Senators Introduce Bill to Boost Truck Weights

Four U.S. senators have introduced legislation to allow states to increase truck weights to 97,000 pounds.

The Safe and Efficient Transportation Act, S 747, represents the renewal of a failed effort to get the same bill passed last year. Sens. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio), sponsored the legislation.

A companion bill, H.R. 763, was introduced in the House in February.

The Coalition for Transportation Productivity, a carrier and shipper group that includes American Trucking Associations, described the bill as “a carefully crafted proposal that gives each state the option to selectively raise interstate weight limits.”