Posted: 4/11/07
Lawmakers speak out against state road weight increases
 Sen. Rick Olseen, DFL-Harris, spoke in opposition to proposed maximum truck weight increase legislation being considered at the Legislature. The lawmakers spoke at a Capitol press conference on Tuesday, April 10. |
by T.W. Budig
ECM capitol reporter
Local lawmakers spoke out against proposals to increase the maximum weight for trucks plying state roads.
Currently, state law, in most cases, sets the maximum weight for trucks at 80,000 pounds — 40 tons.
But under one House proposal, the maximum weight for six-axle trucks would be increased to 90,000 pounds — 97,000 pound for seven-axle trucks.
A Senate bill would expand the use of heavier trucks in the forest industry.
Sen. Rick Olseen, DFL-Harris, and Rep. Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, argue increasing maximum weights is a bad idea.
Olseen, speaking at a Capitol press conference on Tuesday (April 10) termed the threat of road damage from heavier trucks as "a huge concern."
"I just don't think we're ready," Olseen said of increasing the maximum truck weights.
The federal government, Olseen noted, does not allow trucks in excess of 80,000 pounds on the Interstate system.
That would mean the heaviest trucks, prohibited from travelling I-35 for instance, would be plying state highways like Hwy. 65 — roads already congested and overburdened, he argued.
Let the federal government change their weight restrictions first, Olseen argued.
Hortman, too, objected to increasing the maximum truck weight.
She views the situation as a mother driving a mini-van with two young children riding in the back, she explained.
It's a safety concern.
Hortman pointed to a recent article in "Governing" magazine citing a study out of North Carolina that indicate 90,000-pound trucks cause a 40 percent increase in road wear.
Still, Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) officials note that trucks with extra axles, even though carrying heavier loads, actually exert less pressure per axle on road surfaces than standard trucks.
Each axle on the heavier load trucks must have its own brake under the proposed legislation.
Yet one MnDOT report notes heavier trucks do raise safety concerns as well as road wear concerns — especially on bridges.
"Heavier trucks are like oil and water. They don't mix," said Steve Frank, President and CEO of AAA Minneapolis, said of safety and road wear concerns.
Minnesota Trucking Association President John Hausladen gave a mixed review to the proposed maximum weight increase.
If the legislation mandates that agriculture truck drivers be required to face the same screening as other truckers drivers — exemptions currently existed, he explained — the association would be neutral on it.
Otherwise, the association opposes it, said Hausladen.
Still, Hausladen is "confident" that heavier trucks can be safely operated as long as qualified drivers are at the wheel.
House Transportation Finance Committee Chair Bernie Lieder, DFL-Crookston, said it's largely the agriculture and forest industry sectors that are pushing for heavier maximum truck weights.
"I know it's an emotional issue," he said.
But it's also an economic issue to Greater Minnesota, Lieder noted.
Wayne Brandt, Minnesota Forest Industries, said for three years about 700 trucks in Minnesota have been hauling timber from the woods to factory under heavier maximum weights.
The industry is hoping to allow these heavier trucks to now haul products from the factory to the market.
"It's a pretty narrow process," said Brandt of heavier trucks operation.
For instance, the trucks are subject to seasonal weight restriction, bridge restrictions, other controls, he argued.
If Minnesota Forest Industries thought the trucks posed a safety concern, it would not be advocating for the legislation, he said.
But Brandt added allowing the heavier trucks greater access to roadways would economically benefit the industry.
Sen. Tom Saxhaug, DFL-Grand Rapids, is optimistic heavier maximum truck weights will be approved by the Legislature.
"Oh you bet," said Saxhaug, who is carrying the forest industry legislation in the Senate.
MnDOT supports the bill, said Saxhaug.
The extra weight on trucks, argued Saxhaug, is like throwing sand in the car trunk or the back of a pickup in wintertime.
It provides greater traction, he said.
Plus, each axle has a brake, he noted.
In part, Saxhaug views opposition to the truck weight legislation as fueled by the railroad industry.
Railroads are powerful in Greater Minnesota, he opined.
"We need to develop some competition," said Saxhaug.
Other industries, besides the timber industry, have come to realize this, he argued.
The Minnesota Alliance for Safe Highways in part is funded by railroad industry dollars.
Neighboring states allow for trucks in excess of 80,000 pounds.
For instance, North Dakota permits 105,000-pound maximum weight trucks while South Dakota permits 129,000-pound maximum weight trucks.
But Saxhaug indicated he is not interested in pursuing maximum truck weights of that magnitude.
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