ALBANY, N.Y. — America’s largest owner-op group says there’s something rotten about the Big Apple’s governor proposing to crack down on commercial trucks using secondary state roads.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association says it’s adamantly against Gov. David Paterson’s proposal to increase fines for truck drivers who use GPS systems to take them on roads that are off limits or have low clearances. This practice has led to several "bridge strikes," says Paterson.

Under the rule, law enforcement officers would also have the authority to confiscate trucks that are stopped and ticketed. As well, trucking companies or their insurance carriers would be responsible for the costs for the incident.

OOIDA says the "heavy-handed" law "unfairly punishes a greater majority of truckers," and will do nothing to improve safety.

"It’s yet another case of New York using truckers as punching bags," said Mike Joyce, OOIDA legislative director. "The number of bridge strikes compared to the millions of truck miles traveled there doesn’t add up to a need for all trucks to use any type of GPS just to avoid that type of incident."

The scheme comes on the heels of recent tax, fee and proposed route restrictions for commercial vehicles, OOIDA points out.

"The governor is doing a great job of pushing New York to the top of the list of places where truckers least want to do business," Joyce said.