JUST TWO YEARS AFTER IT WAS SHOT DOWN BY CONGRESS,
legislation to allow the use of 33-foot twin trailers (T-33s) on the
nation’s highways may finally see the light of day. In 2015, a proposal
to extend the length limit on twin-trailers to 33 feet from the current
28-foot maximum gained some traction on Capitol Hill. But it wasn’t
enough. The House killed the proposal before passing a five-year federal transport funding bill in late 2015.
That was hardly the first go-round on the issue. For years, less-than-truckload (LTL) and parcel carriers have been pushing for legislation
to extend the current limit, which has been in place since 1982. The
increase in trailer length would add 18 percent of cubic capacity to
each truck run. Backers say the move would boost
productivity and reduce the number of trucks on
the road because each trailer could haul more goods.
Opponents, which include safety advocates, organized labor, rails, and even other members of
the trucking industry, say those productivity gains
would come at too high a cost, causing disruption to the marketplace and creating safety risks.
For instance, the Truckload Carriers Association
(TCA)—whose members use 53-foot trailers, not
twins—has long opposed raising the length limit,
citing competitive disadvantage, safety concerns,
issues with TOFC (trailer-on-flatcar) equipment
designed for 53- and 28-foot containers, and other
concerns. (Frankly, these and their other arguments seem weak.)
But it appears the T-33’s day has finally come. What’s different this
time around? To begin with, we have a new administration and a new
Congress, both with a decidedly anti-regulatory bias. More importantly, perhaps, there’s new lobbying muscle in town, with FedEx chairman Fred Smith leading the charge.
In January, FedEx, joined by UPS, Amazon, YRC, the U.S. Chamber
of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, and others, formed a group called “Americans for Modern Transportation”
(AMT). According to a press release issued at the time, the group was
established to enhance both the safety and efficiency of the nation’s
transportation system and “will actively work to improve transportation infrastructure and policy to reflect, and meet, the growing needs
of modern businesses and consumers.” Perhaps not surprisingly, its
first major initiative is to seek approval to use the longer rigs.
In March, AMT released the findings of a study it had commissioned
on the feasibility and economics of using longer trailers. The report,
titled “Twin 33-Foot Truck Trailers: Making U.S. Freight Transport
BY CLIFFORD F. LYNCH fastlane
Will 33-foot twins be born this year?
Safer and More Efficient,” found that rather
than increasing safety risks, the use of high-er-capacity trailers would actually improve
safety while at the same time providing a
number of environmental and economic
benefits. In 2014 alone, the report said,
“widespread adoption of the 33-foot trailers
would have resulted in 3. 1 billion fewer vehicle miles traveled, 4,500 fewer truck crashes,
$2.6 billion saved in shipper costs, 53. 2 million hours saved due to less congestion, 255
million fewer gallons of
fuel, and 2. 9 million fewer
tons of CO2 emissions.”
The 19-page report, which
went on to explain how
researchers reached these
conclusions, addresses
specifically—and I think,
convincingly—each of the
concerns of the TCA.
If one takes this report
at face value—and so far,
Based on the changing political climate in
Washington and the AMT’s lobbying power,
my prediction is that the proposal will be
one of the few things approved during this
session of Congress.
The complete report can be found at www.
americansformoderntransportation.org.
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.
