Shippers Throw Support to Heavier Trucks
John Gallagher Jun 8, 2009 7:12PM GMTThe Journal of Commerce Online - News Story


Coalition supports bill to raise size, weight limits on interstates

Big shippers are throwing their weight behind legislation allowing heavier trucks on federal roads as a way to boost carrier productivity, save fuel, and cut transportation costs.

The Coalition for Transportation Productivity, representing more than 100 associations and companies such as the National Industrial Transportation League, Kraft Foods, Archer Daniels Midland and International Paper, is urging Congress to raise federal vehicle weight limits on U.S. interstates to 97,000 lbs. through its support of the Safe and Efficient Transportation Act of 2009. The measure was introduced in Congress March 30.

The legislation stipulates raising the weight limits would only be allowed for vehicles equipped with a sixth axle, which would maintain braking capacity and weight distribution per tire. The bill imposes a user fee for six-axle units to fund bridge repair.

More freight on fewer trucks would also make roads safer, says CTP Co-chairman John Runyan.
“Accident rates among heavy vehicles are strongly tied to the vehicle miles a truck must travel to deliver a ton of freight,” he said. Allowing heavier trucks “would reduce the number of vehicle miles and overall number of trucks needed to deliver a specific amount of freight, making roads safer while cutting fuel and emissions by as much as 19 percent for each ton carried.”

Railroads have long opposed such legislation, claiming raising truck weight limits would give them a competitive edge in the fight over shipper dollars. The AAR cites a 1999 DOT study suggesting increasing truck size and weights would result in a decline in rail revenue of between $2.9 billion and $6.7 billion. Rail earnings would decline 32 percent to 46 percent, and rail car-miles would decline 4 percent to 20 percent, the study said.

Contact John Gallagher at jgallagher@joc.com.