John Gallagher | May 07, 2009 11:00AM EDT
The National Industrial Transportation League “strongly” opposes attempts to cap federal size and weight limits on heavy trucks and will support raising those limits to 97,000 pounds.
That was the sentiment after a vote of the League’s highway committee members was taken at a meeting May 4. It’s the first time NITL has taken a stand in the current debate over truck size and weight limits.
Wayne Johnson, who chairs NITL’s highway committee, called “totally unacceptable” pending legislation that effectively caps size and weight limits that the majority of his members would accept.
The legislation, called the Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act, “does not improve safety or preserve infrastructure” Johnson said. Alternatively, Johnson supports the Safe and Efficient Transportation Act of 2009, which would funnel taxes paid on vehicles that exceed federal weight limits into a bridge replacement trust fund. “We support productivity on the highways of one type or another – size, weight or both.”
NITL will seek to attach legislation lifting federal weight restrictions onto the upcoming reauthorization of the federal highway bill.
The American Trucking Associations, which represents large trucking companies, supports increasing weight limits. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, representing independent contractor drivers, claims bigger trucks would tear up roads and are not as safe.
Contact John Gallagher at jgallagher@joc.com .