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N.Y. truckers land in jail over safety violations
After one rig is taken out of service, replacement runs into same problems.
Lancaster New Era
Published: Jun 13, 2008
11:48 EST
Lancaster
By JOHN M. HOOBER III, Staff
Two car-carrier truck drivers from New York probably wish they had never traveled into Lancaster County.

Or that they had brought more money with them.

Robert Dillon, 42, of Levittown, (Long Island) N.Y., was driving on Route 72 through East Petersburg shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday when a Manheim Township police officer noticed his rig did not have a required front license plate, Sgt. Robert D. Baldwin said.

Officer John Donnelly stopped Dillon for the violation and found safety violations when he checked his car carrier. The violations included not having enough chains to haul the vehicles, Baldwin said.

After Donnelly placed the truck out of service for the violations, Dillon called for another truck to transfer his load.

John Marino Jr, 26, of Hicksville, Long Island, arrived in the other truck, but he wasn't much help.

Donnelly found safety violations on Marino's rig, and the driver's paperwork didn't look right as to the registration and title, Baldwin said.

Marino's truck also was flagged.

Donnelly issued Dillon three citations that added up to $4,800 in fines and costs. Marino received three citations totaling $3,600, Baldwin said.

As they were from outside the state and their fines were hefty, police took Dillon and Marino before Magisterial Court Judge David L. Brian, Landisville, for arraignment.

Neither trucker could pay the amounts they owed, and both were committed to Lancaster County Prison, police said.


Staff writer John M. Hoober III can be reached at jhoober@LNPnews.com or 481-6027.

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QUOTE(gp80mac @ Jun 14 2008, 03:50 PM)
As was said before - there probably is a lot more to the story than what's being shown.
Maybe so .... but nowhere does the police spokesman mention the ever-popular method of sending someone disrespectful or unruly off to jail - disorderly conduct. What's another $1500 or so when you've already fined them $8400 and brought them off to jail anyway?

This entire event shows how out-of-whack we have allowed our local government to become - $8400 in fines and jail? For vehicle violations that haven't harmed anyone? It's nuts.

ReaganRepublican
Again.... with this shoddy reporting... who knows.
gp80mac
If you have a CDL or even a regular drivers license, you should know it's your responsibility to know the laws of the state you are driving in and make sure your vehicle has all required equipment, which inclused chains, tiedowns, wire ties or whatever is necessary to make your load secure. These inspection stops also find things like brakes totally out of adjustment, faulty light wiring, tires worn smooth and through the tread and sometimes even the cording, missing mud flaps, and the list goes on. I work for a trucking company. I hear the drivers complaining all the time but, if you look at the problems these issues could cause, it's better to fix the problem.

The trucks in this issue didn't have enough chains. If you are driving behind one of these or even driving the opposite direction and a car breaks loose, chances are, the first thing you will think is oh $hit, then you'll fill your pants with it, then you'll hopefully be alive 2 minutes later.

I hope I never have to see tail lights coming at me from above, or the shipping container in front of me popping off the frame. (wire ties are needed to hold the securing levers in place)

citizen-too
Ok I believe the truck ought to be safe by all means, but then again, how many cars have we seen flying off of these car carriers in the past 20 years, other then the scene from the Bad Boys Movie when they let the cars off during travel.

Lets get to the real reason for the pull over, which is so the Law can squeeze money from them, you know those MT cops got to eat, I mean $4800.00 fine and costs for a license plate and a couple of chains, I think is a bit out of control, as a matter of fact the country is out of control for everything nowadays.

And the reason for the jail was because these guy's were from out of state, so they figure they'd jail them to get the money or otherwise take a chance of not getting paid, because they do the same crap in Virginia, if you get stopped you pay the fine or go to jail if your from out of state.
Mikerob
This is outrageous. These fine are ridiculous.

Hey driver, next time, just whip out your checkbook and pay all those fine right on the spot and go on your merry way!

What, the check bounced? Well at least now I won't have to go to jail!

Unless of course they actually extradite people for traffic violations.
SWWeiss
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