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TRI-STATES -- You'll see more tractor trailers and other commercial vehicles pulled over by state law enforcement officers the next couple of days.

It's all part of a three day blitz, in which state troopers in all three of the Tri-States will be joining together to pull over as many commercial vehicles as possible to perform motor carrier safety inspections.

That's when troopers check truck drivers' logs and verify licenses, as well as make sure the truck isn't running overweight or unsafe. Troopers are focusing on drivers who are unlicensed or driving unsafely and their trucks which may be driving overweight.

They say the purpose of this enforcement detail isn't to issue tickets, it's to remind drivers of the importance of staying in compliance to keep the highways safe for everyone.

According to the Illinois State Police, in 2008, one out of nine traffic fatalities involved a commercial motor vehicle colliding with a regular car or truck. Those accidents killed more than four thousand people in 2008.

Troopers say while this detail is to keep everyone safe on the road, keeping overweight trucks *off* the road will help the highways you drive on every day.

Illinois State Police Trooper Todd Teel said, "Most commercial vehicles are larger and it takes them longer to stop and drivers are on the road for a longer time. There are more violations for the weight they carry."

Missouri Highway Patrol Trooper Clinton Duppong said, "The roads and bridges are not designed to take that much weight and they are designed to take cares at specific speeds at specific weights. That's why the infrastructure of the roadways are in the states they are. That's why the roads are pushing up and bridges are crumbling and coming apart."

Last year during this safety blitz, troopers from all three states stopped nearly 200 trucks and found violations so serious that 31 vehicles or their drivers were taken off the road.

Troopers also want to remind folks that rules and regulations of semis vary by state.  Also commercial vehicles include many farm vehicles and work trucks, so know the rules in the places you are driving.