Four Denton County law enforcement agencies conducted safety inspections on tractor-trailers for two days.
Denton County deputies and Lewisville, Carrollton and Denton police found everything from simple paperwork infractions to dangerous mechanical issues.
One big rig had expired license plates on the truck and trailer, Lewisville Officer Scott Hill said. Some vehicles had deficient brakes or bald tires. Other rigs had bad hitching systems and equipment that was about to fall off the their trailers.
"This particular trailer, earlier, when I stopped it, did not have straps securing this lumber. ... As it vibrated going down the road, it could slide out the back," Hill said.
Of the more than 60 trucks pulled over, only four were deemed completely safe, Hill said.
More than half of the 36 trucks given a federal inspection failed and were forced to stay off the road until the problems were fixed.
"When you don't have machinery or this stuff strapped down properly [or] the brakes not working,
the potential for a catastrophic event is very high," Hill said.
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The four trucks that were considered safe were rewarded with a sticker that exempts them from inspections for a few weeks.
NBC 5's Omar Villafranca contributed to this report.
