A group of U.S. Representatives are asking their colleagues to support a bill that would extend truck size and weight limits from the Interstate System to the entire National Highway System.

The proposed bill – to be introduced this month – would apply current restrictions on the 44,000-mile Interstate System to the 156,000-mile national system. It would extend the 80,000-pound-GVW limit, and the freeze on longer combination vehicles. Also, trailers would be capped at 53 feet, and states would get help in assessing fines.
The proposal first aired in an August “Dear Colleague” letter from James McGovern, D-Mass., James Oberstar, D-Minn., Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., and Constance Morella, R-Md.
They contend that bigger and heavier trucks are less safe, damage the roadway and do not pay their share of the maintenance burden.
Last week, trucking interests responded with a letter of their own, condemning the proposal.
“In a nutshell, (the proposal) would purloin state authority and impose federal truck length and weight limits on the . . . National Highway System,” wrote American Trucking Associations Interim President and CEO William Canary.
He also said that expanded size and weight limits can help reduce increased highway congestion and improve safety. “States need more, not fewer, options to address their transportation challenges.”