DOT Study Designed to Aid Lawmakers
Some in the trucking and railroad industries would take issue with both. Trucking sees bigger loads increasing the productivity of drivers, but its rail counterpart fears the loss of freight business.
The Department of Transportation has drafted a review of truck size and weight that is designed to help lawmakers weigh proposals, a senior DOT official said last week.
The “Comprehensive Truck Size and Weight Study” is a work in progress and is being released out of order over a period of years. “Volume III - Scenario Analysis” was released Dec. 30, and “Volume II - Issues and Background” in June 1997. The final volume is scheduled for a June release, with comments being accepted on the draft until mid-March.
The newest report in the series examines the effect of six trucking scenarios on shipping costs, railroads, intermodal traffic, roads and bridges, safety and energy consumption. The Environmental Protection Agency also provided input.
“The study is intended to serve as an analytic tool,” said Gloria Jeff, deputy administrator at the Federal Highway Administration. “The focus of this volume is to demonstrate the technical capabilities of the model that has been developed.”
DOT notes improving trucking productivity often has a few negatives, such as damage to roads and bridges as well as a higher rollover potential for some types of larger trucks. In not making any recommendations to Congress, the department left it up to lawmakers to “find a reasonable balance” over the issues.
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