Insist That Truckers Comply With Rules
By the News-RegisterThe large, heavy trucks used in oil and gas exploration and production sometimes damage highways - and can present safety hazards on narrow, curvy rural roads. Neither of those things should be tolerated in the Northern Panhandle.
Two community groups in Wetzel County are taking action about the problem. They hope to work with oil and gas companies to minimize safety concerns and to ensure that damaged roads are repaired.
But Raymond Renaud, a member of both groups, told our reporter that some companies already have agreed to voluntary action. That has included repairing damaged roads and keeping large trucks off rural roads when school buses are present.
Unfortunately, some of the companies do not keep their agreements consistently, Renaud said. "We remind them of the agreements and they obey them for awhile, and they are slowly ignored again," he explained.
Members of the community groups still hope that they can work with the companies to address their concerns. We hope that can occur.
But if it does not, local and state governments - including, perhaps, law enforcement agencies - need to step into the situation. Boosts to the local economy from oil and gas development are desirable - but not at the cost of destroyed roads and members of the traveling public being endangered.
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ConservativeKaty
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12-23-08 9:06 AM
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I was on I-79 once in PA. Was going a bit fast when I saw a police car turn its red lights on from the lanes going the other way. I tucked in with a bunch of other cars going pretty slow, and the police car must have turned around and started after me because he passed us all going about 100 mph. I pulled off at the next interchange and calmed down at a McDonalds. A police officer later came in and ordered and sat down and kind of looked at me the whole time. So, I guess I got something for free - no ticket - because he was late. I don't know if that counts.
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SphinxRising58
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12-22-08 10:11 PM
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TruthSeeker: According to a local Dominoe's fanchise, that " 30 minutes promise " was never emant to be anything but an advertising slogan, as yeah, when they first came around, everyone said if they was late, the pizza was free ( they should only wish that was so ), but name one place anywhere that gives you something for nothing if they are late, ever.
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whg26003man
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12-22-08 2:51 PM
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I like this editorial but if the companies don't voluntarily repair the roads and any sort of legal action is initiated, look for editorials demonizing trial lawyers. I know my insurance rates and health care costs have gone down after "tort reform." LOL And there sure is a flood of doctors coming back to the state. LOL Insurance reform is what was needed, not tort reform. And these groups better not complain that the precious coal trucks are damaging the roads either, or they will be public enemy #1
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ConservativeKaty
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12-22-08 11:44 AM
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This is a very good editorial. It shows that some groups can be activists on good conservative things without being liberal crazy radical activists. The group mentioned is intelligently working with truckers and with government to politely and fairly solve a real problem. We need the same type of group to counter the environmental “warming earth” radicals who haven’t even made the effort to see the type of weather and temperatures we have been having lately. My rear end could use a little global warming right now, and the global warming liberal wing nuts could use something else on their rear ends – my winter boots maybe.
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TruthSeeker
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12-21-08 3:06 PM
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It was never proved that Domino's 30 minute delivery was the cause of the accident that resulted in the massive settlement you are talking about. In fact, in all of the suits against Domino's for this very thing, none were proved to be because of the 30 minute or late delivery promise. Drivers were not then and are not now charged with the cost of the order if delivered late so there was no reason to break speeding laws when delivering. Google it if you don't believe me. These were juries gone wild.
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UNCOMMONSENSE
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12-21-08 1:59 PM
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Since 90% of road damage is caused by trucks, trucking companies need to pay 90% of the road taxes needed for repair. There is one major problem with the trucking industry. OTR drivers are paid by the MILE. And local logging drivers and tri-axel dump and bucket drivers are paid by the LOAD. This encourages and indeed FORCES speeding and overloading of trucks. Years ago, after people were KILLED as a result of Domino's pizza's 30 minutes or free gurantee, Domino's was sued for hundreds of millions for doing the SAME to THEIR drivers!! If drivers were paid by the HOUR, all speeding and overloading would stop!! Saving thousands of lives a year and BILLIONS in road repairs!!
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TruthSeeker
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12-21-08 12:32 AM
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If you read the article in your own newspaper about the trucks, you would know that there are simply not enough law enforcement officers to enforce the "overweight" claims. We do not know if these agreements were merely with the community action groups involved or with the county or state governments only that they were voluntary. If they are breaking any laws, no truckers to date have been caught doing so. Seems to me that the residents of those affected areas need to put pressure on their local governments to take care of the situation if it is indeed that dangerous.
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