Imagine this if you will:
You pull onto the scales at your favorite weigh station.
After a suitable amount of time, the scale says 91,000 pounds.
You get no ticket. There’s no out of service call. Just the green light and you’re good to go.
Yes, 91,000 pounds. That’s almost 14% more than what you’re normally allowed today.
If a piece of legislation now in Congress passes, 91,000 pounds could become the new 80,000 pounds for many big rigs on some U.S. highways.
Dusty Johnson, a Republican Representative from South Dekota introduced legislation to allow a 10-year pilot project to test that weight increase on some of the nation’s highways. Having been approved by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, it has become an amendment to the BUILD America 2025 Act, and gives states the option of raising gross vehicle weights for trucks on federal interstate highways.
However, the increased weight allowance comes with a caveat: trucks hauling the extra weight must have a sixth axle.
Those supporting the increased weight limits claim it would significantly reduce the number of trucks needed to haul the same amount of freight. It has support among agricultural and bulk commodities haulers.
A leading supporter of the proposed increase is the Shippers Coalition, which says gross vehicle weights set in 1982 have not kept up with the safety advances on today’s trucks.
However, not everyone shares the outlooks of those who support the increased weight limit.
The Coalition Against Bigger Trucks is leading the opposition to the weight increase. That organization says heavier trucks pose safety hazards, will damage highways and bridges, be bad for the environment and cause more traffic congestion.
Also opposed to the heavier truck are the National Association of Counties, the Association iof American Railroads, AAA, and numerous law enforcement organizations. Within the trucking industry, the Truckload Carriers Association and the Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association are part of the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks.
But, how do drivers feel about driving heavier trucks?
Leave us a comment below and take our poll.
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