NEW DANGERS

HEAVIER TRUCKS BRING NEW DANGERS TO OUR ROADS:

HIGHER CRASH RATES

In 2015, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) found in limited state testing that six-axle trucks weighing up to 97,000 pounds had
99 to 400 percent higher crash rates than five-axle trucks. (USDOT, 2015)

USDOT also found in 2015 that trucks weighing over 80,000 pounds had higher overall out-of-service (OOS) violation rates and 18 percent higher
brake violation rates compared to those at or below 80,000 pounds. (USDOT, 2015)

LONGER STOPPING DISTANCES

USDOT found in 2015 that 97,000-pound, six-axle trucks take 12 feet longer to stop than today’s trucks. (USDOT, 2015)

STABILITY PROBLEMS

Heavier trucks tend to have a higher center of gravity because the additional weight is typically stacked vertically. Raising the center of gravity
increases the risk of rollovers. (USDOT, 2000)

CRUMBLING INFRASTRUCTURE

TEXAS BRIDGES ARE CRUMBLING, AND HEAVIER TRUCKS WILL MAKE IT WORSE:

Texas already faces an infrastructure crisis. Nearly half the bridges in Texas are at least 40 years old, and over 18 percent are already either structurally
deficient or functionally obsolete. (FHWA, 2015)

Further compounding these problems, USDOT determined in its research that 97,000-pound trucks would cost up to $2.2 billion in additional bridge costs nationwide, not including costs to local infrastructure. (USDOT, 2015)

Instead of allowing further damage to Texas infrastructure, why not preserve the bridges we already have?

COSTING TAXPAYERS

HEAVIER TRUCKS WILL BUST THE STATE BUDGET:

BIGGER SUBSIDIES

Trucks already receive $2 billion in subsidies. Heavier trucks mean even bigger subsidies.

Our highways and bridges are in rough shape because we don’t have the resources to keep them in good condition. Yet, nearly every single heavier-truck trip on a Texas road would be an exercise in deficit spending because they wouldn’t cover the cost of the damage they cause.

BIGGER DEFICITS

Heavier trucks mean bigger spending, bigger deficits.

The most recent federal study to look at the issue showed that allowing 97,000-pound, single-trailer trucks would result in trucks only paying for 50 percent of the damage they cause to infrastructure. We don’t need that kind of deficit spending in Texas.

Further, a 97,000-pound truck would need to pay an additional $1.17 per gallon of diesel just to repay its damage to infrastructure. Heavier trucks simply don’t make sense for Texas taxpayers.

HEAVIER TRUCKS MEAN MORE CONGESTION

HEAVIER TRUCKS HAVE NEVER RESULTED IN LESS CONGESTION, AND THEY NEVER WILL:

HISTORY REVEALS A PATTERN

Proponents of heavier trucks say it would result in fewer trucks on the road, but that has never happened. In fact, the number of trucks registered and the mileage of trucks traveled has steadily increased.

NEARLY 8 MILLION MORE TRUCKS

A study conducted in 2010 concluded that an increase from the current 80,000-pound weight limit to 97,000-pound weight limit could reduce overall rail traffic by 19 percent. The same study found that diverted freight will inevitably find its way onto the highway, resulting in 8 million more trucks nationwide on our roads and bridges—an increase of 56 percent. This influx would not only further endanger motorists, but cause exponential damage to Texas roads and bridges.