3 senators set news conference to state opposition to 33-foot trailers

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The Trucker / October 19, 2015

Three senators — two Democrats and one Republican — say they will hold a news conference in front of the Capitol Wednesday to discuss their bipartisan opposition to a federal mandate that would allow large trucks to pull double 33-foot trailers on the nation’s highways.

64-year-old congressional youngster Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., 82-year-old Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and 69-year-old Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., say they will be joined by representatives from the trucking industry, Teamsters, law enforcement and a safety advocacy group.

David Williams of Knight Transportation will represent the trucking industry.

Kevin Knight, chairman of Knight Transportation, has been a vocal opponent of twin 33-foot trailers and was one of several trucking executives who have signed letters to the Senate opposing the longer tandems.

The two major trucking associations are divided on the issue.

The American Trucking Associations favors 33-foot trailers; the Truckload Carriers Association opposes them.

A tractor-trailer with two 33-foot trailers measures approximately 91 feet in total length, and this equipment will be available for viewing, the senators said. Critics of the proposed longer trailers point to the length as a safety issue.

Earlier this year, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved an amendment to the transportation funding bill requiring states to allow trucks with two 33-foot trailers on their highways. Current federal law permits double 28-foot trailers.

The measure has not been taken up by the full Senate.

The committee voted 16-14 in favor of the amendment proposed by Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., after defeating on a tie 15-15 vote a second degree amendment by Feinstein that would have allowed longer trailers only after the DOT completed a weight and size study and determined the twin 33-foot trailers would not impact safety.

All committee Republicans voted for Shelby’s amendment with the exception of chairman Thad Cochran from Mississippi; all Democrats voted against the amendment with the exception of Jon Tester of Montana.

In presenting her second-degree amendment, Feinstein pointed to safety concerns of a tandem tractor-trailer that would be longer than “an eight-story building” is tall and noted that 39 states already had regulations preventing the longer trailers. She also noted that she’d heard from a number of state law enforcement organizations and citizens impacted by large truck crashes, all of whom were against longer trailers.

Shelby said that the twin 33-foot trailers would make highways safer because they would eliminate 6.6 million trips made and 6.3 billion miles driven by large trucks.

The three senator noted that when the committee considered the measure, the Department of Transportation had issued a report saying that there was currently not enough data to draw firm conclusions on the safety implications of double 33-foot trailers.

The DOT recommended that no changes to truck size be considered at this time, the senators said.

Joining the senators and Williams will be James Hoffa, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters; Walter Armstrong, Chief of Police, Vicksburg, Mississippi; and Jackie Gillan of the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.