[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 77 (Thursday, May 22, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7053-S7054]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. LAUTENBERG (for himself, Mr. DeWine, and Mrs. Feinstein):
  S. 1140. A bill to amend titles 23 and 49, United States Code, 
concerning length and weight limitations for vehicles operating on 
Federal-aid highways, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Environment and Public Works.
  Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, today, I am proud to introduce, along 
with my colleagues Senator DeWine and Senator Feinstein, legislation 
which will make our roads safer and last longer. Anyone who has ever 
shared the road with a large tractor trailer truck has wondered whether 
the truck driver is aware of the smaller vehicles around the truck. 
Anyone who has seen the third trailer on a triple-trailer truck 
swinging around like the tail end of a snake knows that these trucks 
are to be avoided.
  The State of New Jersey sees its share of the Nation's truck traffic, 
but, incidentally, not its share of federal highway dollars. We are 
concerned about these 53-foot, 80,000-pound vehicles on our highways 
and the pressure from other states to increase weight and length 
limitations to allow bigger trucks to come through our State. This

[[Page S7054]]

makes truck safety even more important to New Jersey drivers.
  Twelve years ago, I got a provision into the highway reauthorization 
bill we call ``ICE-TEA'' to ban triple-trailer trucks and other so-
called ``longer combination vehicles'', LCVs, from New Jersey and most 
other States. At that time and ever since, the trucking industry has 
fought to defeat and repeal this ban, under the guise of arguments for 
``states' rights'' and ``unfair re-distribution of business to 
railroads.'' But these are not rational arguments for allowing bigger 
and heavier trucks as well as triple-trailer trucks on our roads. 
Additionally, the trucking industry's proclaimed hardships have not 
materialized. In fact, the trucking companies have survived the current 
laws quite well, and trucks have refined their role in our national 
freight transportation system.
  Our bill, the ``Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act, 
will extend the current limited ban which only applies to our 44,000-
mile Interstate Highway System to the entire 156,000-mile National 
Highway System, NHS. This extension will make more roads safer and will 
further reduce the wear and tear of our highways and bridges.
  Bigger trucks are not safe. The U.S. Department of Transportation has 
determined that multi-trailer trucks are likely to be involved in more 
fatal crashes--11 percent more--than today's single-trailer trucks. By 
expanding the limits on triples and other longer combination vehicles 
to the entire NHS--including more than 2,000 miles of highway in New 
Jersey--the Safe Highways and Infrastructure Protection Act will save 
lives and prevent further deterioration of our roads and bridges.
  Triple-trailers and other LCVs do more damage to our roads and 
bridges but don't come close to paying associated maintenance and 
repair costs. The fees, tolls and gasoline taxes paid by the operator 
of a 100,000-pound truck only covers 40 percent of the cost of the 
damage that truck does to our roads and bridges. The rest of the 
taxpayers make up the difference. I believe that motorists should not 
have to share the road with these dangerous behemoths and pay for the 
extra damage they cause.
  I thank my colleagues Senator DeWine and Senator Feinstein for 
joining me in sponsoring this important legislation, and I look forward 
to working with my colleagues in the Congress to improve the highway 
safety and increase the remaining life of our country's roads and 
bridges.
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