As lawmakers begin to draft the next highway bill, representatives of large carriers will certainly be pushing for the inclusion of provisions to increase truck weight limits.
The Coalition Against Bigger Trucks is pushing back, saying that bigger and heavier trucks are more likely to crash and will shorten the lifespan of the nation’s roads and bridges. In a news release, the coalition announced that law enforcement and local government leaders from across the country will be in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, June 4 to tell members of Congress they don’t want bigger and heavier trucks on their roads.
“Law enforcement officers understand what’s at stake, because we’ve seen it firsthand,” said Steve Casstevens, a retired police chief from Illinois and past president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. “When a heavier truck crashes, the damage isn’t just on the road – it’s in the emergency room, in the tow yard and in the lives disrupted. These proposals may sound like logistics policy, but to us, it’s a safety crisis in the making.”
The current truck weight limit is 80,000 pounds. In recent years, there have been efforts in Congress to increase the limit to 91,000 pounds. Putting it in perspective, the proposal would allow trucks to increase their weight by five-and-a-half tons.
Limited analysis from a 2016 U.S. Department of Transportation study showed that crash risk increased by 47-400% when operating a six-axle truck at 91,000 or 97,000 pounds.
Infrastructure concerns
Studies also show that increasing truck weights would cause damage to the nation’s roads and bridges, leading to additional safety and economic concerns.
In March, the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks released a study indicating that increasing the maximum truck weight from 80,000 to 91,000 pounds would place between 65,157 and 82,457 local bridges at risk. Even more, the study found that replacing those bridges would come with a price tag between $70.6 billion and $98.6 billion.
The American Society of Civil Engineers 2025 Report Card gave America’s Roads a D+ and its bridges a C.
The National Association of County Engineers said that increasing truck weights would not only be costly.
“If you want to put heavier trucks on the roads and bridges, you’re asking for some sort of catastrophe at some point,” said Kevin Stone, executive director of the group.
OOIDA opposes truck weight increase
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is one of the more than 20 organizations included in the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks.
Earlier this year, OOIDA Executive Vice President Lewie Pugh testified in front of a House subcommittee regarding truckers’ concerns about making trucks heavier.
“Some shippers, large carriers and specific industries continue to claim increasing truck size and weight is good for trucking,” Pugh said. “Make no mistake, these are losing propositions for truckers and highway safety. I want to especially caution new members of the committee about supporting these controversial proposals – one vote to increase today’s limits will have every group that wants special treatment expecting you to support their specific carve-out for the rest of your tenure.”
Pugh cited a 2022 survey that found 68% of truck drivers believed that longer or heavier trucks would make the job more difficult. Many drivers are paid by the mile.
OOIDA plans to oppose any individual bills to increase truck size and weight, as well as attempts to get provisions added to the next highway bill. LL
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