Is It a Duck, Or Is It a Truck?

There are several mining operations here is the valley, busily working the dry river beds in places like Sun City, Peoria, and Queen Creek. As new housing continues to grow, the juxtaposition of industry and residential areas creates predictable conflicts.


Noise is one of the concerns. Federal safety regulations require that trucks have an audible signal to indicate they are backing up, like the the high-pitched beep-beep-beep backup warning with which most of us are familiar. That sound can carry long distances, especially late at night and early in the morning. Nearby residents complain.


Two firms, one with a plant in Sun City, and another with locations in Peoria and Queen Creek have already installed alarms that sound like a quacking duck. Another, Vulcan Materials, is testing "an alarm that gives off a swishing sound." Now the Maricopa County Mining District Recommendation Committee is considering requiring all back-up alarms to broadcast "a less obnoxious noise."


Soon residents awake in the wee hours past midnight may be asking the question: "Is it a duck, or is it a truck?"