Heavier Trucks To Reduce Pollution

On Sunday 05/10/09 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ran an article about the proposed trucking weight increase. The article was written by Jon Schmitz.

Here is a summary of the article:

According to the trucking industry increasing federal maximum weight from the current 80,000 pounds to 97,000
pounds would promote efficiency and reduce highway congestion and pollution. The trucking industry says they can do this without
compromising safety.

Congress is being asked to make the change. The issue is supported by the 37,000-member American Trucking
Association. The American Trucking Association is the trade association of the trucking industry.

In the article gave this quote from Clayton Boyce, spokesman for the American Trucking Associations, "the higher
weight limit has been adopted in Canada and Europe and it has proven to be safe
there." Also Boyce said that the benefit of the increase in weight is that heavier trucks are more efficient for shipping freight,
which translates to lower consumer costs, and the need for fewer trucks on the
highways, which reduces congestion and pollution.

This is great news for the trucking industry if this change makes it through congress. The full article can be found at: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09130/969159-147.stm

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