IRVINE, Calif. — Authorization for the federal highway program doesn’t expire until 2003, but trucking, railroad, labor and safety interests are already jockeying for position on the issue of longer combination vehicles.
The opening day of a Federal Highway Administration workshop on truck size and weights was a blend of decades-old arguments and new statistics. More than 70 people, including a dozen state transportation officials and several FHWA officials, attended the meeting held May 10 and 11 at a National Academy of Sciences conference center.
“Truck size and weight has been an issue for 60 years,” said Parker F. Williams, director of the Maryland State Highway Administration. “The issue tends to pit state transportation departments against shippers and trucking interests that are looking to reduce costs and increase market share.”
Ted Scott, director of highway policy for American Trucking Associations, said that states should have the right to allow the use of LCVs and trucks heavier than the 80,000-pounds federal limit. LCV routes have been frozen since passage of the 1991 highway bill.
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