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October 13, 1999 11:42 AM, EDT

Two New Jersey legislators plan to introduce a truck safety package that doubles the points truckers receive for some moving violations and triples the commercial driver license fee to fund a truck enforcement group within the State Police.

A third legislator has introduced a measure that would impose fines of up to $1,000 to enforce a truck ban the governor implemented in July.

Big rigs have become a hot topic in New Jersey. A buildup of public concern on the issue culminated with Gov. Christie Whitman prohibiting interstate trucks from using a majority of the state’s secondary highways. Now, lawmakers in the state Assembly and Senate are rushing to introduce truck safety legislation of their own.

The proposal by Assembly representatives Paul Kramer and Barbara Wright would create a bureau with jurisdiction over truck safety inside the State Police. It would be funded by raising the fee for a 10-year CDL from $25 to $75 for truckers but leaving the rate for bus drivers unchanged.

For the full story, see the Oct. 11 print edition of Transport Topics. .