Twin-33s included in bill targeting Obama 'overreach'

[kscarbel2]

Fleet Owner / January 19, 2016

Legislation would restore numerous House riders to 2016 budget

Another try at permitting 33-ft. twin trailers on the federal highway system is included in new legislation that’s otherwise designed to respond to “executive branch overreach” and “recalibrate the Constitutional structure of the federal government.”

“The Article I Consolidated Appropriations Amendments of 2016” (H.R. 4371) was introduced last week by Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) to restore a number of policy riders and “defunds” passed by the House but not included by House-Senate negotiators in the final omnibus spending package that funds the federal government for the current fiscal year.

“By doing our work, House Republicans have laid out a counterbalance to President Obama’s wholesale assault on free markets and individual liberties,” Buck writes to congressional colleagues, asking for support of the legislation. "[H.R. 4371] consolidates some of this work in the hopes of providing each House Republican a solid platform from which to begin the process of reclaiming Congress’ rightful place in our Constitutional government.”

Along with provisions to place a moratorium on any new rules or regulations proposed by the executive branch, defund President Obama’s “illegal executive action” on immigration, and prevent IRS use of funds to implement Obamacare, the bill amends U.S. code by striking language that sets the maximum combination trailer length at 28 feet and replaces that with 33 feet.

Both the House and the Senate initially passed budget amendments allowing the longer “pup” trailers, but the Senate ordered its members on the omnibus conference committee not to approve any such language in the final package.

A group of the nation’s largest LTL carriers and the American Trucking Assns. have lobbied for the twin 33s.

Related reading:

http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/42734-senate-votes-to-delay-twin-33s-approval-in-transportation-funding-bill/?hl=twin

http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/42296-3-senators-set-news-conference-to-state-opposition-to-33-foot-trailers/?hl=twin

http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/index.php?/topic/41731-house-bill-would-increase-interstate-weight-limit-to-91000-pounds/?hl=twin#entry303708

[kscarbel2]

FedEx Founder Fred Smith Believes Twin 33s Will Win Approval

Transport Topics  /  May 19, 2016

Fred Smith, founder and chairman of FedEx Corp., said he believes nationwide use of 33-foot twin trailers can gain approval during the next presidential administration.

“We don’t think there is any chance 33-foot trailers will be approved until there is a new administration, but we think it will eventually because they are safer, more environmentally friendly and they save tremendous amounts of fuel,” Smith said.

Smith made the comments during a media roundtable here May 19 just before the release of an updated report from the Securing America’s Future Energy group, of which he is co-chairman.

The 170-page document outlined a series of environmental and technological steps the United States should take to further reduce its dependence on oil. Gaining approval of twin 33s was one goal stated in the heavy-truck section of the report.

For a portion of 2015, it appeared twin 33s would gain federal approval. However, the provision ultimately was left out of the final version of a large fiscal 2016 spending bill.

“We think this was a huge missed opportunity and, as in most things in Washington, it is very easy to stop something and very hard to get something done,” Smith said.

Explaining his position during the media briefing, he said the entire parcel delivery and less-than-truckload sectors, “without exception,” wanted to move to 33-footers and that FedEx already runs them in Florida and a few other areas.

“Adoption of the 33-foot standard would have saved 130 million gallons of diesel fuel a year, reduced emissions by thousands of tons of carbon every year and reduced the number of accidents on the road by a tremendous amount,” Smith said.
He added that they are “more stable” than the 28-footers. “The drivers like them better because they don’t drift in the wind when they are empty.”

Smith also had harsh criticism for advocacy groups that lobbied against them.

“The ‘safety advocates,’ not one of whom operates a truck or knows what it is like to get that call at 5 a.m. when there has been an accident, somehow felt 33-footers were ‘unsafe, ’ ” he said.

Smith made his comments just days after FedEx Freight CEO Michael Ducker participated in a May 16 kickoff event for Infrastructure Week event and called on Congress to authorize the use of twin 33-foot trailers as a “creative solution” to help the nation’s declining condition of roads and bridges.

[kscarbel2]

Along the lines of what Volvo's "Scania Gang" head said in 2014:

"Europe is now thinking about piloting the European Modular System. There is already a 'pilot' up and running in Sweden. It's been there for 50 years. In Scandinavia we are running trucks that are 25.25 metres long - 6.5 metres longer than in the rest of Europe. So we are able to replace three trucks with two, resulting in less congestion, less road-wear and a reduction in fuel consumption of 15 to 25 per cent. Even more important: we have no related safety issues."

Scania CEO Martin Lundstedt

October 2014

 

Related reading - http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/44881-spain-says-%E2%80%98hola%E2%80%99-to-the-2525-metre-truck/