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In Southern Oregon, it’s common to see semi trucks driving on the shoulder of Interstate 5 as they go up and over the passes. How can that possibly be legal? I’ve not seen that in any other state. Is just a Southern Oregon thing? Can you tell me where in the ORS it says that’s allowed, because I have searched for it and I can’t. — Nancy M., Medford Technically, it is illegal, Nancy, likely a violation of ORS 811.370, which is failure to drive within a lane of traffic. That said, drivers typically aren’t cited for doing it, according to Oregon State Police and the Oregon Department of Transportation. The reasons are two-fold: safety and to keep traffic flowing. “In the interest of public safety and the flow of freeway traffic, it is not actively enforced on the mountain passes, as the trucks are traveling at safe speeds and appropriately yielding to disabled vehicles that are also using the emergency shoulder,” an email from Oregon State Police Sgt. Adam Walport reads. “Many trucks are simply not able to ascend the mountain passes at speeds above 20 to 30 mph due to their heavy loads.” The summits in Southern Oregon are among the highest along the entirety of Interstate 5, with some of the steepest grades, ODOT public information officer Gary Leaming said. The solution to getting semis off the shoulder, he said, is more dedicated lanes for the vehicles to make those climbs. Construction crews recently completed such a lane at the Sexton Summit north of Grants Pass. Another one is slated for next year in an area near Roberts Mountain on a freeway stretch between Myrtle Creek and Roseburg. “I don’t know if it’s uniquely Southern Oregon, but it is unique to Southern Oregon,” Leaming said. Send questions to “Since You Asked,” Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501 or by email to [email protected]. We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them.