Residents in Lyman say tractor-trailers continue to travel down Route 35 southbound despite the road being clearly closed as crews work to replace a bridge, prompting renewed frustration and safety concerns in the community.
According to residents, trucks have repeatedly bypassed 11 posted signs warning that the road is shut down. State Rep. Wayne Parry (R-Arundel), the ranking member of the Maine State Legislatures’ Transportation Committee, said the situation has become increasingly difficult to ignore.
“It’s obvious that the road is closed, it’s not like you don’t know,” Rep. Parry said, adding that the only way to curb the problem is to hold companies accountable for allowing drivers who cannot read English to operate on Maine’s roadways.
“A fine of one million dollars is in order,” he stressed.
The issue in Lyman comes amid a broader national controversy over commercial driver’s license standards, with critics arguing that some CDL holders are being licensed without demonstrating sufficient English literacy to safely operate on U.S. roads.
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Federal regulations require licensed commercial drivers to read and speak English well enough to understand highway signs, respond to officials, and complete reports. Concerns have grown across the country as incidents mount in which drivers fail to follow posted warnings, detours, or weight limits, raising questions about whether some states or third-party testers are enforcing literacy requirements consistently.
The Maine Wire spoke with Sgt. Chris Rodgers of Troop K, the Maine State Police commercial vehicle enforcement division. Troop K’s mission is to ensure that commercial vehicles comply with Maine’s size and weight requirements and maintain safety standards on highways.
“The unit is proactive and works to keep roads safe, encouraging residents to reach out with concerns to 207-624-8909,” Sgt. Rodgers said.
A resident told The Maine Wire that state police stopped a truck on Monday evening, shortly after our conversation with Rodgers. Troop K has stepped up patrols in the area as trucks continue to violate the posted closure.
In a follow up email on Tuesday, Rogers told the Maine Wire:
“One of my Troopers worked the area last evening and was able to locate a vehicle on the road. In last night’s case the driver was cited for the closed and posted road violations. He was placed out of service for operating a Class A CDL truck without a CDL license, operating without a DOT medical card, and failing the English language proficiency test.”
The Maine law regarding driver qualifications states:
§ 391.11 General qualifications of drivers.
(a) A person shall not drive a commercial motor vehicle unless he/she is qualified to drive a commercial motor vehicle. Except as provided in § 391.63, a motor carrier shall not require or permit a person to drive a commercial motor vehicle unless that person is qualified to drive a commercial motor vehicle.
(b) Except as provided in subpart G of this part, a person is qualified to drive a motor vehicle if he/she—
(1) Is at least 21 years old;
(2) Can read and speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public, to understand highway traffic signs and signals in the English language, to respond to official inquiries, and to make entries on reports and records;
(3) Can, by reason of experience, training, or both, safely operate the type of commercial motor vehicle he/she drives;
(4) Is physically qualified to drive a commercial motor vehicle in accordance with subpart E—Physical Qualifications and Examinations of this part;
(5) Has a currently valid commercial motor vehicle operator’s license issued only by one State or jurisdiction;
(6) Is not disqualified to drive a commercial motor vehicle under the rules in § 391.15; and
(7) Has successfully completed a driver’s road test and has been issued a certificate of driver’s road test in accordance with § 391.31, or has presented an operator’s license or a certificate of road test which the motor carrier that employs him/her has accepted as equivalent to a road test in accordance with § 391.33.
The bridge replacement project on Route 35 remains underway, and local officials say they hope increased enforcement will finally deter drivers from ignoring the closure signs and entering the construction zone.
Watch: Jon Fetherston drives down the road in question, showcasing eleven signs warning of a road closure:
