Almost 500 complaints about gooey roofing asphalt damaging vehicles were received by the Turnpike Commission.
The driver of a truck that leaked roofing asphalt and damaged hundreds of vehicles along a 40-mile stretch of the Pennsylvania Turnpike last week ignored police orders to remain in Western Pennsylvania for an inspection, state police said.
Police cited the driver, George Delaney, 50, of Glen Burnie, Md., with disobeying the verbal instructions of a state trooper and failing to secure a load. He had been driving for Marino Transportation Services in Stevensville, Md.
Both are summary traffic violations. The first offense carries a fine of $25, while the second ranges from $300 to $1,000.
"The sanctions imposed may seem minimal, but the weight they carry, especially for a commercial driver, is very real. And it doesn't forgive the driver of responsibility from the civil side," said state police Trooper Todd Aber of the Gibsonia station.
Aber planned to inspect the tanker truck the morning after it leaked roofing asphalt along the turnpike's eastbound lanes between the New Castle exit at milepost 10 and the Oakmont service plaza at milepost 49. Police placed the tanker truck out of service the night of Nov. 22 and ordered Delaney to remain in the area so the vehicle and his papers could be inspected.
"Most commercial drivers are very respectful of out-of-service orders," said Aber, who noted that such orders prohibit drivers from going back on the road until police sign off on the steps taken to address violations.
"He split. I don't know why he left," Aber said. "There could have been two dozen violations on the vehicle or with the driver's paperwork, but we'll never know. Any problems could have been fixed by now."
Delaney could not be reached for comment, and MTS did not return a call.
Company President Nicholas Marino, however, told The Baltimore Sun that Delaney had been placed on administrative leave. Marino told the Sun that Delaney is a retired law enforcement officer and had a clean driving record.
The Turnpike Commission said it received almost 500 complaints from motorists who said the gooey roofing asphalt damaged their vehicles.
