Meet the Candidates for CVSA Secretary - Tpr William Alarcon

TPR. WILLIAM (BILL) ALARCON, New Jersey State Police, Region I

I am Trooper William (Bill) Alarcon of the New Jersey State Police, and I am running for CVSA secretary. Please accept the following as some insight into my thoughts and experiences.

I’ve been a trooper for more than 17 years. During that time, I’ve been actively engaged in all aspects of commercial motor vehicle (CMV) inspections, (including hazardous materials, passenger carrier vehicles, and performance-based brake testers (PBBT)), new entrant safety audits, post-crash investigations and overweight enforcement. These experiences helped expand my CVSA involvement early on. I have also found New Jersey’s diverse CMV needs to be a great asset. As small a state as we are, we boast one of the most heavily CMV-trafficked highways in North America and one of its largest ports. We have vast farm areas with major agricultural exports and a motorcoach industry that seemingly never stops running to and from New York City and Atlantic City.

Throughout my career, I have pushed myself toward greater involvement (instructor, master instructor, supervisor, etc.). But it’s my time as an inspector, the years spent interacting with drivers and companies daily, that shapes so much of my views. We, at CVSA, constantly talk about communication and collaboration between enforcement and industry. I believe this is where it starts; those concepts build from the bottom up. Even now, I take every opportunity to talk to drivers about their trip, their understanding of their vehicles and the loads they carry. The list of things I learn about what they believe works and what doesn’t goes on and on. I then compare it to a similar list compiled from our inspectors. When the April and September CVSA meetings roll around, I use what I’ve learned to help facilitate unified, uniform answers that can be passed on to inspectors, drivers and companies alike.

I teach North American Standard Part A and B Inspections, Passenger Carrier Vehicle Inspections, PBBT and weights/dimensions to troopers and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. This is my chance to ensure the fruits of our collaboration are passed to the right hands, in the right way. But this endeavor is not without challenges. Throughout conversations with my peers, I hear some common difficulties inspectors and agencies face, such as getting properly equipped with materials, receiving an updated curriculum, and maintaining and growing a staff of instructors, despite a wealth of qualified candidates. As the CVSA training program moves forward, we must endeavor to work with our current instructors and build a program that supports their needs. At the same time, we need to support industry by sharing much of the same information and education across their ranks. I believe well-trained, knowledgeable inspectors conducting uniform inspections is a great start.

I am committed to CVSA and our mission. I have been the Region I president, chaired the Passenger Carrier Committee, and currently chair the Policy and Regulatory Affairs Committee and the Reauthorization Task Force. As I worked my way toward these positions, I studied leaders across the Alliance. Even now, I’m still learning. During board meetings, I listen to topics being discussed in every program and committee, and how our leadership is attempting to achieve the best results. I was also fortunate enough to take part in developing the CVSA Strategic Plan, which was another opportunity to see many accomplished CVSA members collaborate on guiding the Alliance to a strong, successful future. As a result, I maintain my belief that we must continue to support our current chairs and facilitate them moving the Alliance forward via their respective committees.

I also believe we must identify those waiting in the wings and prepare them to continue our growth. I have always been grateful to receive guidance from those with more experience, and I believe we can share our collective knowledge with the next generation of region/committee leaders long before they step into these roles. Because of your collective work, there is a bright future on the CVSA horizon. We should not overlook this, or any opportunity to invest in it.

Vote for CVSA Secretary

Class I Member jurisdictions and Class II Local Membership will vote for secretary at the 2024 CVSA Annual Conference and Exhibition this September in Big Sky, Montana.

Remember, when you cast your vote for secretary, you are electing a future CVSA president. The secretary position is a one-year term, which transitions to a year as vice president, followed by a year serving as president, after which comes three years serving as past president.

Get to know this year’s candidates by reading the articles written by each candidate, which include information on their careers, philosophies on commercial motor vehicle safety and qualifications for serving as the next secretary of CVSA.