Truckers Get $15,563 In Fines

Newtown police and the state truck enforcement squad conducted a commercial motor vehicle checkpoint from 6 am to 1:30 pm June 4 on South Main Street, near Sand Hill Plaza, issuing more than $15,500 in fines to truckers.

Newtown patrol officers Chris Vadas and Maryhelen McCarthy worked with the truck squad on the enforcement project, police said.

 Most violations issued involved overly long, overly wide, and overweight vehicles. Police also issued violations concerning unsecured loads, failure to have an annual inspection, failure to have brake lights, failure to carry appropriate truck markings, and failure to have a truck registration.

Police issued 23 tickets during the enforcement project for $15,563 in fines. Six of the vehicles that they stopped were taken out of service and parked due to serious violations.

In April, in a similar enforcement project in the same area, police issued about $18,000 in fines in the form of 30 tickets.

The town is receiving grant funds from the state Office of Policy and Management for the truck enforcement project, plus additional radar patrols during rush periods.

The grant money has covered 76 hours of police overtime for radar patrols, during which enforcement action was taken against 100 motorists, according to Sergeant Chris Vanghele.