Proposed Changes to Trucking Industry Standards

Despite concerns from the Department of Transportation, police and a large number of respondents in a recent poll on truck safety, Congress is considering a bill that would allow trucks to increase in size and allow drivers to work longer hours without a mandated break.
While the Obama administration, the Teamsters and trucking companies using standard size trailers oppose the bill, trucking giants such as FedEx, UPS and Conway Freight are pushing for new regulations. Those regulations would allow double and triple trailer trucks up to 120 feet long and as tall as a 12 story building to become standard on American highways. These trucks would be the equivalent of almost eight cars in length.

Proponents for the bill say that increases in online shopping and a shortage of drivers is making it hard for trucking companies to satisfy demands. They claim that the longer trucks will help to increase efficiency and ultimately make American highways safer by limiting the amount of drivers on the road. Advocates of the bill also assert that the 2013 Department of Transportation ruling that mandates drivers have a minimum of 34 hours of rest per 70 hours worked actually increases congestion on the highways in the morning hours when school buses and working commuters are at their peak driving times.

Those against the bill have a myriad of concerns claiming that the new regulations would increase the rate of serious and fatal collisions involving trucks and passenger vehicles. If the proposed bill is passed by the House, the average weight of a two to three trailer commercial truck could reach 97,000 pounds and be 84 feet long. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average passenger vehicle on the road today is approximately 15 feet long, weighing an average of 4,000 pounds.

As the risk of serious and fatal accidents increases with larger trucks on the road, the proposed bill mandates that insurance coverage for large tractor trailers remain standard. According to the Department of Transportation, minimum requirements on insurance coverage for commercial trucks and buses have not been increased since 1985, despite the rate of inflation for medical costs and the number of disability claims resulting from injuries sustained in truck accidents involving commercial and passenger vehicles. These costs, added to the increased cost of maintaining our highways due to excessive wear and tear from the larger trucks, have added more fuel to the opposition’s arguments.

Congress is expected to rule on the proposed bill in the next few weeks. The Department of Transportation is calling for the ruling to be delayed as it continues to study the effects that truck size and weight have on the number of crashes and fatalities involving passenger vehicles and commercial trucks. The two year study was initiated by Congress last year with strong support from both the Republican and Democratic parties. The DOT is requesting that no rulings be made until the study is completed.