SETA Bill has Congress Considering Raising the Weight Regulations on Eighteen Wheelers

Currently, the legal weight for an eighteen wheeler is 80

,000 lbs. However, congress is reconsidering this regulation. The new weight limit that is being proposed is 97,000 pounds; that is 8.5 tons. Reported by the Wall Street Journal, this increase is being driven by a coalition of over 150 companies that move products all around the country.

It has been stated that the rationale for this increase in weight is to reduce on fuel emissions, fuel consumption and ultimately have fewer trucks on the road. All this sounds great. Particularly the fewer trucks on the road. I am the kind of driver that starts to feel nervous when I am cruising down a two lane highway with a truck on my left and road barriers on either side. But lets not forget about the isses that will most definitely come from having heaver trucks on the road. It already takes a truck about 40% longer to come to a stop than an automobile; it'll undoubtedly be even longer with trucks that are caring heavier loads. What about all of those questionable bridges that trucks drive over? It has only been three years since the Minneapolis bridge collapse, has congress already forgotten this? Not to say that congress will change the 36 year old regulation, but safety should be the key issue on everyone's minds. Perhaps if the roads were better, or each state could make certain that their bridges could withstand the weight of the trucks, and if trucks were fitted with a superior break system that could be more responsive then we could sleep easier knowing that our next day's commute will be a safe one. But how will this bill be by companies that ship across the US? Kraft Foods is supporting this bill because of the reason that it would shrink their carbon footprint without compromising safety. About 40 percent of Kraft Foods' trucks currently hit the weight limit with significant space left in the trailer. Under this bill, referred to as SETA, Kraft Foods states that they could reduce the number of trucks their using by about 6 percent; which translates to 60,000 fewer loads and 33 million fewer vehicle miles traveled each year. The amount of carbon dioxide that this bill could eliminate annually is around 73,000. All of which are good reasons to get behind this bill as a company.

SETA states that it will improve safety of truck shipment. According to the U.S. DOT, they predict that freight shipped trucks will dramatically increase over the coming decades. With SETA, the roads will have fewer trucks on them because companies can fill them up to the brim which in turn will make roads safer in the future. Do not get me wrong, I am all for fewer trucks on the road, but I am still skeptical about the actual safety of this bill. Even though the things they are saying are appealing to the eco friendly side of me, I also have been in traffic jams caused by trucks over turning (which has happened twice this summer in the DFW area), and I feel that with the added weight it will only increase the likeliness of truck accidents. No matter the regulation weight it is important to have qualitytruck scales to ensure that the truck is within weight regulations.

SETA Bill has Congress Considering Raising the Weight Regulations on Eighteen Wheelers

By: Stephanie

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