For nearly three years since the state of Rhode Island has imposed weight restrictions on the Pawtucket Bridge, drivers continue to cross the overpass, which garners an $85 ticket for ignoring the sign and a $3,000 fine for the company that owns the trucks. With the bridge expected to be complete by 2013, these problems won’t go away any time soon, even despite carriers’ best efforts to make their drivers aware Continue Reading

A new bill introduced in the Senate would allow states to up the maximum weight for trucks traveling on their interstates beyond the current federal limit of 80,000 pounds. The Safe Efficient Transportation Act is identical to a bill introduced in the House of Representatives last year which would require a sixth axle to help support the additional weight. The American Trucking Associations (ATA), one of the Continue Reading

Lobbying for the agricultural industry and others who ship heavier products, nine members of Congress petitioned the House of Representatives’ Committee on Agriculture in support of the Safe and Efficient Transportation Act, H.R. 1799, which would boost the current 80,000-lb federal weight limit on commercial trucks to 97,000 lbs. Such a move, they say, would reduce emissions as well as Continue Reading

Nova Scotia is expanding some of its limits on long combination vehicles (LCVs). Province officials recently announced that carriers are now allowed to run three LCV round trips per day, up from the previous limit of one. All Continue Reading

A Maine logging and trucking contractor is throwing his weight around, determined to prove to legislators that increasing weight limits on the state’s interstates would boost efficiency and public safety. The project measured the performance of two trucks laden with 99,800 lbs on the non-Interstate route, where higher weight limits were already approved, and a stretch of I-95, where gross vehicle weight limits were Continue Reading

The improving quality of trucks may mean that truckload carriers extend their trade cycles, according to executives at the Heavy Duty Dialogue conference for truck and component manufacturers. But, though some fleets may delay their truck-buying for a few additional years, there are others who pursue “MegaTruck” specs that would Continue Reading

The Alberta goverment is pushing to phase out trailers manufacturered pre-1993, but with the number of older trailers in service coupled with a sluggish economy, one lobby group is hoping to defer the enforcement date. The mandate now would require a reduction in a pre-1993 trailer’s GVW by 1,000 kg each year for three years. The province hoped Continue Reading

The controversial regulations to ban trucks from seven highway access routes in the state of New York is now open for public comment. Large trucks, except for local pick-up and delivery will be affected. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, the state trucking association and 26 business groups have voiced their Continue Reading

New regulations in the state of New York banning trucks from using seven highways as shortcuts on their routes will drive up transportation costs and result in job losses, according to the state trucking association. Still, the governor’s office is moving ahead with the ban, citing safety as the primary reason. Visit the New York State Department of Transportation website for Continue Reading

The state of Maine has proposed a one-year pilot program, increasing its Interstate highway system’s weight limit from 80,000 pounds to 100,000 pounds. Finally, its truck weight restrictions are in line with Eastern Canada. The Atlantic Provinces Chambers of Commerce (APCC) applauded the move, citing improved efficiency and Continue Reading