Alabama Gov. Signs Steel-Coil Control Law

Alabama Gov. Bob Riley (R) signed into law a measure requiring truck drivers transporting steel coils to be properly trained so that coils are tied down securely, according to the governor’s Web site.

About 30 coils have come loose from transport trucks on Birmingham-area interstates since 1987, and while no deaths have resulted from accidents, the cost of repairing highways has totaled more than $7 million, the site said.

The new law requires motor carriers involved in transporting steel coils to use truck drivers trained and certified in properly securing coils.

The Alabama Department of Public Safety will set training standards, and any company that uses an uncertified driver would face a fine of $5,000 to $10,000. Uncertified drivers also will face fines of $250 to $1,000 and could get up to one year in jail.

The new law also levies a fine of $5,000 to $10,000 against a person or company if a steel coil falls from a truck they owned or leased and if the coil had been loaded in a way that violates federal safety regulations, according to the governor’s Web site.