Gearing up for the 106th Congress -
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    Even while continuing the fight to maintain current size and weight thresholds for motor carriers and shippers, ASET is also exploring legislative opportunities for productivity and efficiency gains in the coming Congress. Any legislative initiative will be crafted to ensure safe vehicle operation and provide flexibility to the states to reflect highway and traffic conditions within those states. ASET is currently polling its members to craft legislation that responds to their widest common concerns. Preliminary meetings on Capitol Hill have already taken place with potential congressional sponsors, who are also providing input on the shape of a legislative proposal. ASET expects to formally announce the major components of the legislation by the end of the year.

Alliance for Safe and Efficient Trucking (ASET)

Congress Should Conform Truck Weights to International Standards -
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    The United States is the only developed country that limits its combined weights for trucks to 80,000 lbs., even though our system of interstate highways and bridges can safely withstand heavier loads on vehicles equipped with additional axles. For a six-axle tractor-trailer combination, Canada allows up to 107,100 pounds gross weight, Mexico allows up to 119,000 lbs., and the European Community up to 44 metric tons (approximately 97,000 lbs.).
    Increasing weights on six-axle tractor-trailers promotes highway safety, productivity, U.S. global competitiveness, and results in less highway damage and improvements in environmental quality.
    In 1990, the Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Research Council issued Special Report 255, which recommended that Congress eliminate the current 80,000 lbs. limit and regulate vehicle weight based solely on a formula of axle weights to protect bridges. The TRB concluded that easing the 80,000 lbs. weight limit would save shippers and consumers almost $2.26 billion annually in transportation costs without any significant effect on pavement wear and only limited effect on bridges.
    Moreover, the TRB concluded that increasing the vehicle weight limit would not adversely affect highway safety. In fact, the TRB concluded that accidents would actually decrease under this scenario because fewer trucks would be needed to carry the same amount of freight. Further, accident reductions would be realized if the use of trucks over 80,000 lbs. were controlled by a permit program with special safety restrictions for permit vehicles.
    Finally, with fewer motor carriers on the nation's highways, TRB expects there will be less fuel consumption per ton-mile and reduced traffic congestion. This would result in an improved environment.

Safety First! -
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     ASET members are unanimous in their belief that any increase in truck weights must be accomplished to ensure the safe operation of these vehicles on our nation's highways. Any productivity and efficiency gains must be paired with an emphasis on safety as the first priority. Heavier vehicles do not decrease safety performance according to a Transportation Research Board study - Report 225. But ASET knows that anti-truck forces will continue to spread bad information relating to safety concerns. What they won't tell you is that these vehicles can in fact contribute to a reduction of the number of vehicles on the road and corresponding accident ratios, reduce pavement damage through use of an extra axle, and reduce overall vehicle emissions to help the environment.
     The most critical aspect of the safety equation is clearly the competence and training of the driver of the vehicle. ASET members support programs to improve driver-training skills and ensure professionalism in the operation of all motor vehicles.

ASET
1733 King Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone (703) 549-9467
Fax (703) 549-6980

DOT Truck Size and Weight Study Expected Soon -
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    The U.S. Department of Transportation is expected to shortly release a draft of its findings on size and weight laws and their safety impact. The report will look at various scenarios of truck configurations and truck/rail transportation. The study will report on the impact of a variety of scenarios including:

• The current 80,000 lbs., 53 foot national limit with an LCV freeze and state grandfather rights;
• A congressional proposal freezing state weight, length, and non-divisible load limits;
• Allowing a 6-axle 90,000 or 97,000 lbs. vehicle, and various other higher and lower weight configurations to provide more continuity in North American trade;
• Uniformity throughout the U.S., including elimination of grandfather rights and a roll-back of weights on non-interstate routes to current interstate weight laws;
• Use of LCV's nationwide;
• Use of triples nationwide.

    The intended purpose of the DOT study is to assist policy makers in their decision making on truck size and weights. ASET is particularly anxious to learn about DOT's findings regarding heavier weight vehicles. However, ASET shares a concern voiced earlier by the American Trucking Associations that the data used in modeling this information may not be substantial or reliable enough to provide a meaningful finding.