Not on crowded urban stretches. Not on a primary highway, country back road and certainly not within a municipality. That s why the South Carolina Trucking Association in 1999 originally proposed, has since promoted and is now supporting legislation designed to raise the fines for truck drivers who speed. The legislation, sponsored by state Rep. Joel Lourie and many other friends of the trucking industry, would increase the fines for speeding in a vehicle which requires the driver to have a commercial driver license. But it would only apply in speed zones of 55 mph or greater, limiting worries about speed traps and local enforcement abuses.
Fine levels don t get particularly punitive until the driver reaches excessive speeds.
We are not without our critics. Many a truck driver and more than a few of our members have called and e-mailed us, complaining that truckers are being discriminated against. The fact of the matter is SCTA is always the first organization to stand in opposition to unfair or discriminatory legislation, regulation or criticism pertaining to truckers. But with South Carolina s death toll intolerably high, our highways more crowded and the Highway Patrol and Transport Police insufficient in numbers to make the impact they could, extraordinary efforts are appropriate. Code books all over the world are filled with statutes that impose restrictions or burdens on the rest of us because of the illegal or irresponsible actions of a few.