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The Virginia AAA Mid-Atlantic's Public and Government Affairs Manager, Martha Mitchell Meade, has a bone to pick in regards to large trucks on the road, so she's heading to Capitol Hill to voice her opinions. She will fight against federal legislation, namely that which would increase maximum truck weights and eliminate existing restrictions on triple-trailer trucks and other so-called "longer combination vehicles" (LCVs). LCVs are tractor-trailer configurations that result in greater combined lengths than the more common, non-LCV trucks, like 18-wheelers.
In a recent Smith Mountain Eagle news report, Meade declared: "Bigger trucks are a danger to their drivers and the average motorist. They are already pulling 80,000 pounds and the idea that an additional 17,000 pounds [...] poses no safety concerns is both alarming and frightening."
Both the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association have publicly opposed the weight increase.
Senior Deputy Sheriff Chris Rizzo, of the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, has experience in performing roadside truck weight and safety inspections, as well as investigating crashes. His opinion is that bigger and heavier vehicles cause more damage in a crash. He says: "The heavier a vehicle is the more likely it is to have serious safety violations which would greatly increase the risk of a crash."
Rizzo further states that when inspecting tractor trailers, he most often finds defects that are the direct result of wear due to the truck's weight, such as defective brakes, defective steering, cracked frames, etc.
Another issue concerning heavier trucks and LCVs is that they do not handle the same way as traditional large trucks. A 34-wheel LCV still only has two front wheels to steer the huge road train. Braking is another issue, as efficient braking depends on applying a balanced force on all wheels. Most 18-wheeler truck brake systems are not balanced and are under-performing. This is unlikely to improve by adding more axles and wheels.
