Bigger & Harman - May 2024

Your Referrals Make a Difference! Thanks to your 99 referrals in April, we were able to donate $1,980 to help fight human trafficking and lead medical missions. INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION To learn more about International Justice Mission and their mission to protect half a billion vulnerable people from exploitation, please go to IJM.org . MEDICAL MISSIONS OUTREACH To learn more about showing God’s love by providing quality medical treatment to some of the poorest people in the world, visit the Medical Missions Outreach home page at Medical-Outreach.com .

Weighty Matters

How to Handle a Weight Limit Citation

Professional truck drivers need a lot of skill to haul heavy cargoes. They also need to know how to manage those mega-loads to avoid violating government weight limits. A citation for violating complex federal and state weight restrictions can threaten your commercial driver’s license and your livelihood. Drivers who exceed legal weight limits can be fined and may face civil or criminal penalties, including possible suspension of their commercial driver’s licenses or impoundment of their vehicles. Drivers are required to stop each time they pass any of the numerous weigh stations operated by the California Highway Patrol. Failure to do so is a misdemeanor. The carrying capacity of your truck is determined by subtracting the weight of your truck and trailer from the federal maximum weight of 80,000 pounds. Also, truck drivers must make sure cargo is distributed evenly so that no axle group carries too much weight. California sets additional rules. The state weight limits are 20,000 pounds for a single axle and 34,000 pounds for a tandem axle. The state also imposes limits for the steering axle, based on manufacturer’s specs, and for tires, based on width. An axle bearing too much weight can be unstable during turns or on uneven terrain. Tires may burst, axles can bend or break, or trailers can tip. Violating weight restrictions is risky in other ways. If other drivers are hurt in a crash involving a commercial trucker, they are likely to investigate whether the truck driver was in compliance with legal weight limits when the crash occurred. A violation could result in harsher penalties for the driver. Simply paying a ticket in hopes that it will go away is an illusion — it’s seen as an admission of guilt. Our firm has assisted many professional drivers with weight-limit violations in our area, including Kern, Tulare, Fresno, Inyo, and Mono counties. If you have been cited for a weight- limit violation, don’t hesitate to call us to assist you. We have flexible appointment times and no-obligation, free consultations.

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

ISAIAH 41:10

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