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The poll, commissioned by the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks and conducted by McLaughlin and Associates, showed a strong majority of respondents (57 percent to 27 percent) oppose legislation currently under consideration in the Indiana General Assembly that would increase the maximum weight of trucks from 80,000 pounds to 120,00 pounds. When asked whose opinion they trusted most on this issue, 52 percent of respondents said law enforcement and safety groups followed by truck drivers at 24 percent – two groups…

Smaller truck owners say this is going to be dangerous for the trucks and the drivers. Adding that many won’t be able to maneuver the trucks if they get longer, AND THAT the roads may not be able to handle the weights. “When the maximum weight and length of a vehicle exceeds our infrastructure capabilities, that’s when we have safety and infrastructure issues,” said Arik Spencer of the North Dakota Motor Carriers Association. Read More+…

“Heavier trucks cause more damage to roads,” Hanwell said. “Heavier trucks take longer to stop and cause more damage when involved in crashes. Trucks using our square have difficulty with turning radius of existing corners going up over curbs or handicap accessible sidewalks. To permit those trucks to be longer would further (exacerbate) these problems. The sidewalks and corners of our square are used daily by schoolchildren going to Garfield Elementary and Claggett Middle schools.” Read More+…

“Trucking already suffers from overcapacity – too many trucks, trailers and drivers,” Pugh wrote in a recent letter to Pressel. He said his point is reflected by wages, working conditions, and rampant driver turnover. “Rather than address real trucking issues, you are leading the charge on a bill that will hasten the deterioration of Indiana’s already crumbling infrastructure, reduce margins of safety, and ultimately give a competitive advantage to the largest economic interests in trucking,” Pugh wrote. Read More+…

Public safety officials are concerned because heavier trucks could cause more devastating crashes and decrease a truck driver’s ability to come to a safe stop.  Some are also concerned about whether a weight increase would damage roads. Read More+…

With minimal requirements, virtually any truck can operate at this weight on our state and local roads where we live, work and play. While some trucks legally operate today at this weight, these bills would open the floodgates to any truck. And how many more of these heavier trucks could we see? Unfortunately, nobody knows. But by meeting the most minimal requirements, any company that wants to operate 120,000-pound trucks on Indiana roads would be able to do so. This has huge implications for…

The reasons mentioned above are why the nation places limits on the size and weight of trucks. A pilot program in North Dakota isn’t going to change the mindset in the rest of the nation. Not many states have the open spaces of North Dakota. Road trains wouldn’t be practical in urban areas and through mountain ranges. The House should reject Senate Bill 2026 and the Senate should kill House Concurrent Resolution 3001. The resolution asks Congress to amend truck length…

Legislation has been introduced in our state legislature that would dramatically expand the number of overweight trucks on our state roads. HB 1190 and SB 40 would create a permit allowing virtually any truck carrying any commodity to operate at up to 120,000 pounds. To put this into perspective, that is 40,000 pounds heavier than the current weight limit of 80,000 pounds. Even worse, trucks that currently operate on our interstates would divert to state roads to take advantage of…

“It scares me to death to think that this would take place out on our nation’s highway,” said Don Smith, a former sheriff of Putnam County, New York, and a member of the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks’ law enforcement board. “Between the statistics and plain old common sense and Newton’s Second Law — force equals mass times acceleration — I have to tell you, it’s just not a good idea. It’s a very dangerous idea.”   Read More +…