How much is too much?
One Indiana trucker found out the hard way earlier this week.
A trooper from the Indiana State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division Thursday, Jan. 16, morning spotted a 2000 Peterbilt pulling two trailers on Main Street in Rushville, about 50 miles southeast of Indianapolis. A statement from the troopers said, “From his training and experience (Trooper Eric) Thumb knew that the trailer set up (called a “Michigan Train”) is often used to haul overweight loads, with special overweight permits, across northern Indiana.”
2000 Peterbilt and two trailers filled with steel coils tipped the scales at 176,300 lbs. (ISP photo)However, once Trooper Thumb stopped the truck for an inspection, he found the rig, driven by Gene Maag, 36, of Waterloo, Indiana, was more than a little overweight. Weighing the rig, Thumb found the truck and its cargo of steel coils had a combined weight of 176,300 lbs. making it 96,300 lbs. over the maximum allowable weight of 80,000 lbs. without a special permit.
In addition, the truck had no registration plate and no federally required company markings or federal tax numbers on the side of the vehicle.
The fines for the overweight violation alone are just under $14,000, according to the troopers.
The truck, which belongs to Tri-State Trucking, out of Waterloo, Indiana, was impounded and Maag was cited for the overweight violation and no truck registration. He was also issued a warning for no federally required markings or numbers on the sides of the truck.
The steel coils, which were headed from Butler, Indiana to Madison, Indiana were impounded with the truck until they can be properly unloaded and legally loaded onto other trucks.
