![[FILE] With dump trucks regularly using S.R. 248 between a quarry in Browns Canyon and residential areas in and around Hideout, Wasatch County discussed this week whether to consider restrictions to keep noise down, following complaints by neighbors.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b2ac1fe/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2250x1500+0+0/resize/840x560!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa9%2Fbf%2F67d45b3f4c20b95f2602aa8ddb31%2Fadobestock-948372.jpeg)
While engine brakes on some of the largest vehicles on the road may be noisy, they can also be crucial to keeping multi-ton dump trucks in control.
When the Wasatch County Council discussed recent noise complaints from residents near state Route 248 Wednesday, they said they didn’t want to lose sight of the safety concerns involved.
Councilmember Erik Rowland represents that area of the county in Seat C. He said they should continue to discuss the issue but not rush to add new areas with restrictions just yet.
“When it comes to restrictions,” Rowland said, “I'd rather be reactive to the public instead of trying to create restrictions if there's not a need. I think this map [where engine brakes are restricted] is fine. Unless we get an overwhelming response from the public — ‘please, please, please include my area’ — then we can look at it then.”
County Manager Dustin Grabau said he knew of roughly six recent complaints about loud trucks by residents from the area.
He explained to the council that even if the county wanted to stop truckers from using engine brakes, another county law would get in the way.
“The county’s code already states that even in a prohibited area, drivers, if they need to use engine brakes for safety, would still be allowed to use them,” Grabau said. “So, while we could place a restriction on that area, it likely would still result in the use of engine brakes, just because a fully loaded truck going down a steep incline to a red light might need that additional stopping power.”
Also, the Utah Department of Transportation has control over rules on Highway 248. Any ordinance the county would use to restrict engine brakes would have to apply only to Browns Canyon Road, where the quarry is located.
“We can pass an ordinance that covers a road that is a UDOT road,” Grabau said, “but that just becomes one of the points of consideration that UDOT makes on whether to enforce engine restrictions on state highways like Highway 40.”
Grabau said in a conversation last year, a UDOT official said the state would not be interested in restricting engine brakes on 248.
Council Chair Spencer Park and councilmembers Kendall Crittenden and Steve Farrell were among those who said safety should be the focus on those roads near Hideout. Farrell pointed out it’s a place where there have been many “serious accidents” over the years.
