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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 +…

“And wear-and-tear isn’t the only problem posed by outsized trucks. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, “Multiple-trailer trucks have more handling problems than single-trailer trucks. In general, the additional connection points contribute to greater instability, which can lead to jackknifing, overturning, and lane encroachments.” Further safety studies are sorely needed, but the analysis conducted thus far has been far from promising. Despite all this research, North Dakota lawmakers continue to press forward in their misguided push to enact the “road…

“Law enforcement professionals across the Commonwealth are opposed with proposals to put even heavier, more dangerous trucks on our roads,” said Scott Bohn, Executive Director of PCPA. “To our members, this is just common sense. Regardless of what type of cargo is being transported, allowing even heavier trucks on our roads is a recipe for disaster. Heavier weights have been associated with increased braking violations, higher likelihood of rolling over, and more severe crashes, to name a few concerns.” Read…

“Law enforcement professionals across the Commonwealth are opposed with proposals to put even heavier, more dangerous trucks on our roads,” said Bohn. “To our members, this is just common sense. Regardless of what type of cargo is being transported, allowing even heavier trucks on our roads is a recipe for disaster. Heavier weights have been associated with increased braking violations, higher likelihood of rolling over, and more severe crashes, to name a few concerns.” Read More+…

With these important milestones looming, the longstanding coalition, including law enforcement and rail, needs to ensure that no heavier or longer truck amendments get added to the bill. Indeed, the next several weeks will be key in protecting against bigger trucks, which are far more dangerous and threatening to motorists and our infrastructure than the typical tractor trailer.…

Over 80 Members of Congress have signed a letter to T&I Chairman DeFazio expressing opposition to bigger trucks.…

“Congress already gave the OK to states to raise maximum truck weight limits from 80,000 pounds to 100,000 pounds for a period of 120 days to aid in moving critical supplies across the country during the pandemic and the recovery. But a coalition of law enforcement officers sent a letter to governors asking them to make sure the change is temporary. “Limits on the size and weight of trucks are essential to ensure that our highways are safe and to preserve our…

ALEXANDRIA, VA – APRIL 23, 2020 — The law enforcement leaders of the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks are asking the nation’s governors to ensure that truck weight limits are returned to safe levels after the pandemic crisis passes. Congress has allowed temporary increases in weight limits in response to the pandemic. Any increase in truck weight limits to help weather this crisis should remain only temporary, they recently wrote all governors. The weight increases must “ be strictly limited to…

April 3, 2020 — As the COVID-19 pandemic reaches every corner of the United States, government and business are looking at ways to provide the needed services that citizens require, including medical supplies, food and water. Our country is in an extraordinary time and extraordinary measures must be taken. This is why the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks has not opposed the efforts of some governors who have used the emergency declaration powers given them by Congress to temporarily raise truck…