Longer Double-Trailer Trucks
- FedEx, UPS, Amazon and a handful of other companies have lobbied for legislation that would force states to allow double-trailer trucks 91 feet in length, called “Double 33s,” on the federally designated National Network, which includes 200,000 miles of roadways. These are 10 feet longer than today’s twin-trailers and 17 feet longer than standard single-trailer trucks.
- Double 33s were removed from the transportation reauthorization bill in the U.S. Senate in November of 2015 on a 56-31 vote.
- The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) determined in 2016 that Double 33s take 252 feet to stop—22 feet longer than today’s twin-trailer configuration.
- USDOT also found that Double 33s would result in the largest lifecycle increase in pavement damage compared to all other studied configurations. This would result in $1.2 billion to $1.8 billion in estimated pavement damage every year.
Heavier Single-Trailer Trucks
- Certain shippers have lobbied to allow heavier single-trailer trucks weighing 91,000 pounds—an increase of 11,000 pounds compared to today’s trucks—as part of a 10-year, 10-state pilot program.
- Legislation to allow 91,000-pound trucks was defeated in the U.S. House in 2015 on a 187-236 vote.
- These 91,000-pound trucks were found in limited state testing by USDOT in 2015 to have 47 percent higher crash rates and cause $1.1 billion in additional bridge costs.