As chairman of the Tennessee General Assembly House Transportation Committee, I have major safety and infrastructure concerns about proposed federal legislation that would increase commercial truck size and weight on our nation’s highways.
I continue to work closely with the Tennessee Department of Transportation on this issue to formulate a plan that would protect the citizens of Tennessee and the tourists that travel to our state each year. However, I think it is important that the citizens of Tennessee understand the dangers – not only to their families, but to our state’s infrastructure, specifically bridges – should this legislation pass.
There are three bills proposed by Congress that could increase commercial truck weights on our highways. Those bills are summarized as follows:
› H.R. 3372 would allow any state to increase truck weights from the current 80,000 pounds to 91,000 pounds (for up to 10 years) on interstates. But commercial trucks end up on local roads and in neighborhoods making deliveries and traveling to destinations such as distribution centers. So it’s likely motorists will be driving alongside these behemoths on highways and country roads. The bill states the purpose of this pilot project is to track crashes, including injuries and fatalities, involving these heavier trucks. The lives of Tennessee families should not be treated as a congressional experiment.
› H.R. 2948 would allow automobile hauler trucks to operate permanently at 88,000 pounds, 10% above the current interstate weight limit. Allowing one overweight commodity opens it up to others wanting the same treatment. As more exemptions are passed, a more complicated patchwork is created that would fuel calls for nationwide weight increases, with devastating consequences for public safety and infrastructure.
› H.R. 7496 would empower governors with the authority to increase interstate commercial truck weights, a power currently reserved for the president. Governors would be allowed to increase truck weights based on an open-ended definition of supply chain issues and “other unusual conditions.” This would result in a nationwide patchwork of truck weights, making a national weight increase likely. This legislation has no maximum weight limit, potentially leading to even heavier trucks on Tennessee highways.
The safety of our citizens should be the priority when it comes to any proposed legislation. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, in 2022 there were 4,695 large-truck crashes in Tennessee resulting in 2,068 people injured and 154 fatalities.
The trend is already going in the wrong direction, even without increasing truck weights. From 2012 to 2022 (the year with the most recently available data) truck crash fatalities rose 37.5% in Tennessee. I often hear from Tennesseans that they travel alternative routes due to commercial truck traffic.
If any of the proposed legislation were to pass, our bridges would be threatened by the increased weights. According to the Federal Highway Administration, 11,715 of the state’s 20,379 bridges – more than half – already are in poor to fair condition. The Coalition Against Bigger Trucks (CABT) conducted a study evaluating the number of local bridges that would be put at risk by the heavier trucks. For Tennessee, they found 1,914 local bridges would be at risk of needing replacement with a total cost of $1.2 billion.
I am working with members of our congressional delegation to help ensure this doesn’t become law, and I cannot keep silent about legislation that would jeopardize the lives of your family and mine.
Republican Dan Howell is the Tennessee state representative for the 22nd district, which includes Meigs, Polk and part of Bradley counties.