View full sizeA truck passes a sign on Northampton Street warning that the use of engine brakes is prohibited in Holyoke. Northampton is considering a similar ordinance.NORTHAMPTON – After some truck drivers gasped in outrage, the City Council will consider a somewhat toned-down ordinance on the use of compression brakes when it meets on Thursday.
Acting on the complaints of residents in several neighborhoods, some councilors put together an ordinance that called for a ban on the brakes, which announce their use with a loud blast of compressed air. Some contend that the noise is excessive and unnecessary. When that ordinance came up for a vote in April, however, truck drivers and representatives from trucking companies flocked to Council Chambers contending that the brakes are a safety feature and that banning them would be both onerous and dangerous.
The council sent the measure back to the Ordinance Committee for fine-tuning, and in May that committee held a public hearing on the matter. After much back-and-forth between residents and truckers, the committee crafted a less extreme ordinance that restricts the ban to trucks with improper or inadequate muffler systems. The fine for violation of the law is $300.
Council President David J. Narkewicz said the ordinance came about as a result of concerns from people all over the city who find the loud gasping noise objectionable. He noted that the problem is not limited to Northampton. A number of states restrict the use of compression brakes and Holyoke last year instituted its own ban, which Northampton studied in crafting its law.
As defined in the council packet that accompanies the ordinance, compression brakes are an alternative braking system to wheel brakes used on semi-trucks and other large vehicles, primarily as a safety back-up. The device relieves the compression in diesel engines, causing the vehicles to slow down. By flipping a switch, the driver can release the compressed air from the pistons through the exhaust system, causing the loud gasping noise.
Drivers mostly use the compression brakes when hauling heavy loads downhill and in emergency situations. They not only supplement the braking power of wheel brakes but also take stress off them. As a result, there is less wear-and-tear on the wheel brakes, meaning that they will last longer and need less maintenance.
The city feels that some truckers uses their compression brakes indiscriminately, according to Narkewicz. In addition, trucks with poor muffler systems can be excessively noisy, he said. Some truckers also modify their vehicles in ways that result in increased noise. After listening to both sides discuss the issues, the committee came up with the compromise ordinance aimed at ill-equipped vehicles.
Narkewicz said it remains to be determined how Northampton will notify truckers of the law.
“Some communities post signs at the city limits,” he said. “We’ll talk about how to provide notice to people.”
Narkewicz acknowledged that some details, such as if the ban will pertain to traffic on Interstate-91, remain unresolved. He expects there will be continued discussion of the matter.
“I hope (the ordinance) at least puts this on the radar screen,” he said.