Large truck traffic was enough of a concern for the borough of Palmerton to warrant sending police officers for vehicle weighing and measuring certification last year, and it seems that those courses are paying off.

The trucks, often coming to and from out-of-state areas, can pose safety risks and road damage due to hauling more than their approved weights. Hot spots for the overweight trucks tend to be close to Little Gap Road, as well as near the exit to Route 248."Pretty much, what we do is we look for any trucks that look like they could be overweight," patrolman Brian White said.White and fellow patrolman Dane O'Brien were certified through the Pennsylvania State Police Commercial Vehicle Safety Training program, with an 18-hour course in vehicle weighing and measuring.White's strategy is based on keeping track of some telltale signs that a truck is carrying far more than it is allowed."You might see a truck that has a big bulge in the back bed, that could be one indication that it might be overweight. Sometimes the mud flaps are dragging down, very close to touching the ground. If their tires are squished, bulging out from the sides. If they're hitting some bumps on the roadway, you'll see the back bottom drop, and if it's a slow rise, that's a good indication that it's overweight."Once White or O'Brien identify a truck that may be exceeding the weight restrictions, they can pull the vehicle over based on articulable reasonable suspicion. Essentially, this is the assumption that the visual cues they look for are indicative of a weight violation for that vehicle."Palmerton right now has three sets of portable scales that we use," White said. "We put the scales up underneath each axle, put them up on the scales, get each axle's weight, add them all up. Pennsylvania allows 73,280 pounds on these trucks that are coming through town. Anything over 73,280 pounds is a violation."The scales weigh about 50 pounds each. In order to get the most accurate reading possible with the three scales, the other wheels are set up on "dummy plates," which level the truck.The standard fine amounts to about $75 for every 500 pounds over the limit. Once the truck's weight exceeds 80,000 pounds, that fine is doubled. There is a little wiggle room when it comes to weights, allowing for a 3 percent margin of error.And with White being one of two officers approved for scales, they sure do put him to work."I'd say in a month's time, I'm out there about 20 to 30 days. I pretty much spend an eight-hour shift doing trucks," he said. "I like doing it, it's something different than doing regular police work, I get to go out. You're meeting all kinds of different people."White said that it is a rare day that he doesn't issue at least a citation. Fortunately, his and O'Brien's efforts seem to be yielding some results, resulting in less wear-and-tear on local roads, and ensuring better safety standards for all drivers."They know now that we're in here, they know what we're doing, they expect it. We did notice some of the trucks did lay off weight-wise, the ones that used to always be overweight, they cut back a lot. Some other ones are still coming in overweight. But, business is booming, so to say."