In The News

Truck weight limit increase bill reintroduced in Senate

WASHINGTON —Federal truck weight reform legislation, known as the Safe and Efficient Transportation Act (SETA), has been reintroduced in the U.S. Senate by Sens. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Herb Kohl, D-Wis., Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Rob Portman, R-Ohio. The bill number is S. 747.

Like identical companion legislation pending in the House of Representatives, SETA gives each state the option to selectively raise interstate weight limits from 80,000 pounds to up to 97,000 pounds.

The higher limit applies only to vehicles equipped with six axles instead of the typical five.

“SETA is a narrowly drawn bill that enables companies to move a given amount of product in fewer vehicles without adding more weight per tire or increasing stopping distances,” said John Runyan,executive director of the Coalition for Transportation Productivity, a shipper association backing the bill. “SETA is supported by a body of data collected from academic, state, federal and international experts who have evaluated or experienced this proposal and support the logic of the six-axle, 97,000 pound configuration as the new workhorse standard for the American truck fleet.”

Runyan added that even though higher productivity, six-axle trucks are undeniably safe and more efficient, SETA still puts the decision into the hands of state officials, “who are best equipped to determine if the configuration makes sense” in their states.

“Trucking is a driving force for our economy and plays a critical role in moving raw materials and products from the field and factory to consumers,” Runyan said. “By making truck shipments more sustainable, SETA is projected to make highways safer, cleaner and more efficient.”

The American Trucking Associations estimates that the trucking industry will haul 30 percent more tonnage in 2021 than it does today. If current weight restrictions remain the same, ATA estimates that our economy will require 18 percent more trucks on the road driving 27 percent more miles than they do now. SETA would help correct this imbalance by allowing shippers to safely reduce truckloads, fuel, emissions and vehicle miles traveled for each ton of freight shipped, according to CTP.

The Safe and Efficient Transportation Act, H.R. 763, was reintroduced in the House of Representatives in February by Reps. Jean Schmidt, R-Ohio, and Michael Michaud, D-Maine.

The Coalition for Transportation Productivity is a coalition of more than 180 shippers and allied associations dedicated to addressing the safety, economic and environmental challenges facing the nation’s freight transportation network through carefully crafted truck weight reform.

More information is available here.

Kevin Jones of The Trucker staff can be reached for comment at [email protected] .

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