Coal Truck Safety
KFTC supports a multi-facted approach to control the problem of overweight coal trucks. House Bill 560 includes one of our chief goals of making coal companies, rather than coal truck drivers, responsible for overweight coal trucks, since they operate the equipment that loads the coal. HB 560 also establishes an electronic coal truck weight monitoring program similar to one that has been used successfully in West Virginia.
We also want to remove the weight limit exemption for coal trucks hauling in the coalfields and the state's major cities and return the weight limit for coal trucks returned to 80,000 pounds, the same for other commercial trucks.
House Bill 560
KFTC's position: FOR
Summary | House Bill 560 called for an electronic coal truck weight monitoring program similar to one being used successfully in West Virginia. Trucks would be weighed when loaded and weighed again at their destination, with this information transmitted electronically to the Division of Vehicle enforcement within 24 hours. This bill also would have made the coal companies that load the trucks responsible for paying overweight fines. | |
History | Rep. Hubert Collins, chair of the House Transportation Committee, refused to bring the bill up for a hearing. He claimed overweight coal trucks are not a problem. | |
Action | Contact members of the House Transportation Committee, especially Rep. Hubert Collins, during the legislative interim and encourage them to support coal truck legislation to make coal haul roads safer by improving enforcement of weight limits. | |
| HB 506 co-sponsors: Reps. Rick Nelson and Lonnie Napier | ||
Click here to download a copy of HB 560. | ||