Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 19, Number 37, DeMotte, Jasper County, 12 August 1949 — Overweight Truck Lines Threatened [ARTICLE]

Overweight Truck Lines Threatened

PSC Asked To Banish Violators; State Police Ready To Apply Tonnage Heat Disfranchisement of several major trucking companies operating in Indiana was threatened yesterday as state police prepared to tighten its truck weight enforcement program. State Police Capt. Kermit L. Lewis, chief of field operations and supervisor of truck weight checking, said he had asked the Public Service Commission to begin revoking intra-state trucking permits of companies which have been “consistent violators” of state weight laws. Capt. Lewis said a list of the heaviest violators during June already has been certified to the PSC and that July’s arrest list will be sent as soon as it is tabulated. Notified of Lewis’ request, Earl Everett, head of the PSC’s motor vehicle division, said he doubted that such action would be possible under the law, however. “Seems to me they (state police) have got off on the wrong foot,” he said. .. Everett said he thought truck weight violators “might be brought in on the carpet” but added there was nothing in the law to cover disfranchisement. Moreover, Everett said he didn’t believe the PSC even had jurisdiction in the matter as it concerned itself solely with such things as seeing to it trucks carried the kind of cargo their license called for and whether or not they had all the necessary permits. He suggested that overweighting might be the concern of the State Highway Commission. Lewis listed eight companies as the most frequent violators during July. The companies with the number of arrests attributed to each: Huber and Huber Motor Express Inc., Louisviiy-, Ky., 28; Midwest Transfer Company, Chicago, 25; Keeshin Motor Express Inc., Chicago, 17; Miller Transfer Company, Kokomo, and Spector Motor Freight, Chicago, 12 each; Terminal Transport Company, Inc., Indianapolis, 11; InterState Motor Freight Company, Chicago, and Hancock Truck Lines Inc., Evansville, 10 each. Lewis said he and State Police Superintendent Arthur M. Thurston requested PSC action on the permits at a conference three weeks ago. Others attending were Earl Lockridge, maintenance engineer for the State Highway Commission, and T. J. Costello, chief inspector of the division.