Overweight Trucks On Residential Streets Face Higher Fines In South Brunswick

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — Truck drivers who cut through restricted streets in South Brunswick will soon face steeper penalties.

The Township Council on Sept. 16 adopted an ordinance raising the minimum fine for overweight vehicles on designated streets from $130 to $250, nearly doubling the penalty.

"This increases the fine structure, such that it hits the owners or the drivers of those trucks a little bit more meaningfully. So maybe they don't drive down our residential streets. That's what this is all about," Mayor Charlie Carley said during the meeting.

The township code already bars vehicles above certain weight limits from specific streets. According to the ordinance, the South Brunswick Police Department's Traffic Bureau found that violations remain a "persistent concern" and recommended the higher fine. The council agreed that deterring violations is "important and necessary," the ordinance states.

Trucks making pickups or deliveries on restricted streets are exempt.

To determine whether a vehicle is over the limit, the township will use the highest of several weight measures: the vehicle's registered gross weight, the manufacturer's rated loaded weight, the weight rating displayed on the vehicle or, for tractor-trailers and other combination vehicles, the combined weight rating.

The ordinance requires a consenting resolution from Middlesex County, since the township must send a certified copy to the county engineering office for approval by the Board of County Commissioners.

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