If you do not comply with Connecticut’s truck weight laws, you face a fine and the possibility of other penalties. On this page, you can find information about how the fine system works for overweight trucks and other potential crimes and penalties you might face.
Fine Schedule
The overweight truck fine system works based on the percentage overweight that your truck is. This means that based on this schedule, two trucks can have the same number of pounds overweight, but they can face different fines. The fine schedule for overweight trucks is as follows:
- For a truck that is less than 5 percent overweight, the dollar fine per hundred pounds is $3, and there is no minimum fine.
- For a truck that is 5-10 percent overweight, the dollar fine per hundred pounds is $5, and the minimum fine is $50.
- Trucks 10-15 percent overweight face a dollar fine per hundred pounds of $6, and the minimum fine is $100.
- For a truck that is 15-20 percent overweight, the dollar fine per hundred pounds is $7, and the minimum fine is $200.
- For a truck that is 20-25 percent overweight, the dollar fine per hundred pounds is $10, and the minimum fine is $300.
- Trucks 25-30 percent overweight face a dollar fine per hundred pounds of $12, and the minimum fine is $500.
- For a truck that is over 30 percent overweight, the dollar fine per hundred pounds is $15, and the minimum fine is $1000.
Your Overweight Truck
As you can see, the fines for an overweight truck can get expensive. If you get accused of having an overweight truck, you should first use these calculations to make sure that the fine is not more than it should be for what you got charged with. The next step is hiring a lawyer to fight these charges for you.
If you have an overweight truck, and the weight of the truck led to an additional crime, you could face additional charges. In most cases, you face additional charges if the weight of the truck led to the serious injury or death of another person. A few common examples are listed below.
Reckless Endangerment
This crime is broken up into different degrees. Reckless endangerment in the first degree occurs when a person shows indifference to human life and chooses to recklessly engage in an action that could seriously injure another person. This form of reckless endangerment is a class A misdemeanor and carries a fine of as much as $2,000 and a year in jail as penalties. Reckless endangerment in the second degree occurs when a person engages in reckless behavior that can cause harm to another person. This is a class B misdemeanor and is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and a six month jail sentence.
Assault
Assault can also get charged in the first or the second degree. First degree assault gets defined as an action that causes serious harm to another person with extreme indifference. This is a class B felony and it carries a penalty of a fine of up to $15,000 and a prison sentence of as much as 20 years. Assault in the second degree gets defined as a reckless action that causes serious injury to another person with a deadly weapon or a dangerous instrument. In this case, a truck can constitute a dangerous instrument. Second degree assault gets a class D felony and is punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 and a five year prison sentence.
Manslaughter
A truck driver can be charged with manslaughter if his or her overweight truck causes the death of another person. If the driver recklessly operated the vehicle while knowing that it could cause the death of another person, and then the death of another person occurs, the driver could face manslaughter charges. Manslaughter in the first or second degree can be charged to a truck driver in these circumstances. Manslaughter in the first degree is a class B felony, punishable by a fine of up to $15,000 and a prison sentence of up to 20 years. Also, manslaughter in the second degree is a class C felony punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 and a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
If you face criminal charges for the operation of an overweight truck, please contact my office for assistance.
