South Carolina increases truck load limit to 100,000 lbs

SOUTH Carolina State Ports Authority (SPA) with its Department of Transportation has increased gross vehicle weight to 100,000 pounds for international shipping containers along with neighbouring states Georgia, New Orleans and Mobile, which have gone beyond the previous 90,000 limit.

The introduction should stem the loss of volumes by Port of Charleston to Georgia's Port of Savannah which has seen export of meat and poultry drop last year from 41 per cent to 13 per cent with Savannah taking a lion share of 87 per cent from the ports level pegging in 2005.

Following a one-year pilot project to issue annual 100,000 pounds gvw overweight refrigerated container on 5 axle combination units the state granted a permit to allow extra weight with a view to attracting exports such as heavy products like forestry and agricultural. Federal law continues to limit trucks to 80,000 pounds.

The SCDOT programme showed immediate results with the agency's refrigerated cargo business tripling said SPA spokesman Byron Miller in a report from the Charleston Post and Courier.

Heavier intermodal containers on interstate highways will also reduce congestion, fuel use/CO2, and the share of freight cost between shipper and trucker.

Despite safety concerns on axle configurations by trucking industry and braking distance on lorries with heavy loads, the pilot scheme resulted in no increase in wrecks, said SCDOT secretary Buck Limehouse in the report.
(Source:www.schednet.com)