Elk Grove Village hikes fine for overnight truck parking from $30 to $750

Elk Grove Village police will be cracking down on over-the-road truckers who park overnight on side streets throughout the industrial park by levying higher fines.

Citing a "rampant" increase in the number of trucks parked along streets in the business park, the village board this week agreed with Police Chief Chuck Walsh's request to hike the minimum fine per offense from $30 to $300 for trucks parked from 10 p.m. to a.m. The maximum fine is $750.

Parking still is prohibited from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., but officers will tell truck drivers beginning at 7 p.m. first to "move along" before issuing citations and fines starting at 10 p.m., Walsh said.

"We want to be business-friendly during the day, but at night when the factories are closed, there's no reason for the streets to be filled," Walsh said.

The chief said complaints from business owners about the overnight trucks, verified by police officers patrolling the beat, have grown in the last nine months. Drivers often are coming from across the country and don't know where to park overnight before dropping off their loads when businesses open in the morning, Walsh said.

There's truck parking allowed at Love's Travel Stop at Busse Road and Pratt Boulevard, for instance, but a number of trucks have clustered on nearby streets, he said.

Any person, firm or corporation found to be in violation is subject to the increased fines, according to the village ordinance.

Enforcement will begin May 6.