NEWARK, NJ – Newark now has twice the law enforcement patrolling for overweight commercial vehicles than it did this time last year, and the fines collected are offsetting some of the damage to the roads, according to the Web site www.NewarkAdvocate.com.

In January, Newark police dedicated a full-time officer, Patrolman Troy Cochran, to weighing and inspecting trucks that pass through city streets, joining Licking County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Gus Moore, who covers the city and the rest of the county. Since then, the two have combined to ticket commercial drivers to the tune of nearly $85,000, according to documents provided by the county engineer’s office and the municipal clerk of courts.

The funds, depending on who they are collected by, either go to the county or the city. The total revenue brought in by Moore’s efforts and permits sold to truckers totals about $80,000 annually. That money goes to the road and bridge fund.

Commercial vehicles are licensed for different sizes of loads depending on the dimensions of the vehicle, but Newark City Engineer Brian Morehead said some studies claim the wear and tear on the roadway caused by a single heavy-duty truck is equal to about 30 passenger cars, according to www.NewarkAdvocate.com.

The funds appropriated from the enforcement program to the police department — one-third of what is collected by Cochran — will go back into the program. The other two-thirds of the fine dollars collected by Newark police goes to the engineer’s office.