A trucker wets down the sand so that it would not blow off while being transported.

by WENDY BURKE

TRUCKERS FREIGHTING SAND from Walkers Sand Quarry, St Andrew say police are not giving them a fair break and are constantly reporting them.

The drivers who did not wish to give their names to the WEEKEND NATION, said it had been months now since police started stopping and reporting them.

One said he was recently fined $250 because the load of stones he was hauling was not sufficiently covered.

"The rocks can't blow no where. The truck would have to turn over for them to fall out," he said.

Another claimed "the police would not stop reporting you. Then you have to go explain yourself to a magistrate".

An official of the sand mine said more than 100 trucks fill up there daily and they encourage them to cover the loads properly and not to pack them too high, but the drivers were still complaining about the police harassing them.

Small truck

One driver who telephoned the newspaper about the issue said it seemed as though only the small trucks were being stopped and reported, since the trucks owned by the large construction companies were not being checked.

"One man was remanded for two weeks because he answered back the officer and they requested backup. When he went to court, he was remanded to Harrison Point," he said.

The driver, who hauls sand for a construction company, said he was reported yesterday morning, making this his third report in a week.

"They had about 50 trucks backed up this morning. You could not come out the sand hole. We were not speeding or driving reckless. It is ridiculous," he said.

He added that it was also having a financial impact on them since they were now taking far smaller loads for fear of being reported, and they were paid by the ton.

"You can't do no more. I come here from 5 a.m., they open at 7 a.m. and close at 2:30p.m., so there is only so much you can do," he said.

A senior officer from the Northern Division of the Royal Barbados Police Force said they had a zero tolerance traffic policy and they reported any breeches of the law on the road.

Traffic hazard

He said sand blowing off trucks that were not properly covered not only damaged vehicles but could lead to temporary blindness of other motorists, creating a traffic hazard.

He stressed that police were not targetting any specific group but "responding to violations as we see them".

wendyburke @nationnews.com