How many who pull 48, 53, (or even 57 in some states) foot trailers or twin pups and who have a "hood" out front ever pay much attention to those orange highlighted routes in thier hopefully, current trucker's atlas?
One recent day I devoted the whole day to a certain trouble spot we have with long nose tractors pulling 53 foot trailers over a twisty route plainly marked "Trucks over 65 feet long prohibited" by 9' wide x 5' high signs posted plainly.
Those I caught above the signs, or "past" them ... recieved "fail to obey highway signs" tickets which are prepayable at $86 total, but which also carry points.
Those I stopped below, or "before" the signs were given an "overlength" ticket, no points, but are only $96 total prepayable ... and they were directed out to the interstate once again to go the long way around (adds maybe 75 miles).
The thing is, none of the drivers knew we had a length law nor what it was, and they all to a man had a 2004 or 2005 Trucker's Atlas with all the info there in full color charts up front. None out of the bunch I caught (could have been more, but I was busy when them others slipped past) admitted to knowing what the highlighted routes on the maps were for. The thinking "the dispatcher sent me this way, so it must be legal" is seemingly common. Several stated they thought they could drive it anywhere because of all the small roads the company sends them on routinely.
These are $40 books. The info is there, and in the case of my state, appears correct. These roads are not listed under "restricted routes" becauise they aren't restricted as long as one is compliant with state length and width and weight laws. When one drives the oversize (yes, they are officially designated as "oversize" when they exceed those limits) truck on an approved STAA route as indicated by the orange highlighting, they are exempt from the state's size laws as they pertain to other roads. When they drive that truck on any unapproved route, they are not exempt.
There are two charts up front, one deals with federal size and weights, and it pertains to the STAA overdeminsional truck sizes as allowed on interstate and qualifying state and US highways. Those routes that are highlighted actually.
The other chart is a page or two later, and it spells out each individual state's size and weight restrictions that still apply when one is not on those certain approved routes.
If one is off the approved routes and driving one of these really big, often 70 plus foot long tractor trailer combinations .... it usually is a non point violation like "overlength", but if one has also driven on by signs stating that the road ahead is prohibited based on that size .... then one may well get some points on the MVR for a moving violation like "failure to obey a highway sign" brings.
Some troopers here have been known to follow (we have to follow untill we find a wide spot to make the stop anyway) and upon seeing one make an excessively wide swing out to get around a curve, write both the "fail to obey etc" cite for even being there as well as an additional one for "reckless driving" for the wide turns that take some all the way across the oncoming lane.
In reality, there is no way to drive one of these trucks that are 70+ feet long and 8 1/2 feet wide across these mountains on these non approved routes without using half the other lane in some curves, but some drivers just do it with more caution evident.
Anyways, I thought maybe this would be a good place to post this, maybe it will help some (who maybe didn't know) ... that when they paid $40, they got more than a simple road map. The cost of the book can be more than saved by a single ticket, or wreck, or the points.
The roadmap alone, without highlighting and charts, can be had for about $5 on sale.
Goodnight all ...................
One recent day I devoted the whole day to a certain trouble spot we have with long nose tractors pulling 53 foot trailers over a twisty route plainly marked "Trucks over 65 feet long prohibited" by 9' wide x 5' high signs posted plainly.
Those I caught above the signs, or "past" them ... recieved "fail to obey highway signs" tickets which are prepayable at $86 total, but which also carry points.
Those I stopped below, or "before" the signs were given an "overlength" ticket, no points, but are only $96 total prepayable ... and they were directed out to the interstate once again to go the long way around (adds maybe 75 miles).
The thing is, none of the drivers knew we had a length law nor what it was, and they all to a man had a 2004 or 2005 Trucker's Atlas with all the info there in full color charts up front. None out of the bunch I caught (could have been more, but I was busy when them others slipped past) admitted to knowing what the highlighted routes on the maps were for. The thinking "the dispatcher sent me this way, so it must be legal" is seemingly common. Several stated they thought they could drive it anywhere because of all the small roads the company sends them on routinely.
These are $40 books. The info is there, and in the case of my state, appears correct. These roads are not listed under "restricted routes" becauise they aren't restricted as long as one is compliant with state length and width and weight laws. When one drives the oversize (yes, they are officially designated as "oversize" when they exceed those limits) truck on an approved STAA route as indicated by the orange highlighting, they are exempt from the state's size laws as they pertain to other roads. When they drive that truck on any unapproved route, they are not exempt.
There are two charts up front, one deals with federal size and weights, and it pertains to the STAA overdeminsional truck sizes as allowed on interstate and qualifying state and US highways. Those routes that are highlighted actually.
The other chart is a page or two later, and it spells out each individual state's size and weight restrictions that still apply when one is not on those certain approved routes.
If one is off the approved routes and driving one of these really big, often 70 plus foot long tractor trailer combinations .... it usually is a non point violation like "overlength", but if one has also driven on by signs stating that the road ahead is prohibited based on that size .... then one may well get some points on the MVR for a moving violation like "failure to obey a highway sign" brings.
Some troopers here have been known to follow (we have to follow untill we find a wide spot to make the stop anyway) and upon seeing one make an excessively wide swing out to get around a curve, write both the "fail to obey etc" cite for even being there as well as an additional one for "reckless driving" for the wide turns that take some all the way across the oncoming lane.
In reality, there is no way to drive one of these trucks that are 70+ feet long and 8 1/2 feet wide across these mountains on these non approved routes without using half the other lane in some curves, but some drivers just do it with more caution evident.
Anyways, I thought maybe this would be a good place to post this, maybe it will help some (who maybe didn't know) ... that when they paid $40, they got more than a simple road map. The cost of the book can be more than saved by a single ticket, or wreck, or the points.
The roadmap alone, without highlighting and charts, can be had for about $5 on sale.
Goodnight all ...................