The Dangers Of Semi-Trucks

Overwhelming truck traffic resulting from the unplanned, overdevelopment of intermodal facilities and warehouses in Will County is overrunning our community, creating dangerous conditions and taking lives.

While we support jobs and commerce, we are paying the ultimate price when truckers:

• Run red lights and cut off drivers
• Speed, tailgate and slam on the brakes
• Crash through railroad crossing safety gates
• Ignore signs and drive in our neighborhoods
• Disregard weight limits and vehicle safety regulations
• Disobey law enforcement

As a concerned resident of Will County, I ask you to:

• Make truckers pay for blatant disregard of the law
• Hold developers accountable for their actions and impacts
• Coordinate enforcement of truck traffic
• Toughen commercial driver licensing, regulations and penalties

Please join us in taking back our roads.

Source: Safe Roads Illinois

This is the online petition:

As a concerned resident of Will County, I want my elected officials to:
Make truckers pay for blatant disregard of the law

Ok, Chief Hays, deploy Will County's Finest to write tickets till those nasty truckers get the message.

Hold developers accountable for their actions and impacts

The county can charge development fees and require developers to improve access roads the tricks will use. (Something that's missing when truck stops are built using the local roads.)

Coordinate enforcement of truck traffic

Yes, continue to enhance county revenue with traffic fines.

Toughen commercial driver licensing, regulations and penalties

More?? Toughen them any more and we could qualify to fly jet fighters!

Is this by Joliet? I'm at the flying j in la salle right now and I'm going there in the morning. I better be on my p's and q's I guess.

There's a map at the Safe Roads Illinois website. (All the way to the bottom of the front page.)

Video: Elwood Police Chief Fred Hayes On The Dangers Of Semi-Trucks

Overwhelming truck traffic resulting from the unplanned, overdevelopment of intermodal facilities and warehouses in Will County is overrunning our community, creating dangerous conditions and taking lives.

While we support jobs and commerce, we are paying the ultimate price when truckers:

Run red lights and cut off drivers

Speed, tailgate and slam on the brakes

Crash through railroad crossing safety gates

Ignore signs and drive in our neighborhoods

Disregard weight limits and vehicle safety regulations

Disobey law enforcement

As a concerned resident of Will County, I ask you to:

Make truckers pay for blatant disregard of the law

Hold developers accountable for their actions and impacts

Coordinate enforcement of truck traffic

Toughen commercial driver licensing, regulations and penalties

Please join us in taking back our roads.

Source: Safe Roads Illinois

Now, if he could get his own citizens (4 wheelers) to abide by the law, it would be.....heaven on earth??? Sounds like he needs to do some more fact finding and see how many tickets the write to cars. Oh, and it is probaly an election year too. Show them big, bad, nasty trucks and I'm sure to get reelected

That was sure a strange message all the way around. Like why are you are appealing to the people to "take back our roads"? Is it vigilante justice season? Otherwise I'm not sure what they think people are supposed to do about it. You're a cop. That's your job. Figure it out.

It looks to me like they have beautiful new wide roadways funded by the people, being monitored by cops who are also paid by the people. So why are you appealing to the people about taking back the roads? Do we need to fund the roads, pay your salary, and do your job? It seems the people did their job. Now do yours.

And thanks for speaking in a way that implies all truckers are the problem. Talk about disingenuous, especially from a cop who knows full well who is responsible for most accidents involving trucks - 4 wheelers.

And interestingly enough about that red light they were showing:

1) I didn't see a red arrow indicating you could not make the turn under red no matter what

2) I didn't see a "no turn on red" sign by the light

3) I didn't see any type of line across the highway in that turning lane indicating a place to stop when the light is red

4) That turning lane is a dedicated turning lane with a wide, sweeping arc clearly designed to prevent traffic from having to slow down too much when making the turn

I think Illinois should start a new campaign: "Let's Mark Our Roadways Clearly" and they should give New York a call while they're at it. Maybe New York can take down the 1,000 or more signs that are completely inaccurate for trucks like improper bridge heights and outdated warnings about being forced to exit the highway.

Well, you can be sure that no cop ever lost his job by appealing to the public with the use of scare tactics regarding big rigs. I mean, there's no question you're going to have some problems with trucks. But the idea that trucks are "holding people hostage on the highway" and the highways "need to be taken back" is pretty ridiculous.

I agree with what's been said about it seeming like a scare tactic and a bit ridiculous. I'll add this though. I'm in Joliet every week and drive in the same lanes as a lot of those port and real trucks. I do have to say they drive hard, they drive like everyone else in Chicago lol. If they really wanted to crack down on the big trucks it wouldn't be that hard, a lot of them are absolute turds and probably wouldn't pass inspection.

I kept looking for the Blues Brothers joke, but it never came.

This sort of political grandstanding is so aggravating and somewhat misguided when you really think about it.

They do not realize but this is literally biting the hand that feeds them. Honestly I wish law enforcement and government officials were as aggressive with enforcing traffic laws already on the books for the general public, 4-wheelers. I am of the strong belief that it's far too easy to get and keep a drivers license in this country. People think it's their right to drive, and do not consider it a privilege requiring responsible behavior. We see it every day...madness the way many people drive. I witnessed a car tailgating a local yokel officer on a 55mph highway this morning, roughly a car length of space between them at 60 mph. After about a mile the officer switched on his light bar and the car backed off. Merry Christmas, never pulled the person over...unbelievable.

I wish I had the time to write a detailed letter to the local newspaper covering the story featured in this thread. Unfortunately they would probably not publish it. Sorry for the soap-box rant, but enough already!

Michael S referenced:

I kept looking for the Blues Brothers joke, but it never came.

"Elwood"...well played Sir, well played. Trying to picture the Chief in sunglasses and a black suit.