When people see police cruisers tucked under bridges along major highways or hiding behind a bush, many assume they’re lurking for speeders. Most of them likely are—but if you’re in Tennessee and spot a State Trooper’s cruiser, you might see New York-born Trooper Declan Ryan, an eagle-eyed Navy Vet.

While he certainly keeps an eye out for speeders, he’s mostly looking out for the safety of other drivers. He pays special attention to commercial trucks, eager to enforce the state’s carrier laws.

“I’m looking for tires, making sure there’s no flat tires,” he told WTVF. “I’m looking for the load to make sure there’s a proper amount of straps. When they’re coming by 70-80 mph, it’s hard to pick up those violations sometimes. So you really have to build an eye for it.”

On March 19, he spotted something that he didn’t believe was real at first. The truck’s tag axle looked incredibly suspicious.

There’s an ‘Oaky’ fix, and then there’s whatever this was

The large truck seemed to be driving askew, the tires looked odd, and the truck sat crooked on its frame.

“One side was up and the other side was down, and the side that was down was closest to me. And the tire was leaning outward, almost falling off in a very unnatural position. So that immediately caught my attention,” he recalled. “I instantly knew then, that’s not right.”

Trooper Ryan was quick to stop the driver. When he looked underneath, he immediately spotted the issue: a single ratchet strap was keeping the truck’s axle from falling off. The driver apparently fixed it while the truck was in motion.

“The driver informed me, he noticed something break right before he saw me. Which he was alluding to that axle,” said Trooper Ryan. “Unless you’re a magician, there’s no way to put a ratchet strap down while you’re driving on the interstate.”

The Trooper was worried about the safety of other drivers

After the driver’s reasoning and ‘fix’ sunk in, he couldn’t allow the truck to travel at speed. The truck was immediately removed from service and wouldn’t be allowed on public roads until proper repairs were completed.

“Those axles, that probably weigh a thousand plus pounds, I imagine. That could have done a lot of damage to another vehicle, a person, a bridge,” Ryan said.

Ryan said truckers need to prioritize public safety over making deliveries or reporting damages.

“Just think if your family was driving on the interstate and behind them is a vehicle that is unsafe and unworthy for the road. Would you want that vehicle to be out there? If the answer is no, then you probably shouldn’t drive that vehicle on the road,” he said.