Grain Valley, Mo., – Small-business truckers across the United States are speaking out against a provision in the proposed highway bill that would increase truck size and weight limits. Those increases, included in a draft legislation released by the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, would not only compromise highway safety and infrastructure, but also lead to significant new cost increases for 90 percent of the trucking industry which is made up of small-business truckers.
Members of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, OOIDA, the largest trade organization that represents the rights of professional truck drivers, are reaching out to lawmakers asking them to be wary of big business interests who propose raising truck weight limits from 80,000 lbs to at least 97,000 lbs and increasing the use of longer-combination vehicles (LCVs).
"Truck drivers know firsthand that heavier and longer trucks are much harder to maneuver and put additional stress on our already deteriorating highways and bridges,” said Todd Spencer, OOIDA Executive Vice President.
OOIDA contends that in many situations the proposed change in law – which is designed solely to profit big business at the expense of highway safety and small businesses – will require a small-business trucker to spend up to $100,000 on new equipment.
“When choosing between a trucker bringing home $40,000 a year on average and a bailout for multibillion- dollar corporations, I hope Congress will make the right decision and side with small-business truckers,” added Spencer.
Here are some of the points truck drivers are making known to their representatives about the potential impact of longer and heavier trucks:
Congestion will get worse, not better. Historically, no decrease in truck traffic has ever occurred as a result of increased weight/size limits. Also, heavier trucks will require greater amounts of length and time to merge on to highways than current infrastructure designs provide. Traffic flow will be interrupted as passenger vehicle motorists compete to get around heavier, rolling “roadblocks,” and resulting speed differentials can increase the chances for collisions.
Higher taxes and tolls for all motorists. This includes an increase in truck weights will lead to tax increases for all motorists as the amount of road and bridge damage from heavier trucks will far outstrip any “user fee” paid by the companies benefiting from the weight increase. Governments will need to increase fuel taxes and add new tolls just to keep pace with the damage.
Increased burdens for state and local governments. Many local roads and neighborhood streets are not built to withstand the damage from trucks heavier than today’s 80,000-pound standard, yet these streets will be used by heavier trucks as they travel to factories and pull off interstates to refuel, eat or rest. Local intersections will need to be reconstructed to handle the increased turning radius from LCVs.
New costs for small businesses. Passing an increase would add significant new costs to small-business truckers as they would be forced to retrofit or purchase new heavier trailers (costing some small carriers around $100,000). Also, small-business truckers will spend more on fuel, insurance and repair bills – all out of their pockets.
Focus taken away from new jobs, better highways and more American energy: This includes a controversial increase will take the focus away from the House highway bill’s priorities – creating jobs, improving our roads and bridges, and increasing access to American energy.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is the largest national trade association representing the interests of small-business trucking professionals and professional truck drivers. The Association currently has more than 150,000 members nationwide. OOIDA was established in 1973 and is headquartered in the greater Kansas City, Mo., area.
