Steamship Authority Bans Large Trucks from Early Morning Boat

Courtesy of Steamship Authority

WOODS HOLE – The Steamship Authority has voted to ban large trucks from the early morning freight run to Martha’s Vineyard in an attempt to ease noise concerns for residents in Woods Hole.

Trucks 40-feet or larger will no longer be able to take the 5:30 a.m. boat from Woods Hole to Vineyard Haven. The move is effective for the summer 2018 schedule, which begins in June.

“It’s problematic with the larger trucks with the noise,” said Steamship Authority General Manager Bob Davis.

Some residents had called for the elimination of the 5:30 trip, but boat line officials said that would not be possible in the height of the summer season.

Instead, the authority added a 6:45 run between Woods Hole and the Vineyard specifically for larger trucks.

“We’ve added in a fifth vessel on the Woods Hole to Martha’s Vineyard route to be able to leave a little later in the morning to take the better trucks over,” Davis said.

The freight boat Sankaty will handle that trip.

Representatives from the trucking industry had expressed concern about the elimination of the 5:30 run in the summer. Many smaller trucks make multiple stops on the island and truckers want to get early starts to their deliveries.

“[The new schedule] actually provides some additional truck capacity to be able to get the vehicles over,” Davis said.

The decision was made after the Authority held a public hearing on the matter in August.