The Saint Louis suburb of Chesterfield has recently passed a ban on jake brakes — and they’ve attached big penalties to make sure that truckers comply.
City officials say that residents are constantly complaining about the noise of jake brakes from trucks driving along I-64 and Route 141, leading the Chesterfield City Council to vote 7-0 to ban their use during their December 5 meeting.
They have already received approval from MoDOT to place signs banning the use of jake brakes throughout the community, but the city of Chesterfield must pay for signage.
According to Chesterfield Police Chief Ray Johnson, “It does make a loud noise, which is what we’re trying to control. That’s not to suggest that the truckers are just trying to make noise…what we’re trying to encourage is to do it outside of a populated area such as Chesterfield.”
According to reports, the penalty for violating the jake brake ban is a $500 fine or up to 90 days in jail.
Johnson admits that he doesn’t expect much active enforcement of the jake brake ban.
The city of Chesterfield says that they hope once word of the ban — and the penalties for violating it — spread among the trucking community, that truck drivers will voluntarily comply.
Sources:
CBS St. Louis
West News Magazine