Increased Truck Weights Coalition for Transportation Productivity

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Increased Truck WeightsCoalition for
Transportation Productivity
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Agenda

• Challenges
• Legislative Solution
• Benefits
• Risks and Opposition
• How You Can Help
• Conclusions
• About CTP

www.transportationproductivity.org
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Challenges Troubling Environment

• Competitive disadvantage U.S. limits vs. other
  countries
• U.S. weight limit for trucks on interstate roads
  is generally 80,000 lbs.
• Mexicos weight limit is 106,000 lbs.
• Canadas weight limit is over 95,000 lbs.
• Majority of the European Union nations operate at
  or around 97,000 lbs.
• Fuel
• Dependence on foreign oil Well over half of the
  U.S. consumption - about 12 million barrels per
  day - are imported
• Fuel prices have experienced record levels of
  both price and volatility in recent months

Sources ATA, DOE, Over a Barrel - The Costs of
U.S. Foreign Oil Dependence - John S. Duffield
www.transportationproductivity.org
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Challenges- Troubling Environment, cont

• Weight limits on state roads
• A patchwork of limits
• Less efficient to restrict movement of large
  loads on state roads
• Road congestion
• Freight hauled by trucks expected to double or
  triple by 2025 in U.S.
• Truck traffic is growing 11 times faster than
  road capacity
• 85 of 2020 highway infrastructure has already
  been built

www.transportationproductivity.org
Sources ATA, DOE
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Challenge State regulations vary, constraining
efficient interstate commerce
Most states have higher weight limits for their
state roads than are allowed on federal
interstates. As a result, heavier trucks are
limited to smaller state roads where safety and
road wear concerns are greater.
Note Weight designations do not mean that higher
weights are allowed on all state roads
Source ATA
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Highway congestion was limited in 2000 But will
increase considerably by 2020
2000
2020
www.transportationproductivity.org
Source ATA
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Legislative proposal details

• Raise gross vehicle weight limits for trucks on
  federal interstate highways from 80,000 to 97,000
  lbs.
• Require additional axle to add braking power and
  mitigate road wear concern
• Require permit fee for vehicles equipped with the
  additional axle

www.transportationproductivity.org
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Benefits of Proposal
Replace empty space with more freight

• - No change in vehicle dimensions - 4 Additional
  wheels
• - One additional axle - Appx 35 lbs. less
  weight per tire

www.transportationproductivity.org
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Benefits of Proposal

• Increased investment in trucking infrastructure
• Reduced energy consumption and carbon emissions
• Reduced Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) per ton
  shipped
• Improved competitiveness of US manufacturers

www.transportationproductivity.org
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A 97,000 pound truck is 18 more fuel efficient
than an 80,000 pound truck

• Example One shipper currently sends 600 trucks
  per week from Alabama to major markets in the
  southeast
• Increasing the interstate weight limit to 97,000
  lbs. would affect this one route by reducing the
  number of trucks needed weekly to 450, and
  reducing
• Miles driven 31
• Weight on roads/bridges 8
• Fuel use 18
• Emissions 18

Details in Appendix page 22
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U.S. DOT Research confirms proposal to increase
weight with an additional axle will not
compromise safety

• 97,000 lbs. 6-axle trucks had an improvement of
  approximately 5 in their rearward amplification
  during DOTs testing compared with the 80,000
  lbs. 5-axle trucks.
• 97,000 lbs. 6-axle trucks had less than a 3
  decrease in its Load Transfer Ratio during DOTs
  testing compared with the 80,000 lbs. 5-axle
  trucks.
• 97,000 lbs. 6-axle trucks had less than a 4
  decrease in Static Roll Stability in DOTs
  testing compared with the 80,000 lbs. 5-axle
  trucks.

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U.S. DOT Research, cont

• The vehicle crash-rate for large trucks is 2.16
  per million miles. This compares to 5.53 for
  cars and 4.33 for light trucks.
• In 71 of all accidents involving a truck and
  passenger vehicle, police officers on the scene
  assigned one or more crash factors to the
  passenger vehicle driver and none to the truck
  driver.

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UK Study Provides Evidence of Benefits

• In 2001 the United Kingdom increased maximum
  gross vehicle weight (GVW) for 6-axle vehicles
  from 90,000 lbs to 97,000 lbs.
• Since 2001 truck VMT has been flat while tonnage
  increased steadily. 
• Truck-involved fatal accidents and accident rates
  both began to decline substantially in 2002

Source United Kingdom Department for Transport,
Transport Statistics Bulletin Road Freight
Statistics 2007. August 2008. http//www.dft.gov
.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/freight/
goodsbyroad/roadfreightstatistics2007
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Risks and Opposition
www.transportationproductivity.org
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How can you help?

• Get involved with CTP- participate in monthly
  meetings
• Join CTP members for meetings with Congressional
  members
• Agree to be listed as a supporting organization
  (see next page)
• Compile a fact sheet detailing your firms
  position on the issue and potential benefits.
  See examples at http//www.transportationproductiv
  ity.org
• Letters of support to key members of Congress

www.transportationproductivity.org
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Conclusions

• This is a long-term effort that will have
  positive material impact on the ability to get
  products to market efficiently.
• Will have significant positive impact on fuel
  consumption, environmental sustainability, and
  road congestion.
• Significant effort underway with momentum in our
  favor. The more voices, the better to have our
  message heard.

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About the Coalition for Transportation
Productivity

• CTP formed in summer 2008 to enlist shipper
  support for legislative change.
• We believe that shippers bring a unique
  perspective to the debate by highlighting the
  impact of the current law on their global
  competitiveness.
• This point of view could be pivotal in the
  debate, particularly in light of the current
  economic crisis.

www.transportationproductivity.org
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About CTP, cont.

• What we do
• Bring shipper perspective to forefront
• Organize Congressional lobbying / educational
  efforts
• Produce or identify resource materials to
  objectively address the issue
• Work with other industry organizations to ensure
  a unified voice

www.transportationproductivity.org
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Contact Us

• If you have additional questions about CTP,
  please dont hesitate to contact either of our
  co-chairs Harry Haney with Kraft
  (hhaney_at_kraft.com) or John Runyan with
  International Paper at (john.runyan_at_ipaper.com).

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Appendix
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Examples of state weight limit variations

• Several states gave grandfathered rights to haul
  heavier weights on interstate highways with the
  addition of extra axles.
• - Examples NM86,400 ID105,500 SD129,000
  MI164,000
• Nearly every state has permits available for
  heavier trucks on local roads and many states
  have enacted higher weight laws for their
  turnpikes or major state routes. Examples OH,
  MA, NY
• Several states give permits for one industry but
  not another.
• Patchwork of permitting processes and regulations
  often mean trucks must use circuitous routes
  through small towns carrying their heaviest
  products.
• State infrastructure is harmed long-term by
  allowing permitted heavier trucks with only five
  axles onto their local roads and not onto the
  interstate system.

www.transportationproductivity.org
Source ATA
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A 97,000 pound truck is 18 more fuel efficient
than an 80,000 pound truck Calculations from
page 10