Experts: An increase in weight limit may alleviate pressure from other proposed legislation

FTR Associates recently announced that with the proposal for raising the weight limit for tractor-trailers on highways gaining headway, other mandated plans such as hours of services change will not hurt the industry, Fleet Owner reports.

Officials told the news source that the increased weight limit that would boost commercial vehicle capacity may offset "regulatory drags" on trucking. These so-called hindrances include proposals on electronic onboard recorders, the new Compliance Safety Accountability (CSA) program.

"In the face of a host of costly regulatory initiatives that are raising the cost of transportation to trucking companies and shippers alike, giving the states an opportunity to raise weight limits will help them boost the productivity of their operations," John Runyan, executive director of the Coalition for Transportation Productivity, told the news source.

Safety directors may wish to enroll their operators in online truck driving regulation training in order to help them understand the new proposals and regulations that may impact the industry.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 8,000 new job opportunities are projected to be available for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.

By Anna Byrne

Experts: An increase in weight limit may alleviate pressure from other proposed legislation

Tuesday, April 12th, 2011