The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the Truck Safety Coalition, U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) and representatives of several families who have suffered death and injury as a result of truck crashes, recently held a news conference in Washington, DC, to mark the re-introduction of legislation that would prevent an increase in size and weight allowances for trucks.
Currently, federal limitations on truck size and weight are enforced on Interstate highways while states are allowed to set the limits on all other roads.
The Safe Highways and Infrastructure Protection Act (SHIPA), sponsored by U.S. Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Rep. McGovern, was re-introduced the first week of May and “will thwart efforts by some in Congress and at the Department of Transportation to seek further ways to circumvent these restrictions,” according to a Teamsters press release.
"Our members travel the nation's highways every day and know fully the dangers of putting bigger trucks on a highway system already in disrepair,” said Jim Hoffa, Teamsters general president. “It makes no sense to cause further damage to our highways and bridges when Congress hasn't found a way to fund the much-needed repairs to our crumbling infrastructure.
"The claim that fewer trucks will be an end-product of truck size and weight increases simply isn't true," Hoffa added. "This is about safety and ensuring as safe a workplace for our driver members on the highways as anyone working on a factory floor."
