Congress Should Authorize Longer Trailers When Reforming National Highway Policy

Jun 12, 2019 at 09:39 AM CST
In 1982, when Congress designated the National Network—the approximately 200,000 miles of truck corridors that crisscross the U.S.—it also set a 28.5-foot minimum limit on tandem trailer length. Some states have opted to allow trucks that pull two longer, 33-foot trailers (“twin-33s”), but most have not. In the interest of promoting interstate commerce as the Constitution directs the federal government to do, these limits should be standardized nationwide. As Congress debates how to modernize surface transportation policy for the 21st century, it should legalize twin 33-foot trailers on the National Network. We hope this will be discussed at tomorrow’s House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing, “Under Pressure: The State of Trucking in America.”

Jun 12, 2019 at 09:39 AM CST

In 1982, when Congress designated the National Network—the approximately 200,000 miles of truck corridors that crisscross the U.S.—it also set a 28.5-foot minimum limit on tandem trailer length. Some states have opted to allow trucks that pull two longer, 33-foot trailers (“twin-33s”), but most have not. In the interest of promoting interstate commerce as the Constitution directs the federal government to do, these limits should be standardized nationwide. As Congress debates how to modernize surface transportation policy for the 21st century, it should legalize twin 33-foot trailers on the National Network. We hope this will be discussed at tomorrow’s House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing, “Under Pressure: The State of Trucking in America.”