Washington’s ‘stuck truck’ still in a rut

There’s new news on the stupendously overweight truck that’s been stuck in Washington state for several weeks. During the weekend, a company that’s helping build the Tacoma Narrows Bridge decided to hire a new trucking company to haul the truck’s payload – a 100-ton expansion joint for the bridge – across the state.

The original company – Big Boat Movers out of Zavalla, TX – was forced to let the load sit at the state border for two weeks while it tried to figure out how to comply with Washington’s overweight regulations after being stopped at the Washington-Idaho border.

Big Boat Movers has since determined that its rig couldn’t be reconfigured to meet the regulations, according to Kelly Stowe, a spokeswoman for the Washington Department of Transportation.

Stowe told “Land Line Now” on XM Satellite Radio that a new company called Omega Morgan is taking over.

“The permits are ready to go,” Stowe said. “Once the expansion joint is moved (to the new truck), they’re going to inspect it and weight it, and hopefully, then it will be able to move, and we’re hoping that will be tomorrow.”

The steel and neoprene expansion joint is currently awaiting transport at a state DOT maintenance facility near Spokane, WA.

Once handed over to the new company, the truck will only be allowed to travel during daylight hours in rural areas, and will be restricted to traveling four hours in the early mornings once it reaches the greater Seattle area.

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