(*E^%#*(*!! trucks

[goneriding]

I am up to here with this new development....

We bought our farm almost four years ago. Our road is the main route to a town about 7 miles further on, population 1500, so we have some traffic going by, but it's pretty quiet.

Well, there is a rock quarry up the hill a bit, and during our terrible winter of snow and ice their big double rock trucks started slipping off the road they usually took, and they decided our road would be better! They are going downhill when they pass us, so suddenly we get about 30 trucks an hour, all day long, roaring past riding their jake brakes. It's horrible.

I've been researching this operation. The quarry was approved in 2004 and opened in about 2008. The application was initially denied by the county examiner due to traffic impacts (heavy trucks on curving hilly rural residential roads with short sight lines and no shoulder) and unknown impact to water supply on the mountain where the quarry is. The decision seems very well-researched and reasoned to me, and explained why the county's own development matrix was cause to deny it. The owners appealed it and the county commission reversed the decision to allow it, without much of a reason why.

I'm so pissed off. The sound of these roaring trucks is awful, and just shatters the peace. Everyone who lives here hates them. They are a menace on the road. They have accidents pretty frequently but if there is no property damage or injury the county doesn't even take a report, the trucking company just comes and pulls them out. The family who owns the quarry and the family who owns the trucking company and wealthy and influential in the county. It's so bad I don't really want to live here like this. I've been trying to figure out what can be done.

1. Call for a review of the conditional use permit that allows the quarry, on the basis that the initial concerns of unsuitable road conditions and damage to water supply have been born out (many properties near the quarry claim well damage and site drainage problems, and there have been many truck accidents on these roads). Try to get them shut down. Given the sizeable investment I'm sure they have made at this point, that would surely be a huge battle.

2. Our road is posted for "no unmuffled engine braking." Try to get county go get out here and enforce it. If they can't provide enforcement for the industrial truck traffic they shouldn't permit it. It seems only right. Cite health standards, environmental justice?

I know now it was no better for the people living on the original route they used. I just had no idea. I could try to get traffic moved back to the other road, but those people hate them too. We might have a stronger voice working together. But working toward what?

I don't feel like I can go to the county and say "I don't want these trucks driving by because I don't like it." and have any hope of change. I need a better plan.

Has anyone been in a situation like this before? Does anyone have experience with community planning and laws and how to appeal a zoning like this?

[Racetrackreject]

Typically a truck of that size and weight would also need a DOT permit which, in some cases, states the route they are to drive, along with the hours they are allowed to operate over that route, and any other restrictions (too dry, causing dust that impairs vision; too muddy, etc). I would maybe see if you could get a copy of the permit and then start reporting for anything that's in violation. Take pictures, shoot video; send it to the state police, not local.

I live in logging country, so we have to deal with these issues pretty often as well. Recently, the logging trucks have gotten out of control, even going so far as to not even try to stop for red lights, but just honking their horns and rolling through the lights at 50+mph, well after their light has turned red. People are fed up with it, and started contacting the state police because they typically are the ones who deal with these types of traffic stops/incidents. Enough calls were logged that the state troopers came to town and spent 2 weeks doing sting operations and catching these guys out. It's been effective, to say the least. Imagine whole logging operations with 75% of their trucks pulled due to safety or regulatory violations. You could not turn a corner without seeing a logging truck pulled over and being cited.

Any chance you have a species of biological significance along the way? Plant or animal? Or any sort of cultural resources? Those are the biggies to getting permits pulled.

Good luck! I can sympathize with your situation and it's awful. I'm so sorry!

[Canyon]

Ugh, that sounds awful!

Does their conditional use permit specify how many trips are allowed per day to/from the quarry? If they are violating the permit, get on the agenda for the next county (commissioners?) meeting and show up as a group and make noise and demand a solution? That has worked for residents near a local gravel pit.

[Saddlebum]

I worked for a very large asphalt co and drove a double bottom/gravel train for several years. Originally, the owner had trucks running 24/7 from the gravel pit in a seperate county from where his main bus. was located bringing material from the pit to where the bus. was to make asphalt and sell to smaller co/individuals.

The people in the township where the gravel pit was located got fed up with all the noise running at all hours and went to the township who agreed to limit the time the pit could be open. Trucks could not go into the pit prior to 6:30am (they had to wait on the road if they got there too early) and had to be out of the pit with gate locked and truck on the road by 10 pm. This gave the owner enough flex that he could have two shifts running a day (from 6am to 2pm and from 2pm to 10pm at the pit). I loved the afternoon hours, hehehe, sorry, back to my story.

