A Florida truck driver is in jail in Washington County until a $10,000 collateral is paid toward his $17,386.50 fine for driving an overweight truck on a road with a 10-ton weight limit over the weekend.
The 58-year-old driver, Francisco M.Amareles-Amareles, was pulled over by Canonsburg police Scott Bashioum after he made a left turn and nearly hit a parked car. When the truck started to make a right turn onto Bluff Street, Bashioum put on his lights and pulled the truck over.
Bashioum weighed the truck in a vacant parking lot and found that it was 59,346 pounds overweight.
Noncommercial GPS System Blamed for Overweight Truck on 10-Ton Road
Amareles-Amareles was using a regular GPS system costing around $60 instead of a most costly GPS system designed for commercial vehicles. Bashioum says that Amareles-Amareles spoke limited English, making it difficult to understand him and to determine what route he took.
Driver Jailed Until Hefty Fine Is Paid
Amareles-Amareles was also issued a temporary order of inoperability. The trucking company that Amareles-Amareles worked for contacted the District Judge’s office on Monday. They were informed that Amareles-Amareles would not be released from jail until a $10,000 collateral was paid. The entire $17,386.50 fine must be paid before the truck and its load will be released back to the trucking company.
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