“In their letter opposing HR3372, stakeholders reminded House leadership that previous attempts in Congress to allow heavier trucks have consistently failed. A 2016 U.S. Department of Transportation report found that heavier trucks would lead to billions of dollars of additional costs to highway infrastructure. That report recommended that Congress not approve any increase in truck weight.
Although the pilot program is for trucks operating on interstates only, the coalition pointed out that heavier trucks would affect local roads and bridges, as well.
“These heavier and longer trucks need to run on state and local roads to pick up and drop off freight, as well as for ‘reasonable access’ for fuel, food and other necessities,” the letter states. “Local roads and bridges face significantly more damage than interstates because they may be older, built to lower standards or are already in poor condition.””