SEYMOUR, Ind. – A traffic stop on a box truck made by the Indiana State Police (ISP) this weekend led to the discovery of an overweight load containing unrefrigerated perishable foods and untaxed alcoholic beverages.
The Penske box truck was traveling north on I-65, near the 50-mile marker, when pulled over Friday afternoon. A motorist had reported the truck had a blown tire and was continuing to drive on the tire, throwing debris into the path of other motorists. The truck was also leaning to one side and the driver was having difficulty keeping the vehicle under control.
Troopers located the truck just north of the Seymour exit and during an inspection, they discovered that the truck was heavily loaded with food and beverages traveling from Miami, Florida, to Indianapolis. It was unrefrigerated and contained fruits, vegetables, fish, and alcoholic beverages.
The Jackson County Health Department was contacted to inspect the load. The vehicle’s weight was approximately 15,000 pounds more than is allowable by law. It was impounded.
The vehicle was offloaded on Saturday, April 30, and Monday, May 2. The Jackson County Health Department oversaw the destruction of approximately 200 pounds of fish and 400 bags of vegetables that were not properly refrigerated.
ISP confiscated the untaxed alcoholic beverages and approximately 400 cases of beer were seized. The driver, a Florida resident, received citations related to transporting perishable foods in excess of acceptable temperatures and not having a required logbook. He was then released with the truck containing the remaining food items he was permitted to possess.
The investigation is ongoing.