US Senate, House bills poised to increase truck weights

THE US Senate's Safe and Efficient Transportation Act would raise heavy truck weight limits to 97,000 pounds, ending a 20-year federal ceiling and is matched by identical legislation from the House of Representatives.

It's the latest action in a battle over truck sizes and weights limits Congress imposed in 1991, reports Newark's Journal of Commerce. The bill would give states the authority to lift the 80,000 pound gross vehicle weight limit, but only for larger six-axle vehicles.

The additional axle allows extra cargo space in the trailer, adding capacity without adding vehicles. Shipper-trucker lobby, the Coalition for Transportation Productivity, supports the bill, but railways and safety groups oppose it.
(Source:http://www.schednet.com)