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Unsuspecting truck drivers are receiving large fines at a bridge in the western suburbs. Some drivers said the signage is to blame. Drivers approach the intersection at the West 21st Street bridge over Addison Creek only to find a warning sign about a 12-ton weight limit when it is too late to turn around.

In October, Zdravko Mihelcic drove right on 19th Avenue where the weight limit sign is facing the opposite direction, so he never saw it. The only other warning is on the bridge itself.

Mihelcica said he was caught by Broadview police and was fined more than $3,300.

Two other drivers were given fines as high as $14,000.

JB Hunt driver Basheer Alqudah said his was fined more than $4,400.

“I need to save money for my family,” Alquada said. “No warning, nothing.”

These drivers are not alone.

According to police records obtained by CBS 2, more than 80 drivers were pulled over for overweight violations on and around the bridge over the last three years. CBS 2 noted several discrepancies with state and federal guidelines, which require the signs to be within 500 feet, but no closer than 50 feet, away from the structure.

Mihelcic noted that they also have to be posted at least seven feet above the ground.

“I’m 6’2? so this is 3 and a half feet from the sidewalk,” he said.

Broadview Police declined a request for an on-camera interview, but told CBS 2 off camera that this is the first they’ve heard about the signage complaints.

Police said they’re going to send officers out to investigate the allegations and will reach out to IDOT about any discrepancies.

Meanwhile, Mihelcic said he feels like the issue is less about safety and more about business.

“That’s a nice source of income for them, for the city, but what about us drivers?” he said. “We work for our bread, and we work for our families, and we are punished for what? For nothing.”

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Trucking is a misunderstood career; many people assume that truck drivers are underpaid, have inflexible work hours and little job security. While there are certainly some drawbacks to trucking, as with any job, there are plenty of great things about it as well.

Receive Great Pay

The starting salary for a truck driver is just under $40,000, with the potential to earn more as you gain experience. If you’re interested in trucking company jobs in Charlotte NC, you will have to get a CDL; depending on what you’d like to learn and what class of license you get, this costs between $3,000 to $7,000. Some companies will pay for your certification if you agree to work for them for a set amount of time.

Freedom To Travel for Money

While many people have a hard time dredging up the funds for a vacation to see even some of the nation’s most famous sites, truckers are paid to travel. They get to see beautiful scenery across the nation—all while putting money into their bank accounts.

Enjoy a Flexible Schedule

It is true that trucking can get lonely and often means days or weeks spent away from family; however, truckers are able to control their schedules a lot more than your average office worker. You can determine what types of loads to take and whether you want to take more local, regional or national routes. This means that you can fit your schedule to your lifestyle—traveling far and wide or sticking close to home. Planned wisely, you can spend plenty of time with family. You may even be able to spend most nights and weekends at home.

Get Benefits and Bonuses

Some people seem to assume that trucking offers little benefits, but this is not true. While the specifics depend on the company, trucking comes with benefits—just like any full-time job. Some companies will even offer bonuses to their drivers for things like safe driving, good fuel economy and staying with the company for a long time.

Experience Job Security

If you keep your license active and obey the laws, trucking comes with great job security. This is even more true now—there is a trucker shortage, which both increases job security and is driving wages up.

Without college loans weighing them down, the pay and demand for workers actually gives truckers an advantage over college graduates. No job is perfect, but contrary to popular belief, truckers enjoy a range of benefits—right down to the perks of travel.

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A new service partnership between Navistar and Love’s Travel Stops will add more than 315 Love’s Truck Tire Care and Speedco locations and 1,000-plus technicians to the International truck service network. The partnership is expected to be fully operational by the second half of this year, according to a statement from the two companies.

The partnership authorizes Love’s and Speedco locations to handle a range of new, extended and used truck warranty work and to perform warranty service with repair times of three hours or less on all International Class 6 through 8 trucks. Love’s locations will also accept Fleet Charge cards, guaranteeing Navistar customers get consistent nationwide parts pricing.

The partnership between Navistar and Love’s creates the largest service footprint in the commercial transportation industry, according to the two companies. It brings the International service network to more than 1,000 locations in North America.

