Crackdown on commercial vehicles begins
Sheriff’s deputies have stepped up enforcement of traffic and safety rules for commercial vehicles since Oct. 1 to control what some see as dangerous conditions on area roads.
The increase resulted in five arrests and 199 citations in 30 days against trucks driving through the county. Many citations issued by Deputies James Novian and Matthew Dill, who oversee the program, involve tractor-trailer rigs that are over roads’ weight limits.
According to the sheriff’s Web site, the deputies have been diligent in working locations where the county has received specific complaints from the public about commercial vehicle violations.
The presence of enforcement officers and scales, along with a record of citing more than 200 safety violations in 30 days will help the county enforce compliance with trucking. Considering that the officers did not have the use of scales until Oct. 23, Sheriff Bob Alford said, their record for October is even more outstanding.
Although fines for overweight trucks are high, the number of wrecks involving these trucks is significant, Precinct 2 Commissioner John Matthews said, and one truck was cited for being more than 30,000 pounds over the weight limit. Too-heavy trucks damage county roads.
“Unfortunately the gas companies are taking a hit from the public standpoint on this, but the truckers are not employees of the gas company. They are subcontractors,” Matthews said.
Oil and gas companies in the area voluntarily offer most of the precincts money each year to repair damage caused to county roads by heavy truck traffic, although they are not obligated to do so.
Tutle & Tutle Trucking Inc., a trucking company in Cleburne, said it takes several measures to ensure the safety of their trucks and drivers. Spokesman Sadie Salinas said the company has a point system to monitor individual drivers’ safety.
The company also inspects each truck before every trip, monitors drivers’ driving records and maintains equipment to strict safety standards, Salinas said.
If the truck needs to go over the legal weight limit of 80,000 pounds, Salinas said, the company purchases an additional permit for the extra weight to ensure the company trucks remain safe and follow the law.
The program is important, Matthews said, because it will improve the safety of roads in the county and make it safer for residents.
Matthews said that having four enforcement officers would further benefit the county.
“The success has just been fantastic, but if we had more weights and measures in more precincts, we would see an increase in compliance,” Matthews said.
Matthews said the court will probably continue to discuss the addition of two more officers to the program, but the discussions probably won’t come up until next year.
Although the revenue brought in from citations has been high — $36,642 — the goal of the program is safety, not revenue, Matthews said.
Sheriff Bob Alford gave a report on the program’s progress to the commissioners Dec. 10.
“We’re trying for voluntary compliance,” Alford said.
