Sheriff & Deputy Magazine: Put a stop to bigger trucks, says Sheriff

“Profit margins should never obstruct the public’s best interests in highway safety and infrastructure preservation.” — Sheriff Alex Hodge

Like many of you, I have spent the majority of my career in law enforcement—nearly a decade as sheriff of Jones County (Mississippi) and 12 years as a state trooper previously. Also like you, protecting and serving the people of my county and state continues to be my top priority—it is what I was called to do—and that is why I am extremely concerned with some of the proposals on Capitol Hill that would undermine our ability to do our jobs.

I’m talking about the proposals right now in Washington, D.C., that would increase the size and weight of tractor-trailers on our nation’s roadways. One special-interest group is pushing to increase the weight of trucks from the current 80,000-pound maximum limit to 91,000 pounds, while another group is pushing to increase the maximum length of double-trailer trucks to 91 feet. These proposals would put motorists at risk, as well as the law enforcement officers who work crashes on the side of the road.