SMITH COUNTY-- As overweight vehicles damage county roads, Smith County Road and Bridge cannot afford to fix the cracks. Smith County roads can only hold up to 30,000 pounds, and the cracks are proof that some trucks are just too heavy.
Truckers need a permit to drive overweight vehicles. They can either get one from the state--which costs $400, or get a county permit for free. Smith County Constable Andy Dunklin came up with an alternative--charging $100 dollars for a county permit.
Dunklin says, "It's costing the county in manpower and we're not reaping anything from it. With all the cutbacks, we need to either start charging for the permit, or we need to do away with our county permit."
Dunklin presented the idea to County Commissioners this morning. He says the money would stay in the county and be used to fix road damage. The court will vote on the proposed permit cost this month after a public hearing on September 21.