The Midwest Truckers Association recently penned a letter to the Illinois DOT, accusing officers of unfairly targeting truckers in Will County, Illinois.
The letter claims that over $2.5 million was made from overweight tickets on the Manhattan-Monee Road between U.S. Route 52 and U.S. 45.
The MTA says DOT officers camp out at the location and take advantage of confusing signage in order to issue thousands of citations. “County police have figured out if they just sit at that road, they can make some money,” said the MTA’s associate director, Matt Wells.
According to The Herald News, “Truck drivers often use the road to access U.S. 45, but fewer than 1,500 feet west of U.S. 45 lies a culvert with a 15-ton weight limit. When trucks turn onto the road to gain access to U.S. 45, the first sign they see points out a 15-ton weight limit 5 miles ahead.”
“Who in the world would [limit] a structure to 15 tons on a road that has a sign that says truck route? So everyone has logically assumed that the culvert 5 miles ahead is just past [U.S. 45] because the sign says it’s a truck route and they can access U.S. 45 this way.” Wells added.
Local law enforcement believe that the signage is appropriate and clear.
In addition to excessive targeting of truckers, and confusing signage, the Midwest Truckers Association also believes the penalties are excessive.
One truck driver, Martin Lohse, was fined $22,870 for driving over the 15-ton limit culvert with 90,500 pounds. His lawyer tried to reduce the fine in court, arguing that the fine did not match the crime and that it may put his client out of business.
“It may be the law, but the law has to be fair. It can’t be this ‘gotcha’ situation,” Necheles said. “The drainage ditch is obviously underneath the road. It’s hidden. It’s like the death penalty for stealing a pack of gum. This could literally put him out of business.”
The IDOT spokeswoman, Carson Quinn, said they are investigating the signage and may consider changing it in order to improve clarity.
