Why should the U.S. increase its interstate weight limits?
The federal interstate weight limit has been frozen at 80,000 pounds in most states since 1982. Since then, freight shipped throughout the U.S. has increased dramatically, putting more trucks on the road and nearly doubling vehicle miles traveled each year. Truck traffic is currently growing 11 times faster than road capacity, and freight hauled by trucks in the U.S. will double by 2035, according to U.S. DOT estimates.[1] If current vehicle weight limitations remain in place, even more trucks will have to take to the road to ship these goods – putting our safety at risk and hurting the American economy and our environment. Updating federal law through the Safe and Efficient Transportation Act of 2009 (H.R. 1799) to allow for the use of heavier trucks with a sixth axle would enable companies to consolidate freight on fewer trucks and further reduce collisions between trucks and passenger vehicles. The legislation would permit American shippers to move the same amount of freight with fe
