On March 30th, I introduced a bill called the Safe and Efficient Transportation Act (H.R. 1799).  The bill would allow Maine and other states to increase the weight of trucks allowed on the Interstate System within state borders to make them consistent with surrounding states.  The bill is cosponsored by Congresswoman Jean Schmidt (R-OH).

The current patchwork of differing weight requirements harms safety by forcing trucks onto roads not designed for their use and hurts the economy by reducing the efficiency of freight networks. It is especially detrimental to our traditionally natural resource based industries in Maine.  The bill that I introduced represents a step forward in my work with the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure to provide an acceptable resolution to the truck weight problems throughout our country, especially in Maine.

Currently, most of Maine’s Interstate highways are subject to the federally mandated truck weight limit of 80,000 pounds. However, Maine’s state limit is 100,000 pounds — and it would be difficult to lower it due to the demands of Maine’s major industries, especially forest products, and the through traffic from the surrounding states and Canadian provinces which all have 100,000 pound limits on all of their roads.  Governor Baldacci, the Maine Legislature, the Maine Department of Transportation, the entire Maine congressional delegation, and hundreds of Maine small businesses have requested an exemption from federal truck weight limits.

Thoughtful implementation of a federal truck weight exemption for the remainder of Maine’s Interstate, and changes like it in other states, would help our struggling economy.  It would allow our industries in Maine to be more competitive and save on fuel.  It would also help reduce pollution by making sure we are getting the most out of every truck mile travelled.  And most importantly, it would promote safety for Mainers by making sure more heavily loaded trucks aren’t forced to take secondary roads through town centers in their travels up and down our state.

In working on this issue for years, I have come to realize that Maine is not the only state affected by truck weight mismatches.  As the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure moves forward with a multi-year highway bill, we have a chance to move this issue forward.  In a departure from past efforts, I have made this a national bill.  It would allow affected states like Maine to opt into an increase in truck weights in their states.  States that do not want increased weights would not have to have anything forced on them.  I recognize that what makes sense for Maine may not make sense for other places.

But it does make sense for Maine.  A comprehensive Maine Department of Transportation study has shown that the state of Maine would save between $1.7 and $2.3 million a year in reduced pavement repair. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, there would be a 20-year pavement restoration cost savings of nearly $2.5 billion dollars utilizing the 97,000-pound six-axle truck authorized in the bill I authored.

I believe that this bill represents progress on the truck weight issue and a new way forward.  For more information on the bill, visit my website at www.michaud.house.gov and click on the “Transportation” tab under the “On the Issues” menu.