It’s physics – a longer, heavier truck is going to exert more force on our roads and bridges. This additional damage increases costs to taxpayers at a time when our infrastructure is already in dire need of repair. While proponents falsely claim that bigger trucks mean fewer trucks, we know that these proposals divert freight from other modes of transportation to our roads.

Our Infrastructure is in Serious Need of Repair

Heavier Trucks Would Cause Significant Infrastructure Damage

USDOT found in its 2016 study that thousands of Interstate and other National Highway System bridges could not accommodate heavier trucks. These bridges would need to be reinforced or replaced, costing billions of dollars. USDOT estimates the 91,000-pound, six-axle configuration would negatively affect more than 4,800 bridges, costing $1.1 billion.

Double 33s Would Cause Significant Infrastructure Damage

According to the 2016 USDOT study, Double 33s would increase pavement damage by 1.8 percent to 2.7 percent, which translates to $1.2 to $1.8 billion in estimated pavement damage every year.

Also, USDOT found that nearly 2,500 Interstate and other National Highway System bridges would need to be strengthened or reinforced to handle the longer double-trailer trucks, costing taxpayers up to $1.1 billion. The study accounts for only 20 percent of bridges—the other 80 percent of bridges on state and local roads would be more vulnerable to the longer trucks.

Longer and Heavier Trucks Would not be Limited to the Interstates

  • The Double 33s proposal would mandate that states allow these longer double-trailer trucks to operate on 200,000 miles of roadways, referred to as the “National Network,” as well as any state or local roads intersecting with the National Network that are deemed necessary for “reasonable access” for loading, unloading, fuel and rest.
  • Heavier trucks would similarly find their way onto state and local roads, since no truck loads or unloads freight on an Interstate, meaning these trucks would spill over into rural communities.
  • Local roads account for over 94 percent of the more than 4 million public roadways in the U.S (FHWA “Public Road Length 2018 – Miles by Ownership)

The Impact is Worse on Local Roads and Bridges

  • Nationwide, 65 percent of bridges rated as being in “poor” condition are managed by local governments (FHWA, Bridge Condition by Owner 2020).
  • Rural roads are the most dangerous—they are more likely than NHS routes to have roadway features that reduce safety, such as narrow lanes, limited shoulders, sharp curves and steep slopes. Rural roads have a traffic fatality rate that is over 220 percent higher than all other roads according to the The Road Information Program in 2020. They further state that rural, non-interstate routes account for 22 percent of vehicle travel, they account for 40 percent of the nation’s traffic fatalities.
  • The funding backlog for rural infrastructure repair is $211 billion according to the The Road Information Program in 2020.