NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEBRASKA STATE PATROL
www.nsp.state.ne.us
Contact:  Deb Collins 402-479-4985
January 31, 2008   

Carrier Officers Work to Keep
Overweight Trucks off the Road

(Lincoln, NE) – On Tuesday, January 29, 2008, Troopers with the Carrier Enforcement Division of the Nebraska State Patrol issued citations totaling possible fines of $8,050.00, to four drivers of the same Omaha Trucking Company.

At approximately 1:45 p.m., on Tuesday, January 29, 2008, Troopers working in the Lincoln area stopped a ten axle semi hauling concrete bridge girders.   One of the vehicle’s axles was raised in the air, indicating a possible weight violation.  The load proved to be overweight and the driver was cited.  Around 5:19 p.m., three similar semi’s from the same trucking company pulled into the westbound Interstate 80 weigh station near North Platte and were also found to be overweight.  The three drivers were also cited.

While all four vehicles had been issue special permits by the Nebraska Department of Roads, all four vehicles exceeded the permitted weights, in one case by more than 9,000 lbs.  While such permits are often issued to vehicles hauling non-divisible construction material or equipment, the permits include many conditions that must be met and adhered to in order to be valid.  The four vehicles in question averaged 145,850 lbs. gross weight.

“While trucks are an absolute necessity for the transportation of our nation’s goods, it is imperative that they operate legally,” said Carrier Enforcement Captain Gerry Krolikowski.  “Past studies indicate one legal fully-loaded five axle semi can cause the same amount of pavement damage as approximately 9,600 passenger cars.”

With highway construction costs ever increasing and a decrease in available funds to commit to such construction, Troopers assigned with the Carrier Enforcement Division are staying vigilant in making sure that the laws regulating vehicle weight are not being violated.

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