There were fines they had to pay if the rules were violated. Another case, in my little village, I was driving the same type of rig and coming into the village, we were always using our jake brakes - ugh. The resort just outside the village limits called my employer and asked that we not use our jake brakes in their vicinity. My employer complied and we were all told not to...as far as I know, we all cooperated with the request.

This is something you might try initially. Drivers use jake brakes to save on the wear and tear on the brakes. If their employer asks them not to use the jake brakes for the sake of harmony within the community, this lets the drivers off the hook for wearing the expensive brakes down too soon. Maybe post a sign on the edge of your property (ask all your neighbors to do the same) to not use jake brakes.

There are always a few bad apples but good luck. If I think of anything more to help, I'll get back here.

[Tarlo Farm]

All good suggestions. And I think you should do ALL of them. Make some noise, be the squeaking wheel (sorry), get the community involved. In this day and age, folks are finding their voices and finding they CAN make a difference. Good luck, keep us posted. This kind of selfish $hit makes me crazy.

[goneriding]

Thank you for the ideas!

Our road is posted for "no unmuffled engine braking" as a requirement of the conditional use permit for the quarry. It doesn't stop them at all.

My husband is a reserve deputy for our county (a volunteer position) and he says they do no traffic enforcement on our roads because there are no shoulders where they can safely pull people over. These trucks just have carte blanche. Their accidents go unreported if there are no injuries or damage to other people's property but they block roads and spill gravel fairly regularly.

I have talked with the county councilor for my area and I'm going to start going to council meetings with complaints. I'm going to try to organize neighbors who live or regularly travel along the roads the trucks use, and try to have a couple of people at every council meeting to bring up grievances.

This makes me so sad. I'm a person who's kind of sensitive to things like noise anyway, so the roaring trucks all days long really wear on my nerves. And I am just so indescribably sad to have lost my country peace

[Saddlebum]

In my local paper today is a legal notice of a township in my county posting re: Truck Route Ordinance. They are limiting big trucks to just 3 roads in their township!

FYI, when I was working for the asphalt co., a Meijers was petitioning a township for zoning variances as there was a stream going thru the property they purchased. My employer went and purchase a piece of property within a mile of this location because it had a very large amount of sand, 100,000's of yards (large hill) and the Meijers property was going to need a LOT to raise it above the water table.

It took years (7-10 years) for the twp. to finally approve the variances. My employer was awarded the bid for the excavation and parking lot. The sand pit my employer bought, we had to drive our rigs through neighborhoods, house, driveway, house etc. Immediately after the Meijers was completed, the twp shut down that road to big trucks due to the complaints.

Remember, you had no clue what it was like before they went down your road, invite your neighbors over for lunch/meetings/coffee who are currently in the same boat for them to experience your pain. Unite the people on the other road where they 'had' been using and go to your township for help.

Roads are classified as A B C. "A" being a road big rigs can go down no matter the weather, frost laws etc. "B" roads they can go down but not when frost laws are in effect and that's as much as I can help here. Maybe go to the road commission and ask them what classification roads have in your area, any restrictions on certain classification of roads. If so, try to get your road re-classified as it does not have shoulders (critical for safety!).

Appeal to your township (bring everyone you can and do not bring emotions with but stay reasonable, honest/factual), I don't know where in the world you live, but the board are your neighbors and should have some empathy for your situation.

I hope you get this resolved to your satisfaction!

[Tarlo Farm]

[quote="Saddlebum"

Roads are classified as A B C. "A" being a road big rigs can go down no matter the weather, frost laws etc. "B" roads they can go down but not when frost laws are in effect and that's as much as I can help here. Maybe go to the road commission and ask them what classification roads have in your area, any restrictions on certain classification of roads. If so, try to get your road re-classified as it does not have shoulders (critical for safety!).

Appeal to your township (bring everyone you can and do not bring emotions with but stay reasonable, honest/factual), I don't know where in the world you live, but the board are your neighbors and should have some empathy for your situation.

[/quote]

(And yet another plea for you ALL to include your location in your profiles) Saddlebum is absolutely correct - at least in Michigan. No shoulders screams big trouble. Our county Road Commission meets twice a month, and the meetings are open to the public. Go once to introduce yourself during public comment and identify the problem. After that, ask week or so ahead of time to be included on the agenda. Generally, in rural areas especially, Road Commission folks are good blue collar neighbors with some road construction experience. Might help to find a friend who also has similar experience to address the issues of damage to subsurfaces and the need to reconstruct roads that get torn apart due to truck traffic. Also, go ahead and make an audio tape of the "jake brakes" in use - on a road clearly marked against such use.