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Trucks Pack on Illegal Pounds

Light penalties, costly gas make cheating attractive; roads and bridges take beating

By Jonas Oransky,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 15, 2007 1:17 PM CST

(Newser) – More American truckers are carrying illegally heavy loads, looking to offset diminished manpower and skyrocketing fuel prices—and light fines encourage cheating, the Christian Science Monitor reports. With road damage at issue following August's Minnesota bridge collapse, 30% of trucks are reportedly overloaded—and each of the 8 million tractor-trailers on US roads has the impact of 5,000 cars.

But the heat might not be on its way: Overloading drivers are willing to risk getting caught—sometimes dodging weigh stations altogether—because fines are lenient. "What we're experiencing is that [trucking companies and drivers] are consciously making a decision to run heavier and taking the risk of being caught instead of paying extra manpower costs or buying additional vehicles," one policeman said.

Many trucking companies are intentionally overloading their vehicles to cut down on gas and fuel costs, knowing that penalties are light.
Many trucking companies are intentionally overloading their vehicles to cut down on gas and fuel costs, knowing that penalties are light.   (Getty Images)
Truck lines up for judging on Friday, June 22, 2007, at the Shell ROTELLA SuperRigs Competition being held through Saturday at the Joplin Petro Stopping Center in Joplin, Mo.  The SuperRigs competition is the premier truck beauty competition for actively working trucks. (AP Photo/Mike Gullett)
Truck lines up for judging on Friday, June 22, 2007, at the Shell ROTELLA SuperRigs Competition being held through Saturday at the Joplin Petro Stopping Center in Joplin, Mo. The SuperRigs competition...   (Associated Press)
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