Detroit committee hears residents and police on truck routes and proposes six-officer Motor Carrier Unit

Chair of the Public Health and Safety Standing Committee convened a 10:15 presentation and heard two hours of discussion and public comment focused on truck traffic, enforcement and air quality. Residents from multiple neighborhoods urged tougher enforcement of truck routes, repairs to infrastructure damaged by heavy trucks and protections for immigrant communities. DPD Officer Battersby and DPW freight specialist Augusta Guterman presented a Motor Carrier Unit proposal.

The proposal outlines a specialized Motor Carrier Unit of six sworn officers (three east, three west) dedicated to commercial motor carrier enforcement: routing, weights and measures, and equipment inspections. Officer Battersby said the city is seeing corridors with ‘‘over 15,000 trucks a day’’ and residential streets averaging ‘‘over 1,000 trucks a day,’’ and cited a rise in citizen complaints. The department’s startup estimate for two years is $1.9 million; Battersby described conservative and moderate annual revenue projections of $5.4 million and $13.5 million respectively if fines and fees are…