[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 59 (Wednesday, April 22, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4576-S4578]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. COLLINS (for herself and Ms. Snowe):
  S. 856. A bill to establish a commercial truck highway safety 
demonstration program in the State of Maine, and for other purposes; to 
the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise to join with my senior colleague 
from Maine in sponsoring the Commercial Truck Highway Safety 
Demonstration Program Act, an important bill that addresses a 
significant safety problem in our State.
  Under current law, trucks weighing 100,000 pounds are allowed to 
travel on the portion of Interstate 95 designated as the Maine 
Turnpike, which runs from Maine's border with New Hampshire to Augusta, 
our capital city. At Augusta, the Turnpike designation ends, but 1-95 
proceeds another 200 miles north to Houlton. At Augusta, however, heavy 
trucks must exit the modern four-lane, limited-access highway and are 
forced onto smaller, two-lane secondary roads that pass through cities, 
towns, and villages.
  Trucks weighing up to 100,000 pounds are permitted on interstate 
highways in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and New York as well as the 
Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec. The weight limit 
disparity on various segments of Maine's Interstate Highway System is a 
significant impediment to commerce, increases wear-and-tear on our 
secondary roads, and, most important, puts our people needlessly at 
risk.
  Senator Snowe and I have introduced this legislation several times in 
recent years. We remain concerned about the safety of our citizens who 
are needlessly put at risk when heavy trucks are forced off the main 
interstate and onto secondary roads through our

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towns and communities. Unfortunately, Maine has experienced two tragic 
deaths in the past few years due to accidents involving heavy trucks in 
this situation.
  One of these tragic accidents took the life of Susan Abraham, a 
bright and talented 17-year-old high-school student from Hampden, 
Maine, when her car was struck by a heavy truck on Route 9. The truck 
driver could not see Susan's small car turning onto that two-lane road 
as he rounded a corner. It was an accident, but one that would have 
been avoided had the truck remained on the Interstate highway. 
Interstate 95 runs less than three-quarters of a mile away, but Federal 
law prevented the truck from using that modern, divided highway, a 
highway that was designed to provide ample views of the road ahead.
  That preventable tragedy took place almost one year to the day after 
Lena Gray, an 80-year-old resident of Bangor, was struck and killed by 
a tractor-trailer as she was crossing a downtown street. Again, that 
accident would not have occurred had that truck been allowed to use I-
95, which runs directly through Bangor.
  The problem Maine faces due to the disparity in truck weight limits 
affects many communities, but it is clearly evident in the eastern 
Maine cities of Bangor and Brewer. In this region, a two-mile stretch 
of Interstate 395 connects two major State highways that carry 
significant truck traffic across Maine. I-395 affords direct and safe 
access between these major corridors, but because of the existing 
Federal truck weight limit, many heavy trucks are prohibited from using 
this multi-lane, limited access highway.
  Instead, these trucks, which sometimes carry hazardous materials, are 
required to maneuver through the downtown portions of Bangor and Brewer 
on two-lane roadways. Truckers are faced with two options; the first is 
a 3.5 mile diversion through downtown Bangor that requires several very 
difficult and dangerous turns. The second route is a 7.5 mile diversion 
that includes 20 traffic lights and requires travel through portions of 
downtown Bangor as well. Congestion is a significant issue, and safety 
is seriously compromised as a result of these required diversions.
  In June 2004, Wilbur Smiths Associates, a nationally recognized 
transportation consulting firm, completed a study to examine the impact 
a Federal weight exemption on non-exempt portions of Maine's Interstate 
Highway System would have on safety, pavement, and bridges. The study 
found that extending the current truck weight exemption on the Maine 
Turnpike to all interstate highways in Maine would result in a decrease 
of 3.2 fatal crashes per year. A uniform truck weight limit of 100,000 
pounds on Maine's interstate highways would reduce highway miles, as 
well as the travel times necessary to transport freight through Maine, 
resulting in safety, economic, and environmental benefits.
  Moreover, Maine's extensive network of local roads would be better 
preserved without the wear and tear of heavy truck traffic.
  Most important, however, a uniform truck weight limit will keep 
trucks on the interstate where they belong, rather than on roads and 
highways that pass through Maine's cities, towns, and neighborhoods.
  In addition to the safety of motorists and pedestrians, there is a 
homeland security aspect to this as well. An accident or attack 
involving a heavy truck carrying explosive fuel or a hazardous chemical 
on a congested city street would have devastating consequences. That 
risk can be alleviated substantially by allowing those trucks to stay 
on the open highway.
