Truck Inspection Stop

Yields $23,000 In Fines

By Andrew Gorosko

Town police and state police conducted a commercial truck enforcement project on September 10 on lower South Main Street, issuing tickets totaling almost $23,000 in fines for various vehicular violations.

Two Newtown police officers, plus officers from the state police’s western district truck enforcement squad, held the enforcement program from 6 am to 2 pm, according to Newtown police Sergeant Chris Vanghele.

Such enforcement projects are designed to locate truckers who are violating laws pertaining to commercial trucking.

Inspectors were especially interested in finding trucks traveling on South Main Street which were overweight, longer than allowed, and were unsafe to be on the road due to equipment violations, according to Sgt Vanghele.

Twenty five of the 33 trucks which were stopped and inspected were found to be in violation of commercial vehicles laws, representing more than 75 percent of the trucks which were pulled over, according to the sergeant.

 As a result of the inspections, 22 trucks were taken out of service until problems could be fixed. One driver was stopped from driving, he said.

Inspectors found seven trucks to be overweight.

Inspectors issued 26 tickets to the truckers, resulting in $22,831 in fines.

The September 10 inspection work was the third such commercial vehicle enforcement project held locally since last April. On June 4, inspectors issued $15,563 in fines. On April 23, the inspectors issued tickets resulting in more than $18,000 in fines.

A local law enforcement block grant program administered by the state Office of Policy and Management covered costs for the truck enforcement program.

Newtown police plan to conduct more truck enforcement projects in the future, according to Sgt Vanghele.