Congressman McGovern: Keeping Americans Safe on the Road Means Keeping Bigger and Heavier Trucks Off

New Federal Report: More Data Needed to Approve Bigger Vehicles

Washington, DC, June 5, 2015

Today, Congressman Jim McGovern (MA-02), second-highest ranking Democrat on the House Rules Committee, released the following statement in response to the release of a series of new reports from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) on truck size and weight. These reports were required by (MAP-21), the most recent surface transportation reauthorization bill, which was passed by Congress in 2012. The reports released today found “very significant data limitations” that hampered DOT’s ability to conduct a full analysis of how bigger trucks would impact U.S. highways and roads and recommend no changes to current size and weight limits for trucks.

Today’s release comes as Congress prepares to vote on H.R. 2577, the FY 2016 Transportation-Housing and Urban Development (T-HUD) Appropriations bill.

”Keeping Americans safe on the road should be a top priority for Congress, but too often special interests like the trucking industry get to write the rules in transportation bills,” Congressman McGovern said. “I’ve been eagerly awaiting this comprehensive study on truck size and weight required by MAP-21 because this will help us to put Americans’ safety first. Today’s study shows that we simply don’t have enough reliable data to fully understand the economic and safety impact of big trucks on our roads and bridges. As Congress prepares to vote on T-HUD, we have to accept the fact that without the data we need, it is irresponsible to allow bigger and heavier trucks on our highways.”

Earlier this week, Congressman McGovern spoke on the House floor calling for the defeat of policy riders in the FY 2016 T-HUD bill that cater to the trucking industry by allowing bigger and heavier trucks on the road.

The DOT reports released today take a comprehensive look at the current state of America’s bridges and roads and the impacts of vehicles of various sizes and weights – including those vehicles currently operating above Federal truck size and weight limits. For more information about the reports released today, click here.

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