wy i — mm ns emg | EE Tr —— a Tp— TT ER Rs nr Se Seen I TT — +. The Dallas Post CRE Dallas, PA Tuesday, December 31, 1991 Big Rigs (continued from page 1) influx of behemoths that weigh 80,000 lbs and are 65 feet long? Offset Paperback, Native Tex- tiles and Payne Printery all depend upon heavy trucks to bring in raw materials and move out many loads of finished product. In addition to using their own trucks, each ~ company uses common carriers for both inbound and outbound loads. As many as 8,000 trucks daily are expected And the Back Mountain is home to two trucking companies, Calex in Lake Silkworth and Shelley's in ~ Lehman. According to vice presi- dent Charlie Reese, all 25 of Shelley's trucks use Route 309 exclusively. Most of Shelley's fleet uses 102" wide trailers, which are only permitted to travel Route 118 to their terminal, Reese said. Routes 415 and 309 are open to these wider trailers, according to the Pennsylvania State Police. Trucks weighing more than 80,000 Ibs. or measuring more than 65 feet in length require special per- mits to travel any highway in Pennsylvania. Many of the 300 trucks belong- ing to Tunkhannock's five com- mon carriers routinely use Route 309 or have have begun to travel it more frequently in order to save time en route to points south, according to spokesmen for these ‘companies. A large percentage of their freight comes from the Proc- tor & Gamble plant at Mehoopany. Safe driving tips With the increase in heavy truck traffic, the driving public should . be aware that these vehicles don’t maneuver as easily as a passenger vehicle, according to Charlie Reese. Shelley's drivers have encountered potentially dangerous situations involving cars and tractor-trailers, he said. “Our truckers have noticed that some Back Mountain drivers don't use the center turning lane. In- stead, they sometimes try to make left turns from the driving lanes, often cutting directly in front of a rig. People don’t seem to realize that a loaded rig needs roughly the length of a football field to stop; it just can't stop on a dime.” He added, “Many drivers also “don't realize that tractor-trailers “need lots of room to make wide “turns. They have a large turning radius. Truckers must constantly be on the lookout for the little cars zipping around them while they are attempting to turn.” Truckers driving tankers or ~ pulling loads of swinging beef (sides of beef hung from the trailers ceil- ing) face extra hazards, as these loads shift much more easily than others. A load that shifts easily is more likely to tip over than a stable load. Another complaint concerns confusing posted speed limits in the northbound lane while travel- ing from Luzerne to Dallas. In the space of less than 2-1/2 miles, between the Luzerne ramp and Burger King in Shavertown, the speed limit changes from 55 to 45 to 35 betwen the ramp and DAMA, then back to 45 at Carverton Road and 35 at Burger King. These speed changes can easily confuse drivers unfamiliar with the area, Reese said. And a well-meant but poorly placed sign is also confusing, Shelley's drivers complain. Less than 100 feet north of the “Ex- pressway ends 500 feet” sign across from Wasserrot's, a sign partially obscured by brush warns, “Left turns and cross traffic” in neat, fine letters. If drivers notice it at all, they will probably have forgot- ten about it by the time that they reach the end of the high concrete barrier at Hillside Road, a mile up the road. This is one of several places where car drivers are tempted to stop or slow down suddenly to read the sign, Reese says. Unless they have been warned by other drivers on the CB, truck- ers unfamiliar with the area may also be unaware that road condi- tions can change suddenly in the Back Mountain, Reese noted. Given certain weather conditions, it can be raining in Luzerne, sleeting at the “rock cuts” and snowing at the overpass at Overbrook Road. Past Shadyside, the weather gets pro- gressively worse all the way to Tunkhannock. Or black ice, a thin, icy coating indistinguishable from water, can suddenly form on the roadway, causing sudden skidding and jackknife accidents. Jeff Box is also concerned about the impact of a substantial traffic increase on Kingston Township, at the narrow end of what he calls “the funnel.” “PennDOT has indicated to me that the Route 309 corridor is the third busiest in the entire north- east district,” he said. “I've often sat in my office and heard the screech of tractor-trailer brakes as rigs tried to stop on the uphill grade at Carverton Road. And al- though our police have been ag- gressively enforcing the speed limits for the past 2-1/2 years, cars still fly by.” Concern raised about hazardous substances Box is also concerned about the transportation of hazardous ma- terials through the Back Moun- tain and their potential dangers. Current hazardous materials regulations allow hazardous loads to go anywhere in the state, unless Draggin’ wagon: towtruck Reefer: refrigerated trailer Four-wheeler: passenger car Stagecoach: bus other way. hot loads and other violations. 