House panel amends bill to keep mammoth semis off roads -- for now

[Tx4obama]

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A House committee passed a measure Thursday maintaining current tractor-trailer truck sizes and weights for three years until a study can be completed on the potential costs incurred by allowing longer and heavier trucks on U.S. roads.

The measure before the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee came as an amendment to a transportation bill and was passed after opponents of the bill, including the AAA Auto Club, cited concerns about allowing heavier trucks on already-crumbling infrastructure.

The original legislation, which includes authorizing about $260 billion over five years for federal highway programs,contained a controversial provision allowing heavier tractor-trailer trucks on highways by increasing the federal weight limit from 80,000 pounds to 97,000 pounds. In some cases, it would have allowed 126,000-pound trucks onto highways.

The legislation also would allow the largest rigs, which comprise two and sometimes three trailers, to be as much as 10 feet longer -- a total length of more than 100 feet.

SNIP

Full article here: http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/02/travel/big-trucks/index.html

[procon]

1. Oh my...

I misread the title of your post. At first blush, I thought it was, "House panel amends bill to keep mammoth semen off roads..."



Thanks for the unintentional chuckle, and the news update.


My nephew is a trucker, and he said that some states already allow limited use of these giant rigs with special permits, but the highways and bridges they can use are limited. He believes it is an attempt to cut into union drivers, allowing one driver to haul what usually takes two.

[Stinky The Clown]

2. Google Map the RNC headquarters offices and the American Trucking Association's HQ in DC

[MicaelS]

3. Check out Australian Road Trains

Australian Trucking & Road-Trains

The Australian Road-Train are the longest trucks in the world.
They have 3 or more trailers and are 53 metres long, ( 174 feet ) hauling 115 metric tons (253,531 pounds).
Keep an eye open for the super Road-Train it has 7 trailers and hauls 190 metric tonnes.

[HeiressofBickworth]

4. I've lived in Australia

and saw these road trains. They were in the country areas, not in developed areas. They are weird according to our standards and probably wouldn't do well on most of our roads as there is too much traffic. With our infrastructure crumbling, it would take another budget amendment to allocate funds to fix the bridges and roads to accommodate such large vehicles. So, what is their actual agenda? I suspect it's like a previous poster suggested: more subtle union busting.

[Zalatix]

5. Oh, SNAP.

[img][/img]

That's just one accident or terrorist attack away from a MAJOR incident. You could lose DOUBLE to QUADRUPLE the amount of fuel that would be lost in a fire.

Does that truck have room in the cabin to bend over and kiss your $%! goodbye if you see a collision coming?