Rep. Reid Ribble introduces Safe Trucking Act

The Safe, Flexible and Efficient Trucking Act would allow interstate systems in each state to increase their weight limit from 80,000 pounds to 91,000 pounds if trucks were equipped with a sixth axle.    The Safe, Flexible and Efficient Trucking Act (Safe Trucking Act), which would allow interstate systems in each state to increase their weight limit from 80,000 pounds to 91,000 pounds if trucks were equipped with a sixth axle, was introduced Thursday by United States House Representative Reid Ribble, R-Wis.
   The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) said the configuration is federal bridge formula compliant, meaning it meets weight distribution requirements for vehicles traveling on interstate bridges. In addition, the configuration, which would not cause any increase in one-time rehabilitation costs for interstate bridges, would result in significant truckload reductions, pavement wear savings and environmental efficiency benefits.
   The Safe Trucking Act only involves increasing the weight limit and does not call for increasing the trailer’s maximum length, which is set at 53 feet.
   The legislation would increase available capacity, decrease truckloads and offer a safer solution, Rep. Ribble told reporters yesterday. A truck with six axles carrying 91,000 pounds stops one foot faster than a truck with five axles carrying 80,000 pounds, according to a joint study conducted by the DOT and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
   The Safe Trucking Act would allow produce growers, who are currently forced to ship loads that are not full, the ability to offer a reduced cost of goods, said United Fresh Produce Association Senior Vice President of Public Policy Robert L. Guenther.
   Trucks that transport beer can only fill up half way before reaching the current weight limit, added James Sembrot, senior director of transportation at Anheuser-Busch.
   Rep. Ribble said he does not expect the Safe Trucking Act to shift products from rail to trucks, since the two modes cater to different products.
   The Coalition for Transportation Productivity (CTP), an industry group of over 200 manufacturers, shippers, carriers and allied associations, applauded the new bill, saying the legislation “gives states the flexibility to safely confront highway capacity issues by utilizing more productive, six-axle trucks on Interstate highways within their borders.”
   “Truck travel has grown 22 times faster than road capacity since the federal weight limit was last changed in 1982,” CTP Executive Director John Runyan said in a statement. “Recognizing that more than 70 percent of freight must be shipped by truck, we need to confront the highway capacity crunch now if our country is to remain competitive.
   “More than 90 percent of states allow trucks which are heavier than the federal weight limit to travel on state roads, often on just five axles. The Safe Trucking Act gives these states a critical opportunity to promote the use of safer, six-axle vehicles while transitioning heavier traffic to more capable interstate highways for at least a portion of their route,” said Runyan. “Paired with the U.S. DOT’s ability to require even more safety technology, the Safe Trucking Act is an opportunity for our nation to create a world-class standard vehicle for the movement of heavy goods.”
   Rep. Ribble said he is meeting with Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) Friday, during which time they will formalize the markup date, currently set for Sept. 17.