Truckers Accuse Will County Of Using Confusing Signage To Entrap Them
(CBS) -- "A money-making extortion scheme" is what the Mid-West Truckers Association says is going on in Will County - with unsuspecting truck drivers targeted and ticketed for tens of thousands of dollars, reports WBBM's Steve Miller.
It is a veritable cash cow for the county, say truckers, in much the same way that red light cameras build up municipal treasuries.
Manhattan-Monee Road in Will County near US-45 goes over a culvert, and big trucks are banned.
But the signs are so confusing, say truckers, that many an unsuspecting driver has been snared, and fined.
"It's literally an entrapment that county police are very aware of," said Matt Wells, associate director of the Mid-West Truckers Association.
Wells says police sit and wait for the trucks cross over.
"They're just writing $20,000-plus tickets left and right because it generates money for Will County, generates money for the police department.
"It's a money-making extortion scheme by the local law enforcement."
IDOT says it's "actively investigating signing improvements" and "reviewing projects" for possible culvert reconstruction. We have asked the Will County sheriff's office to comment also.