  The legislation that Senator Snowe and I are introducing addresses 
the safety issues we face in Maine because of the disparities in truck 
weight limits. The legislation directs the Secretary of Transportation 
to establish a commercial truck safety pilot program in Maine. Under 
the pilot program, the truck weight limit on all Maine highways that 
are part of the Interstate Highway System would be set at 100,000 
pounds for three years. During the waiver period, the Secretary would 
study the impact of the pilot program on safety and would receive the 
input of a panel on which State officials, and representatives from 
safety organizations, municipalities, and the commercial trucking 
industry would serve. The waiver would become permanent if the panel 
determined that motorists were safer as a result of a uniform truck 
weight limit on Maine's Interstate Highway System.
  Maine's citizens and motorists are needlessly at risk because too 
many heavy trucks are forced off the interstate and onto local roads. 
The legislation Senator Snowe and I are introducing is a commonsense 
approach to a significant safety problem in my State. Our efforts are 
widely supported by public officials throughout Maine, including the 
Governor, the Maine Department of Transportation, the Maine Secretary 
of State, and the Maine State Police. I urge my colleagues to support 
this important legislation.
  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today to join my colleague from 
Maine, Senator Collins, to once again introduce legislation that seeks 
not only to rectify an impediment to international commerce flowing 
through Maine, but more importantly, will offer a measure of safety and 
security that many of my constituents in Maine do not currently 
possess.
  As many of our colleagues know, expanding upon the current federal 
truck weight limitation of 80,000 pounds is often looked upon as too 
dangerous, flaunting the safety of drivers who may be faced with a 
truck weighing as much as 145,000 pounds. While my record reflects my 
long commitment to safety on our roadways, I ask my colleagues not to 
overlook the safety of pedestrians as well.
  Take the situation we face in Maine, where we currently have a 
limited exemption along the southern portion of the Maine Turnpike. 
Many trucks traveling to or from the Canadian border or into upstate 
Maine are not able to travel on our Interstates as a result of the 
80,000 pound weight limit. This forces many of them onto secondary 
roads, many of which are two-lane roads running through small towns and 
villages in Maine. Tanker trucks carrying fuel teeter past elementary 
schools, libraries, weaving through traffic to reach locations like our 
Air National Guard station. Not only is it an inefficient method of 
bringing necessary fuel to Guardsmen that provide our national 
security, but imagine if you will one of those tanker trucks rupturing 
on Main Street, potentially causing serious damage to property, causing 
traffic chaos, and most importantly, killing or injuring drivers and 
pedestrians.
  This is not a far-fetched scenario. In fact, two pedestrians were 
killed last year in Maine as a result of overweight trucks on local 
roadways, one tragic instance occurring within sight of the nearby 
Interstate. So I ask you, is the so-called safety argument truly a 
legitimate reason for opposition as my constituents and many others 
across small American communities are taking their lives in their hands 
when merely crossing Main Street?
  What is the result of redirecting such traffic onto local roads? 
According to study conducted by the Maine Department of Transportation, 
traffic fatalities involving trucks weighing 100,000 pounds are 10 
times greater on secondary roads in Maine than on the exempted 
Interstates. Serious injuries are seven times more likely. Not to 
mention the exorbitant cost of maintaining these secondary roads, 
forced to handle these massive trucks. These roads were not designed to 
handle this kind of traffic. Our Interstates were, yet these trucks are 
consistently prevented from traveling on them.
  As you can see, safety is indeed the issue. Unfortunately, I believe 
the opponents of such legislation who continually cite safety as the 
reason behind their opposition are missing the point.
  Another argument against allowing such trucks access to these 
Interstates is the classic ``slippery slope'', that if you allow one 
State to have such an exemption, pretty soon you'll have to give EVERY 
State such an exemption. Well, I would like to remind the opponents of 
this bill that we're already almost there. A total of 46 States possess 
some type of variance, already have some type of exemption, and 4 
States allow trucks weighing over 130,000 pounds on some roads within 
their State! To offer a clear picture of this, if you are driving a 
truck weighing 100,000 pounds, you can leave Gary, Indiana, just 
outside of Chicago, and can

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operate that vehicle all the way to Portland, ME. There, of course, 
they have to unload the additional weight--this case, 20,000 pounds--to 
continue on the Interstate, or travel the remainder of the way through 
the State on these local roads, endangering the populace and other 
drivers.
  Conversely, you can operate a truck weighing 90,000 pounds from 
Kansas City, Missouri and travel to Seattle, WA. So I ask you, is this 
truly a legitimate reason for opposition while my constituents are 
taking their lives in their hands when merely crossing Main Street? 
Perhaps, for the sake of fairness, every State should rescind their 
current variances, instead requiring that all States operate at the 
present federal level of 80,000 pounds. I suspect if that were the case 
many of our opponents would no longer be so stalwart in their 
reluctance to support waivers.
  Lastly, and most importantly, I would especially like to thank 
Senator Collins for her steadfast effort as, side-by-side, we continue 
to seek a resolution to this issue so vital to our State's economic 
competitiveness and to the safety of Maine's people.
                                 ______