10-33: accident. Thermos bottle: milk tanker Meat wagon: ambulance Long distance lingo What are those truckers saying? If you've ever heard truckers talking on the CB, you've probably wondered what in the world they're saying. Here's a translation of some of the most common trucker buzz words. Smokey or bear: a state trooper Bear in the air: a state trooper in a helicopter Bear with a hair dryer: a state trooper with a radar gun Bird dog: a radar detector (illegal in some states) Salt shaker: snowplow or cinder truck Portable parking lot: a rig hauling new cars Plain blue (or any other color) wrapper: unmarked police car Hot load: a load that is overweight, improperly documented, oversize, doesn’t carry the proper permits or is illegal in some Chicken coop: weigh station and safety lteckpoint that spots Red-tagged: a rig declared out of service and unfit for the road (usually happens at chicken coops). Maggot wagon: a trailer carrying garbage. Good buddy: never say this to a trucker! 10-36: “What time is it?” (never confuse with 10-33!) You have a clean shot: no bears in the air, in plgin blue wrappers or with hair dryers, along the road. So...keep the shiny side up, the dirty side down, the bugs off the glass and the bears off your bumper, driver! local regulations or ordinances restrict them. Trailers containing hazardous loads must carry warn- ing placards describing the con- tents (flammable liquids, explo- sives, etc.) But under the “1,000 Ib. law,” anyrig carrying less than 1,000 Ib. of hazardous materials is not re- quired to carry a warning placard. Unless this material is clearly marked on the manifest and the driver is aware of what the stuff is (which is not always the case, says a former Back Montain owner- operator), an accident can quickly become a catastrophe. Box concluded, “Due to our geographic position, I am con- cerned that Kingston Township will be asked to assume an unfair burden in controlling the traffic on Route 309. Highway traffic control could create the need for more manpower.” “Our township supervisors are clearly concerned about public safety. The burden of patrolling the highway has apparently shifted to the local police departments. But how much of the burden for a highway that serves several mu- nicipalities should be assumed by the residents of one municipality? Our police can't sacrifice evening neighborhood patrols for traffic patrol on the highway. Neighbor- hood safety is our first priority.” Box noted that the formation of the Transportation Management Association, an organization com- posed of area police, municipal oficials, Emergency Management personnel and representatives from PennDOT, is a good step towards addressing the Back Mountain's traffic problems. Although the trouble spots have been identified, the area needs some type of coop- eration or change in the way that they are handled, he said. “Basi- cally, many of the Back Moun- tain’s traffic problems are growing pains caused by our development during the 1980's.” The bottom line for Back Moun- tain drivers faced with sharing our roads with more traffic and heavy trucks is to give the trucks as much room as possible. The truck- ers really don't want to run you off the road. They're just trying to do their jobs—in a confusing, frus- trating and sometimes dangerous environment. Sometimes motor- ists make their jobs harder, more dangerous and more frustrating. An popular old truckers’ song says, “Give me 40 acres and I'll turn this rig around.” Remember that it isn't as much of an exag- geration as it sounds. Give the big trucks room and Route 309 will be safer for everyone. Help (continued from page 1) things even more complicated, sometimes a street will cross into “two towns, and houses in two dif- ferent locations will have the same number. What can a resident do to make it easier to find their home in an emergency? Tell the dispatcher the town you live in, the street, the box number, and any nearby landmarks. “It's important at night espe- cially. If they don’t have a number, a lot of times we'll pass the place right up,” said Dallas Mayor Paul LaBar, who is also a member of the Dallas Ambulance company. And what can you do to make the house easier to find when the emergency crew gets near? Use numbers instead of script on your home, says LaBar; it's easier to read. Make sure that the number is visible from all directions help may be coming from, says Wayman Miers. '911' lights can help And '911' lights can help, espe- cially where there is a group of houses, or at trailer parks. In a crowded trailer park where the homes may not be numbered se- quentially, the 911 light, which is designed to blink, can lead help right to you without them having to scour the neighborhood first. Back Mountain fire and ambu- lance companies have been selling the lights since the beginning of winter. To learn how to purchase one, contact your local fire or ambulance company. “Box numbers hurt us, espe- cially in groups,” said Miers. “People will say, ‘Oh, I'll leave my porch lights on, or my Christmas lights on.” Do you know how many people have Christmas lights on? They're not making our job easier for a quicker response time if we Rep. Hasay