Shipping companies want Congress to increase shipping truck size
The Hill
BY NIV ELIS - 10/10/18 03:45 PM EDT
The shipping industry is pushing Congress to increase the size of some shipping trucks, which could affect the nation's highways, consumers and e-commerce.
Shipping companies like FedEx, UPS and Amazon say allowing so-called twin 33s, a configuration that allows trucks to haul two connected 33-foot trailers, would help increase shipping capacity and lower costs when online sales are booming. Current law limits the trucks to two 28-foot trailers.
But opponents worry the new regulation could be a safety hazard, and opposition from trucking unions and railroad interests have succeeded in delaying changes to existing law.
“These trucks would be at least 84 feet long, and we know that current double trailer trucks have an 11 percent higher fatal crash rate than single trailer trucks,” said Catherine Chase, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, a road safety advocacy group... FULL ARTICLE
Posted on Wed, October 10, 2018
by John Cox