Transportation Safety Bureau Mission

The Transportation Safety Bureau (TSB) delivers comprehensive and innovative commercial vehicle safety and enforcement programs, along with work-zone safety operations that are recognized on a national level. TSB utilizes professional management and training techniques; incorporates emerging technologies; and provide members with the knowledge and tools necessary to remain at the forefront of the commercial carrier inspection industry. TSB continues to respond to acts of terrorism against New Jersey as well as actively educating our members in the new and emerging technologies that aid in the detection and prevention of such events. TSB members are committed to professional roadside enforcement, dedicated to promoting industry safety, and coordinating the efforts of federal, state and local authorities to secure the transportation systems and infrastructure of the region.

The Transportation Safety Bureau is comprised of enlisted members and civilian staff in seven distinctive units: Commercial Carrier Safety Inspection Unit (CCSIU), Construction Unit, Training Unit, Hazardous Materials Passenger Transportation Enforcement Unit (HMPTEU)Hazardous Materials Passenger Transportation Enforcement Unit (HMPTEU), Mobile Safe Training Unit (MSFU), Comprehensive Safety Analysis Unit (CSAU), as well as the Traffic Incident Management Unit (TIMU).

The Commercial Carrier Safety Inspection Unit (CCSIU) is responsible for implementation and enforcement of the federal safety regulations governing commercial vehicle drivers and the related equipment which they operate. CCSIU is also responsible for the enforcement of commercial vehicle state size and weight laws at all five (5) fixed scale , strategically-placed throughout New Jersey, as well as two roving weight teams. Having adopted the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, the Division has assigned troopers with specialized training and certifications to this unit to conduct roadside safety inspections and post-crash investigations on a myriad of commercial vehicle types traversing the State’s highways and byways.

The Construction Unit enforces the rules and regulations governing traffic control and safety in highway work areas. The unit members inspect NJ Department of Transportation (NJDOT) construction sites to ensure contractors are in compliance with the traffic control plans established for their projects. The troopers assigned to the unit receive specialized training in work-zone safety and traffic control for highway construction areas. This training combined with their experience in motor vehicle law enforcement form the foundation in creating a comprehensive safety program. Unit members provide work zone-safety training for local police agencies and for other governmental and private organizations throughout the State and region. Also, members coordinate with and assist the three NJDOT Regional Emergency Operation Centers (REOC) during emergency activations. These members’ primary responsibility is to serve as the liaison/communication hub between the NJDOT personnel and the law enforcement community

Hazardous Materials Passenger Transportation Enforcement Unit(HMPTEU) is responsible for roadside hazardous material safety inspections as well as commercial passenger-transporting vehicle inspections. HMPTEU mission is two-fold. They hold the primary responsibility for enforcement of Title 49: Code of Federal Regulations as they relate to the transportation of hazardous materials and inspections of all "Highway Route-Controlled Quantity" of radiological shipments throughout the state. HMPTEU’s other tasking is that of commercial passenger and motor coach safety inspections along the roadside as well as pickup / drop off transit locations.

The second core function of HMPTEU is the safety inspection of all passenger-carrying commercial vehicles to include touring, school, church, airport-type buses as well as livery services along the highway, at passenger inspection facilities, or at loading/unloading terminals throughout the State. The other is enforcing Title 49: Code of Federal Regulations. In conjunction with the NJ Motor Vehicle Commission (NJMVC), unit members conduct post-crash inspections and investigations on those passenger-carrying vehicles involved in serious and/or fatal collisions. They further coordinate the Governor’s School Bus Safety Task Force to ensure proper recordkeeping and safe upkeep of school bus fleets.

The Mobile Safe Freight Training Unit (MSFU) conducts roadside inspections of commercial motor vehicles for not only mobile, statutory enforcement but also to detect those using the transportation industry for nefarious means. The unit provides actionable intelligence on commercial vehicle criminal trafficking patterns, identification of aggressive driver and high-crash corridors, as well as filling the gaps in the homeland security infrastructure safety net. The MSFU enhances the capabilities of the federal Domestic Highway Enforcement initiative through directed stops of land-based vehicles for information gathering, occupant identification, electronic tracker placement or recovery, consent searches, and/or contraband seizing. MSFU assists investigative partners with search warrant execution on vehicles suspected of containing aftermarket, hidden compartments constructed for the furtherance of criminal activity.

The Training Unit, schedules and delivers training in all Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)/ National Training Center (NTC) courses related to commercial vehicle transportation and New Jersey Motor Vehicle Code to any trooper as well as the NJMVC, NY/NJ Port Authority (NY/NY PAPD), Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC), or NJDOT members wishing to become a certified inspector. They also deliver refresher training in FMCSA/ NTC and State Police-related certifications as well as develop/maintain a database of training received for all personnel. They further provide training to municipal police departments and State Police Academy recruits on commercial driver’s license standards, International Registration Plan, and Interstate Fuel Tax Agreement.

Additional services provided by the Training Unit include: conducting safety seminars to requesting private sector and motor carrier industry; regulatory rewrites, updates, guidance, assistance, and comment to the Federal and State Government, agencies authorized to conduct inspections, private sector, and motor carrier associations. Finally, the unit intake, investigate, moderate, and adjudicate Data Quality Challenges; which is, the federal appeals process commercial carriers use to dispute violations received during a safety inspection.

The Comprehensive Safety Analysis Unit (CSAU) function is the safety auditing and the compliance review of those carrier businesses registered with the federal government that are principally-housed within the confines of the State of New Jersey. MCSARU schedules New Entrant Safety Audits as well as Compliance Reviews. Compliance Reviews consist of a comprehensive, forensic analysis of a carrier’s paperwork, their office(s), and list of drivers and vehicles used.

Traffic Incident Management Unit (TIMU) is part of the Statewide Transportation and Incident Management Coordination Program consisting of the Division of State Police, NJDOT, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), as well as the FHWA. This TIMU plays an active role in the overall process of traffic incident management by detecting and verifying any traffic disruption along state transportation corridors effecting mobility for two hours or more. When TIMU is deployed to these major scenes, they coordinate recovery operations of the towing industry and cleanup contractors while implementing contingency plans supportive of the national goal “Keeping Traffic Moving”.

This unit also collaborates with NJDOT engineering staff along with federal, state, county, and local Offices of Emergency Management in the development of detailed diversion and contraflow plans for intra and interstate NJ roadway systems