vehicle out of service in conformance with the rules and regulations.
(d)
It shall be the further duty of the enforcement officers to impound any books, papers, bills of lading, waybills, and invoices that would indicate the transportation service being performed is in violation of this subchapter, subject to the further orders of the court having jurisdiction over the alleged violation.
Amended by Act 2015, No. 299,§ 31, eff. 7/22/2015.
Acts 1955, No. 397, § 7; A.S.A. 1947, § 73-1760; Acts 1989, No. 306, § 1; 1997, No. 1026, § 1; 2003, No. 1121, § 1.