A bill that would have addressed the problem of overweight coal trucks is dead in the West Virginia legislature for this year.
The bill would have quintupled fines, to a maximum of $7,500 per violation. It also called for increased enforcement and tightened reporting requirements for shippers. Amendments would have seen trucks required to use tarps, have quarterly inspections and abide by 45-mph speed limits. The state's coal industry said the bill would be devastating for their business.
Coal trucks routinely carry more than twice the 80,000 pound limit in the state, and proponents of the bill say overloaded coal trucks have been the cause of a number of fatal accidents.
The coal industry had sought a compromise that would have raised in-state truck weight limits to 126,000 pounds, with similar tougher penalties for violators, but weaker reporting requirements.
The coal industry requested a public hearing on the bill, and there was not enough time to provide it before the legislative session ended Saturday. However, the bill's sponsor, Democrat Mike Caputo, said he hopes a public outcry will persuade Gov. Bob Wise to call a special session sometime during the year on the issue.
The bill would have quintupled fines, to a maximum of $7,500 per violation. It also called for increased enforcement and tightened reporting requirements for shippers. Amendments would have seen trucks required to use tarps, have quarterly inspections and abide by 45-mph speed limits. The state's coal industry said the bill would be devastating for their business.
Coal trucks routinely carry more than twice the 80,000 pound limit in the state, and proponents of the bill say overloaded coal trucks have been the cause of a number of fatal accidents.
The coal industry had sought a compromise that would have raised in-state truck weight limits to 126,000 pounds, with similar tougher penalties for violators, but weaker reporting requirements.
The coal industry requested a public hearing on the bill, and there was not enough time to provide it before the legislative session ended Saturday. However, the bill's sponsor, Democrat Mike Caputo, said he hopes a public outcry will persuade Gov. Bob Wise to call a special session sometime during the year on the issue.
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