It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to discern that commercial truck traffic is a substantial portion of the motoring public along the I-94 corridor through Michigan’s Great Southwest. The sheer volume of semi tractor-trailer combos racing up and down the interstate is almost unprecedented when compared to almost any other stretch of roadway in the Great Lakes State. The men and women responsible for keeping the peace among those wheels of commerce are called the Michigan State Police Motor Carrier Enforcement team, and there’s a new class of fourteen of them now in training.
Fourteen prospective motor carrier officers reported to the Michigan State Police Training Academy on Sunday, August 13th, for the first day of the 22nd Motor Carrier Officer Recruit School.
For the next 19 weeks, recruits will receive instruction in the following sectors:
- Firearms
- Water safety
- Defensive tactics
- Patrol techniques
- Report writing
- Ethics
- First aid
- Criminal law
- Precision driving
- Commercial vehicle law
- Commercial vehicle inspection procedures
Recruits who successfully complete recruit school will graduate on December 21st and be assigned to work sites across the state.
Motor carrier officers are armed uniformed members of the Michigan State Police who specialize in commercial vehicle enforcement. They enforce traffic safety laws on commercial vehicles, protect the infrastructure through aggressive size and weight enforcement, conduct commercial vehicle and driver inspections and contribute to homeland security efforts by enforcing hazardous material regulations.
In order to be selected to attend the academy, applicants had to pass a stringent selection process that included a physical fitness test, background investigation and hiring interview.
This is the first motor carrier officer recruit school held since 13 officers graduated from the 21st Motor Carrier Officer Recruit School in January.
To learn more about a career with the MSP, interested candidates should visit www.michigan.gov/mspjobs.
