A federal agency has struck down an Alabama law aimed at preventing heavy metal coils from falling off trucks and causing wrecks.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration found the Alabama law placed "an unreasonable burden on interstate commerce." Passed by state lawmakers in 2009, the law required trucker drivers hauling metal coils on routes that either began or ended in Alabama to be certified in load securement techniques.
Lawmakers argued the measure was needed to prevent improperly secured coils from falling off flatbed trucks. The Birmingham News reports about 30 cases between 1987 and 2009 caused $7.5 million in damage to highways.
The law's sponsors — Rep. Paul DeMarco of Homewood, and Sen. Jabo Waggoner of Vestavia Hills — are asking Gov. Robert Bentley to appeal.