Extra patrols for 'Trucktoberfest' as officers issue citations
Several trucks pulled over during 'Trucktoberfest'
A Daytona Truck Meet billed as 'Trucktoberfest' is now underway in Daytona Beach. Police officers have said there will be zero tolerance for bad behavior. Participants we spoke to said they are being unfairly targeted. Officers point to a similar event over the summer that brought traffic violations and fights.
Daytona Beach, Fla. - FOX 35 News saw truck after truck get pulled over in Daytona Beach Friday night as "Trucktoberfest" gets underway.
"I feel like truck week is being picked on, to tell you the truth," said Ty Galery, a Daytona Beach Shores resident who was stopped by deputies.
He says they gave him a warning for the lights on his truck. The whole thing has him seeing red.
"I guess they don’t want the trucks here and everybody has a right to be out here. We’re not doing anything. Nobody is going crazy or berserk like half the motorcycles do during bike week," Galery said.
Local law enforcement has been promising to crack down on the unsanctioned "Trucktoberfest" for weeks, including writing tickets for any vehicle code violations.
They say during June’s truck meet in town -- there was reckless driving, fights, and shootings.
"You’re here to create havoc and disrupt our neighborhoods, you’re not going to like what’s going to happen," warned Volusia Co. Sheriff Mike Chitwood.
Some of the main party spots in Daytona Beach remained pretty quiet Friday. Locals say the truck traffic seems to be minimal so far compared to previous years.
"Maybe four or five is all I saw and two of those were pulled over by police," Lee Grasso said about the trucks.
But not everyone wants the unofficial event to be run out of town. Business owners say they do benefit.
"They’re going to restaurants, they’ve got to eat, they’ve got to do things," said Tom Caffrey, owner of the World’s Most Famous Brewery.
Some say Saturdays are really when truck traffic picks up. Both Daytona Beach Police and the Sheriff’s office have extra patrols on the roads.