While non-commercial motorists are already subject to fines for failing to clear snow or ice from their vehicles, commercial drivers will also be responsible for doing the same effective December 31.
The drivers of commercial vehicles, which are being driven with snow or ice on the hood, trunk or roof, will be subject to a minimum fine of $75. If their negligence results in damage to another vehicle or property, the fine will range from $500 to $1,250. The fines will carry a penalty of a motor vehicle infraction.
Some truckers have already begun taking corrective measures by climbing on the roof and shoveling it off. But, that can be extremely dangerous.
Mike Riley, of the Motor Transport Association of Connecticut, says he thinks it’s time trailer manufacturers figure out some sort of onboard technology that will make this an issue of the past. Until then, he has a fairly cheap response to this new law. It’s called the Rowe Roof Rake, which was developed by a Michigan trucker. It is a collapsible aluminum rake, weighing several pounds. It sells for approximately $150.
When this legislation passed in 2010, Bailey’s Express, a trucking firm in of Middletown, took action by investing approximately $10,000 in a snow removal system for their trucks. The trailers are driven beneath a v-shaped device, with rubber blades, which clear the trailer top in seconds. Following this weekend’s snow, Bailey’s was able to make 60 trailers debris free in a span of just 3 hours.