Iowa State Patrol Commercial Motor Vehicle Unit

Iowa State Patrol Commercial Motor Vehicle Unit Welcome to the Iowa State Patrol's Commercial Motor Vehicle Unit official page. REMINDER: This page is NOT an emergency response page.

The Commercial Motor Vehicle Unit (CMVU) falls under the Iowa State Patrol, which is one of seven Divisions under the Iowa Department of Public Safety. CMVU promotes highway safety through education and enforcement of all Iowa laws and federal motor carrier safety regulations as they pertain to commercial motor vehicles and their drivers. We accomplish this by:

- Enforcing traffic and criminal la

w to promote the safety of the public and reduce crashes to expedite traffic flow and freight movement.

- Inspecting commercial vehicles and drivers to determine compliance with state and federal laws relating to driver qualification, hours of service, driver licensing, vehicle size and weight, and vehicle safety compliance.

- Protecting Iowa’s highway system and infrastructure through the enforcement of size, weight, and cargo laws.

- Providing training to the motor carrier industry, social groups, law enforcement, and other governmental groups.

- Assisting other law enforcement officers when requested or when the situation dictates.. If you have an emergency, please call 911. The CMVU page is not the appropriate venue to make complaints about individuals, businesses or organizations, CMVU, or otherwise. This site does not accept requests for public information under Iowa Open Records Statutes. Instead, please use our resources and guidelines at the bottom of the page. This is an open forum, and CMVU welcomes your participation. Keep in mind this is a family-friendly page, so please keep comments and wall posts clean. We ask that you follow our page guidelines. We do not discriminate against any views but will remove any posts that violate the guidelines listed below:

- You participate at your own risk, taking personal responsibility for your comments, your username and any information provided. Users who repeatedly violate the guidelines may be blocked from the CMVU page.

- No graphic, obscene, explicit, or racial comments or submissions will be allowed, nor will comments that are abusive, threatening and/or hateful or intended to defame anyone or any organization.

- No solicitations or advertisements. This includes promotion or endorsement of any financial, commercial, non-government agencies and political views. Similarly, we do not allow attempts to defame or defraud any financial, commercial, or non-government agencies.

- No copyrighted or trademarked images or graphics.

- No comments or photos that suggest or encourage illegal activity.

- Apparent spam will be removed and may cause the author(s) to be blocked from the page without notice. The Commercial Motor Vehicle Unit will make every effort to monitor the contents of this page and ensure its content is of an appropriate nature. The appearance of external links on this site does not constitute official endorsement on behalf of CMVU, the Iowa State Patrol, or of the Iowa Department of Public Safety. Only those explicitly authorized can post comments on behalf of the Department. For general information, please email [email protected]. To request information or records, please email [email protected].

Yesterday, one of our CMVU Troopers discovered a driveline/driveshaft violation involving a broken retainer bolt on a un...
08/30/2026

Yesterday, one of our CMVU Troopers discovered a driveline/driveshaft violation involving a broken retainer bolt on a universal joint. Although not verified, the equipment appeared to be tampered with. Thankfully, this issue was caught before a more serious issue occurred.

Brake Safety Week began today and runs through August 29th. Our focus will be on brake drum and air disc brake rotor con...
08/24/2026

Brake Safety Week began today and runs through August 29th. Our focus will be on brake drum and air disc brake rotor conditions. Please take the time to conduct thorough pre- and post-trip inspections. Below are a couple photos from previous inspections conducted by our CMVU Troopers.

Tire issues are common, unlike the driveline/driveshaft discussed in our last post. However, tires should never be negle...
08/19/2026

Tire issues are common, unlike the driveline/driveshaft discussed in our last post. However, tires should never be neglected to the point the cord is exposed. Fortunately, our CMVU Trooper discovered this violation yesterday before the tire failed.

08/19/2026

DCI Charges Subject in Homicide and Attempted Murder of a Peace Officer. Full story at the link below.
https://ow.ly/pKT250ZByh9

08/14/2026

Recently, one of our CVMU Troopers conducted a roadside inspection and discovered movement between opposing yoke ends of the truck’s driveline/driveshaft. While this is a relatively uncommon find, it still presents a significant safety concern.

Here are photos of violations discovered during inspections, including damaged brake hoses and improper repairs. Damaged...
08/12/2026

Here are photos of violations discovered during inspections, including damaged brake hoses and improper repairs. Damaged brake hoses can create a serious safety risk. When damage is identified, always ensure the repair is completed properly.

08/08/2026

Recently, one of our CMVU Troopers discovered loose mounting bolts on a steering gear box. Routinely checking bolts for looseness is a great way to catch issues before they become worse.

Please join us in congratulating Sergeant Joseph Scott on his promotion to Lieutenant, Commercial Motor Vehicle Unit – A...
08/05/2026

Please join us in congratulating Sergeant Joseph Scott on his promotion to Lieutenant, Commercial Motor Vehicle Unit – Area C.

Sergeant Joseph Scott earned his Associate of Arts degree from Iowa Central Community College. He began his law enforcement career as a Police Officer with the Webster City Police Department from 1995 to 1998. In 1998, he graduated from the 25th DPS Basic Academy and transferred to District 8 – Mason City. In 2021, he transferred to District 15 and was promoted to Sergeant in CMVU Area C in 2024.

Throughout his career, Sergeant Scott has served as a Trooper Pilot, Field Training Officer, and Standardized Field Sobriety Test and Radar/Lidar instructor. He has also been a member of the Honor Guard and the MCSAP unit and has served as a SPOC board member.

We congratulate Lieutenant Scott on this well-deserved promotion and thank him for his continued dedication to our community!

Trooper Arbegast graduated from Odebolt-Arthur Community Schools. In 2009, he graduated from the Iowa Law Enforcement Ac...
08/04/2026

Trooper Arbegast graduated from Odebolt-Arthur Community Schools. In 2009, he graduated from the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy and began his career with the Iowa Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Enforcement (DOT MVE), he has also served as a Reserve Officer with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office since 2012. In 2018, he was promoted to Sergeant with the DOT MVE. In 2025, he took on the role of Public Resource Officer with District 9 – Cedar Falls. Throughout his career, Trooper Arbegast has been a Field Training Officer, Honor Guard member, Mobile Field Force member, and has instructed courses such as Radar/Lidar and Precision Driving.

We congratulate Sergeant Arbegast on this well-deserved promotion and thank him for his continued dedication to our state!

A great message everyone should think about before they travel unfamiliar roadways or in unfamiliar vehicles!
07/30/2026

A great message everyone should think about before they travel unfamiliar roadways or in unfamiliar vehicles!

We saw 22 bridge hits last year, and this railroad bridge in Des Moines was hit twice just this month!

🚚Know your vehicle height before you go.
⚠️Pay attention to clearance signs.
📵 Don't rely on GPS to alert you to low-clearance bridges.

We have a whole list of vertical clearance maps on our website: https://iowadot.gov/motor-carriers/maps -clearance-maps-and-listings

Need a permit? Find out here: https://iowadot.gov/motor-carriers/how-do-i-get-oversize-overweight-permits/permit-requirements

Address

215 E 7th Street
Des Moines, IA
50319

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