A proposed rule prohibiting use of engine brakes by trucks traveling on Westbrook roads will be up for discussion Monday.
City Councilor Lyle Cramer asked the Growth and Traffic Committee to take up the issue. He said he and his neighbors on Conant Street have been disturbed by the noise of engine brakes, which slow down trucks approaching a stop by shifting into a lower gear.
“It isn’t too bad during the day, but they do it all night long,” Cramer said. “It could wake you up at 4, 5 in the morning.”
Cramer said other councilors had suggested prohibiting engine-brake use on certain streets, but, considering that all of the routes in the city used by trucks are also lined with residences, he figured it made more sense to create a citywide ban.
“It has been an issue for a while,” Cramer said. “It’s very frustrating.”
Dale Hanington, president of Maine Motor Transport Association, said if truck drivers who frequent Westbrook roads hear that a new ordinance is up for discussion, they will likely take issue with it.
Engine brakes “do serve a useful purpose,” Hanington said. He said they are safer, allow trucks to decelerate slower and save brakes from wear and tear.
Hanington added that the noise isn’t from the use of the brakes themselves. If used correctly, he said, they don’t make much noise at all.
He said he didn’t know of any surrounding towns that prohibit the use of engine brakes. In Brewer, he said, truck drivers are asked not to use them in certain areas, but it is more of a request than a punishable law.
The Growth and Traffic Committee will meet Monday, Feb. 23, at 6:30 p.m. in Room 114 at Westbrook High School.
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