But GDOT Commissioner Russell McMurry said while he supports farmers, loggers, and truckers, Georgia’s highways are not built for 90,000-pound trucks, and most non-interstate bridges aren’t rated to carry them.
“The simple fact is our bridges in the state are not designed to hold this additional weight. In fact, 97% of the bridges in Georgia are designed to hold 80,000 pounds or less,” McMurry said.
And then there’s safety.
Steve Owings founded a highway safety organization after a speeding truck killed his son. He said heavier trucks take even longer to stop.
“Adding 12% to the weight is like adding 12% to the speed and coincidentally, the trucker that killed my son was going 12 miles over the posted speed limit,” Owings said.