DOT to host webinar on truck size, weight limit study

Washington – The Department of Transportation is hosting a free webinar on Dec. 18 focusing on its study of the safety and infrastructure impacts of raising federal truck size and weight limits.

The event is intended to update participants about the Comprehensive Truck Size and Weight Limits Study’s use of prior research, the study’s updated project schedule and a selection of the truck configurations developed for the study.

Supporting documents will be posted to the Federal Highway Administration’s website in advance of the webinar, and comments on the documents are due Jan. 3.

The truck size and weight limits study was mandated by a surface transportation funding bill (known as MAP-21) signed into law in 2012, and is scheduled to be completed by November 2014.

Some safety groups and DOT stakeholders have expressed concerns that raising the weight limit on six-axle trucks to 97,000 pounds or more from the current 80,000-pound limit, and increasing the length limit for certain trucks, would decrease highway safety. However, some industry groups and associations argue that these changes would increase productivity and reduce consumer costs.