The Virginia Association of Counties (VACo) is reaching out to ask for your help in opposing bigger tractor-trailers in Congress by adding your name to a local officials joint letter to Congress that Coalition Against Bigger Trucks, (CABT) is pushing out. CABT is a non-profit coalition of local government, law enforcement, public works, and Fire/EMS officials that opposes legislation to increase commercial truck size and weight on local streets and roads.
At the federal level, the 91,000-pound pilot project continues to be the primary legislative threat. This bill would authorize any state to raise weights from 80,000 to 91,000 pounds. While it sounds “optional,” there would be immense pressure for states to participate to harmonize with the region. And as we have seen in other states, no weight limit ever goes down. This weight increase of trucks is of concern for VACo as local infrastructure is not equipped to handle this increased weight.
This proposal will almost certainly come up for a vote this Fall during the highway reauthorization process. This takes place roughly every five years and is the primary venue for debates on truck size and weight.
CABT will be circulating this joint letter to Congress asking for Congressional leaders’ opposition to bigger trucks. VACo is asking you to add your name to the joint letter by clicking here.
VACo opposes legislation that seeks to increase truck size or weight beyond the current federal standards, thereby stressing the capacity of the Commonwealth’s road systems and putting highways, roads and bridges at risk of increased damage or deterioration.
VACo Contact: James Hutzler