POTOMAC, Md. — Canadian-style long combination vehicles (LCVs) would benefit American truckers if they were adopted there, says the Agricultural Transportation Efficiency Coalition (AgTEC).

The group, which is one of many industry stakeholders lobbying Congress for increased truck weight limits on certain highways, says it has analyzed and packaged 11 independent studies, which affirm the safety records and economic benefits of bringing U.S. truck-weight limits closer to Canadian and European standards, and quantifying the relationship between truck weights and road and bridge wear.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration‘s 2008 Large Truck Crash Facts, for instance, documents a steady decline in fatalities associated with collisions involving large trucks over the years, from 4.58 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 1975 to 1.94 in 2006.

"Taking into account the total bridge costs and the ability to operate on the interstate, the most successful new configuration, in terms of net benefits, is the six-axle 98,000 semitrailer, which generates the highest savings in transport costs, safety, and congestion," states a separate Wisconsin Department of Transportation study completed in January. 

Bigger trucks running in parts of Canada would
go a long way down south, says a US industry group.

Congressman Mike Michaud’s (D-Maine) "Safe and Efficient Transportation Act of 2009" would grant states the option of raising the current 80,000-pound GVW limit on interstate highways to 97,000 pounds, for trucks equipped with a sixth axle. A new dedicated fee would go towards supporting bridge and maintenance.

AgTEC, along with the American Trucking Associations and dozens of other shipper groups, is working to ensure the inclusion of this bill’s provisions in the 2009 Highway Reauthorization Bill, which will set federal infrastructure improvement priorities for the coming five years.

"AgTEC’s proposal to raise gross vehicle weight limits on the Interstate System reflects conclusions the Federal Highway Administration and several state DOTs have reached independently," said Richard Lewis, President of the Forest Resources Association, an AgTEC member.

"As our country strives to rebuild our manufacturing industries, moving the basic materials that supply them as efficiently as our global competitors do will give that recovery a big boost."

The studies gathered by AgTEC can be accessed here.