Log truckers in Maine are concerned about a new weight law that goes into effect in January.
The Bangor Daily News took at extensive look at the subject this week, after a group of loggers met with some of their state representatives to discuss the issue.
Maine highways, with the exception of Interstates, allow heavier limits than the federal 80,000-pound maximum - up to 100,000 pounds.
Under new overweight fines due to go into effect Jan. 31, the fine for a six-axle truck that is 10 percent overweight will remain the same. But for a truck that's 20 percent overweight, or 120,000 pounds, the fine will nearly triple, from $550 to $1,530. And at 130,000 pounds, the fine will more than triple, from $850 to $2,880.
Officials say the overweight fines are needed because of the damage the overweight rigs do to the state's highways, as well as the fact that overloaded trucks pose a safety risk to other vehicles on the roads.
Log truckers say it's very difficult to know exactly how much a loaded truck weighs. Weights of wood vary by the type, as well as the amount of moisture in the wood. There is rarely a nearby scale when coming out of the woods on which to check the load, and on-board scales are sometimes thrown off by the unlevel ground in the woods.
Another concern is the accuracy of portable scales used by police. Truckers told the paper that trucks fined after weighing on police scales weighed in a few thousand pounds less at the mill when they delivered their loads. State officials admitted to the paper that the portable scales, which measure each axle, are inherently less accurate than fixed scales. In addition, law enforcement scales are held to a less strict standard than commercial scales.
Police do generally allow a 2,000- to 2,500-pound leeway. But many log truckers, who operate on an extremely thin profit margin, say just a couple of fines could put them out of business.
The Bangor Daily News took at extensive look at the subject this week, after a group of loggers met with some of their state representatives to discuss the issue.
Maine highways, with the exception of Interstates, allow heavier limits than the federal 80,000-pound maximum - up to 100,000 pounds.
Under new overweight fines due to go into effect Jan. 31, the fine for a six-axle truck that is 10 percent overweight will remain the same. But for a truck that's 20 percent overweight, or 120,000 pounds, the fine will nearly triple, from $550 to $1,530. And at 130,000 pounds, the fine will more than triple, from $850 to $2,880.
Officials say the overweight fines are needed because of the damage the overweight rigs do to the state's highways, as well as the fact that overloaded trucks pose a safety risk to other vehicles on the roads.
Log truckers say it's very difficult to know exactly how much a loaded truck weighs. Weights of wood vary by the type, as well as the amount of moisture in the wood. There is rarely a nearby scale when coming out of the woods on which to check the load, and on-board scales are sometimes thrown off by the unlevel ground in the woods.
Another concern is the accuracy of portable scales used by police. Truckers told the paper that trucks fined after weighing on police scales weighed in a few thousand pounds less at the mill when they delivered their loads. State officials admitted to the paper that the portable scales, which measure each axle, are inherently less accurate than fixed scales. In addition, law enforcement scales are held to a less strict standard than commercial scales.
Police do generally allow a 2,000- to 2,500-pound leeway. But many log truckers, who operate on an extremely thin profit margin, say just a couple of fines could put them out of business.
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