Safe Driver Week Results Show Nearly 2,000 CMV Citations

Commercial motor vehicle drivers received nearly 2,000 citations during this year’s Safe Driver Week as law enforcement agencies across North America targeted unsafe driving behaviors.

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance released the 2026 Operation Safe Driver Week results on October 5. Officers interacted with 8,083 commercial and passenger vehicle drivers during the weeklong campaign.

Overall, officers issued 2,604 citations and 3,968 warnings. Commercial motor vehicle drivers accounted for 1,956 citations and 3,409 warnings. Passenger vehicle drivers received 648 citations and 559 warnings.

Safe Driver Week Reached 36 U.S. States

The 2026 Safe Driver Week took place July 12-18. Law enforcement agencies from 36 U.S. states, seven Canadian provinces and Mexico participated.

The annual initiative combines traffic enforcement with education and outreach. Officers watch for unsafe behaviors by both commercial motor vehicle drivers and passenger vehicle drivers.

This year’s special focus was reckless, careless and dangerous driving.

According to CVSA, these behaviors involve disregard for the safety of people or property on the road. Unsafe behaviors such as speeding, distracted driving and aggressive driving remain a major focus of the organization’s enforcement programs.

Speeding Leads Safe Driver Week Violations

Speeding was the most frequently cited unsafe driving behavior during the 2026 operation.

Across commercial and passenger vehicles, officers issued 691 speeding citations and 1,003 warnings.

Commercial motor vehicle drivers received 342 citations and 772 warnings for speeding. Passenger vehicle drivers received 349 citations and 231 warnings.

Interestingly, passenger vehicle drivers received slightly more speeding citations than CMV drivers, despite commercial drivers receiving far more speeding warnings.

Speeding has consistently been a major target during Safe Driver Week. CVSA says speeding has been involved in more than one-quarter of U.S. crash deaths since 2008.

Other Violations Found Among Commercial Drivers

Speeding was not the only issue officers found among commercial motor vehicle drivers.

Failure to obey a traffic control device resulted in 319 citations and 652 warnings for CMV drivers.

Seat belt violations were another significant category. Commercial drivers received 270 citations and 267 warnings for failing to wear a seat belt.

Officers also issued 136 citations and 106 warnings to CMV drivers for texting or using a handheld device while driving.

Other violations included improper lane changes, following too closely and failure to yield the right of way.

Drug or alcohol possession, use or impairment resulted in 22 citations and 12 warnings among commercial motor vehicle drivers.

Reckless and Dangerous Driving Was the 2026 Focus

Although reckless, careless and dangerous driving was this year’s special focus, it accounted for a relatively small portion of the enforcement totals.

Officers issued 33 citations and 83 warnings across commercial and passenger vehicles for those behaviors.

Commercial motor vehicle drivers received 22 citations and 50 warnings. Passenger vehicle drivers received 11 citations and 33 warnings.

The special emphasis changes from year to year. During the 2025 operation, CVSA focused on reckless, careless and inattentive driving. Speeding was also the leading violation that year.

Safe Driver Week Also Focused on Education

Not every interaction during the enforcement campaign resulted in a ticket or warning.

More than 2,880 driver contacts, representing more than one-third of all contacts during the week, ended without either. CVSA said officers instead used those interactions to discuss safe driving practices with drivers.

CVSA also distributed 64,450 postcards to enforcement and industry members for use before and during the campaign.

Mexico distributed another 12,428 educational materials, including flyers, pamphlets and posters.

CVSA also worked with Paramount/CBS on a campaign aimed at teaching passenger vehicle drivers how to safely share roads with large trucks. According to the organization, that digital campaign generated 16.4 million impressions.

Human Trafficking Awareness Included in Safe Driver Week

The 2026 operation went beyond traffic violations.

Participating agencies reported conducting 974 human trafficking awareness or educational activities during Safe Driver Week.

CVSA operates a Human Trafficking Prevention Program aimed at helping law enforcement, commercial motor vehicle industry members and the public recognize potential indicators of trafficking.

Commercial truck drivers and other transportation workers can encounter situations that may place them in a position to recognize suspicious activity, making the trucking industry part of broader awareness efforts.

Safe Driver Enforcement Continues Beyond the Annual Campaign

Safe Driver Week is one part of CVSA’s year-round Operation Safe Driver Program.

The program targets unsafe behavior by both commercial and passenger vehicle drivers through enforcement and education. CVSA launched the Operation Safe Driver campaign with government agencies, law enforcement and the trucking industry in 2007.

The latest results show commercial drivers accounted for most warnings and citations issued during the 2026 campaign. However, enforcement was not limited to trucks. Passenger vehicle drivers were also stopped and cited for behaviors including speeding, distracted driving and reckless driving.