He said he thought he had been hit by a Mack truck.
“My face just dropped. I couldn't even believe it,” Carroll said. “I said, 'What is this, 1,700?' He said, 'No, 17,000.' I said, $17,000?”
Carroll is an independent trucker out of Philadelphia. Recently, he was taking a load to be dropped off in East Whiteland Township, an area he was unfamiliar with.
“One company that I'm leasing from, they were the ones that gave me the directions,” Carroll said.
The directions told him to get off at the Route 202 South Frazer exit. That dumped him onto Route 401.
Carroll said he missed a cockeyed sign at the corner of 401 and Bear Road where he had to make a right turn. The next thing he knew, he was in a residential neighborhood — Sydney Road to be exact — where the police gave him a ticket.
“But once you get in the there with a 53-footer, its impossible to get out,” Carroll said.
PennDOT spokesman Charlie Metzger said they, along with the East Whiteland Police Department were just enforcing a law that penalizes trucks that are too heavy for certain bridges and roadways, which might be damaged by overweight vehicles.
The NBC 10 Investigators' Vince DeMentri asked Metzger why the ticket was $17,000.
“It's $150 for the fine, and then it's $150 for every 500 pounds over the 3,000-pound weight limit,” Metzger said.
Metzger said there is a reason the fines are so stiff.
“The money can go right back into the repairs of the roadway or the bridge,” Metzger said.
Carroll said it is not fair because the sign warning of the fine was bent and somewhat obstructed.
The East Whiteland Police Department, which has its own motor carrier enforcement unit, isn't playing around. For them, this is a sign of the times that is not to be ignored.
“A ticket like that would put a lot of truckers out of business. So, I guess that was designed to put me out of business or make sure I don't come up here anymore. It's crazy,” Carroll said.
