State cops cracking down on truckers
Truckers, be on alert.
Illinois State Police and the Department of Transportation are setting up daily temporary weigh stations throughout the Northwest suburbs.
Wednesday's spot was on busy Randall Road, just north of Silver Glen Road, in South Elgin.
"Monday through Friday we have scales set up in different spots," Sgt. Juan Morales said.
The stations are usually set up for three to four hours each morning, Morales said. "The problem is, once you get set up the word gets out. People start going around us, using other routes."
The scales, Morales said, are delivered to their respective locations by IDOT officials. Checks are run by state police officers.
While pickup trucks are exempt, any truck heavier than 5 tons must stop at the weigh stations, Morales said.
After checking that a truck's load is secure and its weight is within the appropriate limits, police give trucks a full inspection.
"They look over the vehicle to make sure there are no other violations -- tires, brakes, anything else they can see mechanically," Morales said.
Drivers' logs, medical cards and licenses are also run through the computer, he said.
The purpose of the roving weigh stations, Morales said, is to make sure large trucks aren't doing any unnecessary damage to roadways.
Side roads and larger roads like Randall each withstand different amounts of weight -- usually between 73,280 and 80,000 pounds, Morales said.
"If you're ever driving and coming up to a ripple in the roadway ... that's heavy trucks causing damage by sitting there and pushing down on the asphalt. The damage a truck can do is much more than hundreds of cars can do," he said.
Randall Road, Morales said, can support 80,000 pounds of truck at a time.
Of the 65 trucks weighed Wednesday on Route 47, only one received a citation -- a $420 fine for being 3,500 pounds over the limit.
Several other truckers received written warnings, Morales said.
On Thursday, Morales said, police plan to stop trucks at Routes 47 and 14 in Woodstock.
Picking locations "is a totally random thing," he said.