Oregon Sheriff’s Office fines trucker $20,000 for overweight violation

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office  (WCSO) issued a hefty fine to an oversized load truck driver in addition to placing the vehicle out of service last month.

According to WCSO, the incident occurred on June 15, when motor carrier officers spotted violations and stopped an oversized load traveling through Washington County, Oregon.

From WCSO:

“This morning just before 8 a.m. commercial motor carrier enforcement deputies with our Traffic Safety Unit stopped a tractor-trailer for multiple violations, including an improperly secured load and missing warning flags

The driver did not have the permits required to haul a load this large and heavy. Deputies weighed the truck and trailer at the scales on Highway 26 near Highway 6. The truck was so overweight it would not even have been eligible for the weight variance permit

The vehicle was 84,400 pounds over the limit, which resulted in a fine of $20,256. Because the truck and load were such a safety concern, the truck was placed out of service and the company was required to bring in a larger trailer with more axles to accommodate the weight

The Sheriff’s Office partners with Washington County Land Use and Transportation (LUT), which helps fund two weighmaster deputies to enforce commercial motor vehicle issues. They protect Washington County roads and bridges by enforcing weights and safety on commercial motor vehicles

Our motor carrier enforcement deputies are Level I motor carrier inspectors, trained and certified by ODOT and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and are authorized to do commercial driver and vehicle safety inspections under state and federal laws.”

WCSO shared several photos of the truck and the citation issued.