Dickinson police officer to crack down on overweight semis

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The Dickinson Police Department recently implemented a unique patrol position to crack down on the growing number of overweight trucks rolling through the area.

Police officials have been talking about implementing the truck regulatory/traffic position “over the past year,” Capt. Joe Cianni said Friday. He added that it is a necessary position because trucks haul overweight loads more than one would think.

“It’s well-needed,” he said. “We believe there are a lot of semis that are overweight.”

The position was filled just in time, as two oversized semi trucks were pulled over in front of Prairie Hills Mall on Third Avenue on Friday

afternoon.

Officer Tom Grosz helped a North Dakota State Highway officer pull over the two trucks, and he had to close down a portion of the road for 2 minutes so the trucks could divert to the mall parking lot.

Grosz took up the truck regulatory/traffic job Jan. 17. He said some roads have been taking a beating, and something needs to be done about it.

“Anybody who drove on Highway 22 last spring can see why we’re trying to keep the weight off the road,” Grosz said.

Grosz added that as an oil boom has swept through the area, truck traffic has increased.

“Without the oil, this position wouldn’t exist,” Grosz said.

With help from the North Dakota Highway Patrol Department, Grosz is learning how to effectively regulate the trucks with dangerously large loads.

“They were nice enough to take me a few different times out and about,” he said. “And they were showing me the ropes on how to do the truck weighing.”

Also, Grosz has taken classes and quickly started witnessing one of the main telltale signs of an overburdened truck.

“Flat tires,” he said.

Tags: dickinson police department, overweight semi, third avenue, north dakota highway patrol, news