Trucking Industry Wants Longer & Heavier Trucks

Large trucks can weigh up to 80,000 pounds and have been known to cause crashes resulting in catastrophic injuries.  So why is the trucking industry wanting to relax safety standards of trucks and permit longer and heavier trucks on U.S. highways?  That is the question that many people are asking and the majority of Americans oppose the efforts to allow bigger and longer trucks on the roads.

Safety advocates have argued against the trucking industry’s initiatives because they firmly believe that larger and heavier trucks will cause more deaths and damage to U.S. roads and bridges.  They have quoted scientific evidence that shows the larger trucks get, the more difficult it is to control the vehicles and the longer it takes to stop.  The fear is that there will be additional truck crashes resulting in serious injuries.

The trucking industry feels that by allowing bigger and heavier trucks, it will decrease the overall number of large trucks on the roads.

It has been estimated that 5,000 people are killed in truck crashes and more than 100,000 are injured in truck accidents each year in the United States.  These statistics show that at the current size and weight requirements of trucks, there are still thousands of injuries and deaths.  The idea that these numbers can increase due to bigger and heavier trucks is alarming.

If you have been injured in a Louisville, Kentucky tractor-trailer accident, contact Gray and White Law at (502) 637-6000 or (800) 637-6033 for advice regarding your truck accident case.

The article, “Should Longer and Heavier Trucks Be Allowed on KY Highways?” has more information on this topic.