Cost & Repercussions of violation??

I am a high school student doing a research paper on a local problem. I am in need of some general info. from some of you experienced truckers. We have a local road which is restricted to through trucks due to the dangers for the curvy narrow road. Trucks still continue to try and use the road and what happens is (with the exception of the best of the best drivers - and luck with oncoming traffic) they cannot make the curves/turns and often end up in the dirt drainage ditches - STUCK!! Now the police have to come, close off the road to traffic for hours while a heavy tow truck is called in to haul the truck out of the ditch, afterwards the police will escort the truck out of the area. I would imagine the trucker is issued at least one ticket for violating the 'restricted' sign, and possibly other tickets for the incident. Please share with me what this whole incident may cost in tickets and towing and what the repercussions would be to your CDL license and job with the firm you work for.

Another question - if you use a car GPS versus a truck GPS would you find the restriction for this road? Does it show as restricted on your truck GPS? Would you risk it? The road is Ruffin Mill Road in Chesterfield County, VA.

Thanks in advance for any insight on this issue from a truckers perspective.

Harrison

 

Thanks for the input so far -

Ruffin Mill Rd. does go thru an Industrial park with a Pilot Truck Stop at the beginning of the road. Once you are at the end of the Industrial area it then turns left onto the very winding, narrow, residential part of Ruffin Mill Rd. Truckers want to use it as a cut through from the truck stop (off I-95) up to Highway 10 and/or Interstate 295. It became officially restricted in 2009 and there are signs, but rather small and in my opinion placed where it is too late for the trucker who has already entered the road (on either end). VDOT has recently stepped up the policing efforts on that stretch of road and often sit on either end looking for trucks. I guess that got to be too much for them, so a few weeks ago VDOT place those big, portable message signs that light up and flash "Through Trucks Prohibited on Ruffin Mill Road". Don't know how long they will/can leave those signs there.
Trucks getting stuck on that road was literally a weekly event and several incidents of school buses getting swiped and in one case forced off the road from oncoming trucks have happened.

 

carrkool and others...with that being said (taking a gamble), my paper has to focus and a solution and I am proposing a 'redlight' type camera to capture license plates of truckers who enter the road and higher fines for traveling on this road. A warning sign for the 'redlight' camera would have to be posted on the road. I realize there are a lot of logistics and legalities involved with this, but it is just a proposal. If you knew of the camera and higher fines would you still take the gamble???

I am also proposing an informational posting inside the Pilot Truck Stop that spells out the true dangers of traveling that road. Right now, the through restriction sign is paired with a weight limit restriction (due to a small bridge) so I think a lot of truckers look at that and think that is why there is a through restriction and not really a big deal if they proceed (weight restriction long preceeded the through restriction). If there was some info/bulletin on the dangers of this road due to the curves and narrowness it may help a trucker plan ahead.

 

Police started sitting at the beginning of the road recently because the problem was becoming so bad. The road is really dangerous for trucks and thus the cars and school buses that travel it. Honestly, it is not a cop trap situation, but a public safety issue and the time and resources that are taken up by VDOT and law enforcement with the trucks that get stuck on this road is horrible.