Editorial: A Little Progress

Well, it appears that trucking has at least made some progress in getting Congress to address some of the issues that are impeding the industry’s efforts to deliver the nation’s freight.

Finally, we are having a discussion about improving productivity, after years of Congress refusing even to consider the issue.

The highway bill that Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) proposed to his House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Jan. 31 would have allowed states to permit trucks weighing up to 97,000 pounds on their interstate highways.

Many truckers have been pushing for an increase in the weight maximum beyond the current 80,000-pound limit.

Mica’s proposal, not surprisingly, unleashed a torrent of opposition from the usual stumbling blocks: railroads, labor and interest groups claiming to champion highway safety.

Unfortunately, Mica’s plan was overridden by an amendment from two committee members to defer any action on the plan until a new three-year study into the possible effects the higher highway weights might have.

The committee voted 33-22 to support the study on Feb. 2 and defer the truck weight change.

We’re not sure how much more study is needed. What we do know is that increased weight limits would reduce the number of trucks on the road, which would reduce congestion and likely improve safety.

But perhaps we should be thankful that any progress has been made. Maybe the committee members will actually be swayed by the findings of the new study three years from now, when it’s delivered.

There are definitely some positive things to note in the bill, at least as it stood as we went to press late last week, including the $260 billion it would provide for road projects over the next five years.

Still in the proposal is a plan to establish an alcohol and drug clearinghouse for driver records and crash-worthiness standards for heavy-duty trucks.

The committee also agreed to do another study -— one we are glad to support — into the changes to the 34-hour restart provision that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has ordered in its new hours-of-service rule.

The restart changes are sure to reduce trucking productivity and will hamstring a number of fleets.

The current House version of the highway bill does not solve all of the issues we face, but at least it addresses some of them.