The Charles County Sheriff’s Office will soon begin strictly enforcing Maryland transportation laws requiring motorists to properly secure loose materials being hauled in their vehicles. The enforcement initiative will target the areas where debris, mostly from the uncovered beds of pickup trucks, is often scattered along the roadway including near the Charles County Landfill on Billingsley Road and the county’s recycling centers at Gilbert Run, Breeze Farm and Pisgah.
The Sheriff’s Office will participate in a brief public education campaign — a press release, making the information available on its Web site and placing its electronic message board at the landfill and recycling centers — before assigning officers to these locations to issue citations to offenders. Non-commercial motorists who fail to take advantage of the opportunity to modify their hauling habits before the public education component of the initiative ends face a handful of citations, each with an $80 fine.
Maryland law defines loose material as dirt, sand, gravel, wood chips or other material that can blow, fall or spill from a vehicle as a result of movement or of exposure to air, wind or weather. Citations can be issued for the following offenses:
* Failure of a loaded highway vehicle to be safely constructed or loaded
* Failure to prevent the load or covering on a highway vehicle from becoming loose or detached
* Failure of the vehicle owner, within a reasonable time, to remove fallen dirt, debris or agricultural products from the highway
* Carrying loose material in a vehicle on or across a highway
* Loading loose material for carrying in a vehicle on or across a highway
* Failure to fully enclose a bed of vehicle carrying loose material
* Carrying loose material loaded to within six inches of top of enclosure without covering load
* Carrying a load of loose material in a vehicle without a canvas or other approved cover
* Operating a vehicle on a highway without removing spillage, with the tailgate not closed, with openings allowing loose material spillage or without removing loose material residue.
The debris scattered near the landfill and recycling centers is usually garbage and yard waste and often flies from the uncovered beds of pickup trucks. Aside from being illegal, the litter presents environmental concerns and is an eyesore. Charles County Public Facilities personnel, who are responsible for solid waste and litter control programs, are tasked with cleaning up after the offending motorists. Although pickup truck drivers are considered the most frequent offenders near the landfill and recycling centers, Maryland law also requires the drivers of commercial vehicles to properly secure their loads. Commercial drivers who lose debris can face fines ranging from $180 to $1,000.
For more information about the laws regarding improperly secured loads, contact the Charles County Sheriff’s Office’s Traffic Operations Unit at (301) 932-3062.