Western States Fight for Bigger Rigs
After nearly two decades of work, the framers of the Multi-State Highway Transportation Agreement are still battling to give western states the right to standardize truck size and weight limits.
Idaho’s quest for raising the weight of trucks operating under permit is an example of state attempts to make regulations compatible in the region. Weight limits for longer combination vehicles are lower in Idaho than in some of its neighboring states.
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In 1991, Congress froze length and weight laws, preventing any more increases or changes for vehicles on federally supported highways. But legislators and highway officials from 10 states in the West have come together in MHTA to fight the statute.
The group hopes to work with the Western Governors’ Association in the coming months to end the freeze, which the MHTA believes restricts interstate commerce and provides for a patchwork of state laws.
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