Economic Efficiency Drives Capacity Issues

Efforts to increase trucking productivity took many forms in 1999 as some trucking groups pushed for allowing big rigs to carry heavier loads and railroads were prodded to allow greater access to their tracks.

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Carriers increasingly warned that a booming economy, a shortage of truck drivers and worsening highway congestion was forcing them to look for ways to improve productivity, but they were split on how to do so.

Shipper groups, some truckload carriers and the National Private Truck Council lobbied Congress for legislation to allow trucks weighing up to 97,000 pounds unlimited access to federal roads.

Some in trucking, such as the Mississippi Trucking Association, opposed increasing the truck weight above the current 80,000-pound federal limit. Less-than-truckload carriers began talking publicly about increasing the use of triple-trailer trucks but did not lobby for an expansion of routes.

For the full story, see the Jan. 10 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.