WILSON, Wyo. — More trailers were ticketed this winter on Teton Pass (WY22) in violation of its seasonal trailer restriction than in any of the previous five years, according to data from the Wyoming Highway Patrol.
Conditions dependent, the seasonal trailer traffic ban on Teton Pass begins annually on Nov. 15 and ends on April 1.
The data below illustrates the number of notifications from the state’s Weigh In Motion Sensors (WIMS) and the number of ticketed violators (enforcement) from Nov. 15 to April 1. The number of ticketed violators has steadily increased since 2018 to this year’s high of 168 records of enforcement.
In 2022/23, the WIMS received 455 notifications of overweight vehicles, which includes vehicles over 26,000 pounds (truck tractor/semi-trailers) and vehicles over 60,000 pounds (overweight). Only 36.9 percent of vehicles in violation in 2022/23 were ticketed. This past season, just nine of the 207 trailers weighing over 26,000 pounds that activated the WIMS system were ticketed.
Year-round, trucks and trailers that weigh over 60,000 pounds are prohibited from Teton Pass. The Wyoming Department of Transportation says that Teton Pass is extremely dangerous for overweight trucks, as “grade steepness, grade length and curve severity can cause trucks to lose control.”
This past season, just nine of the 207 trailers weighing over 26,000 pounds that activated the WIMS system were ticketed.
Trucks can use alternate routes around Teton Pass. The most frequently used alternative route from Idaho is through Swan Valley, to Wyoming’s Hoback Jct. on Wyoming Highway 26/89.
But this past season, it seemed as though fewer drivers who are supposed to use that route did. One of the main issues is that these drivers are directed to Teton Pass by GPS and are unaware of the seasonal restriction.
Regardless, Teton Pass users and commuters grew disenchanted with the rate at which semis and vehicles with trailers were frequenting the Pass. Throughout the winter these restricted vehicles caused multiple-hour delays on the Pass, at least two semi’s notably “jackknifed” in March and blocked both lanes of travel and on one morning two stalled semis delayed travel for nearly four hours.
As documented on the locally-run Instagram account @tetonpassholes, it seemed as though no day went without the event of someone in violation of the winter trailer ban.
Those who violate the restriction face a maximum fine of $750 or a maximum prison term of 30 days. Wyoming State Statute 24-1-109 explains that this is “any person who willfully fails to observe any sign, marker, warning, notice or direction, placed or given.”
This past season proved that one thing’s for sure: the fine isn’t necessarily disincentivizing trailer use on Teton Pass.
