The Vancouver, Wash., city council has voted unanimously to ban the use of unmuffled engine brakes inside the city limits.

The ban, which goes into effect in 60 days, fines truckers $250 for operating an engine brake without a muffler.
"Most of the trucks already have muffled brakes, so this ordinance would not affect them," Ali Eghtedari, Vancouver transportation engineer, told The Vancouver Columbian. "The only trucks that would be affected are the old trucks."
Vancouver residents said they have been putting up with noisy engine brakes for years. "It is so noisy that when they do it, my dishes actually rattle," Betty Bosser told The Columbian.
Richard Bolin, regional manager in Kent, Wash., for Jacobs Vehicle Systems, a large engine brake manufacturer, didn't try to dissuade the council from passing the ban, but warned enforcement would be difficult. He said the real problem is that Washington does not require trucks to have mufflers.
The state of Colorado found that 37 percent of trucks did not have mufflers. He said it solved the problem by enacting a $500 fine for unmuffled trucks. "You don't drive in Colorado without a muffler on your truck today," Bolin said.
Vancouver City council members are now wondering if the $250 penalty is high enough, and the city attorney is checking to see how much higher they can go.
The new law exempts emergency vehicles. It also allows drivers accused of violating the ordinance to defend themselves in court by arguing engine brakes were used during an emergency to protect people or property.