ATA, OOIDA react along long-standing positions to survey on heavier trucks
More than half of Americans surveyed favor allowing trucks with proper safeguards to carry more weight on U.S. interstates as a way to make roads safer, reduce environmental impact and strengthen the economy, the CTP said. (The Trucker file photo)
The Trucker Staff
7/16/2009
WASHINGTON — The Coalition for Transportation Productivity (CTP) Wednesday said that a majority of Americans support raising interstate truck weight limits without making trucks larger. The American Trucking Associations, which has supported heavier trucks, and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, which has opposed them, reacted along state organizational positions.
The CTP, a coalition of more than 100 shippers and allied associations dedicated to responsibly increasing the federal weight limit on interstate highways said the results of a survey conducted among 1,000 American adults showed that more than half of Americans surveyed favor allowing trucks with proper safeguards to carry more weight on U.S. interstates as a way to make roads safer, reduce environmental impact and strengthen the economy.
The results of the national poll, commissioned by CTP and released Wednesday, reveal broad support for responsible truck weight reform as outlined in The Safe and Efficient Transportation Act of 2009 (H.R. 1799), according to CTP Co-Chair John Runyan.
The bipartisan legislation sponsored by Reps. Michael Michaud, D-Maine, and Jean Schmidt, R-Ohio would allow for heavier — not larger — trucks on interstates by giving each state the option to increase its interstate vehicle weight limit to 97,000 pounds for trucks equipped with a sixth axle for safety, Runyan said, adding that without changing truck size, the additional axle maintains current braking capacity and weight-per-tire-distribution and minimizes pavement wear.
A user fee imposed by the bill would fund vital bridge repair, he said
“Americans solidly back the same truck weight reform proposed by H.R. 1799 – providing strong support for Congress to responsibly raise the federal vehicle weight limit,” Runyan said. “With truck traffic already increasing 11 times faster than road capacity and freight expected to double by 2025, H.R. 1799 would make sure America’s shipping needs are met in a way that improves highway safety and reduces our carbon footprint.”
Runyan noted the key findings of the survey:
• A majority of Americans favor higher weight limits for properly outfitted trucks. By a margin of 51 percent to 39 percent, a majority would favor increasing the weight limit if it contributes to safer roads, greater fuel economy and more productive highway transportation.
• Americans are more likely to support increasing weight limits when they learn that additional axles would make the tractor-trailers safer and better for road surfaces. A strong majority (66 percent) would be more likely to support legislative action to allow trucks to carry more weight on interstates if those trucks add an extra axle.
• Americans are also more likely to support a weight limit increase due to positive environmental implications. 63 percent would be more likely to support an increase in weight that trucks can carry on interstates if it would reduce carbon emissions and fuel consumption.
The American Trucking Associations, which has supported heavier trucks, and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, which has opposed them, reacted along state organizational positions.
“The survey underscores the environmental, safety and economic gains that is available from more productive trucks, as documented by research from the American Transportation Research Institute and by the upcoming study from the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development,” Clayton Boyce, vice president of public affairs and press secretary for the ATA said. “It’s unfortunate that some groups distort the truth about more productive trucks and falsely claim that these trucks use more fuel per pound of freight and are somehow “dirtier.” More productive trucks use fuel more efficiently and have fewer emissions per pound of freight transported.”
Boyce said that if Congress wants to reduce carbon output, it should pass Michaud’s bill.
“The fact the coalition resorted to composing such obviously leading questions proves the proposed bill is not about safety or environment at all,” OOIDA media spokesperson Norita Taylor, told The Trucker. “The questions make a false claim of safety, forcing the respondent to give an answer assuming the claim is true. Therefore, the conclusion is a pretty far stretch and this cannot be considered a valid survey by any means.”
Runyan said heavier trucks are need to meet anticipated increased shipping needs.
“It is a proven fact that allowing heavier, six-axle trucks on our interstates will cut the number of trucks needed to satisfy America’s shipping needs as freight increases in the years ahead,” Runyan said. “H.R. 1799 would reduce the number of vehicles miles and the overall number of trucks needed to deliver a specific amount of freight, making roads safer and cutting fuel and emissions by 19 percent for each ton carried.”
The survey was conducted pollster Wilson Research Strategies and has a margin of error of +/-3.1 percent. The survey was conducted June 16 – 22, 2009, via live operator telephone calls. The sample was stratified to be demographically and geographically representative of the national adult population.
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