Alabama enforces truck weight limits via permanent and portable scales. An enforcement officer can order a truck to a scale if it’s within a 5-mile distance.
Sam Adams, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency government affairs director, told state lawmakers that 20% of trucks inspected by the agency receive citations.
Adams testified that half of the citations issued are for overweight violations. He added that half of the overweight violations found at permanent and portable scales are issued to log, pole or lumber haulers.
New law covers appeal process
Effective Oct. 1, a new state law includes a provision to permit truck drivers to challenge the accuracy of portable scales.
If an operator believes an axle weight or gross weight violation is “based on inaccuracies of the portable scales,” two options will be available to challenge the result.
The first option is to request that an enforcement officer accompany the operator and vehicle to the nearest platform scales certified by the Department of Agriculture and Industries. The certified scales must be located within 10 miles.
The second option is for the driver to proceed to the nearest state-certified platform scales within 100 miles without being accompanied by an enforcement officer.
If the axle weights or gross weight of a vehicle is shown by the platform scales at a weigh station to be within the legal limits, including the allowable load tolerance, the truck driver would not be in violation.
Affected truck drivers would need to submit their overweight ticket, the certified platform scale ticket and an affidavit confirming the truck load was not altered en route.
An online appeal process will be available. Once the process is complete, the agency will void the ticket.
George Connor with the Alabama Department of Transportation told lawmakers the bill streamlines the appeal process.
He added that permanent scales are used for appeals.
“To streamline the process, it is much quicker to weigh on a set of permanent scales than it is on a set of portable scales,” Connor said.
Addressing concerns about backups
The new law also sets a limit on the number of trucks detained at portable scales to five at a time. That total includes the vehicle being weighed.
Until now, there has been no limit on how many trucks could be stopped.
Advocates have said the rule change will help prevent backups along highways. Others have said the change will help truckers avoid losing time and money waiting at weigh stations. LL
More Land Line coverage of Alabama news is available.
Credit: Source link
