Press Releases

U.S. REP. JIM MCGOVERN INTRODUCES ‘BIG TRUCK' SAFETY BILL

At a press conference in Washington today, U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern announced that he has re-introduced bipartisan legislation, the Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act (SHIPA) to extend size and weight limits on -big trucks.- Rep. Frank Wolf is the lead Republican co-sponsor of the legislation.

SHIPA (HR 1574) will prolong the life of our roads and bridges and make our highways safer by extending the common-sense truck size and weight limits already in place on Interstate highways to the entire National Highway System. Specifically, SHIPA will extend truck weights limits to 80,000 lbs, cap the length of tractor-trailer trucks at 53 feet and freeze the operation of long double and triple trailer trucks on the National Highway System. SHIPA will not take any truck off the road that is currently operating - but it will close loopholes that many states have used that create a confusing patchwork of truck size and weight limits across the country.

Rep. McGovern delivered the following remarks at the press conference today:

-Like so many of you, I've been fighting against misguided attempts to allow bigger, heavier trucks on our roads for years. Two weeks ago, I reintroduced the Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act which would maintain the commonsense truck size and weight limits on our highways.

-My ‘SHIPA' bill was introduced with 6 bipartisan original cosponsors - 3 Republicans and 3 Democrats. Last Congress, my SHIPA bill had 130 bipartisan cosponsors and I'm confident that we can attract the same, if not more, support this time.

-Now, we've all heard supporters of big trucks make various - and often dubious - claims about the economic benefits of bigger trucks. They say big trucks will be more efficient or result in fewer trucks on the road. Unfortunately, the evidence just doesn't support these claims.

-The simple fact of the matter is that big trucks don't pay their fair share for the damage they cause to our roads and bridges.

-To those who want to increase truck weights to 97,000 pounds - I remind them that these super-sized rigs only pay 50 percent of the costs of the damage they create.

-To those who claim that states should have the sole authority to decide if bigger and heavier trucks should be allowed on our roads, I ask them - who's going to pay for the massive damage to our roads and bridges?

-We know that the Highway Trust Fund is woefully underfunded. And, nearly every state is facing a projected budget shortfall in Fiscal Year 2012.

-If states are serious about increasing truck size and weight, they have to be honest about the increased costs of doing so and figure out a responsible way to pay for them.

-It's not fair to stick taxpayers with the burden of paying for the damage and destruction big trucks cause at a time when too many families are already struggling to pay their bills or facing unemployment.

-I know that, for so many of you - including many of our speakers - the financial costs associated with big trucks isn't the main reason you're here today.

-Too many of you know firsthand the tragic safety costs these big rigs impose on motorists.

-Big trucks are dangerous. They're more likely to be involved in crashes. It's just that simple.

-I'm willing to bet that nearly everyone here can think of a time when they've been driving on a highway and looked in their rearview mirror to see a big truck closing in on them. It's nerve-wracking to say the least.

-As the House and Senate begin work on a Highway Reauthorization bill, we have the opportunity to say loud and clear ‘no' to bigger, heavier trucks.

-By sharing the stories of their loved ones, brave victim advocates remind us that, while the economic costs of big trucks are great, the human costs are greater.-

H.R. 1574 has been referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.