More inspectors are out on local roads and side streets as a statewide truck safety crackdown intensifies.

Police say a lot of trucks take shortcuts through local roads to avoid major highways where the state?s truck inspectors catch violators. Weston Police Officer Travis Arnette says he has been hunting down unsafe trucks for more than a year.

Arnette says there are over 200 violations he can look for when he pulls a truck over, but he usually looks for the basics. Some of the basics include checking the equipment the truck is carrying to make sure it is secure and looking for Department of Transportation numbers.

Since the crackdown on trucks last month, state inspectors have stopped almost 650 trucks. More than a quarter of those trucks were taken off the road for their violations.

For more on News 12 Connecticut?s ride along with Officer Arnette, go to channel 612 on your iO digital cable box and select iO Extra.