Did you see where Wise County wants to install their own weigh station? County commissioners approved the thing. Their reason? (Besides keeping the cash from fines)
The recent wrecks involving trucks where car drivers were at fault.
I understand we have an abnormally large amount of truck traffic in the WC, but we also already have an abnormally large presence of police supervision. Trucks are allowed to carry overloads up to 84,000 lbs on every single load simply by purchasing a cheap (it used to be $200, it may have changed) permit that is good for 1 year. That permit allows trucks to carry 84,000 lbs per load on every single road in the state except load limit bridges.
The name for the new weigh station? How about the Former DPS Officer Turned Lame Duck Politician Robert Rankin Memorial Checkpoint And Toll Gate? (Rankin was the DPS Weights and Measures Officer for forever and a day in Wise County.)
No bias there at all...
The level of inspection they are proposing would be unequaled in the United States between Tennessee and California. 287 is a major southern cross country alternative to I-40 or I-10. How long do you think it will take for word to spread among truckers to avoid 287 because of the Decatur "gung ho" weighstation? Wouldn't the loss of traffic not only effect Decatur and Wise County, but also every town along the route from Amarillo to Little Rock?
The problem is not with junky, doped up, overweight trucks that tear up our roads and kill innocent law abiding citizens. The problem is with Darwin thinning the heard of inept car drivers and the state with giving away overload permits for quick cash. This is nothing more than a blatant move to raise money on the back of the trucking industry that would punish the lowest member of the foodchain, the already struggling truck driver.
I don't see any complaints or intrusive countermeasures about the state selling overload permits or designing dangerous intersections.
The recent wrecks involving trucks where car drivers were at fault.
I understand we have an abnormally large amount of truck traffic in the WC, but we also already have an abnormally large presence of police supervision. Trucks are allowed to carry overloads up to 84,000 lbs on every single load simply by purchasing a cheap (it used to be $200, it may have changed) permit that is good for 1 year. That permit allows trucks to carry 84,000 lbs per load on every single road in the state except load limit bridges.
The name for the new weigh station? How about the Former DPS Officer Turned Lame Duck Politician Robert Rankin Memorial Checkpoint And Toll Gate? (Rankin was the DPS Weights and Measures Officer for forever and a day in Wise County.)
No bias there at all...
The level of inspection they are proposing would be unequaled in the United States between Tennessee and California. 287 is a major southern cross country alternative to I-40 or I-10. How long do you think it will take for word to spread among truckers to avoid 287 because of the Decatur "gung ho" weighstation? Wouldn't the loss of traffic not only effect Decatur and Wise County, but also every town along the route from Amarillo to Little Rock?
The problem is not with junky, doped up, overweight trucks that tear up our roads and kill innocent law abiding citizens. The problem is with Darwin thinning the heard of inept car drivers and the state with giving away overload permits for quick cash. This is nothing more than a blatant move to raise money on the back of the trucking industry that would punish the lowest member of the foodchain, the already struggling truck driver.
I don't see any complaints or intrusive countermeasures about the state selling overload permits or designing dangerous intersections.
How about we require yearly driving tests for people over 65 and make them do a quick random safety checkup every time they drive thru Decatur?
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