ROADS * USA - Truckers may get greater access

That concerns law enforcement and highway safety advocates who foresee more crashes on hairpin curves in the mountains

Asheville, NC,USA -The Asheville Citizen-Times, by Jordan Schrader -May 29, 2008: -- ... To a businessman like Jack Wellborn, it would come as a relief... Until recently, truckers for Wellborn’s produce company flouted the law and risked tickets of $200 or more by returning on U.S. 421 to his Deep Gap headquarters. His other business, a wrecking company, laid off two employees because of a shortage of trucks in the area that might break down and need his help, he said... The roads that would be cleared for trucks under the proposed legislation would dwarf the list that opened this year. It would include all routes with a “USA” or “NC” designation, Lacy said... As with any highway open to them, truckers also would have permission to turn off those main roads and travel up to three miles on their tributaries... Roads across North Carolina are open to 48-foot trailers, but as 53-foot units have replaced them as an industry standard, state law hasn’t followed suit... The Highway Patrol questions the truck change and several other parts of Jenkins’ bill, including a provision to allow cars to pull wider boat trailers at night and without a permit... Patrol Capt. Marc Nichols said, that could cause collisions with oncoming traffic...