LORDSTOWN Council approves truck-scale research

Costs and location are considerations in which type of truck scale to purchase.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
LORDSTOWN -- Anticipated traffic increases and rapidly deteriorating roads in the village are prompting officials to look into curbing oversized trucks.
Council gave the go-ahead Monday to Police Chief Brent Milhoan to research the requirements and costs associated with purchasing scales to weigh commercial trucks for possible weight-limit violations.
Milhoan said he was asked to look into the matter for several reasons, including the expected increase in truck traffic through the village when Lordstown Construction Recovery Inc. begins operations.
The site, a construction and demolition debris landfill on Newton Falls-Bailey Road, has yet to begin operations but is expected to receive debris by train and truck.
Milhoan gave council some preliminary information about the scales, including estimated costs of platform vs. portable versions, as well as revenue collected by other Ohio cities using truck scales.
Estimated costs
Platform scales, which are fixed in one location, run $20,000 to $50,000, Milhoan said.
"The cost depends on the amount of work, like pouring the pad, electrical work and so on," he said.
Portable scales run an average of $3,500 each, and Milhoan said he was informed the village would need a minimum of 14 to weigh each truck tire, bringing the cost to $49,000. Portable scales would also require the purchase of a larger vehicle in order to transport them, he said.
Other cost considerations include training for officers to use the scales, he added. Each officer in the department could be trained in about one day to operate the platform scales, whereas an officer would need 160 hours of training each to use portable scales.
But some cities have been able to recoup some of the costs when fines are assessed to truckers with overweight vehicles. Sunbury averages about $900 per fine, he said, while Grandview spent $50,000 installing platform scales and generated $14,000 in fines in their first year of use.
Location considerations
"The only real difficulty [with platform scales] would be finding a location," Milhoan said, explaining state law requires any truck stopped for possible violations can only be taken three linear miles to a weigh station.
Mayor Arno Hill said a spot on Bailey Road near Salt Springs would be one location, since it would position the scales near the village's industrial sites.
Council has no timetable on if or when a purchasing decision will be made.
slshaulis@vindy.com