returns unspent - expense money to the state te conser come | & tee account of $4,000. He also. | returned $3,000 annually from px Rep. George C. Hasay said re- cently that as the state continues to struggle with a fiscal crisis, he was pleased to return more than $7,300 to the state treasury in unspent expense money. Legislative expense account records reveal that Hasay returned $7,358.64 to the state this year. “This money is allocated to leg- islators each year for the operation and general expenses, "Hasay said. “By closely monitoring the cost of operating my district office while effectively meeting constituent needs, I was able to reeturn this money to the state without sacri- ficing any services to the residents of the 117th District.” As Republican chairman of the have to hunt them down.” Miers feels that the Colorado system, which assigns a box number for a given interval of feet, whether or not there is a home | there yet, is the best system. The 1 numbers correspond with miles, | so that the number 2,000 would. | be two miles from the intersection’ where the numbering began, which: gives emergency workers an idea. of when to begin looking, said Miers. According to Evans, Jackson’ ; Township converted about 90. percent of its homes to the Colo- rado system about five years ago. Dallas Postmaster Ray Ciccone. | said that the Dallas Post Office has® 4 rs converted about 20 percentof rural | addresses from rural routes to | street and house number ad- | dresses, primarily inlocationssuch | as New Goss Manor, College Manor, | Shrine Acres and Haddonfield Hills. And while the change may have | helped emergency crews, Ciccone said that it wasn't popular with: Eo residents. “A street with 20 families, I'd get’ five complaints,” said Ciccone. “People are so used to doing things | one way they are very adverse to. | change. We tried to change the: g addresses in one section of Dajlas.. | People drafted a petitio ad J brought it down, there were so many opposed.” While some firefighters, ambi } ] lance workers, and police officers | are hoping for the day when all | addresses are by street and house number, Ciccone stresses that | nobody's address is being changed | by the current project. <i “Every second counts, the time | you spend looking for somebody, that's time lost,” said Evans. “It's : i so cheap to put up the numbers, a $1 in paint, but I know firefighters iH who don't have them up. . - each of the previous two years. 1 I / t I $2 0 3 v3 Dor i OTT << 6 0S et Pid [oo Ti He noted that such fiscal belt- = > tightening is necessary with the Casey Administration predicting a potential budget deficit of $50 million this year i in spite of record | it tax increases.” 7’! 1! HAY 1) “There is still a’ great © concern about the econof®y in Pennsylvania,” Hasay said. “All tof state departments and agencies = _ ‘must work, continue to w reduce costs and expenditu order to keep the deficit a absolute minimum. I know that I will continue to do my part as a | py state legislator.” i: Library FOUNDED Get the flavor of the Back Mountain ‘Chefs and Artists’ the Back Mountain Memorial Library Cookbook. A $12.95 value, free with your new or extended 3-year subscription to The Dallas Post. It's the tastiest treat around — Chefs and Artists was compiled and produced by volunteers from 5 the library and the community as a fund raiser as well as a living momento of the region. Chock “ : full of recipes for any meal, it includes these chapters: Chef's Best: Recipes from restaurant chefs throughout the area Something Special: Barbara Bush's Lemon Bars and Zucchini Soup; world-famous chef Woflgang Puck's Scallops Beaumonaie; Ellen Casey's Governor's Chocolate Cake and special recipes es from local folks, too. Fa il ot J fiir de 1 LZHb a be mailed. b Chaps and Artists makes a great gift. Keep it for yourself or give it to someone who loves cookbooks. Additional copies for sale at the Back Mountain Memorial Library. All Other States Name The Salad Bar, From the Seas, Sweets and Treats, Good and Plenty Pies and much, much more including children's recipes and illustrations by area artists. | Because of the high cost of this book, we must limit it to new or extended subscriptions of 3 years. . By subscribing now, you'll also avoid any price increases during the term of your subscription. To order your subscription and receive Chefs and Artists free, bring in your payment with the coupon below or stop by our office in the 309-415 Plaza in Dallas. Note: Because of the size of the cookbook, we must charge $3.50 for postage and handling if it is to Please start or extend my 3-year subscription. Luzerne and Wyoming County Other PA, New York or New Jersey $45 $40 $50 3 Mailing Address City State Zip J I'll pick up my cookbook Total Payment $ - Mail it to me. $3.50 for postage and ding included with my payment. [em ——————— > Return to: The Dallas Post, 309-415 Plaza, P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612 ; Seth 10: The Dallas Posh 307.415 Piaze, P.O. Boy See. Daas PA TICE = 9 5 Ear H i vo % a oo. v i to | sin |
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers