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Fleets, manufacturers tell Congress size and weight increase good for economy, efficiency

Upping the size and weight limits for trucks on U.S. roads would reduce traffic, help road conditions and help the trucking industry absorb growth in the next few decades, said representatives of fleets, manufacturing and transportation planning at a House hearing held Feb. 27.

FedEx Ground President and CEO Henry Maier told Congress that the amount of tonnage in the U.S. is expected to double by 2035, and changing the federal truck size and weight limits will reduce the number of vehicles on the road, the number of trips and the number of miles necessary to transport freight, he said.

“If we think traffic congestion is bad today, imagine twice as many trucks on our highways, not to mention more passenger vehicles,” Maier said. “As a business whose customers rely on us for fast and reliable service, we can attest that impassable roads and bridges lead to increased costs, service delays and untold equipment damage.”

Susan Alt, senior VP for the Volvo Group, said there’d be no safety trade off, as modern technology in trucks helps to mitigate safety concerns.

“With existing infrastructure, we can already move more freight with less fuel and less emissions, and with fewer drivers – and we can do that today with some policy changes,” Alt said. “Throughout the rest of the world, Volvo Group already provides trucks that haul longer, heavier freight – safely.”

Trucker trade and advocacy groups, however, have in the past opposed such acts by Congress, with the Teamsters and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association both support freezing current truck size and weight limits.

Mark Gottlieb of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation told Congress his state completed a size and weight study in 2009 that pointed to “significant efficiencies and economic benefits” of longer and heavier trucks and “safety and infrastructure protection.”

Alt told Congress truck sales and plant hiring would be boosted if the excise tax were eliminated and replaced with a tax on diesel.

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