Toll-Free: 888-907-2631
Phone: 540-341-0007
By passing a bill that permanently allows trucks over the federal weight limit to drive in Maine and Vermont, the Truck Safety Coalition (TSC) stated that the Senate has shown "complete disregard for the safety of families sharing the road with these overweight trucks."
The TSC considers this a giveaway to the economic agenda of the trucking industry, in flagrant conflict with lawmakers' duty to advance public safety and protect the nation's infrastructure.
Virginia experts on traffic safety are concerned that super-heavy long combination trucks weighing up to 100,000 pounds will gradually take over the highways in other states. Virginia's truck traffic on interstate highways is up to saturation point, which frequently causes deadly Virginia 18-wheeler crashes.
The TSC argues that the provision was first passed in 2010 as a pilot project and that an evaluation of the program was to be reported to Congress. This requirement has not been fulfilled which means that lawmakers, not knowing the impact of the project on safety and infrastructure, have nevertheless decided to make the provision permanent.
It is likely that heavier vehicles and axle loadings will reduce the pavement life and the margin of bridge safety, as well as lead to an increase in tragic semi-truck accidents.
Read More About Truck Safety Coalition Finds Federal Senate Irresponsible...
