Coalition Serves On The Fine Restructure Working Group

The Coalition attended several meetings that the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation ordered due to the Fine Structure Working Group on November 4th, 2008.

It was this working group's duty to look at the fine structure basis in Maine and how it affects Maine's transportation industry.

This commitee was a direct result of Rep. Troy Jackson's ( now Senator Jackson) submitting of LD2204 - An Act to Amend the Laws Governing Commercial Vehicles in the first session of Maine's 123rd Legislature. Testimony during this act's hearings raised conecrns that commercial vehicle fines are excessively high in comparison to other states and not proportional to the violation, that there is difficulty in complying with commercial vehicle laws _ including state and federal gross vehicle weight and axle weight laws as well as federal motor carrier safety regulations.

Therefore the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation warranted that a reevaluation of the current commercial vehicle fine system is warranted. The Committee requested that the Department of Transportation convene a working group to examine these issues.

The working groups final report was due to the Joint Standing Committee On Transportaion no later than January 15th, 2009. The report is to include the working group's findings and reccomendations regarding revisions to the current commercial vehicle fine schedule. This report dealine was extended due to weather canceling several meetings.

A final draft has been emailed to the Coalition but the Final report is due. We will post when it arrives.

Serving on this working group were :

The Department of Public Safety; Bureau of Maine State Police, the Secretary of State, Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Maine Motor Transport Association, The Coalition To Lower Fuel Prices In Maine, Maine Forest Services, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and other additional parties that the Department of Transportation would be a valuable resource for the working group.

CONCLUSION : The Coalition To Lower Fuel Prices In Maine found that through these meetings and informaton released that Maine fines are significantly higher then most of  it's New England counterparts.  Committeee members of the MDOT and the Maine State Police were not always in agreement with Coalition Members and therefore the Coalition will not fully support a report going to the legislature with anything but that Maine must adjust the state's fine structure's to be business friendly to both the industry and the state. There will be a public hearing on this matter. date forth coming.