Drivers in south Bakersfield, Calif., who park their tractor-trailers along the side of the road or on dirt lots now face a stiff increase in fines for doing so, along with increased enforcement, the Bakersfield Californian reported recently. The City Council recently raised the fine by 130 percent — from $65 to $150 — and officers have carried out sweeps three times in the last month or so, the newspaper reported.
Parking a semitruck — with trailer or without — is illegal on the streets anywhere in the city, except when loading and unloading, said Dave Paquette, who oversees code enforcement. And parking off the street is illegal, too, except in areas zoned for manufacturing, Paquette told the Californian.
There are some truck parking lots in the area that charge $100 a month for parking privileges, but Paquette told the newspaper he thinks it has more to do with truckers wanting to park their trucks near their homes. “More likely than not, it’s going to be a convenience factor,” he said.
Paquette told the Californian that some residents dislike hearing refrigerated trucks running overnight, and that others hate the dust kicked up by trucks as they roll over a dirt lot.
