The Truckload Carriers Association has changed its position on federal maximum truck weights and now supports increasing the allowable weight from 80,000 to 88,000 pounds.
The association amended its weight policy Oct. 16 in favor of supporting the hike on any five-axle tractor-trailer combination, said TCA Chairman John Kaburick.
The association based the decision on a need for increased productivity and to cope with the driver shortage. The 88,000 pound limit is close to the Canadian federal limit, Kaburick said.
The American Trucking Associations and National Private Truck Council, along with the Coalition for Transportation Productivity, are campaigning for increasing truck weight limits on federal interstate highways for trucks equipped with a sixth axle. The change would result in fewer trucks on the road, which would create less emissions and traffic congestion, the advocates said.
