Delaware DOT rewrites rules after residents complain about semi trucks

The Delaware Department of Transportation has made an unusual decision in response to years of complaints from locals about noisy truck traffic on a small street.

Neighbors who live on Pyles Lane near the Port of Wilmington in Delaware have numerous complaints about the constant commercial vehicle traffic on the two lane roadway near their homes.

Some residents have complained that the truck emissions “stink.” Others say the vibrations from the truck traffic are damaging their homes.

One resident even stated that she couldn’t open her windows anymore because of the constant stream of “noisy” semi trucks passing by.

Local resident Edwina Richards  told Delaware Online “I had had truck drivers pull down their pants and shake their genitals and their backsides at me.”

Many of the residents have accused the truck drivers of breaking the law when they travel on Pyles Lane.

The trucks in question are using Pyles Lane to travel to and from the Port-to-Port International Corp. facility, which ships used and wrecked cars to Central America.

A 1971 rule put in place by DelDOT said that trucks over 5,000 lbs. were forbidden on Pyles Lane from Del. 9 to a point about 200 feet from the entrance of the Port-To-Port facility — except local service vehicles making local delivery.

Citing this law, locals say that truckers who use the road are breaking the law, even though the law made it nearly impossible for trucks to legally enter the facility.

DelDOT Takes A Stand — For The Truckers

After hearing complaints about “illegal” truck traffic on Pyles Lane for several years, DelDOT did indeed decide to do something — but it wasn’t what the neighbors expected.

Not only did DelDOT confirm that trucks traveling to and from the facility fit under the “local service vehicles making local delivery” exemption, they also moved the line that trucks were restricted from passing by about 200 feet — meaning that truck drivers could now freely drive into the Port-To-Port facility without any worry that they were violating the law.

DelDOT spokesperson C.R. McLeod said, “If we ban trucks from Port-to-Port on this road it would likely put them out of business. Our position is we are not going to do that.”

The Port-To-Port facility owners have received a request from DelDOT to consider moving the truck entrance, but the road that this would move truck traffic onto is in poor condition and is too narrow to safely accommodate trucks, in addition to the ownership of the road being in question.