News

“One year after the Francis Scott Key Bridge crumbled into the Patapsco River in Baltimore, killing six people, the American Society of Civil Engineers released its latest report on the state of America’s bridges, roads, rail and other infrastructure. While the news in ASCE’s 2025 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure was mainly good — an overall grade of C for the nation’s vital infrastructure, the highest since 1998 — issues still keep infrastructure experts up at night. “Bridges. We’re just…

“Increasing truck weights is simply a bad idea, according to the executive director of the National Association of County Engineers. “If you want to put heavier trucks on the roads and the bridges, you’re asking for some sort of catastrophe at some point,” Kevan Stone told Land Line Now in a recent interview. Stone said that proposals such as increasing the maximum truck weight to 91,000 pounds raise safety concerns. In addition, he said that heavier trucks essentially create an…

“The non-profit Coalition Against Bigger Trucks report examined three scenarios in which Congress relaxes the current federal truck weight limit of 80,000 pounds. One looked at the effect on bridges of allowing trucks up to 88,000 pounds, another up to 91,000 pounds and another up to 97,000 pounds. Should Congress increase the weight limit of trucks to 88,000 pounds, the report concluded that 65,157 bridges will be at risk of severe damage, costing $70.6 billion to replace. If Congress approves…

“Hancock County commissioners are opposing a proposed pilot program designed to allow larger gross weights for trucks traveling on interstates. At their April 1 meeting, the commissioners unanimously approved sending letters to U.S. Rep. Jefferson Shreve, U.S. Sen. Jim Banks and U.S. Sen. Todd Young, stating their “strong opposition to any efforts to increase truck weight limits.” The letter was written by commissioner Gary McDaniel, with fellow commissioners Bill Spalding and Jeannine Gray also signing the letter. McDaniel writes in…

“A new study by the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks (CABT) found that congressional proposals to allow heavier tractor trailers on highways would lead to major damages to the nation’s local bridges if enacted into law. It’s an update on an earlier 2023 report by CABT, which describes itself as a nonprofit grassroots organization with coalitions of approximately 3,000 local supporters in all 50 states. CABT says its supporters include law enforcement officers, local government officials, truck drivers, motorists, safety advocates,…

“Compared to the rest of the country, Kansas has the most bridges that are at risk for any of the weight limits. Missouri has the third most bridges at risk for 88,000-pound and 91,000-pound configurations, and the fourth most for 97,000-pound configurations. The National Association of Counties and National Association of County Engineers, the group that I lead, said in the foreword to the report that the study “heightens our concerns and reaffirms what our officials already know — local…

“The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the Truckload Carriers Association all oppose efforts to increase truck size and weight. Meanwhile, the Shippers Coalition and American Farm Bureau Federation supported heavier trucks. With Congress in the early stages of drafting a new highway bill, the hearing served as an opportunity for the groups to make their pitches to members of the House Highways and Transit Subcommittee. The current weight limit is 80,000 pounds. In recent years,…

“Indiana County Sheriff Robert E. Fyock has joined other local government and law enforcement leaders from across the country in urging Congress to reject proposals that would allow heavier and longer trucks on the nation’s roads. “Indiana County’s roads and bridges are already under significant strain,” Fyock said. “Increasing truck weights to 91,000 pounds or allowing longer twin-trailer trucks would only make things worse—putting more lives at risk and shifting the cost of road and bridge repairs onto our local…

“Law enforcement and city government leaders flew to Washington, D.C., Tuesday evening to ask lawmakers to get a handle on a growing problem — big, heavy trucks. There are 413 bridges in Montgomery County. Of those, 36 would not hold 91,000-pound semi-trucks, said Kurt Althouse, city manager for Vandalia. Replacing those 36 bridges would not be cheap. Althouse puts the cost at an estimated $59 million. “Our goal is to get ahead of this,” Althouse said in an interview Tuesday…

SPRINGDALE, Ark. — A new study conducted by a highway and transportation safety advocacy group has found that potential changes to federal truck weight limits could lead to significant damage to bridges nationwide, including in Arkansas. The Coalition Against Bigger Trucks (CABT) said their study suggests that raising the weight limit from the standard 80,000 pounds to 91,000 pounds could force the maintenance or replacement of 2,208 bridges in Arkansas alone, with a price tag of over $2 billion. “That…