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Troopers say that they are enforcing "Jessica's Law," which requires drivers to remove all snow from their vehicles before they begin driving.

New Hampshire State Police conducted a snow removal detail on a major interstate during which they required truckers to climb on top of their vehicles to shovel.

Following a weekend winter storm, troopers with the New Hampshire State Police conducted a vehicle snow removal detail on the morning of Monday, March 4, in Windham, according to WMUR.

In photos and video captured during the enforcement detail and shared on social media, you can see multiple truck drivers standing on top of their trailers shoveling snow as troopers look on.

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The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission admits that they may face bankruptcy if they lose a lawsuit filed by trucking groups.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is billions of dollars in debt, seriously behind on payments to the state, facing a major lawsuit from trucking groups, and eyeing the possibility of bankruptcy, according to new reports.

Several news outlets are reporting that the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is now $11 billion in debt in spite of the fact that they have raised tolls by 200% over the past 10 years. The debt is so massive that officials say that they will need to raise tolls on the Pennsylvania Turnpike every year until 2044 to pay it off.

This flood of new reports of bad news for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission come after State Transportation Secretary Leslie Richards testified before the House Appropriations Committee during a budget hearing on February 26. Richards also serves as chair on the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.

During the budget hearing, Richards also said that the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has missed its last three quarterly payments to the state of Pennsylvania. Richards said, “Three payments have not been made so far. The fourth payment is due in April and may not be able to be made.”

A lawsuit filed last year by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) and the National Motorists Association could put even more financial pressure on the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.

The lawsuit argues that the turnpike tolls are too high and place an unreasonable burden on truck drivers. The suit also accuses the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission of breaking federal law by using revenue generated from tolls for projects that are not Turnpike-related. The lawsuit is calling for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to refund $6 billion in toll revenue paid since 2007.

During the budget hearing, lawmakers asked Richards about what would happen if the truckers won the lawsuit.

Rep. John Lawrence asked, “Is it at least possible that the Turnpike might have to declare bankruptcy?”

“We have to start talking about what that would mean. It would be catastrophic to have to pay back $6 billion dollars right away,” Richards replied.

If the lawsuit is not settled by July, Pennsylvania may have to dramatically reduce funding for Amtrak and put the brakes on several planned construction projects.

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The National Tank Truck Carriers’ board of directors has approved $47,500 in strategic donations over the next five years to six organizations: Trucking Moves America Forward, the Alliance for Toll-Free Interstates, the American Trucking Associations Litigation Center, the Virginia Trucking Association, the Oregon Trucking Association, and the Federal Excise Tax Repeal Coalition.

NTTC committed funds to three nationwide efforts over multiple years: the Alliance for Toll-Free Interstates, which fights to protect existing interstates from new tolls, Trucking Moves America Forward, which promotes the trucking industry’s safety and community service works, and the American Trucking Associations Litigation Center, which pools trucking industry resources to advance the industry through the court system and intervenes in cases where the trucking industry’s interests are threatened. NTTC will also make a one-time contribution to Modernize the Truck Fleet, the National Auto Dealer Association’s Federal Excise Tax repeal coalition.

“The NTTC’s strategic funding initiatives underscore the importance of unity within the varied segments of trucking,” said NTTC President Dan Furth. “We’re extremely pleased to extend our commitments on the industry’s image and anti-tolling campaigns. We’re also excited to show our support to the overall trucking federation by helping ATA’s litigation center and our state friends within the TAEC community.”

NTTC will also support the Virginia Trucking Association’s effort fighting against tolls on Interstate 81--especially truck-only tolls--and the Oregon Trucking Association’s fight against state environmental laws that would undermine the US EPA’s role as a nationwide environmental regulator for actors who operate in interstate commerce, like truck drivers.

“As the Chair of a nationwide association and the former Chair of a state trucking association, I know that what happens in one state can have consequences for everyone else that travels through the state,” said John Whittington, NTTC chairman and vice-president of Grammer Industries. “When state issues have nationwide effects, it’s critical that the national associations step up. I’m honored that NTTC did so during my tenure.”

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