fastlane
The 17,000-pound solution
THE BILLS KNOWN AS S. 747 AND H.R. 763 MAY NOT MEAN
much to the casual observer, but they could be a game-changer for
the freight industry. Recently reintroduced in the U.S. Congress at
the urging of the Coalition for Transportation Productivity (CTP),
the bills are the House and Senate versions of the Safe and Efficient
Transportation Act (SETA), a measure that would allow states to
raise the gross vehicle weight limit on trucks operating over their
portion of the interstate highway system to 97,000 pounds from
80,000 pounds.
In order to qualify for the higher limit, trucks would have to be
equipped with an additional, sixth axle to compensate for the extra
weight. Proponents say the extra axle makes it possible to maintain
the current weight per tire as well as the current
braking capacity, which means stopping distances would remain the same. Truck size would
be unaffected.
The measure’s backers say raising the limit
will make trucking operations more efficient.
With the current limit in place, it’s not uncommon for trucks to max out on weight before the
trailer is filled, forcing shippers and carriers to
use additional vehicles. Raising the weight limit
would allow those companies to use fewer
trucks to haul the same amount of freight.
The benefits would extend beyond truckers
and shippers to the economy at large. Truck traffic has been growing far faster than road capacity for some time now, and the load
will continue to grow. The U.S. Department of Transportation
(DOT) has projected that motor freight volumes will jump by 87
percent over 2000 levels by 2020, and the American Trucking
Associations has estimated that truck tonnage will double by 2035.
Allowing companies to consolidate freight on fewer trucks could
be an important step toward averting gridlock of epic proportions.
And the advantages wouldn’t end there, according to the CTP
and its 180 member firms and associations. Passage of SETA would
also have a beneficial effect on roads and bridges, safety, and the
environment, they say.
To begin with, the measure would reduce wear and tear on the
nation’s highways. A DOT study projected that raising the weight
limit would save $2.4 billion in pavement restoration costs over 20
years, largely by reducing the number of trucks needed to move a
given volume of freight. Furthermore, SETA would require operators of 97,000-pound trucks to pay user fees, with the revenues
channeled into a special fund for much-need-ed bridge repairs.
The highways would be safer as well, proponents say. The single biggest factor in tractor-trailer accidents is the number of vehicle miles
traveled, which suggests that any steps taken to
minimize those miles would have a corresponding effect on the accident rate. The U.K.’s
experience bears that out. In 2001, the U.K.
raised the allowable weight on a six-axle truck
to 97,000 pounds. Through 2007, tonnage
continued to increase, yet vehicle miles traveled remained flat and accident rates declined.
On top of that, several
studies have indicated that
the measure would cut fuel
use and result in cleaner air.
For example, a study by the
American Transportation
Research Institute showed
that six-axle trucks carrying
97,000 pounds get 17 more
ton miles per gallon than an
80,000-pound truck with
five axles. A DOT study estimated that the
higher limits would save 2 billion gallons of
fuel per year and result in a 19-percent drop in
emissions and fuel consumption per ton mile.
It’s important to note that no state would be
forced to raise truck weight limits. SETA
would simply give them the option of setting
higher limits on routes they consider suitable
for heavier trucks. On balance, it seems to be a
good, at least partial, solution to a problem
that’s not going to go away. ;
Clifford F. Lynch is principal of C.F. Lynch & Associates, a
provider of logistics management advisory services, and author of
Logistics Outsourcing – A Management Guide and co-author of The
Role of Transportation in the Supply Chain. He can be reached at
cliff@cflynch.com.
