More than 100 shippers in the US have formed a new pressure group to urge Congress to raise the legal vehicle weight limit on US motorways.<\/p>\n
Kraft Foods, MillerCoors and International Paper were among the companies to join the Coalition for Transportation Productivity (CTP), which called for a change in the law to allow larger vehicles.<\/p>\n
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“America’s freight transportation infrastructure is on the verge of becoming overwhelmed over the next decade,” said CTP co-chair John Runyan. “Freight hauled by trucks in the US is expected to double by 2025, and truck traffic is growing 11 times faster than road capacity. (courtesy International Freighting Weekly)<\/p>\n
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Even before this economic slump, carriers were looking at ways to reducr their costs in order to get that contract. Now with jobs disappearing, a good number of carriers are forgoing the maintenance so that they get and do the job. Poor maintenance has lead to wheels coming off trucks, loads falling off the truck and accidents.<\/p>\n
It’s bad enough when a truck is involved in a collision, now these shippers want BIGGER trucks on the road? If one of these bigger trucks is involved in a collision, will the other vehicle feel like its been hit by a train? And are these shippers advocating that these trucks carry dangerous goods?<\/p>\n
How about shippers look at other modes of transport, such as, rail? Yes, it might mean a little more planning up front, but it keeps the BIGGER trucks off our roads and helps to keep our national fuel consumption down. Putting bigger trucks on the road doesn’t mean better fuel efficiency. And what about the wear and tear on our highways?<\/p>\n
Let’s hope that our elected officials can see that this is NOT the way to transport our goods.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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